Health News Roundup: Thailand on high alert for China virus ahead of Lunar Near Year

FDA approval may not be as rigorous as it once was

Changes in U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) procedures meant to speed approvals for medications may have resulted in less exacting standards, a new analysis suggests. Congressional acts that changed the way the FDA evaluates drugs have led to less rigorous evaluations, with drug approvals being based on fewer and/or earlier-stage clinical trials that may not be randomized, controlled, blinded or based on traditional measures of efficacy, experts noted in the article published in JAMA.

Thailand on high alert for China virus ahead of Lunar Near Year

Thai health officials are stepping up monitoring and inspection at its airports for the new mystery virus from China ahead of Lunar New Year, when Chinese visitors flock to the Southeast Asian country, a health official said on Wednesday. The procedures come days after a Chinese woman was quarantined in Thailand with the mystery strain of the coronavirus, in the first instance of its detection outside of China.

Brazil police investigate craft brewer after two poison deaths

Two men in Brazil are believed to have died from drinking local craft beer contaminated with a chemical compound used in antifreeze and other products, police in the state of Minas Gerais said on Wednesday. Police investigating Brazilian craft brewer Backer found traces of diethylene glycol (DEG), a sweet-tasting solvent, in a beer vat used at the brewery in Minas Gerais state as well as in bottles of their Belorizontina lager.

WHO says new China coronavirus could spread, warns hospitals worldwide

There may have been limited human-to-human transmission of a new coronavirus in China within families, and it is possible there could be a wider outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause infections ranging from the common cold to SARS. A Chinese woman has been quarantined in Thailand with a mystery strain of coronavirus, Thai authorities said on Monday, the first time the virus has been detected outside China.

Second case of H5N8 bird flu found in Hungary in a week, spreading around eastern Europe

A second outbreak of bird flu has been found at a large duck farm in eastern Hungary, the National Food Chain Safety Authority (NEBIH) said on Wednesday, two days after the first such case in the country in years. The flu has spread in recent days in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. It is a highly pathogenic strain of the virus that reappeared in Poland in early January.

Serbia reports outbreak of African swine fever in boars

Serbia has seen an outbreak of the pig disease African swine fever (ASF) in wild boars in the east of the country, close to the country's borders with Bulgaria and Romania, the state Tanjug news agency said on Wednesday. ASF is harmless to humans but it is highly contagious and deadly in pigs. It spread from Africa to Europe and Asia and has already killed hundreds of millions of pigs, affecting global meat markets.

Sleep problems in older adults linked to cognitive decline and dementia

People who have trouble falling asleep may be at increased risk of developing cognitive problems or dementia than their counterparts who sleep well, a research review suggests. Researchers examined data on 51 previously published studies that followed middle-aged and older people in North America, Europe and East Asia for at least several years to see if sleep issues were associated with cognitive health over time.

U.S. warns citizens in China about pneumonia outbreak

The U.S. State Department warned Americans in China about an outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan believed to be caused by a new strain of coronavirus, which has killed one person. The outbreak comes ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, when many of China's 1.4 billion people will be travelling to their home towns or abroad. The World Health Organization and Chinese authorities are taking steps to ensure the disease does not spread further.

Romania reports outbreak of H5N8 bird flu on a farm: OIE

Romania has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus on a farm in the northern part of the country, the first such outbreak in nearly three years, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Wednesday. The virus killed 11,190 birds out of a flock of 18,699 in the Maramures region near the borders with Ukraine and Hungary, the Paris-based OIE said, citing a report from Romania's veterinary services.

UnitedHealth bets on government health plan growth in 2020

UnitedHealth Group Inc, the largest U.S. health insurer, reported a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday and said it expects strong sales of its government health plans this year. The company also reported solid sales growth in its pharmacy benefits business.