Health News Roundup: People with mental illness less likely to get cancer screening

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

People with mental illness less likely to get cancer screening

People with mental illness get screened for cancer at much lower rates than the general population, which may contribute to higher rates of cancer deaths among the mentally ill, researchers say. In a review of 47 previous studies covering 4.7 million people in 10 countries, the study team found that adults with mental health issues were 24% less likely overall to get screened for cancer compared with the general population.

Mental health declining among older U.S. adults, poor hardest hit

Many older Americans have experienced more days of poor mental health in recent years, particularly individuals with limited income and education, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data on 2.4 million people aged 60 and older who participated in annual surveys between 2003 and 2017, answering questions about their general health and the number of days they experienced poor physical or mental health. Overall, 41% had household income of no more than $35,000 a year and 10% lacked a high school education.

Polish bird flu outbreak spreads, with four more cases

Four more outbreaks of bird flu have been reported across Poland, authorities said on Friday, bringing the total number of incidents in Europe's largest poultry producer to six this week. Outbreaks were confirmed in Wolka Orlowska and Olchowiec Kolonia, both in the Lubelskie region of Poland, a spokesman for the governor of the Lubelskie region said on Twitter.

Democrats ask U.S. Supreme Court to save Obamacare

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and 20 Democratic-led states asked the Supreme Court on Friday to declare that the landmark Obamacare healthcare law does not violate the U.S. Constitution as lower courts have found in a lawsuit brought by Republican-led states. The House and the states, including New York and California, want the Supreme Court to hear their appeals of a Dec. 18 ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that deemed the 2010 law's "individual mandate" that required people to obtain health insurance unconstitutional.

China seeks to identify cause of mystery pneumonia infecting 44

Chinese health authorities are trying to identify what is causing an outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan, officials said on Friday, as the tally of cases rose to 44 and Singapore said it would screen arrivals on flights from there. Authorities this week said they were investigating 27 cases of infection after rumors on social media suggested the outbreak could be linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

UK tobacco shares rise on U.S. e-cigarette ban exemptions

Shares in British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands Plc rose on Friday after the U.S. health regulator exempted menthol and tobacco from a list of popular e-cigarette flavors that it has banned under new guidelines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said e-cigarette makers will be banned from selling pod-based e-cigarette flavors, including fruit, dessert and mint, in the United States from February.

Commuters may get less sleep and exercise

People with full-time jobs who endure long commutes may be more likely to have sleep problems and sedentary lifestyles than counterparts who work closer to home, a Swedish study suggests. Among individuals working more than 40 hours a week, commuting more than a half hour each way to work on a typical day was associated with a 25% higher risk of having an inactive lifestyle and a 16% higher risk of sleep problems, the study found. Novartis, Merck and Allergan join those raising U.S. drug prices for 2020

Novartis AG, Merck & Co Inc and Allergan Plc were among companies that raised U.S. prices on more than 100 prescription medicines on Friday, bringing the tally to 445 drugs that will cost more in 2020, according to data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. That is above the average of 404 drug price increases in the first three days of January over the past five years. Nearly all of the price increases are below 10%, with the median price increase around 5%, according to 3 Axis.

Kids see you when you're drinking

Children may learn from an early age when it's appropriate to drink and how many drinks are okay from watching all the adults in their lives, a Dutch study suggests. Researchers asked 75 fathers and 83 mothers how common it would be for adults to drink in a range of situations like during a party, at work, while watching television or while driving. Then, they asked 359 unrelated children, ages 4 to 8, in which situations they thought it was common or appropriate for adults to drink.

(With inputs from agencies.)