Health Highlights: May 17, 2016

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

No Need to Move or Delay Rio Games Due to Zika: WHO Chief

The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro should not be postponed or canceled over concerns about the Zika virus, World Health Organization chief Dr. Margaret Chan said Tuesday.

However, she said the WHO is increasingly concerned about Zika and reiterated the agency’s advice that pregnant women should not travel to Brazil, which has the highest number of Zika cases, the Associated Press reported.

The virus has been shown to cause severe birth defects and neurological problems, and some experts have called for the Olympics to be moved or delayed.

Olympic athletes and travelers to Rio should take measures to protect themselves from the mosquitoes that spread Zika, Chan said in a briefing in Geneva, Switzerland. The Olympic Games are expected to attract about 500,000 people to Brazil.

Despite the Zika outbreak, there is no reason why the games should be moved, according to Chan.

“You don’t want to bring a standstill to the world’s movement of people,” she said, the AP reported. “This is all about risk assessment and risk management.”

Chan said she plans to attend the games.

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Woman Dies After ‘Brazilian Butt Lift’ Procedure in Florida Clinic

A 29-year-old West Virginia woman died from fat clots in her heart and lungs after undergoing what is known as a “Brazilian Butt Lift” at a Florida clinic.

Heather Meadows suffered medical complications at the Encore Plastic Surgery clinic in Hialeah on May 12 and was rushed to Palm Springs General Hospital, CBS News reported.

Arteries in her lungs and heart were clogged by fat particles, causing the organs to fail, according to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner.

The fat particles likely entered her bloodstream during a fat transfer procedure called the Brazilian Butt Lift, in which fat is removed from the torso and then injected into the buttocks, CBS News reported.

Previously, the Florida Department of Health charged two doctors who worked at Encore Plastic Surgery and two affiliated clinics with medical malpractice and employing unlicensed professionals.

It’s not known if those two doctors performed the procedure on Meadows, CBS News reported.

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Supreme Court Pushes Birth Control Fight Back to Lower Courts

Lower courts should make another attempt to find a compromise in a birth control battle between faith-based groups and the Obama administration, the U.S. Supreme Court said Monday.

The unsigned, unanimous opinion was issued by the justices over a White House arrangement to spare faith-based groups from having to pay for birth control for women covered under their health plans, the Associated Press reported.

“The court expresses no view on the merits of the cases,” the justices wrote.

It’s almost certain the issue will not return to the Supreme Court until after the 2016 presidential election, the AP reported.

Until the matter is resolved, the federal government can ensure that women covered by the faith-based groups’ health plans have access to cost-free birth control, and the groups will not be fined for failure to comply with the requirement to cover birth control.

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