Latest Epidemics News
Elevated opioid risks found at Native American hospitals
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — U.S. government hospitals put Native American patients at increased risk for opioid abuse and overdoses, failing to follow their own protocols for prescribing and dispensing the drugs, according to a federal audit made public Monday. The report by the U.S. Department of Health and...
Revamped OxyContin was supposed to reduce abuse, but has it?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Raeford Brown was uniquely positioned to help the U.S. government answer a critical question: Is a new version of the painkiller OxyContin helping fight the national opioid epidemic? An expert in pain treatment at the University of Kentucky, Brown led a panel of outside experts...
Congo's health minister quits over Ebola response changes
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo's Health Minister Oly Ilunga resigned from his post Monday to protest the president's decision to take over management of the response to the Ebola outbreak. "Following the president's decision to manage the Ebola epidemic at his level, I handed in my resignation as...
The Latest: Drugmaker: Email does not reflect company stance
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Latest on filings in a case in which local governments seek to hold the drug industry accountable for a nationwide opioid crisis (all times local): 9:50 p.m. A drugmaker says an email from a former employee telling a distributor to order more opioids even if they weren't needed is...
Oklahoma County seeking lawsuit against opioid manufacturers
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma County has joined over 50 other cities and counties in the state to prosecute drug companies for damages caused by the opioid epidemic. All three county commissioners voted Wednesday to approve a contract with the Fulmer Sill law firm to sue opioid manufacturers, The Oklahoman...
Number of US overdose deaths appears to be falling
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. overdose deaths last year likely fell for the first time in nearly three decades, preliminary numbers suggest. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday posted data showing nearly 68,000 drug overdose deaths were reported last year. The number may go up as more...
Ebola outbreak in Congo declared a global health emergency
GENEVA (AP) — The deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo is now an international health emergency, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday after a case was confirmed in a city of 2 million people . A WHO expert committee declined on three previous occasions to advise the United Nations health agency to...
Universities in Virginia form group to fight opioid epidemic
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Virginia's Old Dominion University has joined with four other universities in the state to help fight the opioid epidemic. The school in Norfolk said in a statement last week that the five universities have teamed up with Virginia's Department of Behavioral Health and Development...
Congo tracing contacts of first Ebola case in eastern city
BENI, Congo (AP) — After feeling sick for several days the pastor boarded a bus to eastern Congo's largest city. Only upon arrival at his destination did anyone suspect he had the highly deadly and infectious Ebola virus. During his trip to Goma, the 46-year-old preacher managed to pass through three...
The Latest: US, EU promise support to tackle Ebola
BENI, Congo (AP) — The Latest on Ebola (all times local): 2:55 p.m. The top U.S. diplomat in Geneva says the United States will "provide more in the coming months" to help respond to the Ebola outbreak, while the European Union ambassador says the bloc will examine possibilities to scale up its response....
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