Health News Roundup: U.S. quality of care for head and neck cancers varies widely; China reports new African swine fever outbreak in Fujian province

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New African swine fever outbreak reported in China's Guangzhou

- China's agriculture ministry on Sunday reported a new outbreak of African swine fever on a farm in the southern city of Guangzhou, which has killed nine of 6,027 pigs. - China has reported more than 90 cases of the incurable disease since it was first detected in the country in early August.

People who understand the benefits of exercise may spend more time being active

The more people understand about the benefits of exercise, the more time they're likely to spend being physically active, an Australian study suggests. Researchers at Central Queensland University surveyed 615 people to explore their knowledge of the benefits of physical activity and the risks of inactivity. The survey also included questions to measure time spent in walking activity, moderate intensity activity (e.g., gentle swimming) and vigorous intensity activity (e.g., cycling).

U.S. quality of care for head and neck cancers varies widely

The quality of care received by patients with head and neck cancers in the U.S. varies widely and is unaffected by the size of the hospital or the volume of patients treated in a year, a study shows. Researchers studying the records of patients treated at 770 hospitals found wide variations in quality of care no matter whether facilities were teaching hospitals or community hospitals.

Seawalls may give false sense of security during a tsunami

If a coastal city's seawall is higher than a forecast tsunami, residents are less likely to evacuate promptly, suggests a new study based on interviews with survivors of the 2011 tsunami that hit eastern Japan. The Great East Japan Earthquake struck about 40 miles off the country's northeast coast on March 11, 2011 with a magnitude of 9.0. It generated tsunami waves more than 30 meters tall(about 100 feet) that claimed nearly 16,000 lives and destroyed 122,000 buildings.

China reports new African swine fever outbreak in Fujian province

China's agriculture ministry on Monday reported a new outbreak of African swine fever in the southeastern province of Fujian, which has killed 11 pigs on a farm of 5,776 pigs. China has reported more than 90 cases of the incurable disease since it was first detected in the country in early August.

(With inputs from Reuters)