Surging dengue cases in Americas cause alarm as potentially worst-ever season looms Dengue cases in the Americas rose in the first three months of this year by three times the number of infections reported in the same period last year, the head of the Pan American Health Organization said on Thursday. Marion Giraldo Reuters

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Mpox cases in the US are on the rise as vaccination rates lag and new threats loom | CNN Mpox cases in the United States are twice as high as they were at this time last year, and experts are stressing the importance of improving vaccination coverage as transmission risks rise. Deidre McPhillips CNN

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Transmission rates are still far below levels from 2022, when there were tens of thousands of cases in the US. But after a quieter year last year, experts say the US is vulnerable to increases in spread in a number of ways.

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UnitedHealth offers over $3.3 bln in loans to providers hit by attack on unit UnitedHealth Group said on Wednesday it has advanced more than $3.3 billion in loans to care providers impacted by a cyberattack on the U.S. healthcare conglomerate' tech unit last month. Reuters Reuters

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Swedish study suggests link between long COVID and severity of illness Of those who had long COVID, 61% had been hospitalized after contracting the virus. CIDRAP

... high blood pressure may be a risk factor for developing the chronic condition. The study is published in BMJ Public Health.

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Do you need a spring COVID-19 vaccine? Research backs extra round for high-risk groups | CBC News Various Canadian provinces are rolling out spring COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, allowing higher-risk individuals to get an extra dose. CBC

New guidelines suggest certain high-risk groups could benefit from having another dose of a COVID-19 vaccine this spring — and more frequent shots in general — while the broader population could be entering once-a-year territory, much like an annual flu shot.

Medical experts told CBC News that falling behind on the latest shots can come with health risks, particularly for individuals who are older or immunocompromised.

Here's what to know about dengue, as Puerto Rico declares a public health emergency Most people with dengue will show no signs of infection or experience only mild symptoms, but in rare cases infections can become severe and potentially fatal. NPR

Puerto Rico has issued a public health emergency after recording an unusually rapid rise in dengue cases over the first few months of this year.

COVID-Cautious Americans Feel Abandoned There's a growing rift forming between COVID-19 experts and the COVID-cautious public. TIME

...For much of the pandemic, the scientific establishment and the COVID-cautious public were largely aligned in their desires to contain COVID-19. But as many officials argue for a more moderate approach to living with the virus, COVID-cautious individuals are increasingly the loudest voices calling for continued precautions—and, sometimes, lashing out at the scientists they feel have abandoned the cause. ...”