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Dengue is surging across the Americas early this year from Puerto Rico to Brazil. Officials said Thursday that 3.5 million cases of the tropical disease had been reported in the region as of this week. The regional office of the World Health Organization say that's three times more cases than reported at this point last year. More than 80% of current cases are in Brazil, followed by Paraguay, Argentina, Peru and Colombia. Usually dengue spikes during the wet season which is still months away. The dengue virus is spread to people when they are bitten by infected mosquitoes.

As Black Protestants prepare for Easter this year, they hope to welcome more people to church than since the COVID-19 pandemic began four years ago. Black clergy like the Rev. William Lamar IV at Washington, D.C.’s historic Metropolitan AME say their churches are still feeling the pandemic’s impact on church attendance, even as they have rolled out robust online worship options to reach people. Black Protestants’ monthly church attendance declined more than any other major religious group from 2019 to 2023, according to the Pew Research Center. They are the most likely group to watch religious services virtually. This season’s sermon topics include human suffering in places like Gaza, as well as the hope of resurrection.

President Joe Biden is announcing new steps to protect consumers who buy short-term health insurance plans that critics say amount to junk. A new rule finalized by the Democratic president's administration will limit short-term health insurance to just three months. And the plans can only be renewed for a maximum of four months, instead of up to the three years allowed under Biden's predecessor, Republican President Donald Trump. The Biden administration is also requiring short-term plans to provide consumers with clear explanations of the services they cover and how much. The White House says the rule is part of the president's interest in reducing costs for consumers.

An international team of doctors was prepared for the worst before visiting a hospital in central Gaza. The doctors were nevertheless stunned by the gruesome impact that Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children. One toddler died from a brain injury caused by an Israeli strike. His cousin, an infant, is still fighting for her life. These gut-wrenching casualties were described to The Associated Press by Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care doctor from Jordan. She was part of a seven-doctor team that recently finished a two-week stint in Gaza, whose hospitals have been devastated by the war that began on Oct. 7.

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Doctors perform surgery on a patient at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, Sunday, March 17, 2024. An international team of doctors has been working the past two weeks at the facility amid shortages of supplies. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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Pediatrician Tanya Haj-Hassan, center, examines wounded children at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. Saturday, March 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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FILE - Palestinians wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, March 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)

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Pediatrician Tanya Haj-Hassan, left, examines wounded children at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. Saturday, March 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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Doctors perform surgery on a patient at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. Sunday, March 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)