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☆ UK says norovirus cases sharply rise in England
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Norovirus cases in England are 66% higher than the average at this time of year, official data showed on Thursday, with the biggest rise in confirmed infections seen in those aged 65 years and over. Outbreaks caused by the vomiting and diarrhoea-causing norovirus have surged in hospitals, schools and care homes, with majority of cases in care home settings, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. The UKHSA added that while elevated levels were expected in those aged 65 years and over, the number has not been seen in over a decade. "The number of people in hospitals with norovirus has risen significantly in line with what we are seeing in the community and in care homes," NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said. Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Check out the 13-slide deck health startup OneLeaf used to raise $5.1 million to expand its personalized self-hypnosis programs across the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Its self-hypnosis program aims to help users with wellness challenges, such as weight management and sleep deprivation. That's what inspired him to found wellness startup OneLeaf, which just raised $5.1 million to grow its self-hypnosis program across the US. The Paris-based startup offers users a self-hypnosis tool for to help them face health challenges such as smoking, weight management, and anxiety. Focusing on self-hypnosis as a treatment option makes OneLeaf unique, Cohen-Skalli said, and also positions the startup to grow into other wellness industries. Check out the 13-slide pitch deck used to secure $5.1 million in seed funding.

☆ Britain’s NHS was once idolized. Now its worst-ever crisis is fueling a boom in private health care
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Private hospital groups flourishTo keep up with growing demand for their services, private health care providers are expanding at a rapid clip. CEO Justin Ash estimates that the market for private health care in the United Kingdom has doubled since before the pandemic to 15 million people. Ash said that appetite for private health care spans a much broader set of ages and incomes than in the past. “We’ve clearly moved into a world in which we’re all NHS patients but have episodes of private care,” he said. There is no universal health care in America and most people have private health insurance because health care is very expensive.

☆ George Santos has been accused of lying constantly. This is what experts say about the psychology of compulsive liars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Experts said pathological lying could exist on its own or be a feature of a personality disorder. What drives compulsive liars, and is George Santos one? Many psychologists say compulsive lying is often a feature of a personality disorder, such as antisocial-personality disorder or narcissistic-personality disorder. Curtis explained that it is important to distinguish people who are just pathological liars, and those that engage in pathological lying as part of a personality disorder — a key difference being that pathological liars do typically exhibit some remorse about lying. "That is unusual for him and unusual for many of the cases that we've explored of pathological liars," Hart said.

☆ Inside digital health's reckoning, where once-hot startups are suddenly scrambling for cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Blake Dodge | Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Analysts and CEOs told Insider more than half of healthcare startups will shut down by 2024. Healthcare startups looking to stay afloat have been laying off employees left and right. The online pharmacy Truepill burned through its cash as it struggled to fill prescriptions efficiently, two former employees told Insider. A spokesperson for Truepill told Insider in an email that the company's burn rate was in line with its projections. Courtesy NOCDWhile the broader economic pressures will hurt many startups that can't raise, it may help others, experts told Insider.

☆ Fact Check-Flu vaccine study unrelated to Group A Strep doesn't show increase of illness
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is the name for bacteria that can cause infections like strep throat, scarlet fever and impetigo. However, the 2014 study examined different bacteria and found that while their numbers increased following the nasal flu vaccine, that did not lead to increased bacterial disease. A recent UK study has also found that while infections of influenza itself be linked to increased cases of Group A Strep, the nasal vaccine is associated with a reduction in bacterial infections. But it did not investigate group A strep bacteria; rather, the study investigated Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, which Mina said in an email, are “very different” pathogens to group A strep. A 2014 study does not show the nasal spray flu vaccine causes Group A Strep.

☆ British scientists plan to expand genomic sequencing from COVID to flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEXU Science Communication/via REUTERSLONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Genomic sequencing allowed the world to track new coronavirus variants throughout the pandemic. Now British researchers plan to use it to better understand a host of other respiratory pathogens, from influenza to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The work will begin later this year by using leftover material from swabs taken for COVID-19 diagnostic purposes, sequencing SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV and other common respiratory viruses in a combined process. While some of the viruses targeted typically cause mild, cold-like symptoms, others can cause serious illness, particularly in vulnerable populations. The five-year initiative aims to begin work from spring this year and is funded by Wellcome.

☆ China is still racing to develop its own mRNA jabs. But they won't use foreign vaccines to fight COVID because of 'national pride,' says South Korea's top vaccine maker.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It hasn't yet approved any mRNA vaccines. But SK Bioscience says China is unlikely to source foreign COVID-19 vaccines, due to "national pride." SK Bioscience has developed its own COVID-19 vaccine, which is now being used in South Korea. "China has administered 3.4 billion doses of COVID vaccines for its people, covering over 90% of its population," said Liu. Even so, Chinese drugmakers are racing to produce mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

☆ Indian shares set to open higher to track Asia; Q3 results eyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

At home, IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS) was set to report third quarter results after market close. Analysts expect weak Q3 revenue growth for IT services firms, on the back of deteriorating macroeconomic conditions and furloughs in the quarter. Domestic investors bought 10.83 billion rupees worth of shares, as per provisional NSE data. ** Titan Company (TITN.NS): Co reported 12% YoY growth in combined sales in third quarter, driven by festive season. ** Tata Steel (TISC.NS): Company's India crude steel production stood at 5 million tonnes in third quarter, up 4% YoY.

☆ PC giant Dell will reportedly stop using Chinese chips as soon as next year, and it shows how Washington-Beijing tensions are forcing companies to diversify their supply chains
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dell is planning to halt the use of Chinese semiconductor chips by 2024, per Nikkei. The PC giant also plans to slash the amount of other made-in-China parts in its products. It's not just made-in-China chips made by Chinese companies. Other than chips, Dell has also asked suppliers of other electronic parts — such as modules and circuit boards — to ramp up production capacity in countries outside China, per Nikkei. Even tech giant Apple was burned late last year when its iPhone output was hit by the country's zero-COVID drive.

☆ Health tech and biotech startups landed $88 billion in funding in 2022. See 16 of the hottest pitch decks founders used to raise millions from investors.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Here are 16 of the pitch decks used by health and biotech founders to attract investor funds. Check out the 24-slide pitch deck Ria Health used to raise $18 million. Check out the 18-slide pitch deck Healthie used to raise $16 million. Check out the 15-slide pitch deck Patchwork Health used to raise the funds. Check out the 16-slide pitch deck Dalan Animal Health used to raise $3.5 million.

☆ A top healthcare banker predicts some digital-health startups will be able to go public in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

SVB Securities' Jon Swope thinks some digital-health startups will IPO in the second half of 2023. In 2021, 15 US-based digital-health companies went public via IPO, according to Rock Health. Only one digital-health company has gone public this year: Akili Interactive Labs, which went public in August in a SPAC deal. Seeing the writing on the wall, digital-health companies like Komodo Health that sought to IPO this year are now putting those plans on hold. But SVB Securities' Jon Swope said he thinks the IPO market will reopen for certain digital-health companies in the second half of 2023.

☆ Uzbekistan says 18 children die after consuming India-made syrup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan's health ministry has said at least 18 children have died after consuming a medicinal syrup manufactured by Indian drugmaker Marion Biotech Pvt Ltd. The ministry said 18 out of 21 children who took the Doc-1 Max syrup while suffering from an acute respiratory disease died after consuming it. The syrup was imported into Uzbekistan by Quramax Medical LLC, the ministry said in its statement released on Tuesday. An Indian government source said the health ministry was looking into the matter. The Uzbek health ministry said it had dismissed seven employees for negligence for not analysing the deaths in a timely manner and not taking the necessary measures.

☆ 4 hurdles Walmart needs to clear in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Analysts expect the retailer to work through excess inventory in 2023, but obstacles may arise. Here are four major Walmart challenges to watch in 2023. Expanding clinic presence is a 'must' to create major healthcare gainsA Walmart Health clinic. In 2022, Walmart saw competitors like Amazon make major healthcare splashes. Part of expansion has been announced for 2023, as Walmart plans to launch 16 more clinics in Florida by the end of the year.

☆ A therapist from online provider BetterHelp reportedly told a 22-year-old gay patient to turn straight so he could reunite with his family
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But according to Hill, the therapist that online provider BetterHelp matched him with did exactly that. "He said either you sacrifice your family or you sacrifice being gay," Hill told The Wall Street Journal. A former clinical director at the company told The Journal that therapists were "treated like Uber drivers." The company told the Journal it goes thorough background checks and also relies on state licensing boards, which certify therapists. A spokesperson for BetterHelp told Insider by email: "We firmly stand behind the high-quality service provided at BetterHelp, both in successful therapist matching and ongoing care."

☆ Investor Steve Weiss prefers Moderna over Merck, says it’s a high quality stock with a bigger pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Stephen Weiss, chief investment officer and managing partner at Short Hills Capital Partners, bought Moderna , and sold Merck — though he still expects the latter is a solid pharmaceutical stock. "Some days I regret selling because it's still a cheap stock, still extremely well-run, I think the best-run pharma company." Moderna shares have recently attracted investors' interest following the announcement of an experimental melanoma vaccine . Shares of Moderna are down roughly 18% this year, while shares of Merck is up nearly 45% in 2022. To this, Weiss added that "there's no other drug company, biotech company" with the pipeline that Moderna has.

☆ Substack is having a moment, again. But can the startup live up to its massive $650 million valuation?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Steven Perlberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

He provided a place where readers could find him "in case the bird app spirals into oblivion": his Substack newsletter. The epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding began promoting his Substack newsletter to his 722,000 Twitter followers in early November. They have been a welcome addition, Substack writers say. Substack has also recently rolled out mentions and cross-reporting functions, where writers can mention other Substack writers and share existing posts with their audiences. The irony, of course, is that many Substack writers rely on their Twitter audiences to promote their posts.

☆ Strep A is surging in the UK and has already killed at least 19 children. Here's why it's taken so long to make a vaccine against this deadly pathogen.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Strep A is surging in the UK and has killed at least 19 kids, the UK Health Security Agency said. A vaccine would be better, but research groups have hit roadblocks during its development. Researchers have been trying to make a strep-A vaccine for decadesIf it's caught in time, strep A can be treated with antibiotics. There is no vaccine commercially available, but several research groups are working on developing one. A GSK spokesperson confirmed to Insider that it's also in the early stages of developing a strep-A vaccine but that it had not started human testing.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence group A strep present in flu vaccine given to children
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

“The LAIV vaccine used in the UK does not contain Streptococcus A,” an MHRA spokesperson told Reuters via email. The bacteria are not listed in the ingredients for Fluenz Tetra (bit.ly/3HesXo4), which is also marketed in the U.S. as fluMist. “Group A strep is not used at any stage of the development of the nasal flu vaccine. The vaccine does not contain Group A strep,” Pollard said via email. The MHRA and AstraZeneca told Reuters that group A strep is not an ingredient in the Fluenz Tetra vaccine, and two independent experts said there are no reports of contamination.

☆ UK health unions offer to pause NHS strikes if government joins pay talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 10 (Reuters) - British health unions have offered to suspend a wave of planned strikes in health services over Christmas and the New Year if the government agrees to open serious discussions over pay. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Unison said they would consider calling off the strikes if Britain's health and social care minister Steve Barclay agrees to host serious negotiations. "I will press pause on it when the health secretary says he will negotiate seriously on our dispute this year," RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said in a statement. "Rather than scare the public about the consequences of strikes, the health secretary should table genuine plans for improving wages," said Unison general secretary Christina McAnea in a statement. "Ministers have had constructive talks with unions, including the RCN and Unison," a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said in a statement.

☆ Former UK health minister Hancock to quit at next election
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Farouq Suleiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Former British health minister Matt Hancock, who was forced to resign in 2021 for breaching his own social distancing rules during the pandemic, said on Wednesday he would not run again for parliament at the next general election. Hancock was at the centre of the British government's fight against COVID-19 and was heavily criticised for the response to the early stages of the pandemic. Hancock said in his resignation letter that the party had made it clear he would be re-admitted "in due course", but he said that would now not be necessary. In his resignation letter, Hancock said he was proud of his achievements during his nine years in government, including the response to the pandemic. Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William James and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Britain's health regulator backs COVID vaccine for infants from six months
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File PhotoLONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Britain's health regulator on Tuesday authorised a COVID-19 vaccine for infants as young as six months, opening the door for vaccinating the country's youngest children once the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) agrees. Whether the vaccine is eventually deployed in this age group depends on a recommendation from the JCVI, which advises UK health departments on which shots should be used as part of the national vaccination programme. The vaccine is tailored for use in this age group - it is a lower dose version than the one used in children aged five to 11 years. U.S. officials rolled out this version of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot for the same age group earlier this year. Months ago, EU regulators also endorsed the use of COVID vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna (MRNA.O) for under-fives.

☆ 6 everyday ways to keep back pain at bay
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Dana Santas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —For many people, back pain can make it difficult to function in everyday life. A proactive, daily-life approach to cultivating a healthy body is the key to keeping back pain at bay, writes Dana Santas. fizkes/Adobe StockBut what if, instead of being reactive, you took small daily steps to proactively avoid back pain altogether? Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the everyday actions that contribute to back pain — or steps that can be taken to avoid it. Taking a proactive, daily-life approach to cultivating a healthy body is the key to keeping back pain at bay.

☆ Ashton Kutcher and twin Michael talk health, guilt and rift between them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —In a rare interview, twin brothers Ashton and Michael Kutcher talked about both their bond and their rift. “I go in the room and I’m like ‘Whoa,’” Ashton Kutcher said, fighting back tears. “He looked at me and he said, ‘Every time you feel sorry for me, you make me less,’” Ashton Kutcher said. Ashton Kutcher said during the interview that he was not aware that his brother had been keeping it a secret. Michael Kutcher is now an advocate for the disabled.

☆ Myocarditis after Covid vaccine low among teens and young adults, large study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis after Covid vaccination is low and most patients make a full recovery, a large international study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital found. The findings confirm earlier studies that found myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, an inflammation of the outer lining of the heart, following Covid vaccination are rare. The review included more than 800 teens and young adults who developed myocarditis and pericarditis following Covid vaccination. The heart-related conditions usually occurred within four days after the second dose of a Covid vaccine, the study found. Daniel Salmon, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University, said he would still like to see estimates of myocarditis risk by age, gender, vaccine type and spacing between doses.

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