May 2020 BBC; US President Donald Trump has announced that he is terminating the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO). The president has accused the WHO of failing to hold Beijing to account over the coronavirus pandemic. “China has total control over the World Health Organization,” the president …
Read More »FDA approves emergency use of malaria pill for COVID-19 treatment
March 2020 YahooNews; The Food and Drug Administration on Sunday approved the anecdotally promising malaria drug for emergency use to treat hospitalized patients for COVID-19. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement it has accepted 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate donated by Sandoz, the Novartis …
Read More »Checkup for $30, Teeth Cleaning $25: Walmart Gets Into Health Care
February 2020 Bloomberg; The main drag of Calhoun, Ga., a town of about 16,000 an hour’s drive north of Atlanta, is dotted with pawnshops, liquor stores, and fast-food joints. Here, as in thousands of other communities across America, the local Walmart fulfills most everyday needs—groceries, car repairs, money transfers, even …
Read More »Map: A deadly virus is spreading across the globe. Here’s where coronavirus cases have been confirmed.
January 2020 NBCnews; Health officials worldwide are working to contain a coronavirus that has spread to several countries in a matter of days. This map will be updated when more information is available. As of Jan. 24, coronavirus cases were confirmed in China, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, and …
Read More »USA: The downside of strong growth in health care jobs: higher costs
January 2020 statnews; Jobs growth soars (CNBC). November Job Growth Booms (USA Today). US economy smashes forecasts (Business Insider). That enthusiasm was the general reaction to the November jobs report tallying an increase of 266,000 jobs. But inside that report is a dark cloud that went largely unnoticed: the addition of 45,000 …
Read More »In the U.S., an Angioplasty Costs $32,000. Elsewhere? Maybe $6,400.
December 2019 nytimes; Why does health care cost so much more in the United States than in other countries? As health economists love to say: “It’s the prices, stupid.” As politicians continue to lament the system’s expense, and more Americans struggle to pay the high and often unpredictable bills that …
Read More »USA:STD rates in Hawaii are the highest in 30 years, and officials blame dating apps
October 2019 YahooNews; In Hawaii, instances of the sexually transmitted infections chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are the highest they’ve been in 30 years, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, a trend that’s in line with national and global STI rates. A June 6 report from the World Health Organization found STIs — bacterial, viral, …
Read More »USA:Illinois patient’s death may be first in US tied to vaping
August 2019 Yahoonews;( Health officials said Friday that an Illinois patient who contracted a serious lung disease after vaping has died and that they consider it the first death in the United States linked to the smoking alternative that has become popular with teens and young adults. The Illinois Department …
Read More »USA:US to set up plan allowing prescription meds from Canada
July 2019 YahooNews; The Trump administration said Wednesday it will create a pathway allowing Americans to legally and safely import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada for the first time, reversing years of opposition from federal health authorities amid a public outcry over high prices for life-sustaining medications. The move is …
Read More »USA: Florida lawmakers OK sweeping changes to crack down on deadly cosmetic surgery facilities
May 2019 Yahoo News; If signed by the governor, the new law would allow the state for the first time to punish dangerous plastic surgery facilities and shut down the worst offenders. The legislation passed after years of no regulation in Florida, where private investors opened high-volume, discount clinics that became magnets …
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