Health News Roundup: Obamacare repeal, Zika in Africa, Agent Orange

McConnell says Senate Republicans might revisit Obamacare repeal

Republicans could try again to repeal Obamacare if they win enough seats in U.S. elections next month, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday, calling a failed 2017 push to repeal the health care law a "disappointment." In a forecast of 2019 policy goals tempered by uncertainty about who would win the congressional elections, McConnell blamed social programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, for the fast-rising national debt.

Zika in Africa: Rare birth defect on the rise in Angola

Emiliano Cula starts to cry as his tiny fingers, curled into a tight fist, are stretched by a physical therapist to stimulate motor control. Born in a poor neighbourhood of Angola’s capital Luanda, the 10-month old boy has microcephaly, a birth defect marked by a small head and serious developmental problems. He still can’t sit upright and has difficulty seeing and hearing.

U.S. CDC confirms 62 cases of a rare polio-like neurological condition

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 62 cases of acute flaccid myelitis, a rare, polio-like condition that causes weakness in the arms or legs, across 22 states. The CDC is investigating 127 reported cases, including the ones that have been confirmed. More than 90 per cent of the cases reported so far are people under 18 years of age.

IUD risk for new mothers depends on timing

New mothers who want intrauterine devices (IUDs) for long-acting contraception after giving birth should know the risk of the implant being expelled is tied to how soon after delivery it is inserted, researchers say. The best option is either to place the IUD immediately after delivery when there is only a 10 per cent risk of the uterus expelling the device or to wait at least four weeks afterwards when the risk drops to 4 per cent, an analysis of existing research found.

Daily time with controlled blood sugar tied to risk of diabetic eye disease

For people with diabetes, the chance of developing eye damage that can lead to blindness may depend on how many hours per day they can keep their blood sugar levels under control, a Chinese study suggests. This eye damage, known as diabetic retinopathy, is often caused by diabetes-related changes in blood vessels in the eye and is one of the leading causes of blindness in working-age adults, researchers note in Diabetes Care.

Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty, despair

Nearly three years after a Zika outbreak in Brazil caused thousands of cases of microcephaly and other devastating birth defects in newborns, Reuters returned to check on the mothers and their children. Zika, the first mosquito-borne virus known to damage developing fetuses, has since disappeared from headlines, but world health officials fear its spread to new populations. In Angola, dozens of babies born with microcephaly since 2017 appear linked to the same strain of Zika that hit Latin America.

Express Scripts covers Amgen, Lilly migraine drugs, excludes Teva

Express Scripts Holding Co, one of the largest U.S. prescription benefits managers, will cover new migraine drugs from Eli Lilly and Amgen Inc, but exclude a rival medication from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd after price negotiations with all three manufacturers. The decision represents a setback for Israel-based Teva, which is in the midst of a corporate restructuring and had hoped to capture a sizable share of the multibillion-dollar migraine market. Express Scripts is also taking steps to limit the use of the Amgen and Lilly migraine drugs to patients it says are most likely to benefit from them.

The U.S. prepares for biggest-ever Agent Orange cleanup in Vietnam

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday visited a former American air base in southern Vietnam that will soon become the biggest-ever U.S. cleanup site for contamination left by the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Standing near a skull-and-crossbones warning sign meant to keep people away from toxic soil, Mattis was briefed by Vietnamese officials about the massive contamination area.

HIV prevention drugs could dramatically cut new infections

An HIV-prevention drug pill, dubbed PrEP, dramatically reduced new infections in a large group of high-risk gay men, Australian researchers report. Although HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) had been shown to be effective in past clinical trials, the Australian researchers write in The Lancet HIV that the current study looks at the impact of the medication in a more real-world situation.

Exclusive: Science journal to withdraw chronic fatigue review amid patient activist complaints

A respected science journal is to withdraw a much-cited review of evidence on an illness known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) amid fierce criticism and pressure from activists and patients. The decision, described by the scientists involved as "disproportionate and poorly justified", is being seen as a victory for activists in a research field plagued by uncertainty and dispute over whether CFS, also known as myalgic encephalopathy (ME), has physical and psychological elements.

(With inputs from Reuters)

(With inputs from agencies.)