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Health

South African civil groups warn of dire impact as US phases out HIV program funding

Mogomotsi Magome, The Associated Press 4 minute read 2:00 PM CDT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Civil society organizations in South Africa said Wednesday that adolescent girls and women are among the first vulnerable groups to feel the pinch of U.S. foreign aid cuts as the Trump administration phases out its more than $400 million support annually for the country’s HIV programs.

The U.S. State Department has said that it would “begin a phased drawdown” of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, a program that has supported South Africa’s battle against HIV and AIDS for the last 20 years and is widely credited with saving more than 20 million lives over that period.

The phasing out of most programs is expected to be completed by the end of September, with critical personnel support continuing through March next year, according to the U.S. State Department.

South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV, with approximately 8 million people, or about 12.7 % of its 63 million population.

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Health

Deadly neglect lawsuits and fines follow Ohio nursing home chain

Jake Zuckerman/signal Ohio, The Associated Press 13 minute read 1:42 PM CDT

A pressure ulcer slowly tore open a hole in the skin over Sam Frank Ray’s tailbone, leaving his raw bone exposed over weeks to the infection that eventually killed him, according to a lawsuit his family filed late last year.

Bedsores, the byproduct of cut-off blood circulation when the body lies still in one position for too long, are considered highly preventable injuries. They can be avoided by repositioning an immobilized person once every two hours. But they can turn lethal if they’re allowed to progress.

Ray’s lawyers say he was left in the same position through 33 separate eight-hour shifts in September 2024. Staff failed to reposition him and take him to the toilet, instead directing him to use adult diapers and await being changed, likely increasing his infection risk, the lawsuit alleges.

Ray’s family didn’t know anything was wrong until he was hospitalized as the infection spiraled out of control, according to Michael Hill, a lawyer representing Ray’s family. The family’s lawsuit against the Arbors at Sylvania, in Toledo, is pending.

Health

Judge temporarily blocks subpoenas in criminal probe of transgender care at New York hospitals

Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Judge temporarily blocks subpoenas in criminal probe of transgender care at New York hospitals

Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 1:39 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge temporarily blocked federal prosecutors in Texas from getting access to the medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals on Wednesday, saying they were part of an improper government effort to “demonize and eradicate an entire population of transgender” people.

Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled a day after hearing oral arguments in Manhattan, calling the government's pursuit of the most sensitive medical records of a “uniquely vulnerable group” of patients treated over a six-year period to be “most egregious” and unconstitutional.

Failla accused the Justice Department of turning to criminal probes as a way to obtain otherwise private records about those undergoing transgender care after judges across the country repeatedly rejected similar requests through civil means.

The Justice Department had sought the records as part of a probe of potential “misbranding” of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Updated: 1:39 PM CDT

Health

Montreal man sentenced to three years for weight-loss product scam in U.S.

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Montreal man sentenced to three years for weight-loss product scam in U.S.

The Canadian Press 2 minute read 6:39 AM CDT

MADISON - A Montreal man convicted earlier this year of a fraudulent weight loss product scam in the United States has been sentenced to three years in prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says Michel Poirier pleaded guilty in March for his role in a mass marketing fraud scheme from 2011 to 2016.

It says Poirier would use American printing companies to handle mass mailings of brochures promoting bogus weight-loss products.

The attorney's office says companies that printed and mailed the brochures would receive bad cheques, and Poirier would stop answering calls and emails.

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6:39 AM CDT

Health

French health ministry confirms Ebola virus in doctor who worked in Congo

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

French health ministry confirms Ebola virus in doctor who worked in Congo

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 7:42 AM CDT

PARIS (AP) — A positive case of Ebola virus has been identified in France in a doctor traveling back from Congo, the French Ministry of Health said Wednesday.

The individual, who has not been identified, returned from a humanitarian mission in one of the virus transmission zones in Congo and was taken into care at a specialized facility in France. The person is in stable condition, the ministry said.

The Congolese health ministry said Wednesday there are 1,094 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 277 confirmed deaths. The Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no vaccines or treatment, has been the worst ever in terms of case numbers in its first month.

Officials admit there could be far more cases they don’t know about and the peak of the outbreak, which was declared May 15, could still lie ahead.

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Updated: 7:42 AM CDT

Health

When a rip current sucks you out to sea, try not to panic

Javier Arciga, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

When a rip current sucks you out to sea, try not to panic

Javier Arciga, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 9:45 AM CDT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — To someone who is getting sucked out to sea by a rip current, “Don’t panic!” may be difficult to heed, even if that’s exactly what you should do. But lifeguards say to not only relax but flip over and float out of the danger.

Rip currents are one of the coast’s greatest dangers and account for the most beach rescues every year. About 100 people drown from rip currents along U.S. beaches each year, according to the United States Lifesaving Association. And more than 80% of beach rescues annually involve rip currents.

Already this year, there have been at least 21 people killed from rip currents in U.S. waters, according to the National Weather Service.

Here are some things to know about rip currents:

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Updated: 9:45 AM CDT

Health

COVID-19 vaccine study that was blocked from CDC journal is published elsewhere

Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

COVID-19 vaccine study that was blocked from CDC journal is published elsewhere

Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:27 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A study on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness has finally been published after being blocked from a government health journal.

The vaccine was found to be about 55% effective against COVID-19-associated hospitalizations, and reduced COVID-19-related trips to emergency departments and urgent care clinics by 50%, according to the study published Tuesday by JAMA Network Open.

The findings are not particularly surprising: Researchers have repeatedly found that COVID-19 vaccines work. But the paper drew public attention after Trump administration political appointees decided not to run it in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publication.

They argued that the study's design was too vulnerable to false assumptions that could produce flawed results. But many public health researchers maintain it's a reliable design that's been used for decades and offers the best way to understand how well a vaccine is working currently.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:27 PM CDT

Health

Health Canada approves weight-loss drug for sleep apnea in patients with obesity

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Health Canada approves weight-loss drug for sleep apnea in patients with obesity

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press 4 minute read 7:16 AM CDT

TORONTO - Health Canada has approved weight-loss drug Zepbound for treating obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

The department confirmed that the authorization granted on June 11 makes Zepbound the only GLP-1 drug in Canada approved for the sleep disorder that causes people to stop breathing temporarily because their upper airway is blocked.   

That blockage can happen when throat muscles relax or when there is too much fatty tissue around the upper airway.  

Sleep apnea causes daytime sleepiness and other potential risks including high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes, said Dr. Mandeep Singh, a clinician investigator in sleep science at University Health Network in Toronto. 

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7:16 AM CDT

Environment

Looser federal rules on pesticides will erode Canada’s trade access: senator

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Looser federal rules on pesticides will erode Canada’s trade access: senator

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read 3:00 AM CDT

OTTAWA - Canada's goal of boosting trade with countries outside the United States could be thwarted by its new pesticide rules, a senator warns.

Bill C-30, an omnibus bill implementing the spring economic update, passed both the House of Commons and the Senate last week.

The legislation includes a change to Canada's Pest Control Products Act that allows cabinet to override Health Canada and authorize the use of banned pesticides in the interest of economic or national food security, or in response to "seriously detrimental infestation." Ban exemptions can last for up to six years.

Sen. Rosa Galvez, an expert in pollution and its effects on human health, said the change works against the government's goal of diversifying trade.

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3:00 AM CDT

Health

Hospitals denied miscarriage care despite clarification to abortion ban, federal complaint alleges

Eleanor Klibanoff/the Texas Tribune, The Associated Press 15 minute read Yesterday at 4:10 PM CDT

There came a point when the chills, fever and cramps were so intense that Lynn Callaway thought she might die.

Callaway was having a miscarriage, and had developed an infection. She wanted abortion-inducing medication or surgery to help empty her uterus and bring her suffering to an end. But, in a federal complaint filed Monday, Callaway says she’d already been refused that type of care at two Austin area emergency rooms, and felt she had no choice but to endure alone at home.

Her husband, Mario, was unwilling to accept that his otherwise healthy 40-year-old wife was suddenly wan and bleeding on the floor, while their young son watched in alarm. He wanted to take her to New Mexico or Colorado to get the care they say they were wrongfully denied in Texas. But she was too weak to sustain the trip.

When they finally saw her doctor days later, Callaway was prescribed abortion-inducing drugs to pass the miscarriage. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, Callaway said when she pressed her doctor on why it had taken three medical facilities four days to treat her, she was told the emergency room would “have to be damned sure that it’s an actual miscarriage to be offering the pill.”

Health

Michigan forgives $200M in medical debt

Eli Newman/bridge Michigan, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 11:46 AM CDT

Michigan took another step Monday in its effort to eliminate medical debt for thousands of residents.

The state announced it would wipe out $74 million in medical debt for 71,871 individuals. It’s the second round of a program that began last year, when the state said it would help residents erase more than $144 million in medical debt.

The move comes amid a bipartisan push to offer patients more protections from collections by keeping them from going underwater on their hospital bills.

Officials say more than $200 million in medical debt has been forgiven for roughly 280,000 Michiganders since the program launched last year.

Environment

How a heat dome is formed and why experts blame one for Europe’s baking temperatures

Alexa St. John, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

How a heat dome is formed and why experts blame one for Europe’s baking temperatures

Alexa St. John, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 7:07 AM CDT

Europe is sizzling under an early heat wave this week, with millions of people experiencing extremely high temperatures, and experts say a phenomenon known as a heat dome is to blame.

Here's what to know.

What is a heat dome?

Heat domes are essentially high-pressure systems that remain stationary for a few days, trapping dangerous heat and humidity, said Mireia Ginesta, a research associate at the Climate Litigation Lab at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

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Updated: 7:07 AM CDT

Health

Judge rules government can’t stop SNAP dollars from buying candy and sugary drinks

Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Judge rules government can’t stop SNAP dollars from buying candy and sugary drinks

Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:46 PM CDT

The federal government can't block benefits from the nation's largest food aid program from being used to buy candy, soda and other sugary drinks, a judge ruled.

Monday's ruling scuttles restrictions now in place or planned for the federally funded and state-run Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 23 states. President Donald Trump's administration has not said whether it will appeal to a higher court.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who sits in Washington and was nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama, said in her opinion that the ruling was because the federal government did not follow its own definition of “food.” She said it wasn't a comment on whether the restrictions are a good idea.

“The federal defendants and the states may have a genuine desire to improve the health of SNAP households by encouraging healthy choices at the store, and they can take lawful steps to meet those goals,” she wrote. “But what they cannot do is violate the law and their own regulations along the way.”

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:46 PM CDT

Health

Justice Department announces hundreds of charges in multi-billion-dollar healthcare fraud crackdown

Eric Tucker, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Justice Department announces hundreds of charges in multi-billion-dollar healthcare fraud crackdown

Eric Tucker, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:20 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced criminal charges Tuesday against 455 people as part of a two-week healthcare fraud crackdown that officials say involved more than $6.5 billion in false claims submitted to insurers.

Among those charged is a nurse practitioner accused in Texas of billing Medicare for medically unnecessary wound-care procedures and using the proceeds for fancy jewelry and luxury cars; a mental health company owner who prosecutors say targeted the homeless by billing for crisis stabilization services they did not receive; and a hospice owner alleged to have paid kickbacks to a funeral home employee for information about deceased Medicare beneficiaries.

A heart doctor, meanwhile, is charged in Florida in an $89 million healthcare fraud scheme, accused of billing insurers for medically unnecessary cardiovascular screening tests for college student-athletes and then rubber-stamping the results as normal without personally reviewing them.

The doctor, Jason Finkelstein, 53, faces charges of healthcare fraud and conspiracy in what prosecutors describe as a yearslong scheme that preyed on the fears of athletes that they could die on playing fields or courts of sudden cardiac arrest. Athletes with no preexisting conditions who were concerned about being cleared to compete were administered tests they did not need and, in one case, a patient whose results were falsely certified as normal later died after his significant heart problems were undetected, the indictment says.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:20 PM CDT

Health

Nova Scotia failing to properly oversee addictions, mental health care, says auditor

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Nova Scotia failing to properly oversee addictions, mental health care, says auditor

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 7:14 AM CDT

HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's auditor general says the Office of Addictions and Mental Health has failed to provide effective oversight of mental health and addiction services and its staff were not aware of all provincially funded centres offering care.

In response to a rise in mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government created the office with a dedicated minister in 2021. Five years later, auditor general Kim Adair said the office has insufficient oversight and responsibility for mental health and addiction services — despite its role in setting policy direction and care standards.

"We're concerned that five years in, some of these fundamental aspects which we would expect to be in place by now are not there," Adair told reporters Tuesday.

The audit found the province has spent close to $1 billion on mental health addiction services over the past three years; however, Adair found that the office did not set up standards for access to services to ensure consistent and equitable mental health and addictions care.

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Updated: 7:14 AM CDT

Health

Kenya’s health minister orders suspension of construction on a US-backed Ebola facility

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Kenya’s health minister orders suspension of construction on a US-backed Ebola facility

The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 9:34 AM CDT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s health minister on Tuesday ordered the suspension of the construction of an Ebola quarantine center for Americans, a day after he was held in contempt by a court that had halted the project.

Trump administration officials had said that the United States was planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home.

In May, the high court had ordered the construction of the center to be halted pending a determination of the case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and the constitutional watchdog, the Katiba Institute, which argued that Kenya’s fragile health system was unable to handle a potential Ebola outbreak.

Construction continued despite the order, and locals held a series of protests in which three people died.

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Yesterday at 9:34 AM CDT

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