Health News Roundup: U.S. Justice Dept launches probe of Oklahoma's mental health services; Cancer diagnoses lag after screenings fall during a pandemic, U.S. study finds and more

The head of the panel of 18 appointees, known as STIKO, said there was no clear case for broad use, citing a lack of data to rule out any rare side effects and no signs of the infection causing severe illness in otherwise healthy children. Explainer-How the World Health Organization might fight future pandemics Negotiations on new rules for dealing with pandemics are underway at the World Health Organization (WHO), with a target date of May 2024 for a legally binding agreement to be adopted by the U.N. health agency's 194 member countries.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. Justice Dept launches probe of Oklahoma's mental health services

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday launched a probe into whether Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and the city's police department discriminate against people who have mental health disabilities in the provision of behavioral care services. The investigation will examine if Oklahoma violates federal law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), by relying on psychiatric institutions to serve adults with behavioral health issues rather than relying on community-based services offered to others, Assistant Attorney General Clarke said at a news conference.

Cancer diagnoses lag after screenings fall during a pandemic, U.S. study finds

Screenings for a variety of common cancers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, potentially leading to diagnoses later in the course of the disease when it may be more difficult to treat successfully, U.S. data published on Thursday suggest. In 2020 - the first year of the pandemic - average rates of screening for breast cancer fell by 40%, for cervical cancer by 36%, and for colorectal cancer by 45%, compared to the three previous years, according to an analysis of medical claims data from 306 million adults.

COVID pandemic led to surge in superbug infections, EU agency says

Infections from some antibiotic-resistant pathogens known as superbugs have more than doubled in health care facilities in Europe, an EU agency said on Thursday, providing further evidence of the wider impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control report said reported cases of two highly drug-resistant pathogens increased in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, then sharply jumped in 2021.

Nutrition benefits for families could increase under U.S. agency proposal

Mothers and children who receive benefits from a U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition program would be able to spend more money on a wider range of groceries under proposed changes the USDA introduced on Thursday. The USDA proposed expanding the list of groceries participants in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program can buy to include grains like quinoa and teff, a range of non-dairy milks and cheeses as well as canned fish and beans.

Nearly half of world population suffers from oral diseases - WHO

Nearly half of the world's population, or 3.5 billion people, suffer from oral diseases, the majority of them in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. The most common oral illnesses are tooth decay, severe gum disease, tooth loss and oral cancers, with untreated tooth decay affecting nearly 2.5 billion people, the United Nations agency said.

U.S. FDA greenlights Provention Bio's diabetes drug

Prevention Bio said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved the use of its drug teplizumab in those aged eight years and older, the first treatment aimed at delaying the onset of insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes. The U.S. health regulator has allowed teplizumab, to be sold under the brand name Tzield, for patients with stage 2 of the disease who have two or more disease autoantibodies and abnormality in blood sugar stability, Prevention Bio said.

German panel recommends COVID shot only for at-risk youngsters

Germany's vaccine advisory panel on Thursday recommended that Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children from six months to four years should only be given routinely to those at risk of severe disease from the infection. The head of the panel of 18 appointees, known as STIKO, said there was no clear case for broad use, citing a lack of data to rule out any rare side effects and no signs of the infection causing severe illness in otherwise healthy children.

Explainer-How the World Health Organization might fight future pandemics

Negotiations on new rules for dealing with pandemics are underway at the World Health Organization (WHO), with a target date of May 2024 for a legally binding agreement to be adopted by the U.N. health agency's 194 member countries. A new pact is a priority for WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as his second five-year term at the head of the global health agency gets underway. It seeks to shore up the world's defenses against new pathogens following the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 6.5 million people, according to the WHO.

China reports 25,353 new COVID cases for Nov 17 vs 23,276 a day earlier

China reported 25,353 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 17, of which 2,362 were symptomatic and 22,991 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Friday. That compared with 23,276 new cases a day earlier – 2,388 symptomatic and 20,888 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.

Big Pharma may have to reveal government deals in WHO's draft pandemic rules

Pharmaceutical companies could be made to disclose prices and deals agreed for any products they make to fight future global health emergencies, under new rules that would govern a World Health Organization-backed pandemic accord reviewed by Reuters. A draft version of the WHO accord, which is being negotiated by the U.N. health agency's 194 member countries, calls for it to be compulsory for companies to reveal the terms of any public procurement contracts.

 

(With inputs from agencies.)