Health News Roundup: Poor access to safe water fuels cholera outbreak in Syria; U.S. teen tobacco use down to 3 million in 2022, 'more work to be done,' health officials say and more

The drugmaker would restrict the second-line maintenance indication for Zejula to only patients with harmful, or suspected to be harmful, inherited BRCA mutations, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Israel detects cholera in reservoir in north Israel has detected cholera in a reservoir in the north of the country, likely the result of an outbreak in neighbouring Syria spreading, the health ministry said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Poor access to safe water fuels cholera outbreak in Syria

Poor access to safe water has exacerbated a cholera outbreak rampaging across Syria's war-battered provinces, where local authorities are struggling to contain the spread with chlorine tablets and vaccines. More than 35,000 suspected cases of cholera have been reported across the country, according to the United Nations’ children's agency. UNICEF said only approximately 2,500 have been tested, of which nearly half were confirmed positive.

U.S. teen tobacco use down to 3 million in 2022, 'more work to be done,' health officials say

An estimated 3.08 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using a tobacco product in the last 30 days in 2022, down from 4.47 million in 2020 and 6.20 million in 2019, according to government data released on Thursday. The data found that one-in-nine U.S. teenagers were currently using a tobacco product.

California sues 3M, DuPont over toxic 'forever chemicals'

California's attorney general on Thursday sued 3M Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc and several other companies to recoup the "staggering" clean-up costs from toxic pollutants known as "forever chemicals." Attorney General Rob Bonta said the lawsuit followed a multiyear probe that found the companies marketed products containing polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for decades despite knowing they cause cancer, developmental defects and other health problems. Bonta said the lawsuit could ultimately seek hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties and costs.

Sanofi, GSK score late win with EU COVID booster approval

Sanofi said on Thursday it won European Union approval for its COVID-19 vaccine booster, jointly made with British partner GSK, after a drawn-out development effort that saw the pair fall behind now-dominant vaccine suppliers. The shot with the brand name VidPrevtyn Beta can be given to people who have already had a primary course of vaccination from other approved shots, the French drugmaker and the European Medicines Agency said in separate statements.

China shortens quarantines as it eases some of its COVID rules

China on Friday eased some of its strict COVID rules, including shortening quarantines by two days for close contacts of infected people and for inbound travellers and removing a penalty for airlines for bringing in too many cases. The loosening of curbs, a day after President Xi Jinping led his new Politburo Standing Committee in a meeting on COVID, cheered markets even as many experts warned that the measures were incremental and reopening probably remained a long way off.

GSK to limit U.S. use of ovarian cancer drug to some populations

Britain's GSK said on Friday it will limit the use of its ovarian cancer treatment Zejula in the United States, to patients with some genetic anomalies when given as a second option to keep their cancer at bay. The drugmaker would restrict the second-line maintenance indication for Zejula to only patients with harmful, or suspected to be harmful, inherited BRCA mutations, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Israel detects cholera in reservoir in north

Israel has detected cholera in a reservoir in the north of the country, likely the result of an outbreak in neighbouring Syria spreading, the health ministry said on Friday. The bacteria's detection does not pose a danger to the public at this point, the ministry spokesperson said, adding that the authorities have taken steps to "protect Israel's water sources" and regularly monitor possible water contamination, particularly in the north.

Repeat COVID is riskier than first infection, study finds

The risk of death, hospitalization and serious health issues from COVID-19 jumps significantly with reinfection compared with a first bout with the virus, regardless of vaccination status, a study published on Thursday suggests. "Reinfection with COVID-19 increases the risk of both acute outcomes and long COVID," said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "This was evident in unvaccinated, vaccinated and boosted people."

Pfizer's India arm posts profit jump on lower costs, price hikes

Pfizer Ltd, the Indian arm of U.S. pharma giant Pfizer Inc, reported a rise in second-quarter profit on Friday, boosted by price hikes and lower input costs. Profit before tax and exceptional item rose to 2.26 billion Indian rupees ($27.97 million) in the three months ended Sept. 30, from 1.75 billion rupees in the year-ago period.

U.S. FDA approves AstraZeneca's lung cancer drugs

Drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Friday its lung cancer drugs Imfinzi and Imjudo have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when used along with chemotherapy for the treatment of adults with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer.

(With inputs from agencies.)