Health News Roundup: Peru's dengue deaths triple as climate change swells mosquito population; 'Time running out' in war-torn Sudan as access to aid restricted, WHO warns and more

The government of President Dina Boluarte this week said it had approved an "emergency decree" allowing extraordinary economic measures to bolster the plan to counter the outbreak, which experts say is exacerbated by climate change. 'Time running out' in war-torn Sudan as access to aid restricted, WHO warns The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the crisis in Sudan could worsen in the coming months as the distribution of humanitarian aid and medical supplies remains restricted.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bird flu pushes US dairy farmers to ban visitors, chop trees

Dairy farmers in the United States are raising their defenses to try to contain the spread of bird flu: banning visitors, cutting down trees to discourage wild birds from landing, and disinfecting vehicles coming onto their land. South Dakota on Thursday became the eighth state to find highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a dairy herd, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported infections in North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, Idaho and New Mexico.

Peru's dengue deaths triple as climate change swells mosquito population

Deaths caused by the mosquito-borne dengue disease have more than tripled in Peru so far this year, according to data from the South American nation's government, which is redoubling efforts to contain an epidemic that has hit poor areas the hardest. The government of President Dina Boluarte this week said it had approved an "emergency decree" allowing extraordinary economic measures to bolster the plan to counter the outbreak, which experts say is exacerbated by climate change.

'Time running out' in war-torn Sudan as access to aid restricted, WHO warns

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the crisis in Sudan could worsen in the coming months as the distribution of humanitarian aid and medical supplies remains restricted. War erupted in Sudan on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), devastating the country's infrastructure, prompting warnings of famine and displacing millions of people inside and outside the country.

Kenya recalls J&J children's cough syrup over suspected toxicity

Kenya's drug regulator is recalling a batch of Johnson & Johnson children's cough syrup, it said on Thursday, a day after Nigeria recalled the same batch of medication under the Benylin Paediatric brand. Nigeria's health regulator said laboratory tests on the syrup showed a high level of diethylene glycol, which has been linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since 2022 in one of the world's worst waves of poisoning from oral medication.

EU approves Illumina's plan to divest cancer test maker Grail

U.S. gene sequencing company Illumina's plan to divest cancer diagnostic test maker Grail has received the green light from EU antitrust regulators which blocked the deal two years ago. Illumina jumped the gun in 2021 when it completed the $7.1-billion acquisition before first securing EU regulatory approval.

Seven children die from bacterial infection at Trinidad hospital

Seven children have died in four days from a bacterial infection at Trinidad's Port of Spain General Hospital, said the island's health authorities. The Port of Spain General Hospital is the main health care facility in the island's capital.

EU regulator rules out link between weight-loss drugs and suicidal thoughts

The European Union drug regulator found no evidence that a class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk's hugely popular Wegovy, are linked to suicidal thoughts, it said on Friday, ending a nine-month probe. The regulator's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee, which monitors drugs' side effects, said that no updates were required to the treatments' product information after reviewing the available evidence.

Novartis begins tender offer for cancer-focused MorphoSys

Novartis said on Thursday it has launched a tender offer to acquire MorphoSys, a German developer of cancer treatments, for an aggregate 2.7 billion euros ($2.9 billion). Reuters reported in February that Swiss drugmaker Novartis would buy MorphoSys, which had an equity market value of around 1.6 billion euros before the offer was announced.

Doping-Valieva's cocktail of medicines raises concerns around supplement dangers

The revelation that banned teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva had been plied with 56 medications and dietary aids has shone a light on the murky world of legal supplements, where a contaminated powder or poorly-worded label could spell disaster for an elite athlete. Canada's double world figure skating champion Meagan Duhamel never trusted antibiotics during her competitive career and was even hyper-wary of vitamins and minerals for fear of triggering a positive doping result.

Moderna pauses Kenya plant plans as COVID vaccine demand wanes

Moderna said on Thursday it had paused its plans to build a vaccine manufacturing facility in Kenya, following a post-pandemic decline in demand for COVID-19 vaccines. The move is in line with Moderna's strategy of resizing its manufacturing network to cut costs, even as it aims to spend around $4.5 billion this year in research and development of several new vaccines, including for cancer and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

(With inputs from agencies.)