Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. China hog prices hit 14-month high as African swine fever slashes output

Chinese hog prices marched to their highest in 14 months on Monday and look set to keep rising after weeks of gains, analysts and producers said, as the worst disease outbreak to hit the country's vast pig herd in years chops supply. Live hog prices in major consumption and production areas rose 7 percent on average on Monday compared with last Friday to 15.09 yuan ($2.24) per kilogram, according to data provided by consultancy China-America Commodity Data Analytics. Even though demand is typically weak at this time of year, prices across the country surged almost 20 percent since early March. Regeneron/Sanofi wins U.S. approval for expanded use of skin drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it approved expanded use of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Sanofi SA's eczema drug Dupixent to include patients aged between 12 and 17, a boost for both the companies in the world's largest market for drugs. Shares of Regeneron closed up 2.3 percent at $412.05 on Monday. Without vaccine, hundreds of children die in Madagascar measles outbreak

Two months ago, giggles floated through the home of fisherman Dada as his four-year-old son played ball outside with his two younger cousins on one of Madagascar's famed sun soaked beaches. A few weeks later, all three children were dead, victims of the worst measles outbreak on the Indian Ocean island in decades. Prenatal smoking tied to higher risk of infant sleep-related deaths

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more than twice as likely to have babies die suddenly in their sleep as women who avoid tobacco, a U.S. study suggests. More than 3,700 U.S. infants up to 12 months old die each year of sleep-related causes like sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed or other unknown causes, researchers report in Pediatrics. Smoking has long been linked to an increased risk of these fatalities, known as sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), but the current study offers fresh evidence of how much cutting back or quitting might help improve babies' survival odds. Trump proposes e-cigarette user fee to combat youth usage

U.S. President Donald Trump is proposing adding a user fee to e-cigarettes to fund FDA oversight of new tobacco and nicotine products as part of an effort to reduce use by teenagers, according to his budget proposal released on Monday. The budget estimated that the fee could bring in as much as $100 million a year. World must prepare for inevitable next flu pandemic, WHO says

The world will inevitably face another pandemic of flu and needs to prepare for the potential devastation that could cause, and not underestimate the risks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Outlining a global plan to fight the viral disease and get ahead of a potential global outbreak, the WHO said the next influenza pandemic "is a matter of when, not if". Eye exam detects signs of Alzheimer's disease

Using an ultrasensitive scanning technique, researchers can detect signs of Alzheimer's disease in the tiny blood vessels at the back of the eye, according to a new report. Duke University reseachers found that these small retinal blood vessels were altered in patients with Alzheimer's disease, but in not in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or those with no signs of mental decline. FDA approves Pfizer's biosimilar to Roche's Herceptin

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday it approved Pfizer Inc's biosimilar to Roche AG's blockbuster treatment for breast cancer, Herceptin. The approval comes nearly a year after the agency declined to approve the drug, Trazimera, asking for additional technical information. Mumps, other outbreaks force U.S. detention centers to quarantine over 2,000 migrants

Christian Mejia thought he had a shot at getting out of immigration detention in rural Louisiana after he found a lawyer to help him seek asylum. Then he was quarantined. Doctors pray for sick as blackout batters Venezuelan hospitals

Maria Rodriguez's daughter has spent a month in Caracas's J.M. de los Rios children's hospital with hydrocephalus, a buildup of spinal fluid in the brain, but staff there have faced an uphill battle treating the girl because of a nationwide power outage. "It has been horrible since the blackout. My daughter needs treatment that lasts six hours: now she is only getting it when there is power available," said Rodriguez, 36, who said she is also worried about inadequate water and food in the facility.