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Two More Surgeries for Malala
British doctors say Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai requires just two more surgeries before her long ordeal of operations is over.
In the coming days, the 15-year-old girl will receive a titanium plate to cover an opening in her skull and an inner ear implant, CNN reported.
Malala was shot in the head and neck in October as she rode home on a school bus in Pakistan's Swat Valley. Islamist extremists targeted her for speaking out on the right of girls to get an education.
Surgeons in Pakistan removed a section of her skull about the size of a hand in order to reduce pressure caused by brain swelling, CNN reported. She was later transferred to England for further treatment.
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First Benefits Awarded From 9/11 Health Fund
On Tuesday, 15 emergency responders became the first people to be awarded money from a $2.8 billion federal fund established to compensate people sickened by the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
The names of the 14 firefighters and one correction officer were not released. They responded to the disaster early on, mainly on the first day, said Sheila Birnbaum, the special master of the victim compensation fund, The New York Times reported.
She said most of the 15 recipients had respiratory illness and none of them had cancer. Their tax-free awards ranged from $10,000 to $1.5 million. However, they are receiving only 10 percent of their awards at first due to uncertainty about how many people will apply for the benefits and whether the fund will have enough money to pay all the claims.
The benefits are available to first responders, volunteers, workers and residents who were in Lower Manhattan in the months after the attack. Thousands of people are eligible for the fund, which expires in October 2016, The Times reported.
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FDA Issues Warning on Unapproved Flu Product
A Florida company has been sent a warning letter about marketing an untested inhaled formula as a flu remedy, federal officials say.
Flu and Cold Defense LLC is making misleading and unproven claims about its GermBullet inhaler, according to the letter issued by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, the Associated Press reported.
The company's website states that "an FDA recognized virology lab" tested the product and "confirmed that it has the potential capability to kill cold and flu viruses." Ads describe the product as "proprietary blend of 11 organic botanicals."
The FDA said the GermBullet inhaler has never been reviewed as safe and effective and that the company is violating drug safety regulations. The letter, dated Jan. 24, was posted on the FDA's website Tuesday. The company was given 15 business days to correct its claims, the AP reported.
The GermBullet is sold online through retailers such as CVS.com and at a few small pharmacies and natural food stores in Florida.
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