Efforts to end the global HIV epidemic have slowed as money and attention go toward fighting COVID-19, new report shows. “This is an alarm to the world to say that COVID-19 has blown the AIDS response significantly off track,” Matthew Kavanaugh, deputy executive director of UNAIDS, said of the findings. Among the concerns are that…  read on >  read on >

Eating lots of ultra-processed foods may dramatically increase your risk for dementia, according to a new study by researchers in China. Ultra-processed foods are high in sugar, fat and salt, but low in protein and fiber. Sodas, salty and sugary snacks and desserts, ice cream, sausage, deep-fried chicken, flavored yogurt, ketchup, mayonnaise, packaged bread and…  read on >  read on >

A growing number of younger American adults are dying of heart failure, with Black Americans being the hardest-hit, a new study finds. Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart muscle cannot pump blood as well as it should, leading to symptoms like fatigue, breathlessness and swelling in the legs. The condition is…  read on >  read on >

Some 27 million people worldwide could suffer long-lasting damage to their sense of smell or taste following COVID-19 infection, and women are particularly vulnerable, a new study reports. “Our findings are likely to be of substantial relevance to general doctors and otolaryngologists in the counseling of patients with smell and taste disorders post-COVID-19,” according to…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay News) – Amid public concerns about a slow government response to monkeypox, U.S. health regulators on Wednesday signed off on the distribution of another 800,000 doses of vaccine to stem the outbreak. The additional shots of the Jynneos vaccine come from the Bavarian Nordic facility in Denmark, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration…  read on >  read on >

Clear shields that cover in front of the face have been a fairly frequent sight since the COVID-19 pandemic began. They’re worn with or without a mask on the nose and mouth. Though these face shields do offer some protection, none of 13 styles studied offered high protection against potentially infectious droplets, according to researchers…  read on >  read on >