Health News Round-Up: Hip and knee surgeons, HVP vaccination, African swine

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

More hip-hop videos show smoking and vaping

Roughly half of popular hip-hop music videos feature smoking, vaping and marijuana use, with displays of tobacco products and drugs becoming increasingly common, a new study suggests. Hip-hop is the leading music genre in the U.S. Its fan base includes a large proportion of adolescents and young adults of all racial and ethnic groups. Seeing popular and influential artists use tobacco and drugs or favour certain brands may lead more young people to try smoking and vaping and also decrease their perception of the associated health risks, researchers note in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Hip and knee surgeons to use Apple Watch to monitor patients

Up to 10,000 Americans due to having hip or knee replacements will be able to funnel basic health data directly from their Apple Watches to their surgeons under a new app being tested by orthopaedics company Zimmer Biomet. Four hospitals and more than a dozen other medical facilities in states including Massachusetts, California, Colorado and Michigan will receive stats including heart rate, steps taken and standing hours from patients waiting for or recovering from hip and knee replacement surgery.

HVP vaccination not linked with rise in teen risky sex

A new study adds to earlier evidence that getting vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) does not lead girls to be less careful about sex. HPV is transmitted during sexual activity. When the Canadian province of British Columbia opted to vaccinate all teenage girls against HPV, some parents were concerned this would lead to more kids engaging in risky sexual behaviours.

African swine fever hits China farm with 20,000 pigs as risks rise

China reported a new African swine fever case on a farm with nearly 20,000 pigs on Monday, the largest farm yet to report the highly contagious disease in the world's top pork producer. The new case, one of numerous to be reported in northeast Liaoning province in recent days, underlines the escalating threat to the country's $1 trillion pig industry from the disease despite a slew of initial measures imposed to curb its spread.

Yemen conflict could push millions more to brink of famine: U.N.

The number of Yemenis on the brink of famine could rise to 12 million - or two in five of the population - from around 8.5 million in coming months due to escalating war and a deepening economic crisis, the United Nations food agency said on Monday. Yemen has been torn apart by more than three years of civil war between the internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition and based in the south, and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls the north, including the capital Sanaa. The nation of some 30 million is the Arabian peninsula's poorest.

International aid saves 700 million lives but gains at risk: report

International aid financing and innovation has helped to save nearly 700 million lives in the past 25 years, but those gains could be lost if momentum and political will wane, global health experts said on Monday. A report by international aid advocacy group the ONE Campaign said the progress against preventable deaths and diseases since 1990 could stall, and even go into reverse unless donor governments make new commitments to innovation and action.

U.S. TV drug ads to carry information on prices

TV advertisements for drugs made by major U.S. companies will soon direct patients to information about the potential price of medicines, a pharmaceutical industry lobbying group said https://www.phrma.org/press-release/phrma-members-take-new-approach-to-dtc-television-advertising on Monday. The move, which will help consumers find the list prices and out-of-pocket costs for drugs more easily, is aimed at increasing transparency and comes at a time of heightened political scrutiny into drug prices.

EU places China's Zhejiang Huahai under increased supervision

European authorities are placing Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd under higher supervision, the European Medicines Agency said on Monday, in the latest crackdown on the Chinese firm after a probable carcinogen was found in its blood pressure drug valsartan. EU authorities will now supervise the manufacture of other active substances produced by Zhejiang Huahai more closely, the regulator said on Monday.

WHO emergency committee to meet on Congo's Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene an emergency committee on Wednesday to decide whether Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, the global health body said on Monday. The committee of independent experts may make recommendations to manage the outbreak, which was declared on Aug. 1 and has worsened in recent weeks, with a risk of the virus spreading from northeastern Congo into Uganda and Rwanda.

More homeless kids visit ERs with Massachusetts shelter restrictions

(Reuters Health) - Emergency room visits for homelessness surged at a large urban children's hospital after Massachusetts made it harder for families to get into shelters, a new study suggests. In 2012, Massachusetts shelters began requiring additional documentation of homelessness, such as sleeping in a place "not meant for human habitation," which could include an emergency room, researchers note in Pediatrics.

(With inputs from agencies.)