Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
WHO Labels Hepatitis As World's Second Most Deadly Infectious Disease
More than 6,000 people a day are infected with viral hepatitis — and progress fighting the disease has stalled, a recently released World Health Organization report suggests. The analysis, released at the World Hepatitis Summit in Lisbon this month, looks at the burden of viral hepatitis in 187 countries and assesses the world’s progress toward eliminating the disease. (Blakemore, 4/14)
Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out the "revolutionary" new Men5CV vaccine against meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Nigeria is one of the hotspots of the deadly disease in Africa. Last year, a 50% rise in annual cases was reported across 26 African countries regarded as meningitis hyperendemic countries, according to the WHO. (Adetayo, 4/13)
Mexican public health officials are sounding an alarm after a study discovered the presence of animal tranquilizer Xylazine in opioids in cities on the country's northwest border with the United States. Known popularly in English by names like "tranq dope" and "zombie drug," Xylazine cut into heroin and fentanyl has in recent years worsened the opioid scourge in U.S. cities like Philadelphia. (O'Boyle, 4/12)
South Africa's health regulator said on Saturday it is recalling batches of Johnson & Johnson's children's cough syrup after detection of high levels of diethylene glycol. The affected batches were sold in South Africa, Eswatini, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria, the statement added. (4/13)
