Florida urges vaccinations after 3 measles cases reported

Health officials urged parents to make sure their children are vaccinated against measles after three cases of the disease were reported in a Florida county, among more than 100 cases throughout the USA this year.

The cases in Florida’s Gulf Coast county of Pinellas are the first there in 10 years.

Federal officials declared the contagious virus had been eliminated in the USA in 2000; however, the virus is still common in many other parts of the world.

Pompeo forms Iran Action Group to run policy after pact pullout

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formed a group Thursday to coordinate and run U.S. policy toward Iran as the Trump administration moves ahead with efforts to force changes in the Islamic Republic’s behavior after withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Accusing Iran of unleashing “a tor- rent of violence and destabilizing behavior against the United States, our allies, our partners and, indeed, the Iranian people themselves,” Pompeo announced the creation of the Iran Action Group.

He said the administration remains willing to talk to Iran, but to do so, “we must see major changes in the regime’s behavior both inside and outside its borders.”

US approves new generic competitor to Epipen medicine

U.S. health officials approved a new generic version of Epipen, the emergency allergy medication.

The Food and Drug Administration’s action Thursday opens the door to more competition for a drug that has faced public outrage over its price tag. The injections are stocked by schools and parents to treat allergic reactions to food and bug bites.

The new generic will be sold by Teva Pharmaceuticals.

epipen maker Mylan has dominated the $1 billion market for two decades. Competing shots are not widely marketed or prescribed by doctors.