Pregnant women with COVID-19 may be at lower risk for long COVID New data from the RECOVERY trial show that women who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy had a lower risk of developing long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), than other women, according to a study in eClinicalMedicine. CIDRAP

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Pharmacists prove effective, less costly care option for minor illnesses Greater use of pharmacists to treat minor illnesses could potentially save millions of dollars in health care costs, according to new research led by Washington State University. The findings also indicate ... Science X Medical Xpress

The findings also indicate a way to improve health care access by expanding availability of pharmacists' clinical services, including prescribing medications, amid an ongoing shortage of primary care providers.

Rising costs of health care coverage continue to put financial strain on even the privately insured By 2022, the share of Americans without health insurance had reached a record low of just under 8%. More than half the U.S. population, an estimated 180 million individuals (or 55%), were covered by private ... Jacqueline Mitchell Medical Xpress

...the financial burden of health care continues to contribute to stress, poverty, debt, bankruptcy and worse health outcomes even for those with private coverage.

Farmers must kill 4.2 million chickens after bird flu hits Iowa egg farm More than 4 million chickens in Iowa will have to be killed after a case of the highly pathogenic bird flu was detected at a large egg farm. AP News

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Crews are in the process of killing 4.2 million chickens after the disease was found at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, making it the latest in a yearslong outbreak that now is affecting dairy cattle as well. Last week, the virus was confirmed at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, leading to the slaughter of nearly 1.4 million chickens.

As avian flu hops to cows and at least two humans, migrant farm workers are at risk Officials are now incentivizing testing, but experts say workers need protective equipment and paid sick leave to prevent further spread The Guardian

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Migrants must be a focus of catch-up vaccination campaigns, warn global health experts

More needs to be done to ensure migrant communities are a key focus of receiving vital routine vaccinations to ensure health equity. That is according to Dr. Sally Hargreaves from St George's, University of London, whose research is published as part of the new migrant health Series in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe and is speaking at a World Health Assembly side event at The Geneva Health Forum.

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Extreme weather. A lack of lifesaving vaccines. Africa's cholera crisis is worse than ever (medicalxpress.com)

Extreme weather events have hit parts of Africa relentlessly in the last three years, with tropical storms, floods and drought causing crises of hunger and displacement. They leave another deadly threat behind them: some of the continent's worst outbreaks of cholera.

In southern and East Africa, more than 6,000 people have died and nearly 350,000 cases have been reported since a series of cholera outbreaks began in late 2021.....

All have experienced floods or drought—in some cases, both—and health authorities, scientists and aid agencies say the unprecedented surge of the water-borne bacterial infection in Africa is the newest example of how extreme weather is playing a role in driving disease outbreaks.

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Mayo Clinic must face religious bias claims over COVID vaccine policy, court rules A U.S. appeals court on Friday revived a lawsuit accusing the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota of illegally firing five employees who refused on religious grounds to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or be regularly tested for the virus. Daniel Wiessner Reuters

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In communities of color, long-covid patients are tired of being sick and neglected It has been four years since coronavirus infections began burdening people with lingering symptoms often dismissed by medical providers. Akilah Johnson The Washington Post

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Study: COVID-19 forecasting tool allowed hospital to manage patient capacity, resources amid pandemic's third wave During the peak of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the health-care system's capacity was stretched and hospitals across Canada relied on each other to share resources and provide care. Marzena McDonald Medical Xpress

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WHO: COVID-19 pandemic reversed decade of life expectancy gains The World Health Organization (WHO) published a new report suggesting the COVID-19 pandemic undid a decade of life expectancy at birth and healthy life expectancy gains (HALE), with global expectancy levels now matching those last seen in 2012. CIDRAP

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"Not only has the pandemic set back healthy longevity worldwide by years, it also reversed the previous trends of shifting disease burden to noncommunicable diseases," the report said.

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World Health Assembly hopes to reinforce pandemic preparedness after bold treaty project stalls The World Health Organization is beginning its annual meeting with government ministers and other top envoys hoping to reinforce global preparedness for the next pandemic in the devastating wake of COVID-19. AP News

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