Critical Health Updates: WHO Actions, MPox Outbreak, and More

A summary of recent health news includes WHO's call for $135 million to combat mpox, Gabon's first mpox case, free COVID tests in the US, J&J's $6.5 billion talc settlement talks, FDA's serious recall of Inari's devices, and acquisition news involving Siemens Healthineers and Novartis.

In an urgent appeal, the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged for $135 million to combat a new mpox outbreak, calling for global action to control and halt the spread. Gabon recorded its first mpox case, intensifying concerns over the virus's global transmission.

In the United States, health officials announced the provision of free COVID-19 tests by mail, starting in late September as part of a broader campaign to encourage vaccination against COVID, flu, and RSV.

On the business front, Johnson & Johnson is negotiating a $6.5 billion talc settlement, and Siemens Healthineers is set to acquire a Novartis unit for over $223 million, poised to enhance the supply of nuclear isotopes for radiopharma drugs.

(With inputs from agencies.)