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The rapid spread of Mpox in Africa constitutes an international health emergency, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, marking the second time in two years that the virus has triggered such a declaration by the United Nations agency. “The potential for further spread in Africa and beyond is very worrying,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general. “It’s clear that a coordinated response is essential to save lives.” (Bariyo, 8/14)

The first human case of West Nile virus has been reported in Will County, state and county health officials said. The Will County resident, who is in their 70s, began feeling symptoms in July, a news release from the Will County Health Department said. This brings the number of human cases of West Nile virus to five individuals throughout Illinois, including three people from Cook County, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The first report of a human case in Cook County was last month. (Mullins, 8/14)

A summer wave of COVID-19 has swept across the country and into St. Louis, finding a region far better-equipped to face the virus than in years past but still vulnerable to its disruptions. (Merrilees, 8/14)

Between July and October states across the country hold their annual state fairs. The events are known for things like Ferris wheels and corn dogs, sculptures made entirely from butter and the biggest pig in the state. But state fairs can also be places where it’s easier to spread disease –– bringing humans and animals from farms across the state into close contact. (Thorp, 8/14)

More than 35 people have been referred for rabies post-exposure treatment following last week’s announcement about a rabid puppy at a rescue adoption event. But Colorado has so far identified no human cases as a result of the event, as state health officials continue to plead with those who were at the event to come forward for screening. (Ingold, 8/15)

Most Lyme disease (LD) diagnoses among more than 88,000 US Medicare beneficiaries over a 4-year period occurred in the summer among men and those living in high-incidence states, and its overall incidence was about seven times higher than that reported through public health surveillance, finds a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 8/14)

The Federal Trade Commission is allowing hundreds of employees to work from home for the rest of the month “out of an abundance of caution” after Legionella bacteria were found at its D.C. headquarters. The decision comes as the General Services Administration is testing more than 7,400 federally owned and leased spaces. Partial results for 1,628 spaces show that about one quarter of locations — including the headquarters of the General Services Administration itself at 1800 F St. NW — have Legionella bacteria levels that exceed thresholds, a GSA official said Wednesday. (Portnoy, 8/14)

Thirty years since its inception, the US Vaccines for Children (VFC) program has tracked several successes but still has areas for improvement, according to a Vital Signs report published yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since 1994, the VFC has provided childhood vaccines at no cost to eligible children, including American Indian or Alaska Native children, those insured by Medicaid or Indian Health Service (IHS), the uninsured, and kids who had received at least one vaccination at an IHS-operated center, Tribal health center, or urban Indian health care facility. (Soucheray, 8/14)