Health News Roundup: WHO asks countries to increase surveillance for Monkeypox; Senegal health minister sacked after babies die in hospital fire and more

Testing and diagnosis rates for cancer dropped by 15% to 25% over the past two years as people skipped routine checkups, Dave Fredrickson, executive vice president of oncology at AstraZeneca, told the Reuters Global Markets Forum in Davos. WHO asks countries to increase surveillance for Monkeypox About 200 confirmed and more than 100 suspected cases of Monkeypox have been detected so far outside of the countries where it usually spreads, a World Health Organization official said on Thursday, urging countries to increase surveillance for the infectious disease.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Cancer treatments may benefit from lessons of pandemic set-backs -AstraZeneca executive

Although cancer screening and diagnosis was hit by the coronavirus pandemic, resulting advances in medical technology and greater diversity in clinical trials could help treatments in the future, an AstraZeneca executive said. Testing and diagnosis rates for cancer dropped by 15% to 25% over the past two years as people skipped routine checkups, Dave Fredrickson, executive vice president of oncology at AstraZeneca, told the Reuters Global Markets Forum in Davos.

WHO asks countries to increase surveillance for Monkeypox

About 200 confirmed and more than 100 suspected cases of Monkeypox have been detected so far outside of the countries where it usually spreads, a World Health Organization official said on Thursday, urging countries to increase surveillance for the infectious disease. Monkeypox, a mild viral infection, is endemic in the African countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria.

Senegal health minister sacked after babies die in hospital fire

Senegal President Macky Sall on Thursday sacked his health minister, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, a government decree showed, after 11 babies were killed by a fire in a hospital neonatal ward. Sarr will be replaced by Marie Khemesse Ngom Ndiaye, the ministry's director general, according to the decree.

Breakthrough infections may be less contagious; vaccine protection wanes faster in cancer patients

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Breakthrough infections may be less contagious

Walmart, CVS to halt filling prescriptions for controlled substances by Cerebral, Done

Walmart Inc and CVS Health Corp said on Wednesday they would stop filling prescriptions for controlled substances issued by telehealth startups Cerebral Inc and Done Health. Cerebral and Done are known for treating patients with ADHD, prescribing stimulants such as Adderall.

The next U.S. abortion battle is over pills, and it's already begun

The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet released its decision that looks set to dramatically scale back abortion rights, but one of the next legal battles has already begun in a Mississippi court. That is where the manufacturer of a pill used to carry out medication abortions, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro Inc, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the conservative state's restrictions on the pill, used in more than half of all U.S. abortions.

Explainer-What is on (and off) the agenda of the WHO Assembly?

Hundreds of health ministers and diplomats from around the world meet in Geneva this week for the World Health Organization's first in-person assembly in three years as the U.N. agency seeks to define its future role in global health policy. The agenda of the World Health Assembly (WHA) is the most packed in the WHO's 75-year history and is seen as an historic opportunity to move on from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to 15 million deaths, and prepare for the next global outbreak.

WHO condemns Russia's aggression in Ukraine in rare vote, rejects Moscow's counter-proposal

The World Health Organization assembly passed a motion on Thursday condemning the regional health emergency triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rejected a rival resolution from Moscow that made no mention of its own role in the crisis. The original proposal, brought by the United States and some 50 others, condemned Russia's actions but stopped short of immediately suspending its voting rights at the U.N. health agency as some had earlier sought.

U.S. confirms 9 monkeypox cases in 7 states

The United States on Thursday said it had identified nine monkeypox cases in seven states, some in individuals who did not have a recent history of international travel. As of Wednesday, the nine cases were confirmed in Massachusetts, Florida, Utah, Washington, California, Virginia and New York, the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters.

Abbott developing test for monkeypox

Abbott Laboratories said on Thursday it is actively developing a test for monkeypox, as the disease spreads in various countries. The company will provide the test kits to partners of its Pandemic Defense Coalition, a network of scientific and public health partnerships aimed at identifying future pandemic threats, an Abbott spokesperson told Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies.)