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☆ South African court orders striking healthcare workers to end walkout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) march during a strike over wage disputes, at the Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital in Vosloorus outside Johannesburg, South Africa, March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, March 13 (Reuters) - The South African Labour Appeal Court on Monday ordered striking state healthcare workers to end a week-long walkout that has affected services in some of the country's major hospitals, the health department said. National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) members went on strike last week after wage talks with the government failed. The labour relations act prohibits essential workers from engaging in strike action which is detrimental to healthcare services with a risk of loss of life, he told a press briefing. The South African military said it had deployed medics to help in the affected hospitals at the request of the health department.

☆ Venture Capital Investors Are Trying to Take Over Pandemic Response
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Private capital has been eyeing public health for years. Several founders and investors told me that the failure of Kleiner's fund made Silicon Valley wary of investing in pandemic preparedness. Venture investors love that kind of thing. Public health and private industryWhen COVID hit, Charity Dean was the assistant director of the California Department of Public Health. In the end, almost every pandemic-related product created by Silicon Valley will ultimately require the government as a primary customer.

☆ Inside the germy, sneeze-filled meeting between Morgan Stanley's CEO and the Saudi crown prince at the onset of COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Liz Hoffman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley, met with the Saudi crown prince at the onset of the pandemic. The young royal kept sneezing during the meeting — and Gorman's fear of a deadly pathogen began to grow. He was in the royal palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, seated to the right of the country's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Given their recent experience with a deadly virus, Gorman took the caution of his Kuwaiti hosts as a sign that the West was underestimating the dangers of this one. And now, as Gorman chatted with the controversial 34-year-old crown prince about ways Saudi Arabia could diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on oil, the young royal kept sneezing.

☆ I shopped at an LA grocery store where you take home everything in your own containers, and I'm convinced it's the future of how we'll shop
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Since opening in April 2020, the retailer, re_grocery, has grown to three locations. So far, re_grocery only has locations in Los Angeles. Samantha Delouya"It was pretty scary," said re_grocery cofounder Joseph Macrino about opening at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. "We were having a really hard time even getting the doors open because we couldn't get through to the health department, but eventually, we persevered and pushed through," he added.

☆ U.S. CDC issues advisory after confirmed measles case in Kentucky
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 3 (Reuters) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday it was issuing a health alert advisory to notify clinics and public health officials to be watchful after a case of measles was confirmed at a large gathering in Kentucky. On Feb. 24, the Kentucky Department for Public Health identified a confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated individual with a history of recent international travel, the CDC said. The CDC said doctors should consider measles as a diagnosis with anyone with clinically compatible symptoms. The agency also asked physicians to recommend measles, mumps and rubella shots for patients who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated. The advisory also recommends healthcare professionals to immediately notify local or state health departments about any suspected case of measles to ensure rapid testing following the CDC's testing recommendations.

☆ India to get heat waves this year after hottest February on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Enhanced probability of occurrence of heat wave during March to May season is likely over many regions of Central and adjoining Northwest India," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement. In March, the crucial month for the maturity of winter-sown crops, above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country except peninsular India, it said. India grows only one wheat crop in a year, with planting in October and November, and harvesting from March. A heat wave curtailed India's wheat production in 2022 and forced the world's second largest producer to ban exports. Average maximum temperature in February was 29.54 degrees Celsius, the highest since 1901, when the IMD started keeping weather records.

☆ CDC advisors recommend mpox vaccine for at-risk adults in future outbreaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent advisors on Wednesday unanimously recommended administering the two-dose Jynneos vaccine to adults at risk of mpox in the event of future outbreaks, following last year's unprecedented epidemic. "It's important to state that an mpox outbreak will be determined by public health authorities, and a single case may be considered an mpox outbreak at the discretion of the public health authority," said Dr. Pablo Sanchez, head of the CDC committee's mpox workgroup. "Local health departments, state health departments, federal can all make that determination of what is considered an outbreak," Rao said. The CDC advisors will meet again in June to discuss using the Jynneos vaccine for kids at risk of mpox in future outbreaks. The U.S. is currently offering the vaccine to adults and adolescents who are at risk in the current epidemic.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) said it would test the models in the Medicare health program for people age 65 or over and the disabled and the Medicaid program for the poor. The agency also said it would work on developing a mandatory model for payment methods for drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under its Accelerated Approval Program (APP). CMS will announce the first model's start date "as soon as operationally feasible", it said. Development on the Medicaid gene and cell therapy model will start in 2023 and launch for testing in 2026. The agency will start working with the FDA on the accelerated approval model in 2023 but has no planned launched date yet.

☆ Worried residents near Ohio train derailment report dead fish and chickens as authorities say it's safe to return
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Aria Bendix | David K. Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. For days, authorities have been telling residents of the area around East Palestine, Ohio, that it is safe to return home after a 150-car train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed Feb. 3. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the chemical spill resulting from the derailment had killed an estimated 3,500 small fish across 7½ miles of streams as of Wednesday. For some people who live near the derailment site, the reports continue to spur fear that they and their animals might be exposed to chemicals through the air, water and soil. The Ohio Department of Agriculture said the risk to livestock remains low.

☆ I shopped at an LA grocery store that uses zero plastic containers, unlike Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, and I'm convinced it's the future of how we'll shop
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

☆ U.S. FDA says India-made eye drop linked to some infections, blindness and one death
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The agency said on Thursday that Artificial Tears eye drop manufactured by India's Global Pharma Healthcare Pvt Ltd has a potential bacterial contamination and the company has violated current good manufacturing practices. Global Pharma Healthcare did not immediately respond to a Reuters request seeking comment on the FDA statement. EzriCare said in a statement on Wednesday that it had stopped further distribution and sale of the eye drop, and it was not aware of any testing that "definitively links" the bacterial outbreak to the product. It said that as of Jan. 31, the CDC had identified 55 patients in 12 states with infections linked to the use of Artificial Tears distributed by EzriCare, it said. "Associated adverse events include hospitalization, one death with bloodstream infection, and permanent vision loss from eye infections," the FDA said.

☆ How do you lose a radioactive capsule? Australian investigators are wondering too
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —The discovery of a tiny lost radioactive capsule beside a remote highway in Western Australia raises many questions – not least how it escaped layers of radiation-proof packaging loaded onto a moving truck. Under the Radiation Safety Act 1975, only specially trained and licensed operators can package radioactive substances, but different rules apply to contractors hired to transport it, Steen said. “Any transport company can transport radioactive material provided they have got the license to do so,” she said. Staff from the National Emergency Management Agency, the Australian Nuclear and Science Technology Organization and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency also took part. This time, it traveled in a convoy of enclosed white vehicles – with big stickers warning of the presence of a radioactive substance.

☆ Missing radioactive capsule found on remote road in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —Authorities scanning a remote Australian highway for a tiny missing radioactive capsule have found it by the roadside, after a challenging search likened to trying to find a needle in a haystack. Search teams found the missing capsule not far from the Rio Tinto mine, suggesting it fell off the truck soon after departure. On Thursday it would start its journey south again – this time to a health department facility in Perth. Department of Fire and Emergency Services/APRadiation Services WA says radioactive substances are transported throughout Western Australia on a daily basis without any issues. A member of the Incident Management Team coordinates the search for a radioactive capsule lost in transit.

☆ Sanders’ Latinx ban delves into a generational, cultural Latino debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

— One of Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ first acts as Arkansas governor was to ban most state agencies from using the gender-neutral term Latinx, tapping into a debate that’s divided Hispanics along generational lines. Sanders’ order adds to the debate over a word that’s found little widespread support among Latinos and even prompted backlash from some Democrats. The Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBT members of the party, praised Sanders’ order. I’ve never met someone who says ‘thy.’”Hernandez called Sanders’ order “an attempt to erase” the LGBTQ Latino community. Castillo Reyes uses both Latinx and “Latine,” another gender-neutral term that’s been used by some in the Latino community to describe their ethnic identity.

☆ Most Abortion Bans Include Exceptions. In Practice, Few Are Granted.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Amy Schoenfeld Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

But abortion-rights advocates say legal exceptions do nothing but make abortion bans appear more reasonable than they really are. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for rape or incest and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for fatal birth defects and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for patients with severe health risks and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for the life of the patient and the other shows states without those exceptions.

☆ Nurses in England plan third wave of strikes next month over pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Rather than negotiate, Rishi Sunak has chosen strike action again," RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said. The fresh strikes will follow walkouts by nurses in mid-December — the RCN's first ever national strike — as well as strikes scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week. Ambulance workers have also launched their own industrial action over pay. Talks by government ministers with union leaders have so far failed to end strike action. The health department has previously said nurses' initial demands amounted to a 19% pay rise - unaffordable in the current economic climate.

☆ Mpox has faded in the U.S. Who deserves the credit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Today, reports of new cases are down to a trickle in the U.S. Health officials are shutting down emergency mobilizations. “It’s really impressive how that peak has come down to very, very low levels.”So who deserves the credit? Mpox cases began emerging in Europe and the U.S. in May, mostly among men who have sex with men. In early August, U.S. health officials decided to stretch the limited supply by giving people just one-fifth the usual dose. “The monkeypox virus essentially loses steam after a couple of rounds in humans,” Morse said.

[1/2] People wear masks as a protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City, New York, U.S., December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Eduardo MunozJan 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. health department on Wednesday extended the COVID-19 pandemic's status as a public health emergency, allowing millions of Americans to continue receiving free tests, vaccines and treatments. The emergency was first declared in January 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began, and has been renewed each quarter since then. When it expires, private insurance and government health plans will take on COVID healthcare costs for most Americans. Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru and Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli, Bill Berkrot and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK officials meet with unions in bid to end strikes by nurses and ambulance drivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Senior UK government officials are meeting with labor unions on Monday in a last-ditch effort to avert another wave of strikes affecting vital public services such as health care and transport. On Monday, the education minister will meet with teaching unions, the transport minister will meet with rail unions and the health minister will meet with unions representing nurses and ambulance drivers. Workers are demanding higher pay and better working conditions in the face of record inflation and a sharp fall in living standards. Ambulance workers will strike on January 19 in Wales and on January 23 in England. Teacher unions are balloting members over a possible strike, while the British Medical Association started balloting junior doctors on Monday.

☆ Travelers rush to take advantage of China reopening
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

After years of separation from his wife in mainland China, Hong Kong resident Cheung Seng-bun made sure to be among the first in line following the reopening Sunday of border crossing points. Those crossing between Hong Kong and mainland China, however, are still required to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 48 hours — a measure China has protested when imposed by other countries. Hong Kong media reports said around 300,000 travel bookings from the city to mainland China have already been made, with a daily quota of 60,000. "I've been under isolated quarantine for six times in different cities (in mainland China)," said Ivan Tang, a Hong Kong business traveler. Meanwhile, more foreign governments are imposing testing requirements on travelers from China — most recently Germany, Sweden and Portugal.

Jan 6 (Reuters) - Pharmacies across the United States are weighing whether to sell mifepristone, a pill used in medication abortions, following the Food and Drug Administration's announcement earlier this week that they can now do so. The FDA rule will make medication abortion, which accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions, more accessible in states where abortion remains legal, but its impact on pharmacies in the states that have banned abortion remains to be seen. The pharmacy is located near Florida's borders with Georgia and Alabama, where abortion is severely restricted. We're not near an abortion clinic or in a larger city where that happens more," she said. Steve Moore, pharmacist and owner of Condo Pharmacy in Plattsburgh, New York, a state where abortion is legal, plans to dispense the drug.

☆ Colorado library closes after 'troubling' discovery of meth in the air ducts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Boulder, Colorado library closed after testing revealed meth contamination in the bathrooms. In a Wednesday update, the City of Boulder said that further testing had identified "nearly all" the contamination was on the surfaces and in the air ducts of public-facing bathrooms. Meth was also found in some high-traffic seating areas, according to the statement. The city said these areas would require professional clean-up, and the furniture in the seating areas may be replaced with something that can be cleaned regularly. "Meth contamination is not primarily transmitted through air.

☆ Alfalfa sprouts recalled in 3 states due to potential salmonella contamination
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A Nebraska company is recalling alfalfa sprouts sold in three states due to potential salmonella contamination as state health officials investigate a “cluster of gastrointestinal illnesses” caused by the bacteria. SunSprout Enterprises, based in Fremont, Nebraska, announced Thursday that it is voluntarily recalling four lots of raw alfalfa sprouts. SunSprout Enterprises alfalfa sprouts. "This voluntary recall is a result of a preliminary investigation by the State of Nebraska in connection with CDC of an outbreak of illness likely associated with alfalfa sprouts," the company said. State Epidemiologist Dr. Matthew Donahue praised local and state health officials for quickly narrowing down the cause of the illnesses.

☆ South Africa tanker explosion death toll jumps to 27
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] People gather near a burnt out truck at the entrance of the damaged bridge where a gas tanker exploded in Boksburg near Johannesburg, South Africa, December 24, 2022. REUTERS/Sumaya HishamJOHANNESBURG, Dec 29 (Reuters) - The death toll from a gas tanker blast in Johannesburg on Christmas Eve has climbed to 27, the provincial health department said on Thursday. "The department of health confirms that the death toll now stands at 27 from the Boksburg explosion. 10 of these are health workers from Tambo Memorial Hospital," the Gauteng Department of Health said in a statement. President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised support to people affected by the blast and said authorities were looking into the incident.

☆ As child vaccine rates slip, local health officials fight misinformation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Lauren Sausser | Kaiser Health News | Lauren Sausser Covers Health Across The South As Part Of Khn'S Southern Bureau. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

So the Health Department conducted something called an online “sentiment search,” which gauges how certain words are perceived on social media. An analysis conducted by KHN and The Associated Press found local health department spending dropped by 18% per capita from 2010 to 2020. To that end, the health department has partnered with local leaders and groups to encourage vaccinations. — Phil Maytubby, Oklahoma city County health departmentThe more than 3,000 public health departments nationwide stand to benefit from a unified message, he said. In late 2020, the foundation, working with other public health groups, established the Public Health Communications Collaborative to amplify easy-to-understand information about vaccines.

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