Health News Summary: Population problem in Africa; Post-op opioids in US and more


Reuters | Updated: 18-09-2018 18:34 IST | Created: 18-09-2018 18:29 IST
Health News Summary: Population problem in Africa; Post-op opioids in US and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Few teens with chronic health problems have plans to take charge of their own care

Less than one in five teens with chronic health problems have made plans with their pediatrician to take over responsibility for their own care and transition to seeing doctors who treat adults, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data from surveys of parents and caregivers of almost 21,000 children ranging in age from 12 to 17, including about 5,900 who were being treated for ongoing medical issues.

Africa's rapid population growth puts poverty progress at risk, says Gates

Rapid population growth in some of Africa's poorest countries could put at risk future progress towards reducing global poverty and improving health, according to a report by the philanthropic foundation of Bill Gates. Demographic trends show a billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty in the past 20 years, the report found. But swiftly expanding populations, particularly in parts of Africa, could halt the decline in the number of extremely poor people in the world, and it may even start to rise.

Post-op opioids used far more in U.S. than Hong Kong

Head and neck surgery patients in Hong Kong are far less likely to be prescribed opioids than patients undergoing similar surgeries in the U.S., new research shows. "There's such a huge separation in opioid prescribing practices between the United States and institutions on the other side of the world," Dr. Ryan J. Li of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland told Reuters Health by phone. "There has to be room to meet somewhere in the middle in terms of utilization of opioids."

Viking shares soar as liver disease drug succeeds in mid-stage study

Viking Therapeutics Inc's shares more than doubled on Tuesday after its experimental liver disease treatment met the goals of a mid-stage trial by lowering cholesterol and liver fat levels in patients. The study tested Viking's VK2809 against a placebo in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and high levels of LDL-C, or "bad cholesterol".

China reports new African swine fever outbreak in Inner Mongolia

A new outbreak of African swine fever occurred on a farm in northern China's Inner Mongolia, the agriculture ministry said on Monday, the second in the region, as the highly contagious disease continues to spread rapidly across the world's top producer of pigs. Eight hogs were dead and 14 were infected on the farm of 159 animals, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on its website.

A child dies every five seconds, and most are preventable deaths - U.N.

An estimated 6.3 million children died before their 15th birthdays in 2017, or one every five seconds, mostly due to a lack of water, sanitation, nutrition and basic healthcare, according to report by United Nations agencies on Tuesday. The vast majority of these deaths – 5.4 million – occur in the first five years of life, with newborns accounting for around half of the deaths, the report said.

Many cancer patients' relatives might get gene tests if price is right

Cancer patients' close relatives might be willing to get tests to see if they share genetic mutations that put them at risk for tumors, too, if testing were accessible and affordable, a U.S. experiment suggests. Researchers asked 741 people with one of 30 cancer-associated mutations and 360 of their "first degree" relatives - a parent, sibling or child - to invite other close relatives to get their genes sequenced for about $50 - about one tenth of the standard cost.

South Africa's highest court gives green light to private use of cannabis

South Africa's highest court on Tuesday allowed the private use of marijuana, upholding a lower court's ruling that found the criminalization of cannabis was unconstitutional. Activists who include members of the Rastafarian movement and traditional healers greeted the ruling with loud applause. They have held marches over the years to demand that the law be changed to allow people to smoke 'weed', which is called 'dagga' in South Africa.

Coke eyes cannabis-infused drink market

Coca-Cola Co is closely watching the fast-growing marijuana drinks market for a possible entry that would expand the world's largest soft drink maker's ambitions further away from sugary sodas. Coca-Cola announced its interest in a statement on Monday, responding to a report from BNN Bloomberg that said it was in talks with Canada's Aurora Cannabis Inc to develop drinks infused with cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive chemical found in marijuana.

Macron injects more cash into France's strained healthcare system

President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday promised extra money and more doctors in rural areas to ease pressure on France's hospitals, which are creaking under the weight of budget constraints and closures of clinics outside towns and cities. Spending on healthcare will increase by 2.5 percent in 2019, higher than the initial 2.3 percent target and amounting to an additional 400 million euros ($470 million) in a near 200 billion euro budget, Macron said.

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

Give Feedback