Health Highlights: July 26, 2018

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

First IVF Baby Louise Brown Turns 40

It’s been 40 years since the birth of the first baby conceived through in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and there have been more than 8 million born since.

Louise Joy Brown, who was 5 pounds 12 ounces when she was born in the U.K. on July 25, 1978, made global headlines and gave new hope to infertile couples, the Washington Post reported.

Brown, whose also goes by her married name of Mullinder, told reporters this week in London that she was 4 when she learned that she was conceived via IVF.

Her mother was among about 280 women who were part of an IVF experiment. Only five of them became pregnant, and Brown was the only birth, the Post reported.

Today, IVF is a standard medical procedure that’s a key part of the multibillion-dollar fertility industry.

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Demi Lovato in Hospital After Drug Overdose

Pop singer Demi Lovato is in stable condition at a Los Angeles hospital after a drug overdose Tuesday.

A Los Angeles fire department official said a 25-year-old female patient was taken to a local hospital, and the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed both departments “responded to a medical emergency,” in the area of Lovato’s Hollywood Hills home, according to People magazine.

The overdose was heroin-related, TMZ reported, but a source close to Lovato told People it was not.

TMZ aired audio of emergency responders saying Lovato was unconscious when they arrived and was revived with Narcan, a medication used to treat narcotic overdoses.

Lovato has long struggled with mental illness, disordered eating and addiction. In 2010, she entered treatment for bipolar disorder, bulimia, self-harm and addiction. She relapsed after leaving the treatment center, then stayed at a sober living facility for a year, People reported.

Last March, Lovato said she had been sober for six years, but in June released a new song called Sober, in which she describes a relapse.

There were clear signs of trouble, a person close to the situation told People. “Things have been a total mess for months. She and her team severed ties, and they played a large part in getting her sober years ago. She hasn’t been in a good place.”

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New Coalition to Fight HIV/AIDS Announced by Elton John

A new coalition to fight HIV/AIDS was announced Tuesday by Elton John and Britain’s Prince Harry.

The $1.2 billion MenStar Coalition is a partnership between the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CNN reported.

The coalition, announced Tuesday at the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, will seek to increase HIV diagnosis and treatment among young men.

The focus will be on those ages 24-35, who have low testing and treatment rates, which puts them and their sex partners at risk.

John said AIDS is “the only disease that could legitimately be ended in our lifetime,” if outdated attitudes and society could be changed, CNN reported.

With the support of allies such as Prince Harry, John believes it’s possible to achieve the UNAIDS target of ending AIDS by 2030.

John said “no disease has had scientific progress like this disease,” and “Nobody needs to die of AIDS anymore,” CNN reported.

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Congo Ebola Outbreak Over: WHO

The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is over, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

The outbreak began in April and was the first in which a new vaccine was quickly utilized, The New York Times reported.

At one point, experts were worried the deadly virus might spread throughout
Central Africa. But the outbreak was smothered in less than three months with just 33 deaths.

The last known Ebola cases in Congo was in early June, but the WHO had to wait 42 days before declaring the outbreak officially over. That’s the length of two viral incubation periods, The Times reported.

The WHO was harshly criticized for its slow response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a few years ago that claimed more than 11,000 lives. This time, the WHO took action as soon as a few Ebola deaths were confirmed in Congo.

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