Fighting, fuel shortages knock out Gaza’s second-largest hospital
Cairo, Egypt/Jerusalem Reuters Fighting, fuel shortages and Israeli raids put the Gaza Strip’s second-largest hospital completely out of service on Sunday, local and UN health officials said, as Israeli forces battled Hamas militants in the devastated Palestinian enclave. The latest blow to Gaza’s destroyed healthcare sector came as Israel prepared for an assault of the […]
Dengue spreads fast in Brazil prompting emergency health measures
Brasilia, Brazil Reuters Dengue fever has surged in Brazil’s hot rainy season, forcing health authorities to take emergency measures and start mass vaccination against the mosquito-borne illness. In the first five weeks of this year 364,855 cases of infection have been reported, the Health Ministry said, four times more than dengue cases in the same […]
UK Government to ban disposable vapes to prevent use by children
London, UK Reuters British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce plans on Monday to ban the sale of disposable vapes to prevent their use by children, and reiterate the government’s intention to introduce a law preventing younger generations from buying tobacco. Under the new powers, there would be restrictions on vape flavours, a requirement for […]
Countries risk missing deadline for pandemic accord, says WHO chief
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters Countries risk missing a May deadline for agreeing a legally binding treaty on fighting pandemics and this would be a big blow for future generations, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday. The new pact and a series of updates to existing rules on dealing with pandemics are intended […]
Cameroon launches malaria vaccination program in global milestone
Reuters The global fight against malaria took a stride forward on Monday as Cameroon launched the world’s first routine vaccine programme against the mosquito-borne disease that is projected to save tens of thousands of children’s lives per year across Africa. Around 40 years in the making, the World Health Organization-approved RTS,S vaccine developed by British […]
Global tobacco use tumbles despite industry lobbying: WHO
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters Global tobacco use has tumbled in a generation with one in five people smoking versus one in three in 2000, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. The drop comes despite what the UN global health agency said were ongoing efforts by Big Tobacco to seek to influence global health policies to […]
Healthcare under pressure: WHO sees “incredibly low” COVID, flu vaccination rates as cases surge
JENNIFER RIGBY and JULIE STEENHUYSEN, of Reuters, report…
Ban flavoured vapes, WHO says, urging tobacco-style controls
London, UKReuters The World Health Organization on Thursday urged governments to treat e-cigarettes similarly to tobacco and ban all flavours, threatening cigarette companies’ bets on smoking alternatives. Some researchers, campaigners and governments see e-cigarettes, or vapes, as a key tool in reducing the death and disease caused by smoking. But the UN agency said “urgent […]
Scientists see risk of lost opportunity for long COVID research in China
Shanghai, ChinaReuters With more than a full year past since China eased restrictions and let COVID-19 sweep its households, scientists are worried a unique opportunity may be slipping away to study long COVID from possibly hundreds of millions of infections in that country. Global disease experts say little is known about China’s experience with long-term […]
World at risk of losing malaria fight as cases rise, report says
Reuters The world is in danger of losing the fight against malaria, as cases of the disease rose by around five million year-on-year in 2022, exceeding global targets to contain it, a new World Health Organization report showed on Thursday. Pandemic-related disruptions and extreme weather events linked to climate change have hindered the fight against […]