Vunakizumab bests placebo in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis

Vunakizumab, a novel interleukin 17a monoclonal antibody, is superior to placebo in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis symptom improvement, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.
“Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the recommended first-line pharmacologic treatment for [radiographic axial SpA (r-axSpA)],” Jian Zhu, MD, of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, in Beijing, and colleagues wrote. “For persistently high disease activity despite NSAID treatment, biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are subsequent treatment options.

HEALTH ALERT: Chicago Ozone Crisis Enters a New Phase — Air Pollution Action Days Are Coming Earlier, Hitting Harder, and Exposing 9.4 Million Residents to Lung Damage

The greater Chicago metropolitan area was placed under an Air Quality Alert this week as the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an Air Pollution Action Day, warning that ground-level ozone had reached concentrations classified as "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" — and was forecast to worsen into Wednesday.

HEALTH ALERT: CDC Reports Valley Fever Cases Have Doubled in Phoenix Metro Over 17 Years — And the Fungal Lung Infection Is Spreading Beyond Its Historical Boundaries

A landmark federal surveillance study published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on February 19, 2026 has confirmed what public health officials in Arizona have been warning about for years: Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis), the fungal lung disease caused by inhaling soil-borne Coccidioides spores, has approximately doubled in incidence across Arizona between 2005 and 2022

HEALTH ALERT: New York City Fungal Eye Infection Outbreak at LASIK Clinic Blinds Patients — CDC Publishes Emergency Report

A rare and sight-threatening fungal outbreak at a New York City ophthalmology clinic has placed elective laser eye surgery patients across the country on notice, after a federal investigation published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report confirmed that three patients contracted serious fungal corneal infections following routine LASIK procedures at a single outpatient clinic in December 2024.