Current Events

The National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria set a goal of reducing inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use by 50% by 2020.¹ A recent study^{Read more . . .}

Nurse Nina Pham settled her lawsuit Monday against Texas Health Resources, owner of the hospital where she contracted Ebola while caring for the first person in the United States diagnosed with the deadly disease.

The deal was signed exactly two years after Pham was declared free of Ebola, although she still has health problems likely related to the disease and experimental treatments.

THR and Pham's attorneys Charla Aldous and Brent Walker released a brief joint statement to The Dallas Morning News: "Texas Health Resources and Ms. Pham have resolved the pending lawsuit, and wish the best for each other going forward. All parties have agreed the terms of the resolution are confidential and will not make additional statements or grant media interviews.
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Hyundai launched a recall for 62,811 units of the Sonata after discovering that the mid-size car's panoramic sunroof could fly off in traffic and careen into other vehicles.

The Korean automaker said it was not aware of any crashes or injuries that have occurred because of the defect.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling 2016 and 2017 Jeep Wrangler vehicles to address a problem that could prevent the SUV's airbags from deploying during a collision.

The problem stems from a wiring flaw associated with the vehicle's front impact sensor. Documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration explain that "Under certain crash conditions, rotation of the headlamp can cause the sensor wiring to pull and detach from the front impact sensor before a signal is recorded by the Occupant Restraint Controller...
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Scientists have been saying for years that polluting pharma plants are directly contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance. Now, it looks as if they could have hard evidence in India, the world's biggest antibiotic producer.

A hard-hitting report by campaigning organization Changing Markets says direct sampling of water from manufacturing sites operated by Aurobindo, Orchid Pharma and Asiatic Drugs and Pharmaceuticals has--for the first time--uncovered drug-resistant bacteria.

The researchers behind the work say the testing proves pharma pollution ranks alongside excessive consumption of antibiotics in human medicine and profligate use in livestock as a key driver for resistance. And their focus on Indian producers is warranted, as India is the world's largest maker--and consumer--of antibiotics.
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The Food and Drug Administration is investigating 10 infant deaths that may be related to use of homeopathic teething gels and tablets.

In addition, officials said, the agency has received numerous reports of seizures, difficulty breathing, lethargy, excessive sleepiness, muscle weakness and agitation after children were given homeopathic teething products.

The gels and tablets are used to blunt the discomfort felt by teething babies. The F.D.
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Customers have dwindled by the week at Indian Masala Hut, a curry stall in Singapore’s shipyard heartland. Manager K. Muralidoss blames the slump in oil rig-building that led to the elimination of thousands of jobs, many held by workers from India and Bangladesh.

“The lunchtime crowd has more than halved,” Muralidoss says, surveying the almost-empty Benoi Road food court, where only four of 12 hawker stalls were open one afternoon last week. As recently as September, he was busy filling orders from companies trying to sate hungry laborers working overtime.
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