Health News Roundup: U.S. firms in China report staff shortages; Virus deals new blow to Cambodian city and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. firms in China report staff shortages, say coronavirus hitting global operations: AmCham

Nearly half of the U.S. companies in China say their global operations are already seeing an impact from business shutdowns due to the coronavirus epidemic, according to a poll by Shanghai's American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). Some 78% of the respondents also said they do not have sufficient staff at their Chinese plants to resume full production, as public health restrictions make it harder for workers to return to their jobs after an extended holiday.

Scramble to track Cambodia cruise ship passengers after coronavirus case reported

Holland America Line said it is working with governments and health experts to track passengers who disembarked from its Westerdam cruise ship docked in Cambodia after an American woman tested positive for coronavirus in Malaysia. The cruise line, which is owned by cruise giant Carnival Corp, said none of the other 1,454 passengers and 802 crew have reported any symptoms.

Czech authorities to cull nearly 140,000 birds at a poultry farm where bird flu was detected

Czech authorities will cull nearly 140,000 turkey and chickens at a poultry farm where bird flu was detected, Agriculture Minister Miroslav Toman said on Monday. The infection, east of Prague, was the country's second case of the H5N8 bird flu virus this year after a farm in the east of the central European country was affected in January.

U.S. State Dept. says fourteen tests positive for coronavirus from a cruise ship in Japan

Fourteen U.S. citizens tested positive for the new coronavirus during the evacuation of over 300 U.S. nationals and their family members from a quarantined ship in Japan, the U.S. State Department said on Monday. The passengers were preparing to return to the United States on a chartered aircraft when U.S. officials received notice that 14 people had tested positive for COVID-19, according to https://www.state.gov/joint-statement-by-u-s-department-of-state-and-u-s-department-of-health-and-human-services-on-repatriation-of-american-passengers-from-the-diamond-princess-cruise-ship to the statement.

Virus deals new blow to Cambodian city bound to China

An influx of Chinese that some Cambodians resented for bringing noise, dust, and chaos to the port of Sihanoukville, is the cause of more pain now that it has gone into reverse. The new coronavirus has meant yet another setback for Sihanoukville after the government last year banned the online gambling that had helped fuel the spectacular growth of a once listless city into a major Chinese population center.

'Animals live for man': China's appetite for wildlife likely to survive a virus

For the past two weeks, China's police have been raiding houses, restaurants, and makeshift markets across the country, arresting nearly 700 people for breaking the temporary ban on catching, selling or eating wild animals. The scale of the crackdown, which has netted almost 40,000 animals including squirrels, weasels, and boars, suggests that China's taste for eating wildlife and using animal parts for medicinal purposes is not likely to disappear overnight, despite potential links to the new coronavirus.

The rise in coronavirus infections prompts Japan to limit public crowds

Japan canceled the emperor's birthday celebrations next week as it moved on Monday to limit crowds to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and said it will close the Tokyo Marathon to all but elite professional runners. The widening fallout of the virus outbreak, which began in China in December and has already killed over 1,700 people, is damaging output and tourism in Japan, which is preparing to host the Olympic Games from late July.

Fast-food companies in China step up ‘contactless’ pickup, delivery as coronavirus rages

With the coronavirus outbreak in China continuing to spread, McDonald's Corp, Starbucks Corp, and other fast-food companies are ramping up "contactless" pickup and delivery services to keep their workers and customers safe, the companies said. McDonald's has implemented contactless pickup and delivery of Big Macs, fries and other menu items across China as the outbreak has unfolded.

Hundreds of Americans flown home from the cruise ship, 14 with coronavirus

More than 300 American passengers have been flown home from a cruise ship after two weeks under quarantine off Japan, including 14 found to have coronavirus who were kept isolated on the flight. The cruise ship Diamond Princess, by far the largest cluster of coronavirus cases outside China, has become the biggest test so far of other countries' ability to contain an outbreak that has killed 1,770 people in China and five elsewhere.

South Africa lifts foot-and-mouth auction ban: farm minister

South Africa has lifted a two-month ban on livestock auctions that halted trade in cattle, sheep and other animals following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Limpopo late last year, the agriculture minister said on Monday. In January, an auctioneer was arrested on suspicion of violating the ban implemented on Dec. 4 by selling animals from the northern province, the epicenter of the latest outbreak that led neighboring countries including Zimbabwe to ban South African animal imports.

(With inputs from agencies.)