Health News Roundup: Chikungunya, Ebola, GSK vaccine

French bioethics body backs IVF for all women who want children

Lesbian couples and single women who want to bear children should have access to medically assisted reproductive treatments such as in-vitro fertilization, France's highest bioethics body said on Tuesday. The topic has stirred political debate in France, which legalized gay marriage in 2013 in the face of often virulent opposition from the more conservative parts of the country, where the Catholic Church still commands influence.

FDA is considering banning online sales of e-cigarettes: Gottlieb

U.S. regulators are considering banning the online sales of e-cigarettes, the head of the Food & Drug Administration Scott Gottlieb said on Tuesday. Gottlieb, speaking on a panel discussion on vaping that was arranged by Axios, said that the agency will release its next steps on e-cigarettes as well as data on teen vaping in November.

Sudan reports an outbreak of mosquito-borne Chikungunya disease in the eastern state

More than 11,000 people in Sudan's eastern state of Kassala have been infected over the past month by Chikungunya, a debilitating mosquito-borne viral disease, but no deaths have been reported, a Sudanese official said on Tuesday. Chikungunya is spread by two mosquito species and can cause severe symptoms, which develop three to seven days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito, include high fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, and rash. There are no dedicated treatments or vaccines for Chikungunya.

WHO extremely concerned about Ebola 'perfect storm' in Congo

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday an Ebola outbreak in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo could worsen rapidly because of attacks by armed groups, community resistance and the geographic spread of the disease. At least 100 people have died in the outbreak, out of 150 cases in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

GSK vaccine success a milestone in TB, but room for improvement

An experimental GlaxoSmithKline vaccine could prevent tuberculosis developing in half of those who receive it, making it potentially the first new shot against the global killer in a century, researchers said on Tuesday. Given the failure of other candidates in recent years, it marks a milestone in the fight against TB, although the 54 percent efficacy rate achieved in adults in a mid-stage clinical trial is low compared to immunizations for other diseases.

AstraZeneca buoyed as Imfinzi cuts lung cancer deaths by a third

AstraZeneca's immunotherapy drug Imfinzi cut the risk of death in patients with mid-stage lung cancer by nearly a third in a closely watched clinical study, reinforcing the case for using the drug in earlier disease. The encouraging overall survival data boosts prospects for a medicine that was approved this week in Europe and has already had a promising U.S. commercial launch, based on its ability to slow disease progression.

Health data breaches on the rise

Health data breaches are on the rise, a new study shows. While the largest number of data breaches occurred at health care providers' sites - such as hospitals and physicians' offices - it's health care plans that account for the greatest number of patient records stolen over the past seven years, according to the study published in JAMA.

Roche's Tecentriq, trailing rival drugs, lifts lung cancer survival

A drug cocktail with Roche's Tecentriq added two months to small-cell lung cancer patients' lives, according to a study, aiding the Swiss group's bid to win approval in a niche disease area before rivals that now dominate the immunotherapy market. Patients with untreated extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), where cancer has spread, lived a median 12.3 months after getting Tecentriq plus chemotherapy.

Cases of newborns with syphilis doubles in four years - CDC

The number of newborns born with syphilis has reached a 20-year high, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday, tracking a general increase in several sexually transmitted infections. The CDC said reported cases of congenital syphilis, which is when the disease is passed from mother to baby, jumped 153 percent between 2013 and 2017, from 362 cases to 918.

Drinking water violations more common in impoverished counties

Drinking water violations may be more common in U.S. counties with greater numbers of minorities, low-income families, and uninsured households, a new report suggests. More efforts are needed to ensure everyone in the U.S. has access to safe drinking water, the authors say.

(With inputs from Reuters)