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A research letter yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics study shows that children younger than 13 years still have significant gaps in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage, despite the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices recommendation for routine HPV vaccination for girls aged 11 to 12 years since 2006, and for boys since 2011. (Soucheray, 12/19)

Starting the antiviral drug nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) 0 or 1 day after COVID-19 symptom onset halved 28-day all-cause death and hospitalization rates compared with waiting 2 or more days, University of Hong Kong researchers report in Nature Communications. (Van Beusekom, 12/19)

A meta-analysis today in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that daily tooth brushing in hospitalized patients lowers the risk of hospital-onset pneumonia. The effect was strongest in patients who were receiving mechanical ventilation. (Soucheray, 12/18)

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced late last week that the gangrenous disease noma has been added to its official list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Also known as gangrenous stomatitis or cancrum oris, noma is a rapidly progressive bacterial infection of the face and mouth. It begins as inflammation of the gums, and, if not treated early with antibiotics, spreads quickly to destroy facial tissue and bone, frequently leading to death or severe disfigurement. Diagnosis and treatment in the early stages of the infection can lead to proper wound healing. (Dall, 12/18)