The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is monitoring reports of a suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia and says it is prepared for any threat that emerges.
Why it matters: Pneumonic plague is the most dangerous form of plague and is almost always fatal unless if left untreated.
Two big unknowns stand in the way of determining how serious the plague threat in Russia is and whether travel advisories, restrictions at U.S. ports of entry or other precautions are warranted.
We still don't know which pathogen killed a Russian researcher, or how well contained it is.
Why it matters: Though public health experts say there's no cause for Americans to panic, the episode serves as a wake-up call emphasizing the nature of global biological threats and the need for pandemic preparedness.
LOS ANGELES —Bryan Johnson, the face of the longevity movement who believes he may never die, announced recently that he had an incurable autoimmune disease — and his critics cheered, he told "The Axios Show" in an exclusive interview Monday.
"I mean, I think people really want me to die. Now I get it. It's funny. It's ironic. I push a lot of buttons that people don't like," he said.
The big picture: As Johnson himself acknowledged, there's an irony in the founder of the "Don't Die" movement watching people celebrate his diagnosis. But Johnson sees his diagnosis as rocket fuel for his mission to promote longevity, rather than a setback.
President Trump said Monday that the United States will help Russia amid a potential case of pneumonic plague, though he hasn't spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about it.
Why it matters: International concern spiked over the weekend over the news that a Russian lab worker had died from a possible case of pneumonic plague, reminding some of how the COVID-19 epidemic began.
A suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia rattled health officials, the White House and social media over the weekend, stoking fears about what might happen if the disease spreads around the world.
Why it matters: Pneumonic plague can spread between people and can be deadly without rapid treatment, but it moves differently than COVID-19 and is highly treatable with modern medicine.
The White House is monitoring a suspected outbreak of pneumonic plague in Russia, raising immediate concerns for scientists, researchers and health officials worldwide.
Why it matters:Pneumonic plague is the most dangerous form of plague and can spread between people through respiratory droplets. Without treatment, it is nearly always fatal, but antibiotics can be highly effective when started quickly.
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Olivia Walton, who's leading a $100 million, bipartisan effort to cut the U.S. maternal mortality rate in half by 2031, tells me maternal health is a solvable problem, with state governments "in the driver's seat."
"We have the medicine," Walton, who's also chair of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, told me last week on the sidelines of the annual Heartland Summit of the nonprofit Heartland Forward, which promotes economic development in America's geographic middle.
"We know what works. There are poorer and more rural countries around the world that are doing this better than we are. We also have pockets of what's working here in the United States."
Health systems that are scrambling to protect themselves against cyberattacks and data breaches have a new problem: unchecked AI agents.
The big picture: The expanding use of agents in health care is outpacing the industry's ability to police the technology, posing new safety and privacy concerns.
Digital security professionals are warning that hospitals and other organizations will have to think about safeguards in new ways to keep agents from exposing personal health information and violating laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
