Week in Review: August 12

The Week in Review provides an overview of the past week’s top health care content, including industry news and trends, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Laboratories news, and upcoming events.


Industry News

Deja-flu: China sounds alarm as 35 people fall ill with 'newly identified' Langya virus that is thought to have jumped from shrews

Doctors have raised the alarm over a brand new virus that has infected dozens of people in China. 'Langya' henipavirus — or LayV — was detected in 35 people in the country's eastern Henan and Shandong provinces. It belongs to a family of viruses that are known to kill up to three quarters of humans in severe cases.  None of the new cases have resulted in death and most are mild, with patients experiencing flu-like symptoms. The novel virus is thought to have been passed on by shrews — small mammals from the same family as hedgehogs and moles. Source: Daily Mail

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Trial seeks to develop first Lyme disease vaccine in 2 decades

Pfizer is partnering with a French biotech company to launch a clinical trial that will test the only current vaccine candidate against Lyme disease. The companies are seeking 6,000 volunteers to participate in a phase 3 trial. Source: Axios

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New York health department says hundreds of people may be infected with polio virus

New York state health officials have found indications of additional cases of polio virus in wastewater samples from two different counties, leading them to warn that hundreds of people may be infected with the potentially serious virus. Just two weeks ago, the New York Health Department reported the nation's first case of polio in almost a decade, in Rockland County, north of New York City. Officials said that case occurred in a previously healthy young adult who was unvaccinated and developed paralysis in their legs. Since then, three positive wastewater samples from Rockland County and four from neighboring Orange County were discovered and genetically linked to the first case, the health department said in a press release on Thursday, suggesting that the polio virus is being spread within local communities. The newest samples were taken from two locations in Orange County in June and July and one location in Rockland County in July. Source: CBS News

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Mayo Clinic News

Florida prioritizes 1st monkeypox vaccine dose amid insufficient supply

Florida health officials are rescheduling second doses of monkeypox vaccine and prioritizing first doses until the state receives additional supplies from the federal government. Source: Local 10

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Mayo Clinic doctors weigh in on all things back-to-school

Mayo Clinic doctors hosted a Q&A on back-to-school topics last week. Keeping up with regular immunizations was stressed as being particularly important. Source: KTTC

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Mayo Clinic researchers find preeclampsia link to brain damage

New research conducted on women by Mayo Clinic and released this week by the Alzheimer’s Association shows an association between preeclampsia during pregnancy and a dementia-related protein later in life. Source: KMSP

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Samantha Rossi

Samantha Rossi is a Digital Marketing Manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She supports marketing strategies for product management and specialty testing. Samantha has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2019.