Pope to Undergo Surgery; 4,080 U.S. Measles Cases; Ultrasound Issue Tied to 4 Deaths

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Pope Leo XIV announced he will undergo surgery “in the coming days” to remove a nodule on his lung, in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. (AP)

Medicare Advantage options are shrinking for seniors as some insurers pull out altogether in certain regions. (New York Times)

Based on the current information provided, the World Health Organization said there’s no evidence of transmission from the suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia, and said the pathogen involved remains unknown.

The mayor of Wuhan, China, when the COVID-19 pandemic started — who was criticized for his handling of the initial outbreak — was sentenced to 14 years in prison for bribery. (AP)

The U.S. measles tally has grown to 4,080, according to the CDC’s latest figures, with Pennsylvania’s record-breaking outbreak contributing to more than a fourth of the toll.

Undisclosed financial relationships suggest that pharmacy benefit managers played a bigger role in the opioid crisis than previously known. (JAMA Health Forum)

The NIH is launching an accelerated initiative for therapeutic cancer vaccines, most of which use mRNA technology. (New York Times)

HHS recommended the Justice Department use concentration or ratio thresholds to determine which synthetic kratom-derived products should move to Schedule 1, the same classification as heroin.

Christa Pike, who survived Tennessee’s attempt to execute her by lethal injection, was moved back to prison. (AP)

Watchdog group Common Sense Media said ChatGPT for Teens represents an “unacceptable risk,” as many of the safeguards are easily bypassed or don’t function as intended.

A study with 35 years of follow-up showed that recent and cumulative cannabis use were both linked to poorer objective sleep quality among middle-age adults. (JAMA Network Open)

An estimated $7 billion was spent by U.S. health plans from 2015 to 2024 on drugs that were granted accelerated FDA approval but later pulled from the market. (JAMA Health Forum)

In other FDA news, the agency warned about a software issue with certain Philips Lumify diagnostic ultrasound systems linked to eight serious injuries and four deaths.

Vacuum-sealed seafood trio packages of cold smoked salmon, halibut, and trout made by Starfish Seafood were recalled over potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to an FDA notice.

In Tennessee, dozens of people at a Walmart Distribution Center fell ill with possible foodborne-illness, and the cause is under investigation. (WJHL)

Do saunas have health benefits? Researchers are trying to find out. (NPR)

Comedian Ron Bennington, who hosts a podcast where he interviews other comedians while he receives chemotherapy for his stage IV colon cancer, talked about his initial diagnosis and being told he had an incurable disease. (NBC News)

Reality star Brandi Glanville said she will undergo exploratory surgery in hopes of getting to the bottom of her facial disfigurement, saying she believes “something is in my face eating it.” (People)

Stigma, funding cuts, and the Iran war have put contraception out of reach for Africa’s girls. (AP)

Amid the economic crisis in Cuba, citizens are turning to free community pharmacies as everyday medications grow scarce. (AP)