Health Highlights: Jan. 14, 2020

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

N.J. Lawmakers Pass Bill to Ban Flavored Vaping Products

A bill that would ban the sale of flavored vaping products was passed Monday by New Jersey lawmakers.

The bill — which forbids the sale and distribution of vaping products with a “distinguishable flavor, taste or aroma” and is meant to protect children — was passed in the Senate and State Assembly. It now goes to Gov. Phil Murphy, CBS News reported.

If Murphy signs the bill into law, it would take effect 90 days later.

Last year, Murphy set up a task force that recommended a ban on flavored vaping products. The task force presented its recommendations in October, just two days after the state’s first vaping-related death was reported. At the time, Murphy agreed with the task force’s findings, CBS News reported.

“Without question, I would take more forceful executive action today if I had the authority,” Murphy said in October. “But ultimately, many of these recommendations need to be taken up by the legislature.”

The New York City Council passed a similar bill in November, CBS News reported.

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China Reports First Death in Coronavirus Outbreak

The first death in an outbreak of a new type of coronavirus was announced Saturday by officials in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

As of Friday, there were 41 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, and seven people were in critical condition, according to the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, the Associated Press reported.

The patient, who died on Thursday, was a 61-year-old man who’d been hospitalized with shortness of breath and severe pneumonia. He also had abdominal tumors and chronic liver disease, and he regularly visited a food market on Wuhan’s outskirts linked to the majority of cases, health officials said.

There are a wide range of coronaviruses. Some cause the common cold, while others can cause more severe illnesses, the AP reported.

There have been reports of possible cases of the same illness in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. All have involved people who had recently traveled to Wuhan, city officials said.

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