Health News Roundup: US CDC alerts healthcare providers of increase in meningococcal disease; Births fall in Italy for 15th year running to record low and more

The U.S. government is concerned that certain Chinese biotech companies are contributing technology or research and development for use by China's military, and the proposed legislation would restrict U.S. government funds going to those Chinese companies. Surging dengue cases in Americas cause alarm as potentially worst-ever season looms Dengue cases in the Americas rose in the first three months of this year by three times the number of infections reported in the same period last year, the head of the Pan American Health Organization said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Exclusive-China's WuXi AppTec shared US client's data with Beijing, US intelligence officials told senators

U.S. intelligence officials in late February told senators working on a biotech security bill that Chinese pharmaceutical firm WuXi AppTec had transferred U.S. intellectual property to Beijing without consent, according to two sources. The U.S. government is concerned that certain Chinese biotech companies are contributing technology or research and development for use by China's military, and the proposed legislation would restrict U.S. government funds going to those Chinese companies.

Surging dengue cases in Americas cause alarm as potentially worst-ever season looms

Dengue cases in the Americas rose in the first three months of this year by three times the number of infections reported in the same period last year, the head of the Pan American Health Organization said on Thursday. Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay are the countries hardest hit by dengue in what PAHO officials described as potentially the worst outbreak in the Americas to date for the deadly mosquito-borne viral illness.

US CDC alerts healthcare providers of increase in meningococcal disease

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory on Thursday alerting healthcare providers about an increase in invasive meningococcal disease and urging them to ensure necessary vaccinations against the deadly disease. Meningococcal disease, caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, is a serious bacterial infection that commonly affects the brain, spinal cord and bloodstream.

Births fall in Italy for 15th year running to record low

Births in Italy dropped to a record low in 2023, the 15th consecutive annual decline, national statistics bureau ISTAT said on Friday, as the population continued to shrink. Italy's ever-falling birth rate is considered a national emergency, but despite successive governments pledging to make it a priority, none have so far been able to halt the drop.

Weight-loss drug deals to drive around 4% of Gerresheimer yearly growth, CEO says

Gerresheimer CEO Dietmar Siemssen said he expects about 4% of the company's revenue growth per year from deals to supply makers of drugs for weight loss and diabetes with vials, cartridges, syringes and autoinjectors. The German company reported in February that it expects to grow an average of 10% per year. Nearly half of that will come from its association with drugs in the GLP-1 class, the CEO told Reuters. Novo Nordisk's popular obesity drug Wegovy and Eli Lilly's in demand Zepbound are GLP-1 drugs.

Polish president halts law easing access to 'morning after' pill

Poland's conservative President Andrzej Duda on Friday vetoed a bill to ease women's access to the "morning after" contraceptive pill, sparking outrage among left-wing and liberal politicians. Women's rights are high on the political agenda, with some Poles frustrated that liberal parties in the coalition government in power since December are slow at implementing their pledge to soften a near-total ban on abortion.

Dogs can associate words with objects, study finds

Dogs are able to understand that some words refer to objects in a way that is similar to humans, a small study of canine brain waves has found, offering insight into the way the minds of man's best friends work. That our four-legged companions are able to recognise words that prompt actions will come as no surprise to dog owners who tell their pets to "sit" or "fetch".

US FDA extends review of Applied Therapeutics' genetic disease drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has extended its review of Applied Therapeutics' experimental drug to treat galactosemia, a rare genetic metabolic disease, the company said on Thursday. The health regulator will now give its decision by Nov. 28, 2024, compared with its previous action date of Aug. 28.

Bristol Myers' bowel disease drug fails in late-stage study

Bristol Myers Squibb said on Thursday its experimental drug to treat Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition, did not help patients achieve disease remission in a late-stage study. Crohn's is a chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, and can lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. It affects about 12.6 million people worldwide, according to the company.

AI fails to detect depression signs in social media posts by Black Americans, study finds

Analyzing social media using artificial intelligence may pick up signals of depression in white Americans but not in Black counterparts, according to a study that highlights the risk of training AI models for healthcare-related tasks without data from diverse racial and ethnic groups. The AI model used for the study was more than three times less predictive for depression when applied to Black people who use Meta Platforms' Facebook than for white people, the researchers reported.

(With inputs from agencies.)