Health
With Mpox a public health emergency in Africa, what you must know about increased virus risk
Mpox (formerly monkeypox) has officially been declared a public health emergency by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The African agency reported an increase in the disease throughout the continent and warned that the virus could spread across international borders, The Associated Press reported.
More than 96% of all mpox cases and deaths have taken place in Congo, even though mpox has been detected in 13 African countries.
MPOX DECLARED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY IN AFRICA AS AUTHORITIES BATTLE MULTIPLE VARIANTS
The Africa CDC confirmed that overall cases are up 160%, and deaths increased by 19% compared to last year, according to AP.
Additionally, Swedish health authorities just announced the first case of the highly infectious mpox as well. “In this case, a person was infected during a stay in the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of [the more infectious mpox formerly known as monkeypox],” the Public Health Agency of Sweden said on Thursday.
The backs of the hands of a patient with mpox showing a characteristic rash during his recovery phase. (CDC/IMAGE POINT FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Unlike in the 2022 epidemic, when mpox was typically spread through close contact (including sex) between gay and bisexual men, patterns in Africa show that children under 15 years old are making up more than 70% of cases and 85% of deaths in Congo.
Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an infectious diseases expert at Emory University, told AP that it is “unclear” why children are “disproportionately hit” in Congo right now.
She hypothesized that it could be due to children being more susceptible to the virus, overcrowding in social situations or exposure to parents who have mpox.
A new strain
A new form of mpox that can kill up to 10% of people and may spread more easily has also been detected in Congo, AP reported, which has scientists concerned about transmission.
MPOX OUTBREAK THAT IS RAPIDLY SPREADING THROUGH CONGO MAY BE A NEW FORM OF THE DISEASE
This is because, unlike traditional mpox, which causes lesions on the chest, hands and feet, the new strain causes milder symptoms with lesions on genitalia, according to AP, making it harder to spot.
Earlier this month, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus considered declaring mpox a global emergency given the increasing numbers in Africa.
A child affected by mpox sits on his father’s legs while receiving treatment at the center of the International medical NGO Doctors Without Borders in Zomea Kaka, in the Lobaya region in the Central African Republic, on Oct. 18, 2018. (CHARLES BOUESSEL/AFP via Getty Images)
The WHO head decided to convene with independent experts to come to a pending decision.
Meantime, the WHO reported the release of $1.45 million from its emergency fund to support mpox response in Africa.
Congo is reportedly in communication with donors about vaccine donations and has received financial aid from Britain and the U.S., AP reported.
MONKEYPOX: WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS – AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
The U.N. health agency said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in 2024 – already blowing past last year’s numbers.
Kyle Planck, 26, who has recovered from mpox, shows scars from rashes on his skin during an interview in New York on July 19, 2022. (YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
In May 2023, the WHO declared that mpox was no longer an international emergency following the 2022 outbreak, as cases declined by 90% for three consecutive months.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and Fox News senior medical analyst, said he credited the vaccine for helping to end that outbreak.
WHO ASKS EXPERTS TO HELP DECIDE IF MPOX OUTBREAK IN AFRICA IS GLOBAL EMERGENCY
“The use of ring vaccination, where those who were close to monkeypox cases are vaccinated, played a role,” he told Fox News Digital last year.
Public education and awareness of risk factors have also been critical, he said.
What is mpox?
Those who contracted the disease two years ago were hit with jarring symptoms.
Siegel told Fox News Digital during the first outbreak that the disease causes a “painful” rash that can lead to scarring.
MONKEYPOX: WHO SAYS NO LONGER GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
The virus is part of the same family that causes smallpox – but is not related to chickenpox, said the CDC.
Blood samples are drawn from a boy who did not display any sign of mpox, even as his family was contaminated, at a quarantine area of the center of the International medical NGO Doctors Without Borders in Zomea Kaka, in the Lobaya region in the Central African Republic, on Oct. 18, 2018. (CHARLES BOUESSEL/AFP via Getty Images)
Mpox patients often develop a rash that moves through several stages and can develop within one to three days, the agency said.
Symptoms can also include headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, fever, backache, swollen lymph nodes and chills.
Mpox is classified as a “zoonotic disease,” meaning it can be spread between animals and people and can be found in small rodents, monkeys and other mammals living in locations where the virus is endemic.
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To prevent mpox spread, the CDC recommends avoiding close, skin-to-skin contact with people who appear to have a mpox rash or animals that may carry it.
The public should also be aware of preventative measures to avoid contracting the virus through sex, social gatherings or contaminated materials.
A doctor shows a vial of the Jynneos mpox vaccine by Danish vaccine developer Bavarian Nordic in Montpellier, southern France on Aug. 23, 2022. (PASCAL GUYOT/AFP via Getty Images)
People with severely weakened immune systems, children under 1-year-old, people with a history of eczema and people who are pregnant have the highest risk of severe disease, the CDC notes.
A two-dose vaccine, called JYNNEOS, is available for protection against mpox and smallpox.
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The CDC recommends vaccinations against mpox if patients have known or suspected exposure to someone with mpox, had a sexual partner who was diagnosed with mpox in the last two weeks, are men having sex with other men or are individuals in other related, high-risk scenarios.
Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy and Sarah Rumph-Whitten, as well as Deirdre Reilly and The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
Over the two and a half years following the 2022 rollout of the 988 national suicide prevention hotline, the rate of suicides among young people in the United States dropped 11 percent below projections, decreasing most sharply in states with a higher volume of answered 988 calls, a new study has found.
The findings, published today as a research letter in JAMA, compared suicide deaths from July 2022 to December 2024 with sophisticated mathematical projections that were based on historical trends. This yielded good news, with 4,372 fewer suicides of adolescents and young adults, ages 15 to 34, than had been projected.
To ensure that the decline was related to the use of the hotline, researchers at Harvard Medical School teased out the trends in states with high and low usage of the hotline. The findings were striking: The 10 states with the largest increases in 988 calls experienced an 18.2 percent reduction in observed suicides compared with expected suicides; in the 10 states with the lowest uptake, the reduction was smaller, 10.6 percent.
The results suggest that the government’s investment in the 988 rollout has translated into “a measurable reduction of deaths,” said Dr. Vishal Patel, a resident physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and one of the authors of the study.
“What our study has added,” he said, “is evidence for the deeper benefit of the program, and that is, that at the population level, among young people at least, suicide mortality is lower than it would have been without the program.”
Tips for Parents to Help Their Struggling Teens
Are you concerned for your teen? If you worry that your teen might be experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, there are a few things you can do to help. Dr. Christine Moutier, the chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suggests these steps:
He added, “The implication of that is that sustained funding for this program matters.”
The United States rolled out the three-digit hotline with bipartisan support in July 2022, replacing a 10-digit hotline number, and augmented it with a $1.5 billion investment in crisis center capacity. Since its inception, the service has fielded more than 25 million contacts, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency has asked Congress for $534.6 million to fund the program for 2027.
Last summer, the Trump administration terminated one element of the hotline, the Press 3 option for L.G.B.T.Q.+ callers. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said that the Press 3 option was being discontinued because it had exhausted its funding from Congress and that the hotline would “focus on serving all help seekers.”
But advocacy groups and policymakers protested the decision, and in testimony before the Senate on Tuesday, the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said his agency was planning to restore the Press 3 option.
Dr. Patel said his group had become curious about measuring the program’s effectiveness after Press 3 was eliminated. While call volume and satisfaction surveys suggested that 988 was succeeding, he said, the harder question was, “Did the creation of this 988 program, the transition from the old hotline to this hotline, actually move the needle on suicide mortality?”
Experts said it was difficult to tease out the beneficial effect of 988 from other things that changed in 2022, the year that the new hotline was created. Around that time, suicide prevention programs were being introduced in schools, in faith communities and on social media, but more important, the pandemic was ending.
“We were finally out of this crazy time, and there was a sense of optimism and hope,” said Jonathan B. Singer, a professor of social work at Loyola University Chicago and a co-author of “Suicide in Schools.” He called the downward trend in youth suicides “encouraging, but it is tempered by the fact that we don’t have a good explanation as to why.”
The authors acknowledged that their findings could not account for the influence of social and economic changes, changes in mental health services or public awareness about services.
But they did make comparisons to exclude other possible explanations. The authors looked for similar effects among American adults over 65, who are less likely to use the hotline. In that group, there was a reduction in suicides that exceeded expectations, but it was smaller, at just 4.5 percent.
To ensure the decline in suicides did not reflect a general improvement in young-adult mortality, the researchers tracked cancer deaths, and found there was no change. They also looked at the rates of suicide among young people in England, where no change had been made to the national crisis line in that time period; they found no reduction in youth suicides there.
Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said she was persuaded that the hotline had contributed to the improvement in suicide rates, in part because it did not appear among English youths or in older Americans.
“To me, that really helps hone in that this might really be the differentiator,” she said. “We are seeing potentially a pretty significant decline in suicides among young people. For public policy, this is strong evidence to double down on that we are doing.”
Emily Hilliard, a senior press secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, said H.H.S. and SAMHSA are “committed to ensuring that all Americans have access” the 988 line, which she said “clearly provides lifesaving support, helping millions of people every year.”
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
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A highly contagious digestive virus is surging across the U.S., experts warn.
Rotavirus, a double-stranded RNA virus, causes acute gastroenteritis — inflammation of the stomach and intestines — which can lead to severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain.
The virus primarily affects infants and young children, but there have also been outbreaks in elderly populations, such as nursing homes.
AT LEAST 46 CHILDREN DEAD AMID MEASLES OUTBREAK AS VIRUS SPREADS GLOBALLY
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that in the week ending April 4, out of 2,329 rotavirus tests, 7.3% were positive for the infection. Last year’s highest infection rate was 6.77% as of the week ending April 19.
Rotavirus, a double-stranded RNA virus, causes acute gastroenteritis — inflammation of the stomach and intestines — which can lead to severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain. (iStock)
“We’re seeing a lot of rotavirus in the wastewater right now,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, confirmed to Fox News Digital. “Testing for rotavirus is way down, but the percentage of positive tests is up.”
While the virus typically peaks in the spring, it is not currently slowing down, he noted.
Why cases may be rising
Patricia Pinto-Garcia, M.D., a medical editor at GoodRx who is based in California, said there are several possible reasons for the rotavirus spike.
“Vaccine rates are down overall among young children, as they decreased during COVID,” she told Fox News Digital. “This means there’s a growing number of infants and young children who are vulnerable to infection.”
The rotavirus vaccine series must be completed by the time a child is 8 months old, she noted.
HEALTH ALERT ISSUED FOR DENGUE OUTBREAKS SPREADING IN TRAVEL HOTSPOTS
As a result of the declining vaccinations, herd immunity isn’t protecting vulnerable children, according to Pinto-Garcia. “Children who haven’t finished the vaccine series yet, are too young to get vaccinated, or can’t get the vaccine due to medical illness are more likely to get exposed to the illness because other children aren’t vaccinated,” she said.
Siegel noted that before the vaccine became available, rotavirus resulted in 55,000 to 70,000 in the U.S. per year.
“Vaccine rates are down overall among young children, as they decreased during COVID,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. “This means there’s a growing number of infants and young children who are vulnerable to infection.” (iStock)
“I am concerned that the vaccination rate has been declining over the past seven years and is continuing to decline in the current climate of vaccine skepticism,” he said.
Surveillance methods are also much better than they used to be, Pinto-Garcia noted, which means public health experts are able to pick up and track cases better than ever before.
HOW LONG YOU’RE CONTAGIOUS WITH THE FLU — AND WHEN IT’S SAFE TO GO OUT
“But we see that rotavirus-related healthcare visits are also up, so improved detection is not the only reason we are seeing this spike,” she said.
The COVID pandemic also disrupted the pattern of infections, according to Pinto-Garcia, so it’s “tricky” to compare the current levels against older cycles.
“It’s possible that what we are seeing is still some post-pandemic rebound, but it’s unlikely that this year’s pattern is fully explained by just this factor,” she added.
Transmission and risk
Dr. Zachary Hoy, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Pediatrix Medical Group based in Nashville, Tennessee, often sees young patients with rotavirus.
“Rotavirus is spread via the fecal-oral route, meaning that a person comes into contact with virus droplets from contact with other children or adults, or from contact with objects such as toys that have been contaminated with the virus from someone who is sick,” he told Fox News Digital. “This can lead to outbreaks, especially at schools where many young children share the same toys.”
“It’s possible that what we are seeing is still some post-pandemic rebound, but it’s unlikely that this year’s pattern is fully explained by just this factor.”
Rotavirus is associated with many dehydration cases in the hospital due to the degree of diarrhea, according to Hoy.
In some severe cases, the virus can lead to seizures due to electrolyte imbalances from dehydration and loss of electrolytes in the stool.
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“Younger children do not have the reserves that older children and adults have, so they can become more dehydrated quicker and develop more severe electrolyte imbalances, leading to more severe infections,” Hoy said.
“Patients with problems with their immune systems or on medications that can decrease their immune systems can have more severe and prolonged infections, too.”
Treatment and care
Because rotavirus is a viral infection, antibiotics are not effective against it. There is no specific antiviral treatment for the condition, with doctors typically recommending supportive care.
“The mainstay of treatment is hospitalization for rehydration via intravenous (IV) fluids,” Hoy told Fox News Digital. “Sometimes it can take up to two to three days of IV fluids to help get patients rehydrated.”
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Blood draws are often necessary to evaluate patients’ electrolyte levels, such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, according to the doctor.
“If these electrolyte levels are significantly low, sometimes patients need special IV solutions or individual electrolyte medications,” he added.
“The mainstay of treatment is hospitalization for rehydration via intravenous (IV) fluids,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Dr. Daniel Park, medical director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at UNC Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, noted that most children recover with supportive care, but parents should seek medical attention if a child shows signs of dehydration. Those include decreased urination, lethargy or inability to keep fluids down.
“While rare, rotavirus can be life-threatening in vulnerable populations, especially very young infants or children with underlying medical conditions,” Park told Fox News Digital.
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Prevention strategies
Given the lack of antiviral medications for rotavirus, doctors emphasize the importance of prevention, primarily the vaccine.
There are two rotavirus vaccines – Rotateq (a three-dose series) and Rotarix (a two-dose series). They are given starting at age 2 months as oral drops, not injections, according to Hoy.
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“It’s important to get the rotavirus vaccines on schedule, because these younger infants are at greatest risk if they get rotavirus,” he advised.
Other recommended prevention methods include handwashing with soap and water.
Every day we’re faced with a zillion small choices: Go to sleep early, or watch one more episode of that Netflix drama. Call an old friend to catch up, or cruise social media. Of course, no single action will guarantee a long, healthy life or doom you to an early grave. But those little daily decisions do add up, and over the long term they can make a difference when it comes to both your longevity and your health span, the amount of life spent in relatively good health.
Scroll through this theoretical “day in the life” and select the option that best fits your typical day. Not every situation will apply perfectly, but think about which choice you’d be most likely to make. This isn’t a formal scientific assessment. The goal here isn’t to assign you a “good” or “bad” score, but to help you understand the central factors that shape the way we age and how long we live.
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