Health News Roundup: Against war and other shocks, pandemic fades from world economic agenda; Novavax says COVID booster dose shows benefit against Omicron variants and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Against war and other shocks, pandemic fades from world economic agenda

The dozens of items on the public agenda of the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund this week include several sessions on climate change, food security, and other chronic world problems, some on inflation and trade, and attention as well to economic inclusion and digital currencies. Comparatively absent: The coronavirus pandemic, a once-in-a-century crisis that has killed an estimated 6.5 million people since late 2019 and highlighted broad weaknesses in how the global economy is organized, will be directly addressed through a single panel on preparedness, and two others on issues related to the economic recovery.

Novavax says COVID booster dose shows benefit against Omicron variants

Novavax Inc said on Wednesday data from studies in adults and adolescents shows that the booster dose of its COVID vaccine produces robust antibodies against several Omicron variants including BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5.

Europe likely entering another COVID wave, says WHO and ECDC

Another wave of COVID-19 infections may have begun in Europe as cases begin to tick up across the region, the World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Wednesday. "Although we are not where we were one year ago, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over," WHO's Europe director, Hans Kluge, and ECDC's director, Andrea Ammon, said in a joint statement.

Indonesia to investigate cases of fatal kidney injury among children

Indonesia will investigate cases of acute kidney injury which has caused the deaths of more than 20 children in its capital Jakarta this year, health authorities said on Wednesday.

The probe comes as authorities in Gambia said nearly 70 children died from acute kidney injury after taking a locally-sold paracetamol syrup used to treat fever.

Merck opts to develop, sell cancer vaccine with Moderna

Merck & Co Inc opted to jointly develop and potentially sell a personalized mRNA vaccine with Moderna Inc for a $250 million upfront payment on Wednesday, sending the vaccine maker's shares up over 8%. Moderna's experimental vaccine is being tested in combination with Merck's blockbuster cancer immunotherapy, Keytruda, in a mid-stage trial to treat patients with melanoma. Data on the vaccine, mRNA-4157, is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.

Vaccine trials on Sudan Ebola strain to start in weeks - WHO chief

World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday a clinical trial of vaccines that could potentially combat the Sudan strain of Ebola driving an outbreak in Uganda could start within weeks. The East African country declared an outbreak of Ebola on Sept. 20 and said infections were being caused by the Sudan strain. Uganda's health ministry has confirmed a total of 54 Ebola cases and 19 deaths.

Hong Kong approves baby version of BioNTech vaccine for toddlers

Hong Kong said on Wednesday it had approved a version of the BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for babies and children under five years old, part of broader measures to boost vaccination uptake in the financial hub. The government said it was discussing with the vaccine manufacturer the timeframe for when it would be available in the Chinese special administrative region. The government has said that each shot contains one-tenth of the adult dosage, reducing the chance of side effects.

India halts production at factory linked to Gambia deaths

Indian authorities have halted all production at a factory of Maiden Pharmaceuticals, a state minister said on Wednesday, after a WHO report that the medicine may be linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia. The health minister in Haryana state, Anil Vij, said that authorities inspected a Maiden factory near the town of Sonepat in the state and found 12 violations of good practices.

Spanish baby gets pioneering intestine transplant

A 1-year-old Spanish girl has become the world's first recipient of a successful intestine transplant from a donor who died of heart failure, Madrid's La Paz hospital said on Tuesday.

"The child has now been discharged and is in perfect condition at home with her parents," it said in a statement.

Not 'lying flat': China to persist with tough COVID policies

China will persist with its COVID-19 policies to guard against new coronavirus strains and the risks they bring, the official newspaper of the Communist Party warned in a commentary for the third straight day, crushing hopes of any near-term easing. "Lying flat is not advisable, and to win (the COVID battle) while lying flat is not possible," People's Daily wrote on Wednesday, referring to a phrase in China that denotes doing nothing.