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Hong Kong Sevens to return in November after Covid hiatus
Hong Kong's rugby sevens tournament will return after a three-year coronavirus pandemic hiatus, organisers confirmed Saturday, with the event likely adopting a Beijing Olympics-style "closed-loop" system.
North Korea reports no new cases for first time since Covid outbreak
North Korea reported zero fever cases on Saturday for the first time in more than two months since it confirmed its first Covid-19 infections in May.
Spain, Brazil report first monkeypox-related deaths outside Africa
Spain and Brazil reported their first monkeypox-related deaths on Friday, marking what are thought to be the first fatalities linked to the current outbreak outside of Africa.
First kisses may have helped spread cold sore virus
The modern strain of the virus that causes cold sores has been traced back to around 5,000 years ago, with researchers suggesting its spread could have been propelled by the emergence of kissing.
Long-lasting loss of smell, taste in 5% of Covid cases: study
Around five percent of people who have had Covid-19 develop long-lasting problems with their sense of smell or taste, a large study said Thursday, potentially contributing to the burden of long Covid.
Global fight against HIV 'In Danger' amid resource crunch, says UN
The global fight against HIV has stalled from shrinking resources due to Covid-19 and other crises, according to a new report presented at the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada.
Bacteria behind rare disease found in US soil and water samples
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday issued a health advisory to clinicians after discovering the bacteria behind a rare but serious disease for the first time in the continental United States.
Antibiotic taken after sex drastically reduces STDs: study
An antibiotic taken after sex without a condom can drastically reduce the rate of three bacterial STDs among high-risk groups, data from a clinical study showed Wednesday.
Botswana hits 'historic' UN goal against HIV: report
Botswana has become the second nation in the world, after Eswatini, to reach a landmark UN goal towards eradicating AIDS, researchers said Wednesday, in what health experts hailed as "stellar results".
China's 'Silicon Valley' tightens rules over Covid flare-up
China's biggest tech hub is rushing to stamp out a fresh Covid outbreak, ordering some of the country's biggest manufacturers to operate in a 'closed loop' to reduce infections, state media reported.
Monkeypox symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and vaccines
The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global health emergency at the weekend, as calls grow for swift action to stop the spread of the virus.
Shortages leave bankrupt Sri Lanka's hospitals empty
Entire wards are dark and nearly empty in Sri Lanka's largest hospital, its few remaining patients leaving untreated and still in pain, and doctors prevented from even arriving for their shifts.
Thailand's first monkeypox patient found after fleeing to Cambodia
A Nigerian man who went on the run after becoming Thailand's first monkeypox case was found in Phnom Penh Saturday and taken to hospital, the Cambodian Health Ministry said.
WHO triggers highest alert on monkeypox
The World Health Organization on Saturday declared the monkeypox outbreak, which has affected nearly 16,000 people in 72 countries, to be a global health emergency -- the highest alarm it can sound.
China confirms top officials vaccinated as it seeks to reassure vaccine-sceptic
Chinese anti-Covid vaccines are safe and have been given to the country's top leaders, Beijing's health authorities said Saturday, in a bid to reassure the population about their quality in the face of dwindling inoculation rates.
WHO to say if it will trigger highest alert on monkeypox
Faced with a surge in monkeypox cases, the head of the World Health Organization is Saturday expected to declare if the agency has decided to classify the outbreak as a global health emergency -- the highest alarm it can sound.
Japan's baby hatch hospital offers mothers 'last resort'
When the alarm sounds at Jikei hospital in southern Japan, nurses race down a spiral staircase. Their mission: to rescue an infant left in the country's only baby hatch.
WHO discusses declaring emergency on monkeypox
Monkeypox experts discussed Thursday whether the World Health Organization should classify the outbreak as a global health emergency -- the highest alarm it can sound.
A Covid tale of two presidents
More than two years into the pandemic, a second US president has tested positive for Covid.
WHO decides on sounding highest alarm on monkeypox
Monkeypox experts were discussing Thursday whether the World Health Organization should classify the outbreak as a global health emergency -- the highest alarm it can sound.
Across Haiti, fuel shortages and power outages bring life to a halt
With gang violence racking Haiti's capital, other cities across the island nation face another major issue: a shortage of both fuel and electricity threatens daily life for millions.
'Severe' pain: a New Yorker's experience of monkeypox
"It was the worst pain that I have experienced in my life," says 26-year-old New Yorker Kyle Planck, recalling his recent monkeypox infection.
US overdose deaths shot up for Black, Native people during pandemic
Overdose deaths increased 44 percent for Black people and 39 percent for American Indians in 2020 compared to 2019, as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted access to care and exacerbated racial inequality, an official report showed Tuesday.
America's Fauci to retire by end of Biden's current term
Anthony Fauci, who has helmed the United States' response to infectious disease outbreaks since the 1980s, will retire by the end of President Joe Biden's current term, he said in interviews Monday.
US doctors embroiled in sudden legal uncertainty over abortions
Days after the US state of Ohio banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, doctor Mae Winchester had a patient who needed to terminate her pregnancy to save her life.
India reports first case of monkeypox
India has reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox after a 35-year-old man with a history of travel to the Middle East showed symptoms, officials said.
'True balance': Japan's quiet telework revolution
Posted far from home for his job at Japanese conglomerate Hitachi, father of two Tsutomu Kojima was "really lonely" until he began working remotely during the pandemic for the first time.
UN sounds 'red alert' on global immunization backslide
Increased misinformation and the disruption of global supply chains due to Covid are behind the biggest sustained drop in childhood vaccinations in three decades, a UN report said Thursday.
Who could take over as UK prime minister?
The race to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative leader and Britain's prime minister is down to five candidates after the second round of voting among Tory MPs on Thursday.
WHO to reconvene monkeypox emergency panel on July 21
The World Health Organization said Thursday it would reconvene its expert monkeypox committee on July 21 to decide whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency.
New York stresses monkeypox vaccine 'urgency' as cases rise
New York City has stressed to the US government the "urgency" with which it needs monkeypox vaccines amid a rise in cases, its mayor said Wednesday.
As Covid surges in US, health officials say vaccines remain key
Faced with a doubling of Covid hospitalizations in recent months, US health authorities reiterated the need Tuesday for vaccine vigilance to fight the pandemic, even as the jabs' immunity against new Omicron subvariants remains unclear.