Health News Roundup: Risk to humans from H5N1 bird flu remains low but we must prepare - WHO; World should 'calm down' about China COVID variants - Chinese scientist and more

As of Wednesday, Malawi had recorded 40,284 cholera cases and 1,316 deaths in an outbreak that started in March 2022, with the country averaging over 500 new cases every day, Charles Mwansambo told a briefing organised by the World Health Organisation's Africa office. Elon Musk's Neuralink may have illegally transported pathogens, animal advocates say An animal-welfare organization said it plans to ask a U.S. government agency on Thursday to investigate Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink over records it said show potentially illegal movement of hazardous pathogens.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Risk to humans from H5N1 bird flu remains low but we must prepare - WHO

The recent spread to mammals of H5N1 influenza - commonly known as bird flu - needs to be monitored, but the risk to humans remains low, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. H5N1 has spread among poultry and wild birds for 25 years, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in a virtual briefing, but the recent reports of infections in mink, otters and sealions "need to be monitored closely".

World should 'calm down' about China COVID variants - Chinese scientist

The world should "calm down" about the possibility of new COVID-19 variants circulating in China, leading Chinese scientist George Gao said. A paper by Gao and colleagues published in the Lancet medical journal on Wednesday showed that no new variants had emerged in the initial weeks of China's recent outbreak, after the end of its zero-COVID policy saw a huge wave of cases.

AstraZeneca goes for growth with new drugs as COVID sales wane

AstraZeneca on Thursday forecast growth in 2023 earnings and revenue as the British drugmaker seeks to offset declining sales of COVID-19 medicines with its cancer, metabolic and rare disease drugs. Its shares rose 5% to be the second-best performer on London's blue-chip FTSE 100 index in early trade, on track for their best day in a year.

U.S. House votes to end foreign air traveler COVID vaccine requirement

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the few remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place. The vote was 227 to 201 with seven Democrats joining Republicans. No Republicans voted against the bill.

CVS digs into primary care with $9.5 billion Oak Street Health deal

CVS Health Corp will buy Oak Street Health Inc for about $9.5 billion in cash, joining rivals in adding primary care to its portfolio as pressure mounts on its health insurance business. Oak Street is losing money and not expected to contribute to CVS earnings for years, but analysts said the deal is strategically sound and shares of the multi-business company were up 4.5%.

Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official

The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has crossed 1,300, a senior Malawian health official said on Thursday, as the southern African country battles its deadliest outbreak yet. As of Wednesday, Malawi had recorded 40,284 cholera cases and 1,316 deaths in an outbreak that started in March 2022, with the country averaging over 500 new cases every day, Charles Mwansambo told a briefing organised by the World Health Organisation's Africa office.

Elon Musk's Neuralink may have illegally transported pathogens, animal advocates say

An animal-welfare organization said it plans to ask a U.S. government agency on Thursday to investigate Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink over records it said show potentially illegal movement of hazardous pathogens. The Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine (PCRM) said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was shared with Reuters, that it has obtained emails and other documents that suggest unsafe packaging and movement of implants removed from the brains of monkeys. These implants may have carried infectious diseases in violation of federal law, PCRM said.

Factbox-Abortion battles in U.S. state capitols to watch in 2023

Battles over abortion are heating up in state capitol buildings across the United States as lawmakers wrestle with how much to restrict or expand abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. Here is a snapshot of state legislation seeking to ban or protect abortion access in 2023.

Why Europe's drug shortages may get worse

When Ignasi Biosca-Reig heard there were shortages of amoxicillin in Spain, he quickly added shifts at his drug company's factories to boost production of the popular antibiotic. But a few extra shifts was as far as he could go. Much as he would have liked to significantly increase supplies, Biosca-Reig said he couldn't justify investing millions of euros in new production lines unless he was paid more for the generic drug to cover sharply rising costs.

AbbVie's 2023 profit forecast misses as Humira faces heat from rivals

AbbVie Inc on Thursday forecast 2023 profit below Wall Street expectations, in the first outlook since its blockbuster arthritis drug Humira faced competition from cheaper biosimilars in the United States early this year. The company said it expected adjusted profit in the range of $10.70 to $11.10 per share for the full year, compared with analysts' average estimate of $11.65, according to Refinitiv IBES data.