Below is a summary of current health news briefs.
Gambia’s rise in child deaths linked to cough syrup under control, says president
Gambian President Adama Barrow said on Friday that a surge in acute kidney injuries likely linked to an acetaminophen syrup that has killed dozens of children in recent months was under control, with just two diagnoses in the last two weeks. Authorities launched an investigation last month after doctors noticed in July that several children developed symptoms after taking a locally sold paracetamol syrup used to treat fever.
Canada clears Pfizer’s revamped Omicron booster
Canada on Friday authorized updated COVID-19 booster vaccines from Pfizer Inc and its partner BioNTech SE that target the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, according to the government website. Pfizer and BioNTech said in a joint statement that the companies will make “significant volumes of the vaccine available in the coming days.”
Becton withdraws some sterilization containers due to non-compliance with quality
Becton Dickinson & Co is recalling some models of its sterilization containers sold under the Genesis Sterrad brand in the United States and Canada, the company said Friday, citing “discrepant test results” during an internal quality assessment.
The company said it found that recalled product models had conflicting results for a quality test known as the aerosol challenge in 2011.
White House says COVID booster campaign going well, should pick up
The White House expects the vaccination rate in its fall booster campaign to pick up in the coming weeks, with its COVID response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha on Friday characterizing the initial pace as “a very good start.” . In September, the United States began rolling out the updated COVID vaccines, redesigned to take on the currently circulating Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, as well as the original version of the virus targeted by all previous COVID vaccines and boosters. So-called bivalent boosters are available to anyone over the age of 12.
US reports highly lethal avian flu in Arkansas chickens
A highly lethal form of avian flu has infected a commercial flock of breeding chickens in Arkansas, the US Department of Agriculture said on Friday, widening an outbreak of the disease in the key southern producing region. Nationwide, more than 47 million birds have died from bird flu or have been euthanized to control its spread this year in the country’s worst outbreak since a record 50 million birds were eliminated in 2015.
CVS Health and Centene lead health insurers down after 2023 Medicare ratings
Shares of pharmacy operator CVS Health fell as much as 10% and insurer Centene tumbled 8%, leading to drops at major US health insurers after plan performance ratings were released. health insurance from a federal government program.
CVS’s largest health insurance plan for Medicare beneficiaries received a lower performance rating, the company said Thursday, leading to more than $11.6 billion being wiped from its market value as of 11:30 a.m. am ET Friday.
Indonesia in talks with African countries to export its homemade COVID vaccine
Indonesia is in talks with several African countries, including Nigeria, to export and donate its homemade COVID-19 vaccine, its developer said on Friday, after becoming the first Southeast Asian country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine. developed in the country. Indonesia’s approval for the injection, for which detailed test data has yet to be announced and is based largely on pre-Omicron coronavirus variants, underscores progress in vaccine research and reducing reliance on foreign technology.
Appeals court temporarily blocks Arizona’s abortion ban
An appeals court on Friday temporarily blocked Arizona from enforcing a 1901 ban on nearly all abortions in the state, overturning a trial court’s decision last month to allow the ban to continue. The Arizona Court of Appeals granted Planned Parenthood’s request for an emergency stay of the Pima County Superior Court ruling on September 23 that lifted an injunction on the ban. The appeals court said the abortion rights group “demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success” in challenging that decision.
US EPA Proposes Declaring Aviation Lead Emissions a Public Health Hazard
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday it was proposing to declare that emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel pose a public health hazard. Emissions from the 190,000 US general aviation aircraft operating on leaded fuel account for about 70% of the lead that enters the atmosphere, according to US government estimates. Lead is not found in fuel for airplanes, which is the one used by commercial airplanes.
FDA Expands Use of GSK Vaccine During Pregnancy to Prevent Pertussis in Babies
The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday allowed GlaxoSmithKline’s Boostrix vaccine to be used during the third trimester of pregnancy to prevent whooping cough in infants less than two months old. “When the Boostrix vaccine is given during pregnancy, it raises antibodies in the mother, which are transferred to the developing baby,” the agency said.
(With contributions from agencies).
