Health News Roundup: WHO rushes supplies to Ukraine, readies to tackle disease in flood areas; New York AG sues anti-abortion group that trespasses clinics and more

The agency said no new cases of Marburg, caused by a deadly virus from the same family as Ebola, were reported over the past 42 days after the last patient was discharged following treatment. GSK employees to escalate strike action in June -union Hundreds of GSK workers will this month escalate an ongoing strike over a pay dispute, UK labour union Unite said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Quebec allows sick patients to request assisted death in advance

Quebec is expanding its program of assisted medical death and will become the first Canadian province to allow sick people to put in an advance request for help in dying before they become incapacitated. The measure will permit people suffering from Alzheimer's and other serious diseases to apply for assistance in ending their lives while they are still deemed to be in control of their faculties.

HIV alarm in Uganda as anti-gay law forces LGBT 'lockdown'

The HIV/AIDS treatment centre in Kampala is almost empty, days after Uganda enacted one of the most draconian anti-gay laws on Earth. The usual daily influx of around 50 patients has all but dried up, say staff. Antiretroviral drugs pile up unused.

Novartis sees Sandoz adding $3 billion in net sales over next five years

Novartis' soon-to-be spun off generics division Sandoz is expected to expand its pipeline and potentially generate an additional $3 billion in net sales over the next five years, the Swiss group said on Thursday. The company intends to carve out Sandoz in the second half of this year to sharpen its focus on its patented prescription medicine business.

US FDA panel backs Sanofi-AstraZeneca's preventive RSV therapy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers on Thursday backed the use of Sanofi and partner AstraZeneca's experimental antibody to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in infants. The advisers voted unanimously in favor of using the antibody nirsevimab in newborns and infants to prevent infections in their first RSV season and in a 19-2 vote backed its use in children aged up to two years who are vulnerable to severe illness through their second RSV season.

WHO rushes supplies to Ukraine, readies to tackle disease in flood areas

The World Health Organization has rushed emergency supplies to flood-hit parts of Ukraine and are preparing to respond to an array of health risks including trauma, drowning and waterborne diseases like cholera, officials said on Thursday. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for the bursting of the Soviet-era Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, which sent waters cascading across the war zone of southern Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.

New York AG sues anti-abortion group that trespasses clinics

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday sued an anti-abortion group dedicated to entering abortion clinics and trying to stop abortions, saying a court order was needed to stop further actions. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, targets the group Red Rose Rescue and several individual activists. It seeks to prevent the activists, and anyone else working with them, from coming within 30 feet of an abortion clinic, and to award money damages for past actions.

US Supreme Court preserves civil rights lawsuits under 19th century law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday preserved the ability of people to sue for civil rights violations under an 1871 law as it rejected a bid to prevent an Indiana nursing home resident's family from suing over his care at a government-run facility. The justices in a 7-2 ruling written by liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson upheld a lower court's ruling that allowed the wife of Gorgi Talevski, a nursing home resident diagnosed with dementia, to sue Indiana municipal corporation Health and Hospital Corp of Marion County over claims it violated his rights.

Marburg viral outbreak in Equatorial Guinea ends, says WHO

The outbreak of Marburg virus infection in Equatorial Guinea has ended, the World Health Organization's regional office for Africa said on Thursday. The agency said no new cases of Marburg, caused by a deadly virus from the same family as Ebola, were reported over the past 42 days after the last patient was discharged following treatment.

GSK employees to escalate strike action in June -union

Hundreds of GSK workers will this month escalate an ongoing strike over a pay dispute, UK labour union Unite said on Thursday. Employees of the British drugmaker went on strike in May, having turned down the company's "significantly below inflation rate pay offer" of a 6% increase and a one-off lump sum of 1,300 pounds ($1,619.41).

Explainer-What are the health risks from wildfire smoke?

The northeastern United States is blanketed under a pungent haze caused by smoke carried down from wildfires burning in Canada that contains a host of noxious gases and particulate matter that carry serious health risks. Here is what you need to know about the risks of the lingering smoke that has left the air quality in New York City, for example, ranked among the worst in the world on Tuesday and Wednesday: