After COVID, WHO defines disease spread “through air”
London, UK Reuters The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives. The Geneva-based UN health agency released a technical […]
WHO warns of falsified cough syrup ingredients seized in Pakistan
Reuters The World Health Organization issued an alert on Monday warning drugmakers of five contaminated batches of propylene glycol, an ingredient used in medicinal syrups, that appear to have been falsely labelled as manufactured by Dow Chemical units in Asia and Europe. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) issued three alerts between January and […]
Mums ban outdoor fun as air pollution worsens in Vietnam capital
Hanoi, Vietnam Reuters Nga Trang has nearly stopped going out in the evening and forbids her kids to play outdoors after school because air pollution from burning trash gets worse in her neighbourhood in Hanoi in the late afternoon. A Hanoian by birth, Nga, 44, is one of many residents of Vietnam’s capital whose daily […]
Bangladesh, Pakistan and India bottom in air quality rankings in 2023, data shows
Singapore Reuters Pakistan remained one of the world’s three smoggiest countries in 2023, as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, data published on Tuesday showed. Average concentrations of PM2.5 – small airborne particles that damage the lungs – reached 79.9 […]
Global child mortality rates dropped in 2022 but progress slow, UN says
London, UK Reuters The number of children globally who died before their fifth birthday dropped to a record low of 4.9 million in 2022, but that still represents one death every six seconds, according to new United Nations estimates. While the mortality rate for under-5s has roughly halved since 2000, the world is still behind […]
WHO warns of growing resistance to GSK’s HIV drug
Reuters The World Health Organization said on Tuesday resistance to GSK’s HIV drug dolutegravir has exceeded levels observed during its trials, citing observational and survey data received from a few countries. Resistance ranged from 3.9 per cent to 8.6 per cent and reached 19.6 per cent among people who have received and transitioned to a […]
World Bank, Gates, UN pledge close to $US600 million to end cervical cancer
London, UK Reuters Global health donors pledged nearly $US600 million towards eliminating cervical cancer on Tuesday, at the first global forum dedicated to fighting the disease. The World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UN children’s agency UNICEF said in a joint statement that the funding would go towards expanding access to […]
As Gaza’s hunger crisis worsens, emaciated children seen at hospitals
Rafah, Gaza Strip Reuters Two Palestinian toddlers with sunken eyes and emaciated faces, one in a yellow cardigan and the other in a stripy top, were lying side by side on a bed in a Gaza clinic, their thin, bony legs protruding from diapers that looked too big for them. This was the scene on […]
More than a billion people worldwide are obese, WHO study finds
London, UK Reuters More than a billion people globally are now considered obese, a condition linked to an increased risk of numerous serious health problems, according to updated estimates from the World Health Organization and an international group of researchers. Obesity is so prevalent it has become more common than being underweight in most nations, […]
Palestinians describe terrifying and chaotic flight from Gaza hospital
Rafah, Gaza Strip Reuters Gunfire echoed around Palestinian medics, patients and displaced people during what they described as a terrifying and chaotic night evacuation from Gaza’s Nasser Hospital after it was stormed by Israeli forces. Survivors of last week’s assault on the second-biggest hospital in Gaza said they then faced a treacherous walk to safety […]