Bird Flu Detected in Human; Pope Francis Hospitalized; Tranq Legislation Introduced

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Chile detected its first case of bird flu in a human, the country’s health ministry reported. (Reuters)

Equatorial Guinea confirmed a total of 13 cases of Marburg disease since the outbreak began last month. (Reuters)

Johnson & Johnson said it’s ending its adult RSV vaccine phase III trial.

Pope Francis has been hospitalized with a lung infection after experiencing difficulty breathing over the last few days. (USA Today)

Bipartisan legislation introduced into the House and Senate would make the animal tranquilizer xylazine — also known as tranq — a controlled substance. (CNN)

Health officials are increasingly concerned about the need for powerful new drugs to treat antibiotic-resistant infections. (NBC News)

Three active-duty service members are filing claims against the federal government about 19,000 gallons of jet fuel that leaked from a storage facility in Honolulu in 2021, some of which ended up in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam’s water supply system. (CBS News)

The Delaware Senate passed two pieces of legislation that will legalize recreational marijuana and allow dispensaries to grow and sell it. (Delaware Online)

Sen. John Fetterman (D) of Pennsylvania plans to return to the Senate the week of April 17 after more than a month of inpatient treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. (Politico)

The Kansas Senate passed a bill raising the legal age for buying tobacco in the state to 21. (The Hill)

UnitedHealth Group’s UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the U.S., is the latest company planning to cut its use of the prior authorization process. (Wall Street Journal).

Vermont legislators are considering making medical aid in dying law more accessible to non-residents of the state. (New York Times)

A Novo Nordisk official said that persons who discontinue the use of weight-loss drugs such as semaglutide (Wegovy) could regain all lost body weight in about 5 years. (Reuters)