Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
UK Hits Records, Other Countries Suffer In Extreme Heat
The Washington Post: U.K. Heat Wave Could Bring Record 40C Temperature
If you want to mark an unnatural, scary, real-world data point for climate change, it is here in Britain, right now, where temperatures are forecast to soar as high as 40 Celsius — 104 Fahrenheit — on Tuesday, an extreme weather episode, a freak peak-heat, not seen since modern record keeping began a century and a half ago. (Booth, 7/18)
ABC News: Heat-Related Deaths Top 1,100 In Spain, Portugal Amid Heat Wave And Wildfires
As Western Europe experiences a record-breaking heat wave, Spain and Portugal have reported at least 1,169 heat-related deaths, according to each country's ministry of health. (Theodorou and Grant, 7/19)
On the Marburg virus outbreak —
The Washington Post: WHO Identifies Deadly Marburg Virus In Ghana: What To Know
The Marburg virus is a “genetically unique zoonotic … RNA virus of the filovirus family,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The six species of Ebola virus are the only other known members of the filovirus family.” Fatality rates range from 24 percent to 88 percent, according to the WHO, depending on the virus strain and quality of case management. (Suliman, 7/18)
North Korea's covid battle —
Reuters: North Korea Says It Is Nearing End Of COVID Crisis As Asian Neighbours Fight Resurgence
North Korea is on the path to "finally defuse" a crisis stemming from its first acknowledged outbreak of COVID-19, the state news agency said on Monday, while Asian neighbours battle a fresh wave of infections driven by Omicron subvariants. (Choi, 7/18)
