Top Health Updates: Mpox Vaccines in Nigeria, Polio in Gaza, and Smoking Rules

Nigeria receives its first batch of mpox vaccines from USAID. UN launches a polio vaccine drive in Gaza amid fighting. UK PM Starmer backs stricter outdoor smoking regulations. FDA updates age verification for tobacco purchases. Emergent Bio's smallpox vaccine gets FDA nod for mpox. Merck halts two Keytruda trials.

Nigeria has received its first 10,000 doses of the mpox vaccine from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). With 40 confirmed cases and no fatalities, this donation is deemed a crucial step by Muyi Aina, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

The UN is gearing up for a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza starting Sunday, dependent on cease-fires between Israeli forces and Hamas. The World Health Organization aims to vaccinate at least 90% of Gaza's children to curb the disease, but challenges arise given the ongoing conflict.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer supports banning smoking in certain outdoor spaces to reduce National Health Service (NHS) burdens. Starmer highlighted that 80,000 annual deaths are attributed to smoking and seeks to lower preventable disease rates with the new regulations.

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has raised the age verification requirement for tobacco purchases from under 27 to under 30. This new rule mandates more people to present photo IDs when buying tobacco products.

Emergent BioSolutions saw a 15% rise in shares following the FDA's expanded approval of its smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000, for those at high risk of mpox. It is now the second FDA-approved mpox vaccine in the U.S.

Merck discontinued two late-stage trials of its Keytruda drug in skin and lung cancer patients, marking another setback for the immunotherapy. Despite seeking new treatment combinations, Keytruda faces patent expiration by the decade's end.

(With inputs from agencies.)