Hope fading as deaths in Turkey, Syria quake pass 11,000 GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) — With the hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkey and Syria searched Wednesday for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by a catastrophic earthquake . AP NEWS

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WHO says Syria, already in crisis, needs massive humanitarian aid after quake Senior officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that Syria's humanitarian needs where the highest after a major earthquake killed thousands there and in southern Turkey. Reuters Reuters

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2022 was a breakthrough year for understanding rare diseases. 2023 needs to be better In the not-too-distant future, the state of rare disease diagnostics and therapeutics in 2023 will be seen as the stone age. But the rate of improvement offers optimism for the future. Patrick Skerrett STAT

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Political leaning influences doctors' beliefs about COVID treatments, study finds CIDRAP

Left or right political leaning in the United States predicts both physician and patient beliefs about COVID-19 treatments, with the two groups perceiving information differently, according to a study to be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The virus threat is easing, but US hospitals are still as full as ever | CNN At Massachusetts General Hospital in downtown Boston, the hallways of the emergency department are lined with dozens of patients waiting to get a room upstairs. Deidre McPhillips CNN

...hospitals are still about as full as they’ve ever been during the pandemic – at least three-quarters of available beds across the country were in use for all of 2022 – and that doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon. ...

Despite recent widespread illness in US, Covid-19, flu and RSV are not a concern for most, survey finds | CNN Respiratory viruses -- including the flu, RSV and the virus that causes Covid-19 -- are not a serious concern for most of the US public, even though they're still affecting many, according to new survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Deidre McPhillips CNN

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COVID-19 public health emergency may end, but need remains for lifesaving treatments COVID remains the third leading cause of death in America, no matter if the emergency is ending. We must now develop innovative oral treatments. YahooNews

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Two-dose COVID vaccine efficacy durable against severe Omicron but drops in elderly

Overall two-dose vaccine effectiveness (VE) against Omicron variant-related hospitalization or death remained above 70% for at least 6 months among adults in Hong Kong but dropped to below 62% in those aged 80 and older, necessitating a third dose, finds a case-control study published today in JAMA Network Open.

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Healthy lifestyle may mean lower risk of long Covid, study says

Family caregivers of people with long COVID bear an extra burden

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With unpredictable symptoms that can wax and wane mysteriously, long COVID also requires exceptionally good record-keeping, in order to provide doctors with new clues. But because the disease often causes fatigue and brain fog, some patients can't keep track for themselves. They rely on friends or family for help.

"The family caregiver becomes the care manager, advocating and managing the system," the late John Schall, former CEO of the Caregiver Action Network, an education and advocacy nonprofit, told us last year. "And you're doing it by guesswork. Nobody tells you what to look for."

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Huge earthquake hits Turkey and Syria, kills about 1,700, many trapped

...The magnitude 7.8 quake, which hit before sunrise in bitter winter weather, was the worst to strike Turkey this century. It was followed in the early afternoon by another large quake of magnitude 7.7.

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Getting Government To Work For Public Health

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The strength of public health is derived from the deep connections developed with communities. When the workforce can reflect the diversity of these communities, health agencies are uniquely positioned to understand and respond to community needs.

To meet the public health challenges facing our nation, the public health system needs to operate at a high level of effectiveness. Unfortunately, in many places, it is impossible to recruit and retain a robust workforce to accomplish key goals. Within many states, the public and policymakers alike underappreciate the need for a high-quality workforce and efficiency in local governmental functions—manifest by underfunding, excessively bureaucratic structures, and inadequate administrative supportcreates a self-fulfilling prophecy of government underperformance and inefficiency.

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