Health News Roundup: Head of Planned Parenthood groups departs; WHO sounds Ebola alarm as risks intensify

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Paint makers reach $305 million settlement in California, ending marathon lead poisoning lawsuit

After a 19-year legal struggle, three former makers of lead paint have agreed to a $305 million settlement with California county and city governments to mitigate poisoning dangers still present in old housing. Under the deal, disclosed in a filing in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Wednesday, defendants Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra Grocery Products Co. and NL Industries agreed to pay out the sum over six years, starting with a $75 million payment later this year.

U.S. overdose deaths post annual drop for first time in two decades

U.S. overdose deaths dropped last year for the first time in nearly two decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday, in a sign that a nationwide epidemic of drug-related deaths is abating. About 68,500 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2018, compared with about 72,000 the year prior, a 5% decrease, according to the CDC's provisional data.

U.S. women with less income, education often lack access to infertility care

Although women from all walks of life tend to experience infertility at similar rates, a new U.S. study suggests there are wide disparities in access to treatment. Researchers examined survey data collected between 2013 and 2016 from 2,052 women, ages 20 to 44, who were representative of more than 45 million women nationwide.

Sanders to urge 2020 rivals to reject health insurance industry donations

U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, pushing an ambitious "Medicare for All" health plan that has split Democratic White House contenders, will urge his rivals on Wednesday to reject campaign donations from the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Fundamental healthcare reforms will be impossible if politicians are indebted to the industry, according to an excerpt of a speech Sanders will deliver later on Wednesday.

Maintaining or starting exercise in middle age tied to longer life

Even if they were inactive during their younger years, middle aged and older adults who get at least the minimum recommended amount of exercise each week may live longer than their sedentary counterparts, suggests a large UK study. Physical activity has long been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. But most research has looked at exercise habits at a single point in time rather than activity patterns across the years, researchers note in The BMJ.

Male victims of domestic violence struggle to disclose abuse

Men who experience domestic violence and abuse often don't seek help until the problem becomes a crisis, researchers say. Men tend to worry they would not be believed, or that they would be perceived as less masculine if they reported abuse, their analysis found.

WHO sounds Ebola alarm as risks intensify

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared Congo's Ebola outbreak an international health emergency, sounding a rarely used global alarm after the virus threatened to spread to a major city and into neighbouring countries. Despite a highly effective vaccine and a swift international response after it was declared 11 months ago, the outbreak has proved tenacious in an unstable region beset by violence, becoming Congo's worst ever, with almost 1,700 dead.

Merck's treatment for urinary, abdominal infections gets FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Merck & Co Inc's combination treatment for complicated forms of urinary tract and abdominal infections, the drugmaker said on Wednesday. Recarbrio, approved for patients over 18 years of age, is a combination of a previously approved antibiotic imipenem-cilastatin and Merck's relebactam.

Head of Planned Parenthood groups departs, cites differences over abortion

The leader of reproductive services provider Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its political arm said on Tuesday that she was leaving both organizations over philosophical differences in their approaches to abortion rights. Dr. Leana Wen, the first physician in nearly 50 years to lead the federation and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said she took the job last September intending to advocate for a broad range of public health policies, not just abortion.

California settles decades-long lawsuit over lead paint, but outcome is bittersweet

When Californian counties and cities first sued paint makers in 2000, they wanted the companies to pay billions to remove dangerous old lead paint from hundreds of thousands of homes. After a 19-year legal struggle, they have finally succeeded in getting the companies to fund a remediation program, albeit on a much smaller scale. Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra Grocery Products Co. and NL Industries have agreed to a $305 million settlement, according to a filing in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California on Wednesday.

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