Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

World prepares for coronavirus pandemic; global recession forecast

Hopes the coronavirus would be contained to China vanished on Friday as infections spread rapidly around the world, countries started stockpiling medical equipment and investors took flight in expectation of a global recession. Share prices were on track for the worst week since the global financial crisis in 2008 as virus-related disruptions to international travel and supply chains fueled fears of recession in the United States and the Euro zone.

U.S. CDC aggressively evaluating whether coronavirus survives on surfaces: agency chief

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Robert Redfield told the U.S. Congress on Thursday that his agency is aggressively evaluating how long coronavirus can survive and be infectious on surfaces. "On copper and steel its pretty typical, it's pretty much about 2 hours," Redfield said at a House of Representatives hearing on the government response to the fast-spreading virus. "But I will say on other surfaces - cardboard or plastic - it's longer, and so we are looking at this."

Stocks plunge on coronavirus fears even as U.S. ramps up fight against spread

U.S. stocks plummeted on Thursday as fears about the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on economic growth flared even as U.S. officials pledged that they were stepping up efforts to safeguard Americans from the virus' spread. A day after President Donald Trump told Americans that the risk from coronavirus remained "very low," the S&P 500 logged its fastest correction in history in a sixth straight day of declines.

Iran coronavirus death toll reaches 26, many Friday prayers canceled

Iran said on Thursday its death toll from coronavirus had risen to 26, by far the highest number outside China, and the total number of infected people now stood at 245, including several senior officials. The outbreak prompted authorities to call off Friday prayers in the capitals of 23 of Iran's 31 provinces, including Tehran and the Shi'ite Muslim holy cities of Qom and Mashhad as well as some other infected areas, state TV reported.

Exclusive: U.S. mulls using sweeping powers to ramp up production of coronavirus protective gear

President Donald Trump's administration is considering invoking special powers through a law called the Defense Production Act to rapidly expand domestic manufacturing of protective masks and clothing to combat the coronavirus in the United States, two U.S. officials told Reuters. The use of the law, passed by Congress in 1950 at the outset of the Korean War, would mark an escalation of the administration's response to the outbreak. The virus first surfaced in China and has since spread to other countries including the United States.

Biohaven drug wins U.S. FDA approval for use in relieving migraine headaches

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co Ltd's oral pill for relieving pain after the onset of migraine headaches, the drug developer said. The company's shares were up 5.3% at $40.82 in extended trading.

Mixed messages, test delays hamper U.S. coronavirus response

Even as U.S. officials warn of an inevitable outbreak of coronavirus in the United States, and are alerting Americans to take precautions, some health agencies charged with protecting the public appear unprepared to deal with the threat. Barely more than a handful of public health departments across the country are able to test for the novel virus, which began in China and has spread to at least 44 countries. The federal government has less than 10% of the protective masks required to protect healthcare workers and the public. And Washington still does not have adequate funding in place to support health departments' efforts, though more money is on the way.

Raising awareness may help prevent rabies deaths

(Reuters Health) - Human rabies deaths are so rare in the United States that even healthcare providers may not recognize a rabies infection - or the role that bats might play - which puts patients and the public at further risk, researchers say. In a report from Utah, doctors describe the state's first rabies death since 1944, stemming from exposure to bats in the man's attic.

New coronavirus cases in mainland China fall to lowest since January

Mainland China had 327 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Thursday, the country's National Health Commission said on Friday, down from 433 cases a day earlier and the lowest since Jan. 23. That brings the total accumulated number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 78,824.

U.S. FDA says no medical device shortages due to virus outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday there were no reported shortages of medical devices within the country due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The FDA said it had contacted 63 companies, having 72 manufacturing facilities in China, which produce medical devices that may be prone to a potential shortage in the case of a supply disruption. (http://bit.ly/3abFNzL)