Health News Roundup: Exercises tied to lower risk of kidney disease; Deaths from dengue fever in Paraguay and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. states reject $18 billion proposals to settle opioid lawsuits, discussions ongoing: sources

Twenty-one states have rejected an $18 billion settlement proposal from three major U.S. drug distributors to resolve lawsuits over their alleged role in the opioid crisis, but the discussion is still active, according to three sources familiar with the matter. More than 2,500 lawsuits have been brought nationwide by states, local and tribal governments over the toll the opioid crisis has taken on their communities.

Patients often puzzled by medical test reports

Even the most educated, take-charge individuals may have a hard time deciphering the test results they can access after a doctor visit, two new studies suggest. "The benefits of improving patient access to their own medical information are fairly clear: patient empowerment and engagement in their own health care, and an improved trust and sense of partnership with their healthcare provider," Dr. Daniel Miller, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, told Reuters Health by email.

WHO says joint China mission to start coronavirus probe this weekend

A World Health Organization-led mission to China will start its outbreak investigation this weekend and will focus on how the new coronavirus is spreading and the severity of the disease, the WHO's director-general said on Friday. The joint team, composed of 12 international members and their 12 Chinese counterparts, will seek more details on how, where and when the more than 1,700 health workers infected so far contracted the new virus, WHO officials said.

Getting lots of exercises tied to lower risk of kidney disease

People who get plenty of physical activity may be less likely than their more sedentary counterparts to develop chronic kidney disease, a recent study suggests. Researchers followed almost 200,000 Taiwanese adults without kidney disease for up to 18 years. Compared to people who were least active, those who got the most exercise were 9% less likely to develop kidney disease over the study period.

Deaths from dengue fever in Paraguay spike to 16 under the strained health system

Paraguay health officials said on Friday that deaths from dengue fever increased to 16 in the South American country's worst outbreak of the disease in the last decade, severely straining its health system. There are also 89 deaths under review to determine if they were caused by dengue. The death toll indicates a sharp increase from the previous week when the Public Health Ministry registered six deaths from dengue with 50 other deaths under review since the start of the year.

U.S. CDC to work with labs in five states to track people with influenza-like illness

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday it was working with public health laboratories in five states to track people with illnesses similar to influenza, as the agency strives to contain the deadly coronavirus. The agency said the labs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and New York City will test those people for coronavirus who tested negative for the flu.

Chinese tourist dies of coronavirus in France, the first death in Europe: minister

An 80-year-old Chinese tourist has died of the fast-spreading coronavirus in France, becoming the first fatality in Europe, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said on Saturday. France has recorded 12 cases of the virus, out of a global total of 67,000. The vast majority of those suffering from the virus are in China.

The epidemic has killed more than 1,500 people. Hong Kong to arrange flights to take home passengers from Diamond Princess ship

The Hong Kong government will send aircraft to Japan to bring back passengers from the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess, where the most coronavirus infections outside China have occurred. In a statement late on Saturday, the Security Bureau said chartered flights would return Hong Kong residents to the city for free once Japanese authorities had confirmed the plan.

China says coronavirus curbs start to work; 70 more cases on a cruise ship

The number of new coronavirus cases in China fell on Sunday and a health official said intense efforts to stop its spread was beginning to work, as another 70 people tested positive on a virus-stricken cruise ship quarantined in Japan. The coronavirus, thought to have emerged at a wildlife market in the central Chinese province of Hubei, has presented the ruling Communist Party with the huge challenge of stamping it out while at the same time minimizing damage to the world's second-largest economy.

(With inputs from agencies.)