WHO: Israel agrees to daily pauses in Gaza for polio vaccinations
United Nations — A senior World Health Organization official said Thursday that Israel has agreed to a series of daily nine-hour humanitarian pauses for the duration of a massive polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip, where the first case…
Snakehead fish: The invasive species disaster that wasn’t
Invasive plants and animals disrupt food supplies, carry diseases and cause an estimated $423 billion in damage every year around the world. When an Asian fish called the snakehead invaded waterways near Washington, experts warned it might devour the competition…
Second elephant calf in 2 weeks is born at California zoo
FRESNO, Calif. — The second elephant calf in two weeks has been born at a California zoo. African elephant Amahle gave birth early Monday morning, according to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. The event came 10 days after Amahle’s mother, Nolwazi,…
Nigeria receives 10,000 mpox vaccine doses from USAID
Nigeria has received its first shipment of mpox vaccines, donated by the United States, to combat the ongoing outbreak of the disease. This comes amid a sharp rise in cases across Africa with the Democratic Republic of Congo and East…
Killings of invasive owls to ramp up on US West Coast in bid to save native birds
U.S. wildlife officials beginning next year will drastically scale up efforts to kill invasive barred owls that are crowding out imperiled native owls from West Coast forests. The plan finalized Wednesday faces challenges from barred owls returning after they’ve already…
Mpox outbreak in Africa poses risks for refugees, displaced communities
GENEVA — U.N. agencies warn that refugees and displaced communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries infected with mpox are at particular risk of illness and death because of conditions under which they are forced to…
New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for mosquito-borne encephalitis virus
A New Hampshire resident infected with the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus has died, state health authorities said. The Hampstead resident’s infection was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services…
WHO faces challenges in battle against mpox
While the World Health Organization unveiled a plan Monday to stop the transmission of mpox, scientists studying the virus said it is changing quickly, complicating efforts to combat its spread. The six-month, $135 million plan calls for boosting surveillance, prevention…
Zuckerberg says Biden administration officials pressured Meta to censor some COVID-19 content
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told a U.S. congressional committee that senior Biden administration officials pressured the company to censor certain COVID-19 content during the pandemic, and that the company made choices it would not make today. The House Judiciary Committee…
WHO launches plan to stanch mpox transmission, says virus can be stopped
GENEVA — The U.N. health agency on Monday launched a six-month plan to help stanch outbreaks of mpox transmission, including ramping up staffing in affected countries and boosting surveillance, prevention and response strategies. The World Health Organization said it expected…