Health News Roundup: Polio case found in New York City suburb, first in decades; Thailand confirms first monkeypox infection and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Louisiana judge blocks abortion 'trigger' bans Louisiana abortion clinics can remain in operation after a judge on Thursday barred the state from enforcing abortion bans under laws that were designed to take effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure nationwide.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Louisiana judge blocks abortion 'trigger' bans

Louisiana abortion clinics can remain in operation after a judge on Thursday barred the state from enforcing abortion bans under laws that were designed to take effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure nationwide. Judge Donald Johnson in Baton Rouge issued a preliminary injunction barring the state from enforcing so-called "trigger" laws designed to ban abortions should the Supreme Court ever overturn the 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade ruling, as it did in June.

Medical device maker Hanger to be taken private in $1.25 billion deal

Medical devices maker Hanger Inc said on Thursday it has agreed to be taken private by healthcare investment firm Patient Square Capital in a deal worth about $1.25 billion, sending its shares up more than 20%. Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by Hanger's Board of Directors, the prosthetic care provider's stockholders will receive $18.75 per share in cash, representing a 27% premium to stock's closing price on Thursday.

Oral vaccine shows promise; hypertension ups COVID hospitalization risk

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Experimental tablet vaccine shows early promise

Cape Town hospital uses robot at forefront of surgery in Africa

A surgical team led by Dr Tim Forgan uses the da Vinci Xi robot to assist in removing a cancerous rectal tumour from a female patient at Tygerberg public hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The robot, which has four 'arms' and is controlled in real time by Forgan via an immersive 3D consul, is the most advanced surgical robot in Africa. It is one of only two such robots in use on the continent, both of them found in South African public hospitals in Cape Town.

Amazon strikes $3.5 billion deal for One Medical in long march into U.S. healthcare

Amazon.com Inc on Thursday agreed to buy primary care provider One Medical for $3.49 billion, expanding the e-commerce giant's virtual healthcare and adding brick-and-mortar doctors' offices for the first time. The all-cash deal would combine two relatively small players as Amazon continues a years-long march into U.S. healthcare, seeking to grow at a faster pace.

Worried by Supreme Court, U.S. House votes to protect contraception

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to protect access to contraception, responding to concerns that it could be threatened by a conservative Supreme Court that revoked the ruling that guaranteed a nationwide right to abortion. The bill passed the Democratic-controlled House on a vote of 228-195, with all 220 Democrats and eight of the chamber's 211 Republicans supporting it. It faces uncertain odds in the evenly divided Senate.

Explainer-Smoke from raging wildfires can harm health

Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity in many countries, spreading smoke that contains noxious gases, chemicals and particulate matter and carries serious health risks. More toxic than air pollution, wildfire smoke can linger in the air for weeks and travel hundreds of miles. Wildfires "are burning not only vegetative materials and trees but also cities, completely destroying vehicles and buildings and their contents," said Kent Pinkerton, Director of the Center for Health and the Environment at the University of California, Davis.

Polio case found in New York City suburb, first in decades

A case of polio has been identified outside New York City and confirmed by federal health officials, the New York State Health Department said on Thursday in what would be the nation's first known case of the disease in at least 30 years. Testing suggested the Rockland County case of the highly contagious virus may have originated outside of the United States, the department said in statement.

Thailand confirms first monkeypox infection

Thailand's health ministry on Thursday confirmed the country's first monkeypox infection in a 27-year-old Nigerian national in the southern island of Phuket. The man, who had a history of travelling from Nigeria, said he had been ill for about a week, according to senior health official Opas Karnkawinpong.

Germany must prioritise first doses of monkeypox vaccine, experts say

Germany's vaccine advisory committee said it urgently recommended that the country use all the monkeypox vaccine it has on hand to administer first doses, and that second shots be offered only once enough doses are available. "To mitigate the current wave of infection, slow the spread of monkeypox and eventually end the outbreak, a high vaccination coverage of the indication groups is needed," the committee, known as STIKO, said in a statement.