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The HPV vaccine is linked to a drastic reduction in head and neck cancers in adolescent boys and men, new research finds. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted infection responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer. But the virus is also linked to a number of other cancers, including penile, anal and vaginal cancers. It also accounts for the majority — up to 70% — of head and neck cancers, which affect the throat and mouth. Men are about twice as likely to develop these cancers than women, according to the National Cancer Institute. (Sullivan, 5/23)

You’d think if there were a vaccine that would prevent tens of thousands of cases of cancer a year, people would want it for themselves and for their kids. But new data being released Thursday ahead of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology show that just isn’t the case. (Herper, 5/23)

Two doses of Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccine offer almost complete protection against mpox, according to a new report published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Also today, MMWR published an update on clade II mpox cases in the United States, showing cases have been consistent since October 2023, with most cases occurring in unvaccinated people. (Soucheray, 5/23)

Uninsured adults will lose an option this August to get vaccinated against COVID for free, weeks before an updated vaccine is expected to be released going into respiratory virus season. Launched in 2023 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bridge Access Program began as a way to connect U.S. adults with little to no health insurance to COVID vaccines. (Santhanam, 5/23)

Before March 2020, it was hard to imagine a global pandemic in the modern age. Now, it’s hard to imagine our lives without one. As COVID-19 has become less of an active part of our days and more a quick thought when we have a runny nose or cough, it’s time to think about what comes next — and how to stop another pandemic. (Wright, 5/23)

Health officials from the 194 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) hope next week to complete more than two years of negotiations on new rules for responding to pandemics when they gather in Geneva. Negotiations go to the wire on Friday for two complementary deals set to be formalized at the May 27-June 1 meeting: an update to existing health rules on outbreaks and a new legally-binding treaty to shore up the world's defenses against future pathogens after the COVID-19 pandemic killed millions of people. (Farge and Rigby, 5/24)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News and Tampa Bay Times: The Case Of The Armadillo: Is It Spreading Leprosy In Florida?

In an open-air barn at the edge of the University of Florida, veterinarian Juan Campos Krauer examines a dead armadillo’s footpads and ears for signs of infection. Its claws are curled tight and covered in blood. Campos Krauer thinks it was struck in the head while crossing a nearby road. He then runs a scalpel down its underside. ... Campos Krauer plans to test the armadillo for leprosy, an ancient illness also known as Hansen’s disease that can lead to nerve damage and disfigurement in humans. (Ogozalek, 5/24)