France reports first case of new mpox variant

The individual, located in Brittany, had been in contact with two people who had recently returned from Central Africa. French authorities said they were working to identify all contacts.

Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the U.K. have all reported cases, although there have been no major outbreaks outside Africa. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says the risk to the general population in Europe is low. 

https://www.science.org/content/article/infamous-paper-popularized-unproven-covid-19-treatment-finally-retracted

Infamous paper that popularized unproven COVID-19 treatment finally retracted

A 2020 paper that sparked widespread enthusiasm for hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment was retracted today, following years of campaigning by scientists who alleged the research contained major scientific flaws and may have breached ethics regulations. The paper was pulled because of ethical concerns and methodological problems, according to a retraction notice.

Bird flu spreading faster than 2023 in the EU, data shows Bird flu has been spreading faster in the European Union this season than a milder 2023, raising concerns of a repeat of previous crises that led to the deaths of tens of millions of poultry and renewing fears that it could expand to humans. Sybille de La Hamaide Reuters

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3 studies uncover flu, COVID vaccine reluctance, impact of mental illness on uptake Three new observational studies on influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake find that more than a third of US adults say they don't need any vaccines, 64% of French healthcare workers got the flu shot but not the COVID vaccine in 2022-2023, and psychiatric illness is tied to a significantly higher likelihood of receiving a flu vaccine but lower odds of getting a COVID vaccine. CIDRAP

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