Health News Roundup: Coronavirus cases outside China 'could be spark' for bigger fire; Vietnam culls tens of thousands birds and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Coronavirus cases outside China 'could be spark' for bigger fire, WHO says

The World Health Organization said on Monday the spread of coronavirus cases among people who have not been to China could be "the spark that becomes a bigger fire" and the human race must not let the epidemic get out of control. As of 0500 GMT on Monday, there had been 40,235 confirmed cases reported in China and 909 deaths, as well as 319 cases in 24 other countries, including one death, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Vietnam culls tens of thousands birds to contain H5N6 outbreak

Vietnam has so far this year culled tens of thousands of birds to contain an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N6 bird flu detected at several farms in its northern provinces, an agriculture ministry official and state media said on Monday. The authorities have culled the birds, mostly chicken and ducks, at farms in Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ninh provinces, said the official, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Testosterone study finds differing disease links in men and women

Having genetically higher levels of the sex hormone testosterone increases the risk of developing diabetes and some types of cancer in women, and reduces diabetes risk but raises some cancer risks in men, according to research published on Monday. The findings, from the largest study to date on links between testosterone and disease, show the importance of studying men and women separately, the scientists who led the research said - and point to the need for caution in using testosterone supplements or hormone-reducing therapies.

Germany reports outbreak of H5N8 bird flu in backyard poultry: OIE

Germany has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus in a backyard in the southwestern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday. The virus killed 44 birds out of a flock of 69 in Bretzfeld, in the Baden-Wurttemberg region, the Paris-based OIE said, citing a report from Germany's food and agriculture ministry.

Advance team of WHO experts arrive in China to probe coronavirus

An advance team of World Health Organization medical experts arrived in China on Monday to help investigate the coronavirus outbreak, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Tedros, who met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, returned with an agreement on sending an international mission. It took nearly two weeks to get the green light from the Chinese government on the team, led by Canadian emergency expert Dr. Bruce Aylward.

Four more patients test positive for coronavirus in England

Four more patients in England have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of cases in Britain to eight, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Monday. The new cases were all known contacts of a previously confirmed British patient in France and were identified by public health officials working to trace possible cases.

Briton in French Alps may have spread coronavirus to others across Europe

A British man who contracted the new coronavirus while attending a conference in Singapore may have led to seven other people catching the disease when he stopped off at a chalet in a French mountain village on his way home, health experts said on Sunday. The man, Britain's third case of the virus, stayed for four days in the chalet in Les Contamines-Montjoie late last month, under the same roof as a group of British holidaymakers as well as a British family who lived in the village.

Here is what WHO experts are watching on the coronavirus' spread

The World Health Organization (WHO) is tracking the epidemic of the new coronavirus in China and how it is spread abroad, as its advance team of international experts travels there to help investigate the outbreak. Here are some issues that WHO epidemiologists are probing to deepen understanding of the virus, believed to have jumped the species barrier at a seafood market in Wuhan in December, to help accelerate development of drugs, diagnostics and vaccines.

China's Wuhan aims to test all suspected cases of coronavirus by tomorrow

China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has not been able to confirm all existing suspected cases of the coronavirus despite a rush to speed up testing, the city's Communist Party Secretary told a news conference on Monday. Ma Guoqiang said the Wuhan government would, however, aim to test all suspected cases by Tuesday. There have been growing complaints that many patients in the city of 11 million have not been tested or admitted for full-time treatment due to the pressure on medical resources.

Biohaven anxiety treatment fails late-stage study, shares fall 16%

Shares of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd fell 16% on Monday after its treatment for anxiety disorder failed to meet the main goal in a late-stage study. In the study, patients receiving the experimental drug, troriluzole, twice everyday did not show improvement in anxiety symptoms, compared to a placebo, the company said.