Health News Roundup: WHO reports 14,000 cases of monkeypox globally, five deaths in Africa; Cape Town hospital uses robot at forefront of surgery in Africa and more

The federal health minister, recently at odds with STIKO's view on a second booster shot, has agreed with the panel's president Thomas Mertens that a pandemic working group with added external experts will be incorporated into STIKO. Vaccine group invites African states to apply for malaria shot support Nine months after the world's first malaria vaccine was recommended for use, international vaccine alliance Gavi invited countries to apply for financial support to roll out the jab, particularly targeting young children in Africa.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

WHO reports 14,000 cases of monkeypox globally, five deaths in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 14,000 cases of monkeypox worldwide, with five deaths reported in Africa, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. Most of the cases reported thus far have been found in Europe, particularly among men who have sex with men, the WHO said, although all the deaths have occurred in Africa, the region where monkeypox outbreaks have historically been found.

Cape Town hospital uses robot at forefront of surgery in Africa

A surgical team led by Dr Tim Forgan uses the da Vinci Xi robot to assist in removing a cancerous rectal tumor from a female patient at Tygerberg public hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The robot, which has four 'arms' and is controlled in real-time by Forgan via an immersive 3D consul, is the most advanced surgical robot in Africa. It is one of only two such robots in use on the continent, both of them found in South African public hospitals in Cape Town.

Australia battles fresh Omicron outbreak as COVID deaths rise

Australia reported one of its highest daily death tolls from the novel coronavirus on Thursday while hospital admissions hovered near record levels, as authorities struggle to get ahead of highly contagious Omicron variants. The BA.4/5 variants are good at evading immune protection from vaccination or prior infection and have been driving a surge of new infections globally.

Tokyo's daily COVID cases cross 30,000 for first time in pandemic

New coronavirus cases in Japan's capital hit a record on Thursday, surging past 30,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, spurring officials to call for more vigilance. Tokyo's 31,878 new infections far outstripped a previous high in February, and many other regions also reported highs. Thursday's national tally of 186,229 new infections was a record.

German vaccine panel to recruit more experts to be more pandemic-minded

Germany's vaccine advisory panel STIKO will be expanded to include more experts on pandemics, following controversy over the speed of the recommendations the panel has given during the COVID-19 outbreak. The federal health minister, recently at odds with STIKO's view on a second booster shot, has agreed with the panel's president Thomas Mertens that a pandemic working group with added external experts will be incorporated into STIKO.

Vaccine group invites African states to apply for malaria shot support

Nine months after the world's first malaria vaccine was recommended for use, the international vaccine alliance Gavi invited countries to apply for financial support to roll out the jab, particularly targeting young children in Africa. The World Health Organization endorsed GSK Plc's four-dose Mosquirix shot in October last year, saying it could save thousands of lives.

Germany must prioritize first doses of the monkeypox vaccine, experts say

Germany's vaccine advisory committee said it urgently recommended that the country use all the monkeypox vaccine it has on hand to administer first doses, and that second shots be offered only once enough doses are available. "To mitigate the current wave of infection, slow the spread of monkeypox and eventually end the outbreak, a high vaccination coverage of the indication groups is needed," the committee, known as STIKO, said in a statement.

China's Shenzhen vows to 'mobilize all resources' to curb COVID spread

China's southern megacity of Shenzhen vowed to "mobilize all resources" to curb a slowly spreading COVID-19 outbreak, ordering strict implementation of testing and temperature checks, and lockdowns for COVID-affected buildings. Shenzhen, with a population of nearly 18 million, reported 22 new locally transmitted cases for Wednesday, with the daily count creeping up from single digits earlier this month.

China to pay attention to coronavirus variants over the long term

China will pay close attention to variants of coronavirus in the long term, focusing on their transmission capability, pathogenicity and ability to evade immunity, a Chinese disease control official said on Thursday. The Omicron variant is unlikely to be the final variant, Dong Xiaoping, chief expert of virology at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference.

U.S. announces $1.2 billion healthcare crackdown tied to telehealth, cardiovascular tests

The U.S. Justice Department unveiled a $1.2 billion healthcare fraud crackdown on Wednesday, revealing criminal charges against 36 defendants for alleged fraudulent billing schemes tied to telemedicine, genetic and cardiovascular testing, and equipment. The criminal charges, which were unsealed across 13 federal districts between July 11 through July 20, target clinical laboratory owners, marketers, medical professionals and telemedicine executives.