Monkeypox declared a 'public health emergency' - The latest health and well-being news

On 23 July, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern". The move is designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding for vaccines or treatments.

The US states of California and New York have also declared states of emergency over monkeypox. California's Governor Gavin Newsom made the move in an effort to bolster vaccination efforts.

Countries outside of Africa have also begun to report monkeypox-related deaths. Spain reported its second death on 30 July, while Brazil reported the first monkeypox-related death outside of Africa in the current wave of the disease the day before. India reported Asia's first death on 1 August.

At the start of July, UNICEF praised the coordinated response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The outbreak was declared over at the start of the month having begun in April.

The polio virus was present in wastewater in a New York City suburb a month before health officials there announced a confirmed case of the disease last month, state health officials said on Monday, urging residents to be sure they have been vaccinated.

The BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron COVID-19 subvariants have continued to become the dominant COVID-19 strains globally. In the United States, BA.5 made up 82% of COVID-19 variants in the US in the week ending 23 July.

A report from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS has warned that compounding crises have slowed the global fight against HIV.

A child who was infected with Marburg virus has died in Ghana.

Researchers have identified a gene that they think increases the risk of Alzheimer's in women. It could help explain why more women are diagnosed with the condition than men.

Scientists in the UK believe they've uncovered the cause of a recent rise in hepatitis cases in children. They believe two common viruses returned after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were eased - and these caused rare but very serious hepatitis cases.

Researchers in South Korea have developed an electronic tattoo that can monitor people's health, alerting them to potential health problems.

New research has uncovered a link between low muscle mass and cognitive decline in older adults. The results point to the benefits of exercise and good nutrition in preventing such declines as we age.

University of Cambridge scientists have found that people with dyslexia are specialists in exploration and curiosity. They say we need to challenge common perceptions about the condition.

A new study on the state of the global workplace finds workers feeling stressed and disengaged.

At the World Economic Forum, 14 top innovators selected from the UpLink Youth Mental Health Challenge will receive support to scale their solutions to support young people worldwide. Read more in this blog, 14 innovations tackling youth mental health.