Reuters Health News Summary

09/03/2016 8:58

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Hospice care improves patient experience

A new study adds to evidence that hospice care during the last six months of life is associated with better overall experiences for patients and a lower likelihood of dying in a hospital. "Consistent with other studies demonstrating benefit, the use of hospice care is associated with better quality-of-care outcomes, including patient-centered care metrics," study leader Ruth Kleinpell and colleagues write in the journal BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, online August 16.

Malaysia detects first case of locally transmitted Zika

The Malaysian health ministry on Saturday said it has detected the first case of a locally transmitted Zika infection in a 61-year-old man in the state of Sabah. The condition of the patient - who is also suffering from high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, kidney stones and gout - was serious because of the multiple illnesses, and not primarily due to the Zika infection, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

For skiers and snowboarders, helmets still offer protection

Skiing helmets are not reducing head injuries as much as they used to, possibly because snow sports have become more dangerous, a Norwegian study suggests. Helmets still offer significant protection against serious head injuries, however, and all skiers and snowboarders should be wearing them, the researchers emphasize in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Laser pointers can cause irreversible vision loss for kids

Used incorrectly, laser pointers can damage the retina of the eye and may cause some irreversible vision loss, according to researchers who treated four boys for these injuries. Doctors, teachers and parents should be aware that this can happen, and limit children's use of laser pointers, the authors write.

Fewer U.S. hospitals breaking emergency treatment rules

The number of U.S. hospitals investigated or cited for breaking federal emergency treatment rules has declined over the past decade, a study suggests. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requires that all patients who come to hospital emergency departments receive a medical screening and any care needed to stabilize their condition, regardless of their ability to pay. Nationwide, 7.2 percent of hospitals were investigated in 2014 for violating the law, down from 10.8 percent in 2005.

U.S. fights Zika mosquitoes with limited arsenal

Over Wynwood, the Miami neighborhood where Zika gained a foothold in the continental United States, low flying planes have been spraying naled, a tightly controlled pesticide often used as a last resort. It appears to be working, killing at least 90 percent of the target mosquitoes. Across the Biscayne Bay in Miami Beach, wind and high-rise buildings make aerial spraying challenging. So, the effort in the popular tourist destination has focused on ground-sprayed pyrethroids - pesticides that are safer but don't always work.

Singapore says confirms 26 more local transmission Zika cases

Singapore confirmed 26 more cases of locally-transmitted Zika infections, the health ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA)said in a joint statement on Saturday, bringing the tally to 215. Of the 26 new cases, 24 were linked to existing clusters while two cases have no known links to any existing cluster, they said.

U.S. lawmakers question Mylan's Medicaid EpiPen rebates

Two key U.S. congressional committee members on Friday called for an investigation into whether Mylan NV, under fire for raising the price of its EpiPen device, overcharged the government's low-income healthcare program for the allergy treatment. In a letter to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Frank Pallone, both Democrats, seek clarification of whether EpiPen was classified as a generic, "non-innovator" drug, or a brand-name drug by the Medicaid program.

Earlier diabetes diagnosis linked to worse mid-life heart health

When people develop diabetes early in life they may also be more likely to experience heart problems in middle age, a study suggests. Cardiovascular disease has long been linked to diabetes in older adults. The new study, however, offers fresh evidence that getting diabetes as a younger adult may exacerbate or accelerate the erosion of heart function as people age.

Clinton offers plan to curb 'unjustified' price hikes on life-saving drugs

Hillary Clinton said on Friday that if elected to the White House she would create an oversight panel to protect U.S. consumers from large price hikes on long-available, lifesaving drugs and to import alternative treatments if necessary, adding to her pledges to rein in overall drug prices. Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, would seek to give the panel an "aggressive new set of enforcement tools," including the ability to levy fines and impose penalties on manufacturers when there has been an "unjustified, outlier price increase" on a long-available or generic drug, her campaign said.

09/03/2016 8:58