Doctors on dengue alert, and other top health stories to read

The number of people with dengue, a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people, has been rising for decades, with an upsurge in cases globally since the beginning of 2023.

Now health authorities in the US and Europe – regions where the disease has been relatively rare – are warning of the risk of outbreaks. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a higher-than-expected number of dengue cases among US travellers, with 745 cases so far this year.

In Europe, where the invasive Asian tiger mosquito is spreading, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported a rise in both locally-acquired infections and imported cases among people who have travelled internationally.

The World Health Organization has assessed the global dengue risk as high, considering the increasing risk of transmission and an upsurge in cases and deaths.

Dengue starts with flu-like symptoms but can be serious and in some cases fatal. Climate change is creating favourable conditions for mosquitoes that carry the virus to spread, the ECDC has said.

The three million children in the Central African Republic are the most deprived in the world, UNICEF has said.

The United Nations' children’s agency has warned that widespread malnutrition, instability and inadequate healthcare access are putting the country at risk of a humanitarian crisis.

Half of children in the country do not have access to health services, and 40% suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Access to clean water, sanitation and healthy diets is also rare, Reuters reports.

UNICEF has called on governments, humanitarian organizations and civil society to urgently transform food systems and make nutritious foods more accessible for the 1 in 3 children across Africa living in severe food poverty.

Scientists tracking the spread of bird flu are increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance could hinder them from tackling a new pandemic, according to Reuters. They say the spread of the virus to dairy cows signals a change that could bring the virus closer to human-to-human transmission.

A blood test that uses AI can predict if a person will develop Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before any symptoms show, researchers say. They used machine learning to identify blood protein patterns in patients with the progressive disorder, which the AI used to predict future Parkinson’s in patients who provided blood samples.

The US is experiencing a summer surge of COVID-19 infections as new variants push up cases. US CDC data shows infections are likely growing in at least 38 states.

A new strain of the mpox virus is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Health officials are monitoring the situation, describing the strain as “the most dangerous” yet.

ER visits for heat-related illnesses have spiked in the US, with the regions hardest hit not always the ones seeing the highest temperatures.

A study in Austria has found that gentle shockwaves could regenerate heart tissue in bypass surgery patients. The treatment improved heart function and walking ability, the researchers say.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a bionic leg that links the user's brain activity to nerves in muscles that control movement. This could help amputees walk naturally without consciously thinking about it, the BBC reports.

Healthcare is a huge emitter of global greenhouse gases. Systemic change is needed to advance sustainable practices – and health economics can help, says this article.

African-led health tech has improved the lives of millions of patients – but a systemic change in global health procurement is needed to support local innovations. Read more here.

Artificial intelligence and other technologies can help healthcare systems care for more patients in an environmentally sustainable way. Here are three examples of how that is happening in China.