Reuters Health News Summary

08/06/2016 0:58

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Doctors should offer women birth control right after babies arrive

Women should have the chance to get long-acting birth control like intrauterine devices (IUDs) before they leave the hospital with a new baby, a leading group of U.S. obstetricians recommends. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has long advocated that women have access to IUDs and contraceptive implants along with other birth control options.

Survey sheds light on sperm donors who connect with recipients online

A new survey of men who use online sperm donation sites sheds light on their motivations, preferences and experiences with donation. Most are straight and donate for altruistic reasons, and one-third favor anonymous donation, researchers found.

Patients on social media cause ethics headache for doctors

As more and more sick patients are going online and using social media to search for answers about their health, it's raising a lot of thorny ethical questions for doctors. "The internet and ready access to vast amounts of information are now permanent aspects of how we live our lives, including how we think about and deal with our health problems," Dr. Chris Feudtner, director of medical ethics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said by email.

Bristol-Myers' Opdivo fails lung cancer trial; shares plunge

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co said its blockbuster Opdivo immunotherapy failed to slow progression of symptoms in previously untreated patients with advanced lung cancer, a major setback expected to benefit Merck & Co's rival medicine. Shares of Bristol-Myers fell almost 16 percent to $63.54 on Friday after the company announced failure of the late-stage trial. Shares of Merck gained 8.7 percent to $62.89.

U.S. closer to testing engineered mosquitoes that could fight Zika

U.S. health regulators have cleared the way for a trial of genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida that can reduce mosquito populations, potentially offering a new tool to fight the local spread of Zika and other viruses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that a field trial testing Intrexon Corp's genetically engineered mosquitoes would not have a significant impact on the environment. The announcement came as Florida officials grapple with the first cases of local Zika transmission in the continental United States.

Families and doctors who care for trans kids get help at conference

At the annual Gender Odyssey conference this week in Seattle, parents and healthcare providers who care for transgender and gender-nonconforming children are receiving a crash course on a world often left unexplored. Gender Odyssey began 15 years ago in Seattle as a collection of people discussing transgender and gender-nonconforming issues, but it has since ballooned to include programming specifically for families and healthcare providers. This week, more than 1,200 attendees are expected.

Spraying by air for mosquitoes, Florida steps up Zika fight

Florida began aerial spraying on Thursday to kill mosquitoes in a Miami neighborhood with the first U.S. spread of the Zika virus that can cause a rare but devastating birth defect. Beginning at dawn, Miami-Dade County authorities sprayed droplets of an insecticide called Naled, marking their first aerial mission since local transmission of Zika was confirmed in an area of about a square mile (2.6 square kms) around the trendy Wynwood arts district near downtown Miami.

GM mosquito trial will not significantly impact environment: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that a field trial testing Intrexon Corp's genetically engineered mosquitoes, meant to be used in the battle against Zika, would not have a significant impact on the environment. The company wants to conduct a trial in the Florida Keys to assess the effectiveness of the genetically modified mosquitoes in reducing populations of Aedes mosquitoes, which can spread diseases including Zika, dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya.

South Carolina girl exposed to brain-eating amoeba faces bleak odds

An 11-year-old South Carolina girl has irreparable brain damage after contracting a rare, often-fatal infection caused by an amoeba from a river where she was swimming, according to a Facebook page set up on her behalf. The girl, identified by local media as Hannah Collins of Beaufort, is believed to have been exposed to the brain-eating amoeba on July 24 in Charleston County's Edisto River, the state health department said this week.

Obama, Senate Democrats urge Zika funding vote as reserves run low

President Barack Obama on Thursday said it was time for Congress to lay aside politics and to act to provide additional money to combat the Zika virus before government funding dries up. "Our experts at the CDC, the folks on the front lines have been doing their best in making due by moving funds from other areas, but now the money we need to fight Zika is rapidly running out," Obama said at a press conference at the Pentagon.

08/06/2016 0:58