Health Updates: Polio in Gaza, COVID and Mpox Vaccines, Opioid Settlement, and More

The latest health news includes UN's polio vaccination campaign for Gaza's children, the FDA's authorization of Novavax's updated COVID vaccine, WHO's mpox vaccines arriving in DR Congo, increased age verification for tobacco sales by the FDA, and a $300 million opioid settlement by U.S. drug distributors.

The United Nations is set to vaccinate about 640,000 children in Gaza against polio, starting this Sunday. This complex campaign will coincide with eight-hour daily pauses in fighting between Israel and Hamas militants. The first polio case in 25 years was confirmed in the region last week.

The FDA has granted emergency use authorization for an updated Novavax COVID vaccine aiming at the JN.1 strain. This shot targets individuals aged 12 and above. Emergency authorization was announced late on Friday.

Mpox vaccines are expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming days. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement, highlighting the urgency to combat a new strain of the virus.

The FDA has raised the age requirement for showing photo IDs when buying tobacco products to anyone under 30. This new rule aims to strengthen age verification and was finalized by the agency on Thursday.

Emergent BioSolutions' smallpox vaccine has received expanded FDA approval for use against mpox. This makes it the second such approved vaccine in the U.S., following Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos.

In a major settlement, three leading U.S. drug distributors will pay $300 million over claims alleging their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The settlement awaits a judge's approval in federal court in Cleveland, Ohio.

(With inputs from agencies.)