Health
Texas woman files lawsuit asking court to allow emergency abortion // A Texas woman on Tuesday asked a court to allow her to obtain an abortion despite the state's near-total ban on the procedure, saying her fetus was likely not viable and her continued pregnancy threatened her health.


#U.S. & 2 other topics
Alcohol taxes aren't high enough, says World Health Organisation // The World Health Organisation urged governments on Tuesday to increase taxes on alcoholic drinks and impose them on products that are currently exempt, such as wine in some European countries.


#World#Health
Oldest mosquito fossil comes with a bloodsucking surprise // Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are killed annually by malaria and other diseases spread through the bite of mosquitoes, insects that date back to the age of dinosaurs. All of these bites are inflicted by females, which possess specialized mouth anatomy that their male counterparts lack.


#Sci/Tech#Health
More than 15,900 Palestinians killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 -Palestinian health minister // More than 15,900 Palestinians, including 250 health workers, have been killed in Gaza since the outbreak of war on Oct. 7, the Palestinian health minister said on Tuesday.
The number of dead is steadily rising despite international calls for Israeli forces to limit civilian harm in the new phase of its military offensive in Gaza that began on Dec. 1 when a truce with Hamas collapsed, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila told a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah.


#World#Health
Eli Lilly's obesity drug now available in U.S. pharmacies // Eli Lilly on Tuesday said its recently approved obesity treatment Zepbound is now available in U.S. pharmacies and could cost $550 a month for customers whose health insurance does not cover the drug, or half the list price.


#U.S. & 2 other topics
LaPorte, Texas, issues shelter in place after Altivia plant leaks toxic gas // Eight people were taken to a hospital for treatment on Monday after a toxic gas leak at Altivia Chemicals' plant in La Porte, Texas, local officials said.
An update on their condition was not immediately available. The city canceled a shelter-in-place order in the afternoon that had affected several nearby industrial plants, officials said.


#U.S.#Health
WHO board to hold emergency meeting on Gaza health situation // The World Health Organization's executive board will hold a rare emergency session on Dec. 10 to discuss the health crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, with the Palestinian envoy seeking more medical aid and access for foreign healthcare workers.


#World#Health
In Argentina, land of the gaucho, a home for unloved old horses // Lorena Melantoni dedicates her weekends running a sanctuary for abused and abandoned horses, an issue in the South American nation known for its polo and stallion-riding gauchos.
"I am an option for these old horses, ones with disabilities, amputated horses, or one-eyed horses that nobody wants to take for adoption," Melantoni told Reuters. "They stay with me from the moment they arrive until they pass."


#World#Health
US Supreme Court set to review Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement // U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday struggled over whether to approve OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy settlement, voicing concern the deal would shield its wealthy Sackler family owners from lawsuits over their role in a deadly opioid epidemic while also worrying that scuttling it could harm victims.


#U.S. & 2 other topics
Palestinian-American student shot in Vermont is paralyzed // One of the three college students of Palestinian descent who were shot in Vermont last month is paralyzed from the chest down after a bullet lodged in his spine, the student's family said.


#U.S. & 2 other topics