Health News Roundup: WHO recommends use of two antibody drugs against Ebola; North Korea imports of Chinese masks, gloves surged before declaring COVID victory and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Britain faces 'humanitarian crisis' as energy costs soar, says health lobby

Britain faces a "humanitarian crisis" this winter when the difficult choices forced upon low-income households by soaring energy bills could cause serious physical and mental illness, a healthcare lobby group said on Friday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resisted calls to provide more support to households struggling with higher bills, insisting his government will leave major fiscal decisions to the next prime minister who takes office in early September.

WHO recommends use of two antibody drugs against Ebola

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday recommended two monoclonal antibody treatments against Ebola, saying the use of such drugs combined with better care had "revolutionised" the treatment of a disease once seen as a near-certain killer. The drugs - Regeneron's Inmazeb (REGN-EB3) and Ridgeback Bio's Ebanga (mAb114) - use laboratory-made monoclonal antibodies that mimic natural antibodies in fighting off infections.

Indonesia confirms first monkeypox case in citizen returning from abroad - ministry

Indonesia has confirmed its first monkeypox infection, detected in a person who had returned from an unidentified country with documented cases, a health ministry spokesman said on Saturday. The 27-year-old male tested positive in the capital Jakarta late on Friday, Mohammad Syahril told a news conference.

U.S. CDC probing E.coli outbreak in four states as some Wendy's customers fall ill

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is probing an E.coli bacteria outbreak in four states from an unknown food source, with many of the affected reported to have had sandwiches at Wendy's Co. Of the 37 sick, 22 people were said to have consumed Wendy's sandwiches with romaine lettuce in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania in the week before they fell ill, the agency said on Friday.

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a ceremony to thank and praise military medics for spearheading the country's fight against the coronavirus in the capital Pyongyang, state media said. Following is a summary of other recent developments in the pandemic:

North Korea imports of Chinese masks, gloves surged before declaring COVID victory

North Korea imported more than 1 million facial masks and 15,000 pairs of rubber gloves from China in July, shortly before declaring victory over COVID-19, Chinese trade showed on Saturday. Pyongyang last week declared victory over the coronavirus, ending a little-detailed fight against "fever" cases that had risen to 4.77 million. It has registered no new such cases since July 29.

EU backs changing monkeypox vaccine injection method to boost supply

European countries could stretch out limited supplies of the monkeypox vaccine by administering smaller doses of the shot, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday. The agency's advice is in line with the so-called fractional dosing approach endorsed by U.S. regulators in which one vial of the vaccine can be used to administer up to five separate doses - instead of a single dose - by injecting a smaller amount in between layers of the skin (intradermal injection).

Canada OKs Pfizer COVID booster for kids 5-11, sees monkeypox cases slow

Canada's health ministry on Friday said it had authorized the use of Pfizer Inc's and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for children five to 11 years old at least six months after receiving their initial two doses. The authorization for a booster shot was granted after a thorough, independent review of the vaccine, which "provides good protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death," the health ministry wrote on Twitter.

FDA asks Pfizer to test second Paxlovid course in patients with COVID rebound

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Pfizer Inc to test the effects of an additional course of its antiviral Paxlovid among people who experience a rebound in COVID-19 after treatment, the regulator said on Friday. The drugmaker must produce the initial results of a randomized controlled trial of a second course of the antiviral by Sep. 30 next year, the FDA told Pfizer in a letter dated Aug. 5.

Axsome's depression drug enters competitive market after U.S. approval

Axsome Therapeutics Inc on Friday gained U.S. approval for its treatment for depression, giving more than 20 million Americans affected by the disorder a new option in a market crowded by older drugs. Shares of the U.S.-based company, which expects to launch the drug in the fourth quarter, surged 25% in early trade.

(With inputs from agencies.)