Flu vaccines drop among kids despite record deaths last year: CDC Fewer children in the U.S. have gotten a flu vaccine in 2024 compared to last year, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   As of Nov. 30, about 36 p… aoconnelld The Hill

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As of Nov. 30, about 36 percent of the nation’s children aged six months to 17 years received a flu vaccination, a drop from last year’s 43 percent.

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Latest symptoms of COVID-19: New strain presents like the common cold XEC, the latest strain of the coronavirus, is more transmissible than others, but its symptoms tend to be milder. Newsweek

Another year is drawing to a close, with another strain of the coronavirus making the rounds.

But this time, medical professionals say it might be harder to distinguish whether you have COVID-19, the flu or the common cold without taking a test.

Kennedy tenure at HHS would jeopardize public health, Nobel laureates say in letter to Senate | CNN Dozens of Nobel Prize winners are urging the US Senate to oppose Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services in a letter dated Monday. It was first reported in the New York Times. Katherine Dillinger CNN

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What states have the highest COVID rates? Map shows where it's spreading as winter approaches Is COVID going around again as the U.S. approaches the winter? Infectious disease experts share what to know and how to stay safe. TODAY

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According to viral activity in wastewater — one of the most accurate ways to measure cases since the CDC stopped tracking overall cases, — the states with the highest COVID rates, as of Nov. 30, are:

Studies describe vaccine efficacy against long COVID In the first study, published in eClinicalMedicine, researchers measured the real-world efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine against long COVID in children and adolescents using data from 20 US health systems collected in as part of the RECOVER PCORnet electronic health record (EHR) Program. CIDRAP

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Record outbreak of Dengue fever in Central and South America More than 12.6m cases were recorded this year, the region's UN health organisation says. BBC News

The number of cases of dengue fever in Central and South America has nearly tripled to a record high this year, the Pan American Health Organisation (Paho) said on Tuesday.

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Malaria cases up again in 2023, African children worst hit, WHO reports

How Americans View Climate Change and Policies to Address the Issue Among Republicans, 56% think climate policies usually hurt the U.S. economy. By contrast, 52% of Democrats say they usually help. Brian Kennedy Pew Research Center

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Overall, 69% of Americans say large business and corporations are doing too little to help reduce the effects of global climate change. Six-in-ten also say state elected officials are doing too little on climate.

More Americans say health care is government responsibility: Gallup Sixty-two percent of Americans say it’s the federal government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health care coverage, a survey from Gallup found. The figure is the highest it’s been in more … lirwin The Hill

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The figure is the highest it’s been in more than a decade. It slipped to its low of 42 percent in 2013, during the difficult rollout of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as ObamaCare.

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Coronavirus FAQ: I didn't get the latest COVID vaccine. Should I? And if so ... when? If you haven't rolled up your sleeve for the jab, you're not alone. In fact, you're in the majority. Here's why doctors think the shot is important. NPR

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A ‘doom loop’ of climate change and geopolitical instability is beginning Climate change is driving inflation and instability, which harms climate action. But it’s not too late to escape the doom loop. The Conversation

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Climate change is an international problem requiring international cooperation, the possibilities for which are determined by geopolitics. But this year, something more unsettling is emerging: climate change is itself beginning to impact geopolitics.