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Florida Health Department Investigates Possible Local Zika Transmission

(Reuters) – Florida health officials said on Tuesday they are investigating a case of Zika virus infection that does not appear to have stemmed from travel to another region with an outbreak. The statement from the Florida Department of Health did not specify whether the Zika case was believed to have been transmitted via mosquito bite, sexual contact or other means. The department also reiterated guidance to Florida residents on protecting themselves from mosquitoes that may carry the virus.

China approves use of GSK vaccine Cervarix for cervical cancer

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Monday the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has approved its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Cervarix, for use in the country to help women fight cervical cancer. GSK's China unit said in a statement Cervarix will be the first HPV vaccine licensed for use in the country and is expected to be launched there in early 2017. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women aged between 15 to 44 years in China, with an estimated 130,000 new cases each year, it said.

Golf-Stenson wants to turn tables on Mickelson

By Larry King TROON, Scotland, July 16 (Reuters) – Henrik Stenson will start the final round of the British Open leading the championship, and trying not to think about how it’s going to end. “Thoughts of outcome are never really helping you,” he said at a news conference after his third round at Royal Troon, where he gained a one shot advantage over American Phil Mickelson. There’s no question about it.” Stenson’s one-shot lead puts the 40-year-old Swede as close as he’s ever been to winning his first major.

Cricket-Golf’s Rio exodus may hit sport’s Olympic prospects – ICC

High-profile withdrawals of male golfers from next month’s Rio Games might damage cricket’s chances of becoming an Olympic sport, fears the International Cricket Council (ICC). Golf’s return to Olympics for the first time since 1904 has been hit by big-name male withdrawals over health concerns triggered by the outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil. The top four male golfers in the world — Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy — have pulled out and ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson fears a ripple effect.

Take precautions during laser hair removal, researchers advise

By Marilynn Larkin (Reuters Health) – The smelly “burning hair” smoke released during laser hair removal could be a health hazard, especially for people with heavy exposure to it, researchers report. The smoke contains chemicals that irritate the airways and are known to cause cancer, Dr. Gary Chuang told Reuters Health by email. Chuang, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues also measured the concentrations of very fine particles in the plume that could be easily inhaled.

Shire on a roll as U.S. approves keenly awaited eye drug

Shire has won U.S. approval for its most important new medicine, a treatment for dry eyes, in a fresh boost for the company which completed its $32 billion acquisition of U.S. rare diseases specialist Baxalta last month. The Dublin-based drugmaker has been a big stock market winner following Britain's decision to leave the European Union, benefiting from the strength of the dollar against sterling and investor demand for defensive sectors like pharmaceuticals. Shire shares — already up a fifth since the UK referendum on June 23 — gained another 4 percent on Tuesday on news the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved lifitegrast eye drops for treating signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.

Uruguay wins case against US tobacco firm

Uruguay won an arbitration case against US tobacco giant Philip Morris, which sued the state claiming its strict anti-tobacco law harmed the cigarette maker's business, both sides said. “The Uruguayan state has emerged victorious and the tobacco company's claims have been roundly rejected,” Uruguayan President Tabara Vasquez said in a televised address. Philip Morris reacted by saying “we respect” the verdict, which is binding in any case.

Strasbourg, Lyon join race to snatch EMA from London after Brexit

Officials from the cities of Strasbourg and Lyon are pressing France to wrest the European Medicines Agency (EMA) from London following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. The EMA approves medicines for all EU countries and employs 890 people including temporary staff. Philippe Richert, president of Grand Est regional council in eastern France, urged President Francois Hollande in a July 1 letter to call for the EMA to be headquartered in Strasbourg.

U.S. lawsuit: A McDonald’s worker was fired for being HIV-positive

In its complaint against Mathews Management Co and Peach Orchard Inc, the EEOC said the worker was fired in February 2015 after admitting to the restaurant's general manager to having had “an interest” in a co-worker, and telling that co-worker about his HIV-positive status. The EEOC said the fired worker had been questioned a week earlier by his shift manager, and told he might lose his job because the defendants had previously fired a female worker who was also HIV-positive. “People with HIV face enough obstacles in their lives,” said Katharine Kores, an EEOC district director in Memphis, which has jurisdiction over Arkansas, in a statement.