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LHASA — Southwest China”s Xizang autonomous region has achieved significant results in preventing and treating endemic diseases, the regional health authority said Wednesday.

In 2023 and 2024, the region screened more than 1.7 million people for echinococcosis (hydatid disease), treating over 6,000 with medication and performing surgery on 675. The human infection rate decreased to 0.16 percent in 2024 from 0.22 percent in 2022, mainly due to effective dog management and rodent control.

Xizang reported no new cases of Kashin-Beck disease, a historically prevalent condition in the region also known as the “big bone disease,” since 2018, citing measures such as improved water and grain quality, as well as relocation.

Addressing the high incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD) in children, Xizang has raised the number of designated hospitals from three to five, with routine and standardized screening and treatment. Since 2023, more than 300,000 children have been screened for the disease, leading to over 800 surgical procedures. The proportion of CHD surgeries performed within the region rose from 3.9 percent to 46.25 percent.

Health check-up subsidies increased to 164 yuan (about $22.9) per person in 2025, with 200 yuan allocated for those aged 65 and over. Cataract screening is now a mandatory part of the check-up for this age group. Designated cataract surgery hospitals grew from 35 to 45 since 2023, treating 22,000 patients.

Tan Xiangdong, deputy director of the regional health commission, said that efforts will continue to address pressing public health needs.

More than five years after its initial emergence, COVID-19 continues to evolve, with the World Health Organization (WHO) recently designating XFG, nicknamed “Stratus,” as a new variant under monitoring in late June 2025. XFG, which is rapidly outpacing its predecessor, Nimbus, is a recombinant Omicron subvariant that has been found in increasing proportions globally, particularly in India, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Despite its spread, the WHO currently assesses the additional public health risk posed by XFG as low at the global level, with existing COVID-19 vaccines expected to remain effective against symptomatic and severe disease. However, this ongoing viral evolution and transmission occurs amidst a devastating crisis in US public health, driven by sweeping policy shifts and budget cuts.

With respect to recent scientific analysis on XFG, in a Lancet Correspondence, Caiwan Guo and colleagues from Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC) at Peking University explained that XFG is a recombinant variant, meaning it emerged from two existing subvariants, LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, sharing genetic material from both. It has four important mutations in its spike protein, which is the part of the virus that helps it attach to human cells.

Some of these mutations are thought to help it evade certain antibodies, meaning our existing immune protection from past infections or vaccinations might not work as well. Early lab studies suggest XFG has a nearly two-fold reduction in neutralization compared to LP.8.1.1, indicating strong immune evasion. However, its ability to attach to human cells (ACE2 engagement efficiency) is relatively low, which might require additional changes for it to spread widely and consistently.

It was first detected on January 27, 2025. By June 22, 2025, it accounted for 22.7 percent of globally available SARS-CoV-2 sequences from 38 countries, a significant increase from 7.4 percent four weeks prior. It presently accounts for at least 30 percent of all SARS-CoV-2 variants in the US.

The only accurate and comprehensive review of the state of the pandemic in the US and internationally remains the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative (PMC), run by Dr. Mike Hoerger at Tulane University. This underscores the deep crisis of public health, as previously checked diseases like measles  have recently resurfaced as a threat to American population. 

According to their latest forecast, as of its report on July 14, 2025, the PMC model estimates approximately 2.3 million new infections per week in the U.S. This rate is forecasted to increase, potentially reaching 500,000 daily infections around July 30 (or 3.5 million a week, an increase of more than 50 percent).

While earlier estimates based on reported test cases suggested a much lower figure of around 50,000 new infections per day, updated analysis using wastewater data indicates a significantly higher range of 300,000 to 600,000 new daily infections, translating to 9 million to 18 million infections per month in the US.

Wastewater surveillance is now the most reliable population-level tool for assessing true infection rates, as many infections go unrecorded due to reduced testing and reporting. Extrapolating these U.S. wastewater-based rates to the global population, an estimated 216 million to 432 million people worldwide may be newly infected with SARS-CoV-2 each month as of mid-2025. This global extrapolation is considered reasonable, given the comparable wastewater surveillance trends observed in other developed nations like Germany and Australia.

Summary:
A large-scale European study by the University of Geneva reveals that hearing loss significantly accelerates memory decline in older adults—especially among those experiencing loneliness—highlighting the urgent need for early hearing care and social support.

Key Takeaways:

1. Hearing loss and loneliness together create a high-risk pathway to dementia, even for individuals who are socially connected but still feel emotionally isolated.
2. Three distinct social profiles were identified—isolated and lonely, connected but lonely, and isolated but not lonely—with the most cognitive decline observed in those who felt lonely despite not being socially isolated.
3. Early hearing interventions, like hearing aids, can be effective preventive tools, particularly for those who are socially engaged but hindered by hearing difficulties.

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Isolation, communication difficulties, reduced alertness—hearing impairment or loss is a real challenge in daily life. Over time, it can also become a risk factor for cognitive decline. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) analyzed data from 33,000 older adults across Europe to examine the combined impact of hearing loss and loneliness on memory. They identified three distinct profiles based on the degree of social isolation and perceived loneliness. The findings show that hearing loss accelerates cognitive decline particularly among individuals who feel lonely, regardless of whether they are socially isolated. These results, published in Communications Psychology, support the case for early and preventive hearing care.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 2.5 billion people will experience hearing loss or impairment by 2050. More than 25% of people over the age of 60 experience disabling hearing loss. In addition to the social challenges it creates, this loss—or reduction—is linked to a significantly increased risk of cognitive decline in later life. That risk may be two to three times higher for those affected.

A joint team from the Lifespan Developmental Psychology Lab and the Cognitive Ageing Lab at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) set out to investigate whether the combination of hearing difficulties and feelings of loneliness—whether objectively measured or subjectively perceived—could be associated with accelerated memory decline in older age. “This is a relatively new approach,” explains Charikleia Lampraki, postdoctoral researcher in the Lifespan Lab at UNIGE’s Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and first author of the study. “While some studies have suggested that this might be a promising avenue, very few research teams have actually explored it.”

33,000 People Studied

To conduct their analyses, the researchers drew on data from the large-scale SHARE study (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe)—a longitudinal survey launched in 2002 that examines the health and ageing of Europeans aged 50 and over.

“We used data from twelve countries, including Switzerland, representing a sample of 33,000 people,” explains Andreas Ihle, assistant professor at the Lifespan Lab and director of the study. Participants are surveyed every two years on various aspects of their daily lives—such as activities, social connections, and perceptions—and undergo tests on cognitive functions like episodic memory, using standardized exercises.

The UNIGE research team identified three distinct profiles related to the issue:

1.    Individuals who are socially isolated and feel lonely

2.    Individuals who are not socially isolated but still feel lonely

3.    Individuals who are socially isolated but do not feel lonely

Isolation and Hearing Loss: an “Explosive” Cocktail

The scientists then examined whether these different profiles had different trajectories of cognitive decline, depending on the type of perceived isolation and the degree of hearing loss. “We found that people who were not socially isolated but who felt lonely saw their cognitive decline accelerate when they were deaf,” says Matthias Kliegel, a full professor in the Cognitive Ageing Laboratory in the UNIGE’s Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and co-author of the study.

These findings support the importance of addressing both hearing loss and the social and emotional dimensions of individuals in efforts to prevent cognitive decline. This is particularly crucial for people who are not socially isolated but still feel lonely—in such cases, simple hearing interventions, like using a hearing aid, may be enough to help them engage more fully in social life. 

“These individuals are already socially integrated, so it’s a matter of removing a sensory barrier in order to reinforce their engagement and protect their cognitive health,” concludes Lampraki.

Newborns exposed to HIV during pregnancy or birth should receive preventive antiretroviral medication immediately after delivery to reduce the risk of transmission from mother to child.

But a study finds that more than half of infants diagnosed with HIV in their first year of life had not received this essential postnatal treatment – suggesting their mothers’ infections may not have been detected during pregnancy.

The study also highlights racial disparities in HIV exposure, infection and treatment: The majority of infants who had not been treated for an HIV infection after birth were Black, according to the findings in Pediatrics.

Being born with HIV profoundly affects a child’s health and future, and we have effective tools to prevent it. When newborns aren’t getting preventive treatment, it suggests we may be missing HIV infections in pregnant women and missing critical opportunities to intervene.”

Kengo Inagaki, M.D., senior author, pediatric infectious disease specialist at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital

Missed prevention in high risk infants

Researchers analyzed Medicaid data for more than three million infants born between 2009 and 2021.

Among 52 infants diagnosed with HIV by age one, more than half had not received the recommended postnatal antiretroviral prophylaxis.

“Our findings point to potential gaps in prenatal HIV detection,” said Inagaki, who’s also a researcher at the U-M Medical School and with the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

“Universal HIV screening is recommended in the first trimester, but it’s not consistently repeated later in pregnancy, when new infections can occur.”

Retesting during the third trimester, he adds, could help identify mothers who acquire HIV later in pregnancy – and prevent mother-to-child transmission through timely treatment.

Racial disparities consistent with national data

The study also reflects broader national trends in racial disparities related to HIV.

Nearly 74% of infants who were diagnosed with HIV but did not receive preventive medication were Black.

This reflects long-standing disparities in health care access, including HIV screening and maternal care, Inagaki says.

National surveillance data show that while women account for about 18% of new HIV infections in the United States, more than 60% of these are in women of childbearing age and over half of those are Black women.

Strengthening prevention for at-risk newborns

U.S. guidelines for preventing perinatal HIV transmission have evolved over the last three decades.

Today, nearly all infants born to mothers with known HIV infections receive postnatal antiretroviral prophylaxis, significantly reducing their risk of infection.

“Virtually all perinatal HIV infections in the U.S. are preventable,” Inagaki said.

“But that prevention starts with diagnosing maternal HIV early. If we miss the infection in the mother, we miss the chance to protect the baby. HIV is a lifelong condition requiring lifelong care. That’s why timely detection and treatment in both mothers and infants must remain a public health priority.”