Health Roundup: Rise in suicide rates; teen mothers condom use; US' abortion row

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Rise in suicide rates in U.S. youth, especially girls

Suicide rates among U.S. youth have been on the rise for nearly a decade, with the sharpest increase in young girls, a new study shows. After examining records from more than 85,000 youth aged 10 to 19 who took their own lives, researchers found that between 2007 and 2016, suicides among children aged 10 to 14 climbed by nearly 13 percent annually among girls, and by a little over 7 percent per year among boys, according to the report in JAMA Network Open.

Few teen mothers with contraceptive implants also use condoms

Teen mothers are much less likely to use condoms when they have long-acting contraceptive implants like intrauterine devices (IUDs) than peers using other types of birth control, a U.S. study suggests. Correct and consistent condom use remains an important strategy for the prevention of STIs and HIV, the researcher who led the study told Reuters Health.

U.S. must ensure access to safe abortions: U.N. rights office

The United Nations human rights office called on U.S. authorities on Tuesday to ensure that women have access to safe abortions, saying bans lead to risky underground abortions that can endanger a woman's life. Missouri's Republican governor, Mike Parson, could sign a bill into law as early as this week that prohibits women from seeking an abortion after the eighth week of pregnancy, days after Alabama enacted the most restrictive abortion law in the United States.

More evidence welding fumes raise lung cancer risk

Workers exposed to welding fumes are more likely to develop lung cancer than those not exposed to the fumes, and a new study suggests this holds true regardless of other risk factors like smoking or exposure to asbestos. "Welding fumes have previously been classified as 'possibly carcinogenic' to people," said Dr Denitza Blagev, a researcher at the University of Utah and Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah.

Democrat O'Rourke unveils new plan to protect abortion rights as he seeks to halt the slide in polls

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke unveiled an ambitious plan to protect abortion rights on Tuesday through mobilizing every branch of the U.S government to defend a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy. Former Texas congressman O'Rourke, 46, made the announcement during his first nationally televised event before a live audience, part of a strategy to re-energize a campaign that has seen slumping poll numbers since he announced his White House bid amid a blaze of publicity in March.

Mallinckrodt sues U.S. health agencies, sees 10% hit to Acthar gel sales

Mallinckrodt Plc filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and forecast an about 10% hit to annual net sales of Acthar gel following changes to Medicaid rebate calculations, sending its shares plunging as much as 34% on Tuesday. Acthar, which is used to treat infantile spasms and multiple sclerosis, is the company's biggest revenue generator, bringing about $1.11 billion in 2018, or 35% of total revenue.

U.S. abortion-rights activists rally at Supreme Court to protest new state bans

U.S. abortion-rights campaigners, including several Democrats running for president in 2020, are set to rally in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday to protest new restrictions on abortion passed by legislatures in eight states. Many of the restrictions are intended to draw legal challenges, which religious conservatives hope will lead the nation's top court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.

Improved air quality tied to fewer new childhood asthma cases

Childhood asthma rates appear to be dropping in many communities across southern California, and a new study suggests this may be due at least in part to improved air quality. Air pollution has long been linked to a variety of respiratory problems and an increased risk of severe asthma attacks for people who already have a breathing disorder. But research to date hasn't offered as clear a picture of how much reducing levels of toxic chemicals in the air might help stop asthma from developing at all.

U.S. states, cities sue to block Trump 'conscience' rule for healthcare workers

Two dozen U.S. states and municipalities sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to stop it from enforcing a rule that would make it easier for doctors and nurses to avoid performing abortions on religious or moral grounds. A lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James said the expanded "conscience" protections could undermine the ability of states and cities to provide effective healthcare without jeopardizing billions of dollars a year in federal aid.

Vaccine doubts spread like a disease, must be taken offline: vaccine chief

Doubts about vaccines have spread across social media like a disease and false information that "kills people" should be taken down by the companies running digital platforms, the head of global vaccine alliance Gavi said on Tuesday. Speaking at a U.S.-sponsored event on the sidelines of the World Health Organization's annual assembly in Geneva, Gavi CEO Seth Berkley said there was a strong scientific consensus about the safety of vaccines.