Study Confirms One Type of COVID Mask Is 'Significantly Better' Than Others They're not all the same. David Nield ScienceAlert

Of the four types of masks tested, the duckbill N95 mask came out on top: it blocked 99 percent of large particles and 98 percent of small particles from getting out into the air. Overall, 98 percent of the viral load was blocked by the N95.

Seasonal affective disorder strikes some in the summer. Climate change may make it worse. Story at a glance As climate change brings on hotter and hotter summers, health experts worry a type of depression called summer seasonal affective disorder could become more common.   People … Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech The Hill

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Study suggests cancer patients should stay current on COVID-19 boosters Yesterday in Nature Communications a study shows cancer that patients who are up to date on vaccines and have received COVID-19 boosters are more protected against death and serious complications than unvaccinated patients. CIDRAP

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Lab study: Sterilized reused respirators not effective enough against aerosolized particles Over 78% were dirty, rendering them unsuitable for sterilization, the authors say. CIDRAP

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Millions sweltering under extreme heat worldwide as summer arrives Deadly heatwaves are scorching cities on four continents as the Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of summer, a sign that climate change may again help to fuel record-breaking heat that could surpass last summer as the warmest in 2,000 years. Gloria Dickie Reuters

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Poll: More Americans say climate change affects their mental health - UPI.com As summers get hotter and hurricane seasons less predictable, more Americans now say that climate change affects their mental health, a new poll finds. UPI

... In a survey conducted among more than 2,200 adults at the end of May, 53% of respondents said they believe that the effects of global warming impacts Americans' mental health.

Climate change made killer heat wave in Mexico, Southwest US even warmer and 35 times more likely A new study finds that human-caused climate change dialed up the heat and drastically increased the odds of this month’s killer heat that has been baking the Southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America. AP News

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Air Pollution 'Kills A Child Every Minute' - Health Policy Watch The fifth State of Global Air report shows air pollution is now the second-leading risk factor for death globally, after high blood pressure. Most of the Health Policy Watch

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What’s Really Going on With Bird Flu Wastewater Data

Wastewater, which can measure how much virus humans excrete, has become a valuable disease-tracking tool.

But using that tool to track our current viral threat, the H5N1 bird flu that has begun circulating in cows, is much trickier. Finding even high levels of bird flu in wastewater does not necessarily mean an area is experiencing an outbreak. Rather, it sets off a hunt for the source.

Bird flu pandemic risk high as cow cases appear and officials warn of humans’ role USDA report finds transmission likely happening when workers, cows, vehicles and equipment go to multiple farms The Guardian

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Study identifies female sex, heart disease as long-COVID risk factors, vaccination as protective Women and adults with preexisting conditions such as cardiovascular disease are less likely to recover from COVID-19 within 3 months, while vaccination and Omicron-variant infection were linked to a quicker recovery, reveals a study posted yesterday in JAMA Network Open. It also showed that more than one in five adults had protracted recoveries. CIDRAP

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