Health News Roundup: Monkeypox outbreak can be eliminated in Europe, WHO says; UN racism body calls for U.S. to do more on abortion access and more

30, says official The United Nations-backed COVAX vaccine program will send 10 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 shots for children to Mexico by the end of September, a senior Mexican official announced Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Monkeypox outbreak can be eliminated in Europe, WHO says

It is possible to eliminate the monkeypox outbreak in Europe, World Health Organization officials said on Tuesday, highlighting evidence that case counts are slowing in a handful of countries. There are encouraging signs of a sustained week-on-week decline in the onset of cases in many European countries, including France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Britain, as well as a slowdown in some parts of the United States, despite scarce vaccine supplies.

UN racism body calls for U.S. to do more on abortion access

A UN committee on Tuesday condemned the overturning of the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, saying it was hitting racial and ethnic minorities hardest and asked Washington to take mitigation measures. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said it was "deeply concerned" that the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that ended the nationwide right to abortion had a "disparate impact on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly those with low incomes."

CDC advisers to decide on Omicron-retooled boosters on Sept 1

Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will meet on Thursday to vote on whether to recommend the use of two COVID-19 vaccine boosters tailored against the Omicron variant. A recommendation in favor of the modified vaccines by Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE, as well as Moderna Inc is expected to pave the way for a rollout next week.

COVAX to send Mexico 10 million COVID shots by Sept. 30, says official

The United Nations-backed COVAX vaccine program will send 10 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 shots for children to Mexico by the end of September, a senior Mexican official announced Tuesday. The confirmed dates for the shots' delivery comes a week after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would complain to the United Nations about the delayed shipment of vaccines the government had requested.

Hungary must act to get EU COVID-19 funds, says Czech minister

Hungary must take action on changing its rule of law before it can receive any European Union recovery funds, the EU affairs chief of the Czech government, which holds the bloc's rotating presidency, said in an interview on Tuesday. Hungary and Poland both have yet to receive billions of euros of post-COVID EU recovery funds as the governments have not met Brussels' demands on respecting the rule of law.

WHO places Asia director on leave after accusations of bullying

A senior World Health Organization director has been placed on leave, a spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday, following staff accusations of bullying and other complaints. "The Regional Director for the Western Pacific Region, Dr Takeshi Kasai, is on leave," a WHO official said in emailed comments, without giving details.

China's big cities, from Dalian to Shenzhen, ramp up COVID curbs

Several of China's biggest cities imposed tougher COVID-19 curbs on Tuesday, further crimping the activities of tens of millions, and sparking fresh concerns for the health of a barely growing economy. Metropolises from the southern tech hub of Shenzhen to southwestern Chengdu and the northeastern port of Dalian ordered measures such as lockdowns in big districts and business closures aimed at stamping out fresh outbreaks.

U.S. to suspend free COVID-19 test orders next week

Starting next week, Americans will no longer be able to order free at-home COVID-19 tests from a website set up by the U.S. government due to limited supply arising from a lack of congressional funding. The COVIDTests.gov website, set up during the Omicron variant record surge in cases, helped U.S. households secure COVID-19 tests at no cost.

'It felt like my insides were crying': China COVID curbs hit youth mental health

Zhang Meng had a breakdown last December. The 20-year-old found herself sobbing on the stairs of her dorm, driven to despair by repeated COVID lockdowns of her university campus in Beijing. The lockdowns had meant she was mostly confined to her room and unable to meet up with friends. There were also strict curbs on when she could visit the canteen or take a shower. Describing herself as someone who craves in-person social interaction, Zhang said the restrictions had "removed the safety net that was holding me up and I felt like my whole being was falling down".

Argentine woman's affordable chemo cap offers hope by preventing hair loss

After doctors diagnosed Paula Estrada with breast cancer in 2009, the then 41-year-old Argentine decided she would not only beat the disease, but would do so without losing her long blonde hair to the ravages of chemotherapy. At her home in Buenos Aires, Estrada, a graphic designer by profession, set about creating a makeshift cooling cap out of ice packs to keep her scalp cold - and ward off hair loss.