Health News Roundup: A day in the life of a teacher in Italy's red zone; U.S. needs funding to protect Americans from corona and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Lockdown: a day in the life of a teacher in Italy's coronavirus red zone

Primary school teacher Marzio Toniolo would usually spend his weekday mornings cycling to work and teaching children in the small, quiet northern Italian town of San Fiorano. Now, he is one of around 50,000 people whose lives are on hold after they were placed under quarantine as Italy tries to contain Europe's worst outbreak of coronavirus that flared up in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto.

U.S. needs funding to protect Americans from coronavirus: White House

The United States needs funds to finance response to the coronavirus, a White House spokesman said on Monday, without directly confirming reports the administration was preparing to ask Congress to approve an emergency spending package. "We need some funding here to make sure that we ... protect all Americans, that we keep us safe," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told Fox News Channel.

With $1.5 trillion childcare plan, Sanders floats another big campaign pledge

U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Monday proposed spending $1.5 trillion over 10 years to create universal child care and early education system, to be funded by taxing the wealthiest Americans. The proposal is the latest by the frontrunner Democratic candidate that would vastly expand America's social welfare system as he seeks the nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the November election.

Seventh Italian dies from coronavirus in Europe's worst flare-up

The death toll in Europe's largest coronavirus outbreak rose to seven on Monday and new cases climbed above 220 as Italy shut down much of its wealthy north to curb the disease's spread. Italian shares tumbled more than 5%, the biggest daily drop in almost four years, on worries the flare-up could cause a recession, while worried residents emptied supermarket shelves to stock up on essentials.

Coronavirus kills seventh person in Italy, pandemic fears grip Wall Street

The coronavirus death toll climbed to seven in Italy on Monday and several Middle East countries were dealing with their first infections, sending markets into a tailspin over fears of a global pandemic even as China eased curbs with no new cases reported in Beijing and other cities. The virus had put Chinese cities into lockdown in recent weeks, disrupted air traffic and blocked global supply chains for everything from cars to smartphones.

Trump administration weighs emergency funds to combat coronavirus

The Trump administration is considering asking lawmakers for emergency funding to ramp up its response to the fast-spreading coronavirus, a White House spokesman said on Monday without providing details. "We need some funding here to make sure that we ... protect all Americans, that we keep us safe," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Fox News Channel.

Increasing numbers of older Baby Boomers are using marijuana: study

In just four years, marijuana use grew by 75% among Americans aged 65 and older, according to a new study, and researchers expressed concern over a lack of information on the potential health implications. The increase was most pronounced in women, those with higher incomes and more education, according to a report published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Exclusive: Juul halts Indonesia e-cigarette sales, throwing Asia expansion in doubt

Juul Labs Inc is halting sales in Indonesia, citing concerns that it can't stop retailers from selling its high-nicotine e-cigarettes to young people in a largely unregulated tobacco market. Juul disclosed its Indonesia plans to Reuters as the news organization was inquiring about the company's marketing to younger customers there and in the other two Asian countries where it operates - the Philippines and South Korea. A Reuters review of Juul's Asia marketing found that the firm has promoted e-cigarettes in ways similar to those that raised the ire of regulators in the United States.

Keeping up regular AMD treatment visits tied to less vision loss over time

People with common age-related eye disease who show up regularly for their doctor's visits get to keep more of their sight than those who skip appointments or stretch the time between visits, a new analysis suggests. Researchers examined data from a two-year study that compared different treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss in the United States.

Republicans raise U.S. drug supply concerns after coronavirus outbreak

Republicans raised concerns this week about the security of the U.S. drug supply chain in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in China, where a significant portion of the ingredients used to make prescription drugs is manufactured. The outbreak highlights "severe, longstanding, and unresolved vulnerabilities in our capacity to produce life-saving pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices for our own citizens," Missouri Senator Josh Hawley wrote in a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "This is unacceptable."

(With inputs from agencies.)