Zika Fears, Opioid Abuse Crisis Top Health News for 2016

Zika Fears, Opioid Abuse Disaster Prime Well being Information for 2016

By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Dec. 29, 2016 (HealthDay Information) -- When information stories first started to emerge of mysterious, extreme start defects in Brazilian newborns, few might have imagined these remoted tragedies would explode into the main well being information story of 2016: the Zika virus.

Quickly, these few Brazilian instances of microcephaly -- infants born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains -- grew to change into hundreds. Medical doctors shortly made the hyperlink between maternal an infection with mosquito-borne Zika in being pregnant, and toddler microcephaly and different neurological points.

In the US, officers on the federal Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) went on excessive alert because the summer time mosquito season superior. Instances of an infection within the Miami space and the Texas-Mexico border led to journey alerts for pregnant girls, together with recommendation for avoiding mosquito bites.

By autumn, the Zika panic had begun to subside -- the CDC lifted its Miami advisory though one other for Brownsville, Texas, stays. In November, the World Well being Group declared Zika to be a power risk -- very similar to different mosquito-borne scourges -- however now not a world well being emergency. Progress towards efficient vaccines appears promising, scientists reported.

Nevertheless, the risk stays actual, and simply final Thursday the CDC mentioned it had earmarked one other $184 million to assist forestall and combat Zika.

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When music icon Prince died in June from an overdose of the potent opioid painkiller fentanyl, his passing marked one other low level within the ongoing U.S. epidemic of opioid abuse.

In line with the CDC, greater than 2 million Individuals at the moment are addicted to those medicine, which additionally embrace Oxycontin, Vicodin and heroin. Greater than 14,000 individuals die annually in the US from prescription opioid overdoses, the company mentioned.

Even the smallest youngsters aren't secure: CDC statistics present a fourfold rise between 1999 and 2013 of infants born with opioid withdrawal signs.

Struggling to curb the epidemic, the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) in Could authorized an implant aimed toward serving to addicts stop. And the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in October mandated vital cuts within the manufacturing of opioid painkillers.

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It was a troublesome 12 months for Obamacare, even though about 19 million Individuals now have much-needed medical insurance protection below the controversial program. In late October, information arrived that premiums would rise by a median of 25 % -- at the same time as decisions of plans for customers shrank.

With the presidential victory of Donald Trump in November, the Reasonably priced Care Act's long-term future appears unsure. Nevertheless, a HealthDay/Harris Ballot performed simply after the election discovered that assist for repeal of the legislation is waning -- 43 % of respondents now need to see this system amended however not repealed, up from 30 % earlier than the election.

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The previous 12 months noticed the recognition of e-cigarettes proceed to develop, particularly among the many younger. A CDC report issued in July discovered that three % of Individuals now "vape" commonly, with use highest amongst these aged 18 to 24.

However, removed from being a "more healthy" different to conventional cigarettes, teenagers who commonly vape usually tend to transfer on to frequent and heavy tobacco smoking, in response to a examine launched in November.

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Sticker shock over prescription drug pricing additionally rocked the American public in 2016.

Some examples: newly authorized hepatitis C medicine have been priced at $1,000 per tablet; the producers of the allergy-rescue gadget EpiPen boosted its worth sixfold; and Turing Prescribed drugs sparked outrage when it raised the value of a generic anti-infection drug, Daraprim, from $13.50 to greater than $750 per tablet.

Many Individuals noticed these actions as little greater than price-gouging. A HealthDay/Harris Ballot performed in October discovered that 81 % of respondents mentioned they now favored worth controls or caps on medical medicine and units.

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One longtime dinner-table staple, the salt shaker, additionally had a decidedly shaky 12 months in 2016. A Canadian examine launched in Could upset conventional knowledge, suggesting low-salt weight loss program would possibly include its personal well being dangers.

However the FDA quickly repeated its warning that the majority Individuals eat far an excessive amount of sodium than is sweet for them. And in October, a 25-year examine supported that notion, linking reductions in day by day salt consumption to longer life span.

Different well being information making headlines in 2016:

• In Could, the FDA launched its long-awaited revision to the "Vitamin Information" label on packaged meals. The redesign shifted the main focus to extra "life like" portion sizes, in addition to an emphasis on added sugars.
• The burgeoning recognition -- and risks -- of testosterone dietary supplements have been within the highlight once more. One examine launched in February discovered that the hormone does little for males's well being, exterior of boosting some males's flagging intercourse drive. And in October, the FDA warned that abuse of the dietary supplements might help trigger coronary heart assaults, character adjustments and infertility.
• Individuals additionally discovered extra in 2016 in regards to the long-term mind injury from concussions -- typically linked to contact sports activities resembling soccer. One report in July discovered a doubling of reported concussions in U.S. children, though higher analysis could also be behind the development. And in December, the U.S. Supreme Court docket upheld a $1 billion settlement in a concussion-related lawsuit that would profit 20,000 retired Nationwide Soccer League gamers. The settlement is meant for the long-term care of gamers with dementias and different points linked to move accidents suffered throughout their careers.

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