The Health News USA December 11 2017

• Officials in North Carolina confirmed an outbreak of the norovirus on Thursday after about 60 college students reported related symptoms. The Wake County Human Services Department identified the presence of the disease and a statement released Friday by the North Carolina State University said some students began experiencing symptoms on Tuesday. Norovirus is a contagious virus that causes stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea.
• The trade group representing U.S. drugmakers on Friday said it has a filed a lawsuit to stop California from implementing a law aimed at reining in prescription drug prices. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), in a statement, said it filed litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California challenging a state law requiring drug manufacturers to give notice and a justification for price increases of certain drugs. The law, Senate Bill 17 , was signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown in October and is set to take effect January 1, 2019.
• Health officials say the flu vaccine seems well matched to the viruses making people sick, but it’s too early to tell how bad this season will be. The main flu bug this season tends to cause more deaths and hospitalizations and vaccines tend not to work as well against this type. Flu began picking up last month. By the end of last week, seven states reported widespread flu activity: Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Virginia.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 11th of December 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/12/08/outbreak-norovirus-on-north-carolina-college-campus-confirmed-officials-say.html

Officials in North Carolina confirmed an outbreak of the norovirus on Thursday after about sixty college students reported related symptoms. The Wake County Human Services Department identified the presence of the disease and a statement released Friday by the North Carolina State University said some students began experiencing symptoms on Tuesday.

Norovirus is a contagious virus that causes stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea. The most effective way to stop the spread is to practice good hand-washing and personal hygiene.   
According to the school’s statement, most of the sick students resided in Alexander Hall but school officials determined that other reported cases existed in multiple locations both on- and off-campus. WRAL has reported that in order to curb the spread of the disease, the university said it’s working to provide proper food and care to affected students, as well as increasing scheduled cleanings of contaminated areas and providing students with cleaning supplies to reduce the spread of the disease. Additionally, they’ve reportedly told sick students to stay in their residences to prevent others from catching the illness.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-drugpricing-california/drug-industry-group-sues-to-stop-california-drug-price-law-idUSKBN1E301W

The trade group representing U.S. drugmakers on Friday said it has a filed a lawsuit to stop California from implementing a law aimed at reining in prescription drug prices. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), in a statement, said it filed litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California challenging a state law requiring drug manufacturers to give notice and a justification for price increases of certain drugs. The law, Senate Bill seventeen, was signed by California Governor Jerry Brown in October and is set to take effect January one, two thousand nineteen.

The law requires drug manufacturers to give sixty days notice if prices rise more than sixteen percent over a two-year period. California’s legislation is seen as a model that other states may follow after steep price hikes by some companies.

PhRMA said California’s statute “attempts to dictate national health care policy related to drug prices in violation of the United States Constitution.” It is seeking to have the law declared unconstitutional on the grounds that it attempts to regulate beyond the state’s borders and because it is too vague.

The lawsuit also names Robert David, director of the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, who could not be immediately reached for comment. The group has also sued the state of Nevada, which in June enacted a measure requiring diabetes drugmakers that have raised list prices by a certain amount to disclose profits and other information or face a fine of five thousand dollars a day.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/us-flu-season-off-early-start-widespread-states-51672181

This year’s flu season is off to a quick start and so far it seems to be dominated by a nasty bug.
Health officials say the flu vaccine seems well matched to the viruses making people sick, but it’s too early to tell how bad this season will be. The main flu bug this season tends to cause more deaths and hospitalizations and vaccines tend not to work as well against this type.

Flu began picking up last month. By the end of last week, seven states reported widespread flu activity: Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Virginia.
Most flu seasons don’t really get going until around Christmas. That’s how last year’s flu season played out. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the latest data Friday.