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Although the Covid-19 pandemic saw unprecedented speed in the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines, experts say it was also marked by a significant and concerning drop in the rate of routine vaccinations. New data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund shows the world has yet to recover. (Davis, 7/14)

More children were left out of critical vaccination drives for diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough last year as a rise in conflicts across the globe hindered the supply of life-saving shots mostly in strife-torn regions, the United Nations said on Monday. About 14.5 million children failed to get vaccinated in 2023, compared with 13.9 million a year earlier, according to U.N. estimates. The number, however, was lower than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when about 18 million children missed out on vaccination. (Rigby and Santhosh, 7/15)

For the first time, scientists have unraveled the structure of proteins in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The findings provide clues into how these disease-causing proteins interact with each other and the brain and may help in the discovery of new targets for treating the disease. Alzheimer's affects roughly 5.8 million Americans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Dewan, 7/12)

Ozempic use is associated with a lowered risk for cognitive problems, researchers in a new study said. The findings, however, cannot be applied to users who do not have diabetes. The study, published Thursday, was conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford who analyzed more than 100,000 U.S. patient records, including 20,000 who were taking a semaglutide, commonly known as Ozempic or Wegovy. (Teshome, 7/12)

Novo Nordisk's, opens new tab popular diabetes treatment Ozempic could be tied to a lower risk of cognitive problems, according to an observational study published by researchers at Oxford University. The study, published in the Lancet's eClinicalMedicine journal on Thursday, explored more than 100 million medical records of U.S. patients to see if Ozempic increased the risk of several neurological and psychiatric conditions in the first year of use compared with three common antidiabetic drugs. (7/12)

West Virginia teacher Sierra Butler spent years of her life dealing with symptoms she couldn't connect including fatigue, joint pain and weight loss. In 2020, she lost over 100 pounds — and the ability to walk. Finally, she got a diagnosis: lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes pain and inflammation in the body. (Breen, 7/13)

Young adults pass up the opportunity to drink for a variety of reasons, including to avoid getting drunk, a recent analysis suggests. A study published in the journal Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research looked at the reasons young adults give for not drinking, which researchers say could help in crafting public health messaging aimed at reducing alcohol abuse. (Blakemore, 7/13)