Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Swine fever toll in China may be twice as high as reported, industry insiders say

As many as half of China's breeding pigs have either died from African swine fever or been slaughtered because of the spreading disease, twice as many as officially acknowledged, according to the estimates of four people who supply large farms. (For an interactive graphic click https://tmsnrt.rs/2t0mpCk) Teen vaping on the rise in U.S, Canada

More American and Canadian teens are vaping than ever before, according to a new study, and researchers say the availability of e-cigarettes with more nicotine may partly explain the trend. The study team examined data on smoking and vaping by youth in Canada, England and the U.S. and found that between 2017 and 2018, the proportion of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported vaping in the past 30 days rose by almost 50% in the U.S. and nearly doubled in Canada, while remaining relatively constant in the UK. India asks its states not to partner with Philip Morris-funded foundation

India's health ministry has asked all state governments in the country not to partner with the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) because of its links to tobacco giant Philip Morris International Inc, a letter seen by Reuters showed. Established in 2017, the FSFW focuses on eliminating usage of cigarettes and works toward smoking cessation using new technologies and alternative products. It says it works independently, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has said there are "clear conflicts" due to the $80 million in annual funding the foundation receives from Philip Morris. China tightens vaccine management after scandals

China passed a law on Saturday tightening the supervision and management of how vaccines enter the market, requiring stricter management of their production, research and distribution, after a series of safety scandals. China has pledged to reform and improve vaccine production and management after the scandals, including one last year in which a firm fabricated production and inspection records and sold ineffective vaccines, shaking public confidence in drugs made domestically. U.S. federal court delays adoption of healthcare rule on abortion

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its opponents in a California lawsuit agreed on Friday to delay implementing a rule that would allow medical workers to decline performing abortions or other treatments on moral or religious grounds, according to a federal court filing. The rule, which was due to take effect on July 22, will now be delayed for final consideration until Nov. 22, the filing said. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, top deputy ordered to stand trial in 2020

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and her former second-in-command at the Silicon Valley blood-testing startup were ordered on Friday to stand trial next year on fraud charges stemming from their claims about the company's technology, court documents show. During a hearing in federal court in San Jose, California, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila set jury selection to begin in the trial of Holmes, 35, and former Theranos President Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, on July 28, 2020, according to minutes of the proceedings.