Health Highlights: Jan. 20, 2016

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

Livestrong CEO Resigns

After less than a year in the position, the chief executive and president of the Livestrong cancer foundation has resigned.

“It has been a privilege and an honor serving the Livestrong Foundation,” Chandini Portteus said in a statement released Tuesday by Livestrong, the Associated Press reported.

“At this time, I am concluding my leadership in order to focus on my family. I will continue to support the organization and its mission and I’m proud of what we had achieved together,” said Portteus, who took over in early 2015.

There has been a steep drop in donations and revenue at Livestrong since founder Lance Armstrong was embroiled in a performance-enhancing drug scandal. The new president is Greg Lee, the organization’s chief financial officer for nearly 10 years, the AP reported.

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Vaccine Group and Merck Sign $5 Million Ebola Vaccine Deal

A $5 million Ebola vaccine deal has been signed between the global vaccine alliance Gavi and drug company Merck.

Under the agreement, Merck will keep 300,000 vaccines ready for emergency use or further clinical trials, BBC News reported.

The company will also submit an application to license the VSV-EBOV Ebola vaccine by the end of 2017, which would help pave the way for Gavi to amass a global stockpile of the vaccine.

The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people triggered an intense effort to develop vaccines against the deadly disease.

One of those is the VSV-EBOV vaccine. Merck had led clinical trials of the vaccine, and early results suggest it may provide 100 percent protection, BBC News reported.

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Dalai Lama Getting Prostate Treatment, Medical Checkup at Mayo Clinic

The 80-year-old Dalai Lama will undergo prostate treatment and a medical checkup in the United States.

The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader’s website said was traveling to the U.S. on Tuesday and “is scheduled to undergo prostate treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by a period of rest from the end of January 2016 for approximately one month,” the Associated Press reported.

No details about the prostate treatment were provided.

Before leaving the Himalayan hill town of Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama told reporters he had no “specific health complaints,” the AP reported.

He has been going to the Mayo Clinic for regular checkups for the past nine years. Last fall, the Dalai Lama canceled a number of U.S. appearances after his doctors told him to rest for several weeks.

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