New mpox strain mutating faster than expected, and other top health stories

The new mpox strain spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is mutating faster than expected, particularly in regions lacking the resources for proper tracking, scientists report. This has led to "numerous unknowns" about the virus’s severity and transmission, complicating the global response, experts in Africa, Europe and the United States told Reuters.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been a public health concern in parts of Africa for more than 50 years, but re-emerged as a global concern in 2022. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new health emergency on 14 August due to the 'clade 1b' strain of the virus, which has caused over 18,000 suspected cases and 615 deaths in Congo this year, with additional cases reported in Africa, Sweden and Thailand.

The WHO has since launched a Global strategic preparedness and response plan, based on its existing recommendations. The key areas of focus include:

Children in eastern DRC are worst affected by the current mpox outbreak due to their less-developed immune systems and overcrowded living conditions, the BBC reports. Approximately 75% of treated cases in the region involve children under 10.

However, mpox is "not the new COVID-19", a WHO official stressed at a UN press briefing on 20 August, as health authorities have the knowledge and tools to control its spread.

A lung cancer patient at University College London Hospitals has become the first in the UK to receive a ground-breaking mRNA cancer vaccine, using the same mRNA technology pivotal in creating COVID-19 vaccines.

Developed by BioNTech, BNT116 is designed to train the immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells, and is being tested in a clinical trial for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

“Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with an estimated 1.8 million deaths in 2020,” said Professor Siow Ming Lee, who led the study. “We hope this will provide an opportunity to further improve outcomes for our NSCLC patients, whether in the early or advanced stages."

The trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of BNT116 across multiple sites in the UK and other countries.

Researchers have vastly underestimated how many people lack access to potable water, according to a recent study published in Science. 'Mapping safe drinking water use in low- and middle-income countries' reveals that approximately 4.4 billion people - double previous estimates - are without safe drinking water.

Microplastics, known to be environmental and health hazards, are increasingly present in the human body, with notably higher concentrations found in the brain than other organs, finds a new study awaiting peer review and posted online by the National Library of Medicine.

In an unprecedented show of support, 14 African countries and key partners have pledged over $45 million to the WHO Investment Round, a first-of-its-kind initiative to secure sustainable funding for the organization.

Record heat this summer has led to an emergency blood shortage in the US, with the American Red Cross reporting a 25% drop in the national blood supply due to weather-related and other seasonal factors, The Guardian reports.

Playing video games for a few hours daily can enhance mental health, according to research published in Nature Human Behaviour. Conducted in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study found that owning a game console boosted life satisfaction and reduced psychological distress.

Researchers at Washington State University, US, have discovered a new code within DNA that could transform our understanding of gene regulation. This "spatial grammar" could clarify how genetic variations influence gene expression in development or disease, Science Daily reports.

Eating processed or red meat, such as two slices of ham daily, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 15%, according to a Cambridge University study involving 2 million people in 20 countries. But other experts have argued that the research cannot prove meat causes diabetes due to the difficulty of ruling out other risk factors like diet and lifestyle.

Antimicrobial resistance is rendering antibiotics increasingly ineffective, potentially leading to 10 million annual deaths by 2050. A World Economic Forum paper links this to antibiotic misuse, pollution, climate change and poor sanitation. Read more on this crisis and how initiatives like Defeating Antibiotic Resistance through Transformative Solutions are working to address it.

Over half of the world’s population lacks full healthcare access. This article examines how generative AI could help alleviate medical staff shortages, and highlights initiatives aimed at closing the women’s health gap and expanding access to treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Women spend 25% more of their lives in debilitating health than men, according to a report from the World Economic Forum and the McKinsey Health Institute. The women’s health gap includes a data disparity, leading to underdiagnosis of certain conditions. Here's what you need to know about this issue and six key health conditions it highlights.