Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Brazil to declare emergency, quarantine nationals returning from China
Brazil will declare a national health emergency to prepare for the return of Brazilian nationals at the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in China, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said on Monday. The Health Ministry will ask Congress for the power to quarantine the Brazilian nationals potentially exposed to coronavirus, he said.
Homicide a major cause of death for Louisiana pregnant women
Some women in the United States may be most at risk of being murdered during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, a new study suggests. An analysis of Louisiana mortality data found that women were twice as likely to be murdered when they were pregnant or had recently given birth than at any other time in their lives, the study team reports in JAMA Pediatrics.
Cocktail of flu, HIV drugs appears to help fight coronavirus: Thai doctors
Thai doctors have seen success in treating severe cases of the new coronavirus with combination of medications for flu and HIV, with initial results showing vast improvement 48 hours after applying the treatment, they said on Sunday. The doctors from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok said a new approach in coronavirus treatment had improved the condition of several patients under their care, including one 70-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan who tested positive for the coronavirus for 10 days.
G7 health ministers agree on coordinated approach to coronavirus: Germany
Health ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations agreed to coordinate their response to dealing with the coronavirus in a conference call on Monday, the German Health Ministry said. The ministers agreed to coordinate - as far as possible - their approach on travel regulations and precautions, research into the new virus and cooperation with the World Health Organization, the European Union and with China.
China accuses U.S. of scaremongering over coronavirus
Beijing on Monday accused the United States of spreading fear over a coronavirus outbreak by pulling nationals out and restricting travel instead of offering significant aid. The United States was the first nation to begin evacuations, issued a travel warning against going to China, and from Sunday barred entry to foreigners recently in China.
Trump says U.S. has 'shut down' coronavirus threat; China shuns U.S. help
The United States has taken decisive action to protect Americans from the threat of a fast-moving coronavirus while offering help to China, President Donald Trump said on Sunday, but a key adviser said Beijing had not accepted the offers of assistance. Trump appeared to downplay concerns about the impact in the United States of the flu-like virus that has killed 350 people in China and spread to more than two dozen countries, telling Fox television in an interview, "We're gonna see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes."
U.S. health officials announce second case of person-to-person coronavirus transmission
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday announced a second case of transmission of the new coronavirus within the United States and provided more detailed plans on how it will handle travelers returning from China as the country works to limit the outbreak. "We expect to see more cases of person-to-person spread," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a conference call that included confirmation of a handful of new cases, bringing the U.S. total to 11.
Hong Kong suspends four more border crossings to curb spread of virus
Hong Kong's leader announced the closure of four more border crossings with mainland China on Monday, leaving just three checkpoints open, but stopped short of demands for the entire border to be closed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Hong Kong has 15 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, which emerged in central China in December and has killed more than 360 people there and sent jitters through global markets.
Conflicting studies point to meat moderation as healthy diet
A new study on meat consumption has found that people who eat red and processed meat have higher risks of heart disease and early death - contradicting recent research that suggested cutting out meat has few health benefits. The multiple findings can make it "difficult for people to make sense of what can seem to be conflicting messages on food", said Duane Mellor, a dietician at Britain's Aston University who was not directly involved with either study.
China virus toll rises as Chinese markets set to reopen after holiday
The death toll from the new coronavirus in China's Hubei province rose by 56 to 350 on Monday, Chinese state television reported citing official figures, as investors braced for volatility when Chinese markets reopen after the Lunar New Year break. There were another 2,103 cases detected in Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, taking the total in the province to 11,177 as of Feb. 2, state television reported.
