Healthcare

FL faces deaths from meningococcal disease and the growing threat of monkeypox, but the public may not know about it

An emergency committee meeting was called Thursday by the Director-General of the World Health Organization to provide views on whether to declare monkeypox a public health emergency. As of 10:22 p.m. ET, the organization had not made an announcement.

As the U.S. reels from a more than 1 million reported deaths due directly to the Covid-19 pandemic, another infectious disease — monkeypox — is beginning to percolate. Cases of monkeypox, which scientists have been warning about for years, continue to rise worldwide.

If you’re working from home after spending months, or years, working in an office, you may find it hard to take breaks. Yet don’t get persuaded into thinking that working nonstop is the best approach for your physical and mental health.

College and high school graduation season has begun. With masking on the decline and new covid-19 cases on the rise, a perfect storm is brewing for the new omicron variant (labeled BA2.12.1) to anchor itself across the nation as everyone prepares for summer travel and vacationing.

The 2022 JD Power’s American Airline Satisfaction survey results are out, and the news for many airlines is not good. Jet Blue and Southwest topped the list, while legacy airlines like American and United were near the bottom across the three categories of passengers surveyed (economy, premium economy and first/business). 

On April 18, a federal court judge ended the federal transportation face mask mandate, deeming it an overstep of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authority. Almost immediately, airlines responded by making face masks on flights optional. The White House continues to urge travelers on all modes of transportation (air, rail and public transit) to continue to wear face masks to reduce virus transmission, particularly for those most vulnerable to developing a serious case of COVID-19.

Although COVID-19 infections have dropped from the winter, some parts of the country are seeing an uptick in cases. What will the pandemic look like this summer?

China has stated a zero-COVID policy to address the COVID-19 pandemic within the country. This means that the Chinese government is willing to impose any actions necessary (widespread testing, contact tracing, vaccination, isolation) to eradicate the virus that causes COVID-19, effectively working to eliminate it from the country.  As a result, it has locked down several areas, including Beijing and Shanghai, to stop the spread of the virus and bring new cases down to zero. They have reported a significant drop in the number of new cases within the quarantined area, and no new cases outside of it. China’s President Xi Jinping has reiterated his commitment to a zero-COVID policy, despite criticism and resistance. 

Omicron and its growing family of subvariants has left Americans wondering whether they have enough immunity to protect against the ever-changing virus.