Estimated Global and Regional Incidence and Prevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus Infections and Genital Ulcer Disease in 2020
Genital HSV infections have a high incidence and prevalence worldwide, contributing to a significant genital ulcer disease burden. Genital herpes affects more than 846 million younger adults globally, with 1 in 5 individuals under age 50 living with the disease. Researchers reported that more than 200 million people ages 15 to 49 likely had at least one herpes outbreak in 2020. Full Access: BMJ
Cost Remains a Barrier to Medication Adherence in Asthmatic Patients
Nonadherence to asthma drug prescriptions in the U.S. decreased overall from 23.2% in 2011 to 13.1% in 2022, but 17.8% of adults with asthma said that they had skipped asthma medicines within the past 12 months due to cost. Nonadherence rates were highest among patients whose incomes were just above the Medicaid limit. Full Access: MedPage
Tecovirimat Safe but Fails to Improve Mpox Resolution or Pain
According to the Study of Tecovirimat for Mpox (STOMP), the antiviral did not reduce the time to lesion resolution or have an effect on pain among adults with mild-to-moderate clade II MPOX. The STOMP findings are consistent with results reported earlier this year from an NIAID-cosponsored randomized controlled trial of tecovirimat among children and adults with clade I mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Full Access: NIH
New Pneumonia Vaccine Guidelines Could Save More People from Deadly Disease
On October 23, The CDC director endorsed a set of expanded eligibility recommendations from the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). These guidelines lower the recommended age for this pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine from age 65 to 50. Full Access: CDC
