Health News Roundup: California county lifts warning on local produce after metal dust release; WHO rushes supplies to Ukraine, readies to tackle disease in flood areas and more

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. El Nino rains intensify record dengue outbreak in Peru Peru's worst dengue outbreak on record could intensify further as an El Nino climate phenomenon brings torrential rains and mosquitoes, driving the death toll this year past 200 with over 130,000 recorded cases, the health ministry said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

California county lifts warning on local produce after metal dust release

A San Francisco Bay Area health officer on Thursday lifted an advisory warning neighbors of a refinery not to eat produce grown in potentially contaminated soil in the area, after a toxicologist found public health was not at risk. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the PBF Energy Inc unit in Martinez, California, over a November emissions release of a "powdery substance" later determined to be spent catalysts used in refining.

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.

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' Sandoz wagers its standalone future on biosimilar success

Novartis' soon-to-be spun off generics division Sandoz is betting on biosimilars, copies of high-priced drugs used to treat illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer, to fuel its future as a standalone company, executives said on Thursday.

Sandoz hosted its first-ever capital markets day in New York to make the case it has enough firepower it its pipeline to surmount the difficult global macro inflationary environment.

Explainer-What health experts say wildfire smoke novices need to know

Wildfires are increasingly causing destruction and illness around the world, but the smoke drifting southward from eastern Canada this week is a new experience for the tens of millions who live in the U.S. Northeast. Many in those states are wondering what they need to know about a first-time wildfire smoke event.

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.

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.

El Nino rains intensify record dengue outbreak in Peru

Peru's worst dengue outbreak on record could intensify further as an El Nino climate phenomenon brings torrential rains and mosquitoes, driving the death toll this year past 200 with over 130,000 recorded cases, the health ministry said on Thursday. Most of the deaths have occurred in northern Peru, where hospitals have exceeded their capacity, bringing back recent memories of the health crisis suffered by the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID masks are back as Canadian wildfires fill skies with smoke

Just when it seemed safe to unmask, some Canadians are donning the face coverings made ubiquitous during the coronavirus pandemic as a protection against hazardous smoky conditions as wildfires ravage much of the country. Canada is seeing its worst-ever start to wildfire season as blazes burn from the western provinces to Atlantic Canada. Smoke from wildfires in Quebec has settled over southern Ontario and travelled into the United States, disrupting flights and sending people indoors.

(With inputs from agencies.)