Health News Roundup: Apple, J&J to study if Apple Watch can help reduce stroke; National advice not all of a piece and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Apple, J&J to study if Apple Watch can help reduce stroke risk

Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it would partner with Apple on a study that would explore if an iPhone app along with Apple Watch's health features can help reduce the risk of stroke. Last year, Apple's Heart study https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-watch-heart/apple-watch-detects-irregular-heartbeats-in-u-s-study-idUSKBN1XN2S2 found that the watch could accurately detect atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat, according to a study that explored the role of wearable devices in identifying potential heart problems.

Coronavirus travel: national advice not all of a piece

Should travelers avoid parts of the world near coronavirus hotspots? Or go - but then tread carefully? The official advice they receive may depend on whether they live in Amsterdam, Helsinki, Madrid or Lagos. As the new coronavirus spreads from China, travel guidelines being issued by governments across the world all express notes of growing caution. But they contain subtle differences on where to avoid, how to behave and what to do after a trip.

Washington pledges $1 billion for coronavirus vaccine as pandemic risks grow

U.S. President Donald Trump will seek $2.5 billion from Congress to fight the coronavirus epidemic and U.S. and South Korean militaries are considering scaling back joint training as the virus spreads in Europe and the Middle East. Countries around the world are stepping up efforts to prevent a pandemic of the flu-like virus that originated from China late last year and has now infected more than 80,000 people, 10 times more cases than the SARS coronavirus.

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.

Honeymoon from hell: Coronavirus travel bans trap South Koreans abroad

The honeymoons of 34 South Korean newly-weds on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius turned into a holiday from hell after they were rounded up and held in isolation by authorities due to fears over the coronavirus, according to Seoul officials. And some 400 South Korean tourists were flown home from Israel on Tuesday on specially chartered flights after more than two dozen Catholics on a trip to that country tested positive for the virus, prompting Israel to impose an entry ban.

FDA identified 20 drugs with shortage risks due to coronavirus outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has contacted producers of about 20 drugs that either source all of their main ingredients from or are finished in China to gauge if they will face shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak. None of the companies reported that a shortage is expected for their drugs due to the outbreak, an FDA spokeswoman said.

South Korea's Moon says situation 'very grave' as mass virus tests get going

South Korean health authorities aim to test more than 200,000 members of a church at the center of a surge of new coronavirus cases as President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday the situation was "very grave". South Korea's tally of cases of coronavirus cases rose to 977, fuelling fears the outbreak, which is thought to have begun in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, is developing into a pandemic.

Trump administration seeks $2.5 billion in funds to fight coronavirus

The Trump administration is asking Congress for $2.5 billion to fight the fast-spreading coronavirus, including more than $1 billion for vaccines, the White House said on Monday. With financial markets falling on concerns that the virus will have a significant impact on the global economy, the Trump administration is eager to show it is prepared to combat the virus despite the limited number of cases so far in the United States.

Novartis launches review into safety of eye drug Beovu

Novartis has launched an external review into the safety of its blindness medicine Beovu after the American Society of Retinal Specialists (ASRS) raised concerns. The Swiss drugmaker's shares fell nearly 3% in early trading after the ASRS communicated to its members about the drug, a replacement for Novartis' blockbuster Lucentis.

Scottish parliament approves free sanitary products for all women

The Scottish parliament approved plans on Tuesday to make sanitary products freely available to all women, the first nation in the world to do so. The legislation would make tampons and sanitary pads available at designated public places such as community centers, youth clubs, and pharmacies, at an estimated annual cost of 24.1 million pounds ($31.2 million).