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The US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) late last week announced it will provide $12 million to state and tribal governments, research institutions, and universities to control and prevent chronic wasting disease (CWD). The money will boost surveillance, testing, management, and response activities for the fatal prion disease, which affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose. (Dall, 6/24)

The contagious, fatal illness in deer, elk and moose must be taken seriously, say experts as it takes hold in the US and reaches other countries. While it has not infected humans yet, the risk is growing. (Wilkinson, 3/20)

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed more H5N1 avian flu detections in mammals and wild birds, as confirmations remain low in poultry and dairy cattle. Of four new H5 detections in mammals, two had recent collections dates, including a desert cottontail rabbit from Arizona's Maricopa County, where the virus in May spurred large outbreaks at commercial egg-laying farms in mid-May through early June. The other is a red fox from Costilla County, Colorado, that was sampled on May 29. (Schnirring, 6/24)

The first human case of West Nile virus in Illinois has been confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state agency announced Tuesday evening that a southern Illinois resident tested positive for the virus after being hospitalized. This is the earliest in the year that a human case of West Nile has been observed in Illinois since 2016, officials said. (Weaver, 6/24)

As triple-digit temperatures hit the East Coast, individuals with a mental illness -- specifically those who take prescribed medication -- are at risk for heat intolerance, with psychiatric hospitalizations peaking in the summer months, according to experts. During heat waves or especially warm days, there is often an uptick in the frequency of psychiatric hospitalizations, with one study finding that "higher temperatures may trigger bipolar disorder relapses that require hospital admission, and higher expositions to sunlight may increase the risk of manic episodes." (Forrester, 6/24)

Anxiety, grief, anger, fear, helplessness. The emotional toll of climate change is broad-ranging, especially for young people. Many worry about what the future holds, and a daily grind of climate anxiety and distress can lead to sleeplessness, an inability to focus and worse. Some young people wonder whether it’s moral to bring children into the world. Many people grieve for the natural world. Activists, climate psychologists and others in the fight against climate change have a range of ways to build resilience and help manage emotions. (Italie, 6/25)