Montgomery County Maryland

Walmart to shut all health clinics in US over lack of profitability Walmart said on Tuesday it will close all 51 of its health clinics and shut its virtual health care operations, saying it could not see it as a sustainable business model to continue. Siddharth Cavale,Granth Vanaik Reuters

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Spikes of flu virus in wastewater raise questions about spread of bird flu | CNN Spikes of influenza A virus seen in wastewater samples from 59 sewer systems across 18 different states this spring may point to the spread of the H5N1 avian influenza virus that is currently infecting dairy cattle, a new study suggests. Brenda Goodman CNN

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So far, the US Department of Agriculture has reported more than 30 herds of dairy cows infected with H5N1 influenza across nine states. But there are questions about how large the outbreak might be and whether the US can adequately track it.

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Research finds negativity about vaccines surged on Twitter after COVID-19 shots became available There was a marked increase in negativity about vaccines on Twitter after COVID-19 vaccines became available, according to a presentation at the ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID) in Barcelona, ... Science X Medical Xpress

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The analysis also found that spikes in the number of negative tweets coincided with announcements from governments and health care authorities about vaccination.

Pandemic fatigue and vaccine hesitancy continue to affect global public health, new 23-country study finds (medicalxpress.com)

While it found that global uptake of at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose was robust, a new survey published in Nature Medicine revealed mixed signals about the current acceptance of vaccines generally, especially COVID-19 boosters. ...

"The repercussions of pandemic disruptions in health care services, the effects of the inequitable and slow global vaccine distribution, and the prevalence of misinformation and mistrust in health authorities continue to be felt," says Jeffrey V. Lazarus, Professor of Global Health at CUNY SPH, head of the Health Systems Research Group at Barcelona Institute for Global Health, and coordinator of the study.

US to test ground beef in states with bird-flu outbreaks in dairy cows The U.S. government said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing, but remains confident the meat supply is safe. Tom Polansek Reuters

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Impaired sense of smell still common 1 year after COVID-19 Participants with a history of COVID-19 were more likely to experience some degree of smell loss compared with those without a history. CIDRAP

Sense of smell—but not taste—was still impaired in some COVID patients at 1 year, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open. 

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Global measles cases nearly doubled in one year, researchers say | CNN The number of measles cases around the world nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023, researchers say, presenting a challenge to efforts to achieve and maintain elimination status in many countries. Katherine Dillinger CNN

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Almost half of this year’s cases have been in WHO’s European Region, with the highest incidence in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Yemen.

US respiratory virus levels continue to decline as officials track shift in SARS-CoV-2 proportions Amid further declines in COVID activity, the CDC reported a steady rise in JN.1 spinoffs that have 2 added spike mutations, part of a group nicknamed FLiRT. CIDRAP

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Insight: As solar capacity grows, some of America's most productive farmland is at risk The solar industry is pushing into the Midwest, drawn by wide-open fields, cheaper land rents, access to electric transmission and federal and state incentives. The boom risks damaging some of America's richest agricultural soils. P.j. Huffstutter,Christopher Walljasper Reuters

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The Power of Us: Climate change has disproportionately impacted these vulnerable US communities, experts say The disproportionate impacts of climate change on the poorest communities are already affecting pockets of the U.S. ABC News ABC News

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Dubai’s deadly floods were made worse by climate change, scientists find | CNN The record-breaking rain that fell over the UAE and Oman was driven partly by the climate crisis, an analysis shows, pointing to the role of burning fossil fuels. Angela Dewan CNN

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