Reuters Health News Summary

The International Federation of Sport Climbing announced the new rules in February after a group of elite climbers spoke out about their experiences with relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and demanded action from the governing body. WHO says wider alert on contaminated J&J cough syrup 'likely' The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Explainer-How freezing embryos plays a crucial role in IVF

The practice of freezing embryos as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) was thrown into chaos in Alabama this year, when the state supreme court ruled that such embryos should be considered children, exposing clinics to wrongful death claims in the event they are destroyed in the thawing process. In 2021, more than 80% of U.S. IVF procedures involved the transfer of frozen embryos, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Eating disorders still a "huge problem" in climbing, gold medallist Garnbret says

Eating disorders remain a "huge" issue in climbing, Olympic gold medallist Janja Garnbret said, even as new regulations meant to stop dangerously underweight athletes competing came into effect earlier this month. The International Federation of Sport Climbing announced the new rules in February after a group of elite climbers spoke out about their experiences with relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and demanded action from the governing body.

WHO says wider alert on contaminated J&J cough syrup 'likely'

The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email. Nigeria's regulator recalled a batch of Benylin syrup last Wednesday, having found a high level of diethylene glycol in the product during routine testing.

Dengue cases surge by nearly 50% in Americas amid 'emergency situation', UN agency says

Dengue cases have created an "emergency situation" in the Americas, although cases in hotspots Argentina and Brazil appear to have stabilized, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Thursday. PAHO, a United Nations agency, has confirmed more than 5.2 million cases of dengue across the Americas this year, an over 48% jump from the 3.5 million cases the group reported late last month.

US FDA mandates label updates on CAR-T cancer therapies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday cancer therapies that use CAR-T technology will require changes to the so-called "boxed warning" to highlight the serious risk of T-cell blood cancer in patients who use these therapies. The health regulor has required related updates to other sections of the label such as warnings and precautions, postmarketing experience, patient counseling information and medication guide.

Vifor Pharma offers to rectify anti-competitive behaviour against rival

Drug maker Vifor Pharma has offered to rectify its disparaging campaign against the closest rival to its blockbuster iron deficiency medicine Ferinject, EU antitrust regulators said on Friday, a move that would stave off a potential hefty fine and end an antitrust investigation. Vifor, part of Australian group CSL, made the proposal following a two-year investigation by the European Commission.

China's drugmakers can't sell mRNA shots but haven't quit yet

China's vaccine developers stuck with unused mRNA COVID shots and idle manufacturing plants are pursuing new targets for the novel messenger RNA technology, but they face a tough path, crimped by a lack of revenue. Three Chinese companies - Walvax Biotechnology , CSPC Pharmaceutical Group and Stemirna Therapeutics - came up with mRNA vaccines that won limited emergency approvals in Asia.

Spanish hospital enlists therapy dogs to boost ICU patients' morale

Joel Bueno shed tears of joy as his four-legged guests entered the intensive care unit where he had been admitted due to a blood clot. Bueno, 34, said being showered with affection by therapy dogs Vida and Lu reminded him of his own dog back home.

After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'

The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.

The Geneva-based U.N. health agency released a technical document on the topic on Thursday. It said it was the first step towards working out how to better prevent this kind of transmission, both for existing diseases like measles and for future pandemic threats.

South Korea government to compromise on medical reforms, meet opposition

South Korea's government announced a compromise in its medical reform plans on Friday in a bid to end a two-month walkout by doctors, and also said President Yoon Suk Yeol would meet the opposition leader for the first time after two years in office. The conciliatory moves followed a crushing election defeat for Yoon's ruling party last week. The government has been locked in a stalemate with doctors over its plans to boost medical school admissions.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)