Health News Roundup: Bayer's patent for blood thinner Xarelto invalid, UK court rules; Polish parliament takes step toward liberalising abortion laws and more

The Port of Spain General Hospital is the main health care facility in the island's capital. UN says waterborne illnesses spread in Gaza due to heat, unsafe water Waterborne diseases are spreading in Gaza due to a lack of clean water and rising temperatures, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Gaza said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Peru's dengue deaths triple as climate change swells mosquito population

Deaths caused by the mosquito-borne dengue disease have more than tripled in Peru so far this year, according to data from the South American nation's government, which is redoubling efforts to contain an epidemic that has hit poor areas the hardest. The government of President Dina Boluarte this week said it had approved an "emergency decree" allowing extraordinary economic measures to bolster the plan to counter the outbreak, which experts say is exacerbated by climate change.

UN refugee chief says Sudanese refugees may head to Europe if aid not provided

The United Nations refugee chief said on Friday that Sudanese refugees could be making their way to Europe if humanitarian aid was not adequately provided to the people of the war-torn country. War erupted in Sudan on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), devastating the country's infrastructure, prompting warnings of famine and displacing millions of people inside and outside the country.

Surrogate parenthood is 'inhuman', Italy's Meloni says

Surrogate parenthood is an "inhuman" practice that treats children as "supermarket products," Italy's prime minister said on Friday, urging parliament to pass a bill to prosecute those who go abroad for it. Parenting via surrogacy is already illegal in Italy, punishable with jail and fines, but the right-wing coalition of Giorgia Meloni has vowed to impose an even stricter ban on it as part of its conservative agenda.

Polish parliament takes step toward liberalising abortion laws

Poland's parliament sent four bills on liberalising abortion laws to a special bipartisan committee for consideration, voting results showed, a sign of cooperation between ruling coalition parties despite deep divisions over the matter. "We promised to stop bickering and we kept our word ... We did it out of respect for democracy and concern for the durability of the coalition. Now we leave the fate of these bills in the hands of the committee members," parliament speaker Szymon Holownia wrote on X after Friday's vote.

Bayer's patent for blood thinner Xarelto invalid, UK court rules

Bayer's patent covering its best-selling blood thinner Xarelto is invalid, London's High Court ruled on Friday in a blow to the German drugmaker. The company's blockbuster Xarelto drug generated nearly $4.1 billion in revenue in 2023, according to research firm Statista.

EU approves Illumina's plan to divest cancer test maker Grail

U.S. gene sequencing company Illumina's plan to divest cancer diagnostic test maker Grail received the green light from EU antitrust regulators on Friday after having blocked the deal two years ago. The company said it has reached an agreement with the European Commission on specific divestment options, but the method has not been finalised.

Seven children die from bacterial infection at Trinidad hospital

Seven children have died in four days from a bacterial infection at Trinidad's Port of Spain General Hospital, said the island's health authorities. The Port of Spain General Hospital is the main health care facility in the island's capital.

UN says waterborne illnesses spread in Gaza due to heat, unsafe water

Waterborne diseases are spreading in Gaza due to a lack of clean water and rising temperatures, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Gaza said on Friday. "It is becoming very hot there," Jamie McGoldrick told reporters via video link from Jerusalem. "People are getting much less water than they need, and as a result, there have been waterborne diseases due to lack of safe and clean water and the disruption of the sanitation systems."

Campaigners seek EU-wide ban on forced sterilisation of people with disabilities

Spanish disability rights activist Cristina Paredero grew up feeling different and was diagnosed with a form of autism aged 18. She says her parents told her she should never have children and pressed her into agreeing to get sterilised. Paredero, who is now 31 and angry with her parents over what happened, helped draft a 2020 law banning forced or coerced sterilisation in Spain and is now fighting to outlaw the practice across the European Union (EU).

EU regulator rules out link between weight-loss drugs and suicidal thoughts

The European Union drug regulator found no evidence that a class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk's hugely popular Wegovy, are linked to suicidal thoughts, it said on Friday, ending a nine-month probe. The regulator's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee, which monitors drugs' side effects, said that no updates were required to the treatments' product information after reviewing the available evidence.

(With inputs from agencies.)