Health News Roundup: Yellow fever kills 10 in Ethiopia, Cannabis tied to serious type 1 diabetes complications

The World Health Organization is releasing more than a million doses of yellow fever vaccine from its emergency stockpile after the deadly mosquito-borne disease killed 10 people in southwestern Ethiopia, a WHO report said on Monday.

Yellow fever kills 10 in Ethiopia, WHO ships 1.45 million vaccines

The World Health Organization is releasing more than a million doses of yellow fever vaccine from its emergency stockpile after the deadly mosquito-borne disease killed 10 people in southwestern Ethiopia, a WHO report said on Monday. The outbreak was confirmed in Wolaita Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region and has been traced back to a patient who fell ill on Aug. 21. It has caused 35 suspected cases of the disease.

Cannabis tied to serious type 1 diabetes complications

People with type 1 diabetes may be more likely to develop potentially fatal complications when they use cannabis, a recent study suggests. Researchers surveyed 450 patients with type 1 diabetes in Colorado, where cannabis is legal for medical and recreational use. Overall, 30 per cent of the participants used cannabis.

Teen vapers smoke just as much as youth who don't use e-cigarettes

E-cigarettes aren't likely to keep kids away from traditional cigarettes, a U.S. study suggests. Instead, researchers found, adolescents who experimented with e-cigarettes ended up smoking traditional cigarettes just as much as teens who never tried vaping.

France bans crop pesticide metam sodium after people fall ill

France's health safety watchdog Anses ordered a ban on products containing metam sodium, widely used in vegetable farming, on Monday after several people fell ill, saying it poses a risk to human health and the environment. The discovery of respiratory intoxications in recent weeks among farmers or farm neighbours following the use of metal sodium-based products in western France had prompted the government to temporarily ban its use pending an Anses opinion.

Melinda Gates urges backing for 'human capital' of mother and child health

Millions of women and babies could avoid untimely deaths if international donors step up to replenish a global health fund so it can expand to 50 countries, the philanthropist Melinda Gates said on Tuesday. The co-chair of the multi-billion-dollar Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation told Reuters she and her husband see the Global Financing Facility (GFF), a fund aimed specifically at maternal, newborn and child health, as an investment in "human capital" that will swiftly show meaningful, measurable results.

Lilly says diabetes drug Trulicity reduces heart risks in trial

Eli Lilly and Co said on Monday that its top-selling diabetes drug Trulicity significantly reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart-related death in a broad range of people with type 2 diabetes, according to results of a large clinical trial. The company said Trulicity is the first type 2 diabetes medicine to show this sort of statistically significant heart risk reduction in a clinical trial in which a majority of patients did not already have heart disease.

Anaesthesia in early childhood not tied to developmental problems

Young children who had surgery under general anaesthesia were no more likely than their siblings who weren't exposed to anaesthesia to experience developmental challenges that impair school readiness, a Canadian study found. Some previous studies suggest that the opposite might be true: that the developing brain might be injured by anaesthesia drugs early in life, researchers note in JAMA Pediatrics. But much of that research has been based on studies in animals and in labs, not in children having surgery.

Gene study reveals secrets of parasitic worms, possible treatments

The largest study to date of the genetic makeup of parasitic worms has found hundreds of new clues about how they invade the human body, evade its immune system and cause disease. The results point to potential de-worming treatments to help fight some of the most neglected tropical diseases - including river blindness, schistosomiasis and hookworm disease - which affect around a billion people worldwide.

Drug-resistant superbugs are killing 33,000 in Europe each year

Superbug infections resistant to multiple antibiotics kill around 33,000 people a year in Europe, health experts said on Monday, and the burden of these diseases is comparable to that of flu, tuberculosis and HIV combined. An analysis by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) found the impact of drug-resistant infections had increased since 2007, with concerning rises in cases of bugs resistant to even the most powerful, last-resort antibiotics - including a class of drugs known as carbapenems.

Sanofi and Regeneron's Dupixent gets more positive feedback from U.S. FDA

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulator has given more positive feedback on the Dupixent eczema treatment being developed by drugmakers Sanofi and Regeneron, the companies said on Tuesday. Dupixent was launched in the United States in April 2017 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe eczema in adults, and the product is seen as a key sales driver for both companies.

(With inputs from Reuters)