Health News Roundup: Shanghai Disney visitors told to stay home after COVID case, Foxconn ups bonuses; Indonesia revokes firms' fever syrup licences amid inquiry into 150 deaths and more

The order comes as Typhoon Nalgae approaches southern China with authorities hoping the PCR tests can be completed in one day. Gambia says it has not yet confirmed cough syrup as cause of child deaths Gambia has not yet confirmed that toxic cough syrup was the cause of the deaths of 70 children from acute kidney injury, a representative of the country's Medicines Control Agency said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Shanghai Disney visitors told to stay home after COVID case, Foxconn ups bonuses

Several Shanghai residents received fresh stay-at-home orders and mandatory testing notices on Tuesday as authorities raced to trace contacts linked to a COVID-positive woman whose visit to the city's Disney Resort prompted its temporary lockdown. In the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, meanwhile, Apple iPhone manufacturer Foxconn announced a big increase in bonuses to stem an exodus of workers rattled by coronavirus curbs at its vast facility there, as China's strict zero-COVID policy exacts a rising toll on the world's No.2 economy.

Indonesia revokes firms' fever syrup licences amid inquiry into 150 deaths

Indonesia's food and drug agency said on Monday it had revoked licences for syrup-type drug production by two local firms for violating manufacturing rules, as it investigates the deaths of more than 150 children due to acute kidney injury (AKI). The decision by the BPOM agency came after Indonesia temporarily banned sales of some syrup-based medications and identified the presence in some products of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol as possible factors in the AKI deaths, most of which were of children under five.

Pfizer boosts COVID vaccine sales forecast by $2 billion to $34 billion

Pfizer Inc on Tuesday raised its forecast for annual sales of its COVID-19 vaccine by $2 billion to $34 billion on demand for Omicron-targeted boosters, helping allay some investor worries over growth for the vaccinations. The U.S. drugmaker's shares rose 4.3% to $48.55 in premarket trading as its third-quarter profit beat estimates, mainly due to better-than-expected sales of the vaccine.

Battling cholera, Lebanon gets first vaccines, and sharp words, from France

Lebanon took delivery on Monday of its first vaccines to combat a worsening cholera outbreak - together with sharply worded criticism of the crisis-hit country's crumbling public health infrastructure from donor nation France. By Sunday, cases of cholera - a disease typically spread through contaminated water, food or sewage - stood at 1,447, with 17 deaths, since the first were recorded in the country a month ago, the health ministry said.

Pfizer says maternal RSV vaccine prevents severe infection in infants

Pfizer Inc said on Tuesday its experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine was found effective for preventing severe infections in infants after being given in a late-stage study to expectant mothers in the second half of pregnancy. Pfizer's shot, if approved, could be the first maternal vaccine available to relieve the burden of the disease in young infants. The company stopped the trial after the early success and plans to file for approval by the end of 2022.

In Africa's monkeypox outbreak, sickness and death go undetected

At a village clinic in central Congo, separated from the world by a tangle of waterways and forests, six-year-old Angelika Lifafu grips her dress and screams as nurses in protective suits pick at one of hundreds of boils that trouble her delicate skin. Her uncle, 12-year-old Lisungi Lifafu, sits at the foot of her bed, facing away from the sunlight that pours through the doorway and pains his swollen, weeping eyes. When nurses approach, he raises his chin, but cannot look up.

J&J to buy heart pump maker Abiomed in $16.6 billion deal

Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it would buy heart pump maker Abiomed Inc in a $16.6 billion deal, its biggest in nearly six years, as the conglomerate seeks to boost its cardiovascular business. The deal comes when J&J is spinning off its consumer health business to focus on its pharmaceuticals and medical devices operations.

Macau mass tests its population after COVID-19 infections

Macau carried out mass testing of its 700,000 residents on Tuesday after the emergence of COVID-19 cases in the past week, including at a major casino that prompted authorities to seal 1,500 people inside. All residents in the world's biggest gambling hub have been told to take a PCR test on Tuesday and then test themselves daily with rapid antigen tests. The order comes as Typhoon Nalgae approaches southern China with authorities hoping the PCR tests can be completed in one day.

Gambia says it has not yet confirmed cough syrup as cause of child deaths

Gambia has not yet confirmed that toxic cough syrup was the cause of the deaths of 70 children from acute kidney injury, a representative of the country's Medicines Control Agency said on Monday. The small West African state has been investigating a mysterious slew of child deaths in recent months, which police said in a preliminary investigation was linked to four cough syrups made in India.

Eli Lilly's bleak annual forecast overshadows quarterly beat

Eli Lilly and Co on Tuesday forecast its annual profit and revenue below estimates, as a stronger dollar piled more pressure on the drugmaker struggling with lower insulin prices and generic competition for its cancer drug. The company's shares fell nearly 4% in premarket trading as a forecast cut for the third time this year overshadowed strong performance by its newly approved diabetes drug.