US flu activity continues slight rise in children as COVID levels remain low As flu test positivity crept upward, emergency department visits increased slightly among children and adolescents. CIDRAP

Percent positivity for flu has trended upward over the past few weeks but is still low, at 1.6% at clinical labs, where nearly 93% of detections are influenza A. Meanwhile, emergency department visits for flu increased slightly among children and adolescents....

A more severe strain of mpox has been detected in the U.S. for the first time The patient was traveling from East Africa, where the mpox disease is endemic. The CDC says the strain does not present a high risk to the general population. NPR

California's health department confirmed the case through lab testing. The patient contracted it after traveling from East Africa, where there has been an outbreak of the clade I strain. The person was treated in San Mateo County and then released. The person is at home recovering, the CDC said Saturday.

It’s not just Democrats. Republicans are working to Trump-proof their climate money | CNN President Joe Biden’s climate law is on the chopping block as Republicans prepare to have full control in Washington. Ella Nilsen, Renée Rigdon CNN

President Joe Biden’s climate law is on the chopping block as Republicans prepare to have full control in Washington.

Study finds four global policies could eliminate >90% of plastic waste and 30% of linked carbon emissions by 2050 A study released in Science determines that just four policies can reduce mismanaged plastic waste—plastic that isn't recycled or properly disposed of and ends up as pollution—by 91% and plastic-related ... University of California - Santa Barbara Phys.org

A study released in Science determines that just four policies can reduce mismanaged plastic waste—plastic that isn't recycled or properly disposed of and ends up as pollution—by 91% and plastic-related greenhouse gases by one-third. ...

Researchers say impact of Trump's climate policies 'recoverable' US president-elect Donald Trump's expected climate rollbacks will likely have a "small" impact on global warming, as long as other countries resist the temptation to slacken their own carbon-cutting efforts, ... Kelly MACNAMARA Phys.org

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In a new analysis of countries' climate plans, the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) project said Trump's potential retreat from the green transition could increase global temperatures by around 0.04C by the end of the century.

Bill Hare of Climate Analytics, one of the groups behind the tracker, said the effect could be "really quite small".

Many long COVID patients adjust to slim recovery odds as world moves on

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The best window for recovery is in the first six months after getting COVID-19, with better odds for people whose initial illness was less severe, as well as those who are vaccinated, researchers in the United Kingdom and the United States found

COVID vaccines protect frontline workers from long COVID, data suggest The study was based on outcomes seen among essential workers with COVID-19 infection from June 2021 to September 2022. CIDRAP

A third dose of COVID-19 vaccine offered essential workers some protection from developing long COVID during Omicron variant predominance, according to a new study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

How the CDC could change under the next Trump administration If the new administration embraces proposals to cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's budget and its mission, the public health agency could look very different than it does today. NPR

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Measles cases rise by 20 percent worldwide: WHO Measles cases have skyrocketed in recent years after a COVID-19 pandemic-era drop in vaccination against the virus.   Cases of the disease increased by 20 percent across the globe between 2022 and … aoconnelld The Hill

Measles cases have skyrocketed in recent years after a COVID-19 pandemic-era drop in vaccination against the virus.  

Trump to select Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS The choice will roil many public health experts after his years of touting debunked claims that vaccines cause autism. Politico

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Moroccan Mpox Test To Be Used In Africa; No Marburg Cases In Rwanda For Two Weeks - Health Policy Watch African countries will soon use a PCR test for mpox developed by Moroccan company Moldiag that is cheaper than the Gene Xpert tests currently being used, Health Policy Watch

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COP29 climate talks urged to find $1 trillion a year for poorer countries