by Céline CORNU MILAN, Italy (AFP) — It may be on the UNESCO heritage list, but global experts warn the Mediterranean diet, prized for its health benefits, is losing so much ground to the fast food culture that the decline may be irreversible. Rich in vegetables, fruits, cereals and extra virgin olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is based on a moderate consumption of fish, dairy products, eggs, red wine, and a small amount of meat. […]
Health
How one man spread a killer virus in hospital
PARIS, France (AFP) — A single patient infected 82 people with the deadly MERS virus in an overcrowded South Korean emergency room in 2015, according to a scientific investigation released Saturday. The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, maps a lethal outbreak of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea that caused 186 known infections in all, including nearly 40 fatalities. The case is the most prolific transmission of MERS virus from one […]
Climate change health impacts loom large
by Marlowe HOOD PARIS, France (AFP) — The world should brace for potentially devastating impacts on human health due to climate change, top policy makers and officials from around the globe meeting in Paris said Thursday. Some of these consequences may be avoided if humanity radically curbs its use of fossil fuels in coming decades, but many are already being felt, they said at the opening of a two-day conference run by the World Health […]
Blood test may help prevent overuse of antibiotics
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — An inexpensive blood test could one day tell doctors whether an infection is caused by a virus or a bacteria, and help prevent unwarranted prescribing of antibiotics, researchers said Wednesday. The diagnostic test, described in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine, is being developed by the Stanford University School of Medicine in California. “A lot of times you can’t really tell what kind of infection someone has,” said lead author […]
Hepatitis outstrips AIDS, TB as killer: report
PARIS, France (AFP) — Virus-caused hepatitis has become a leading cause of death and disability in the world, killing more people in a year than AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria, a report said Thursday. Deaths from infection, liver disease and cancer caused by viral hepatitis increased by 63 percent from 890,000 in 1990 to 1.45 million in 2013, according to a review of data collected in 183 countries. By comparison, in 2013 there were 1.3 million […]
Three-decade study confirms saturated fats are bad for health
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Saturated fats in butter, lard and red meat raise the risk of early death, but replacing these with fats like olive oil can offer substantial health benefits, a three-decade study confirmed on Tuesday. The research involving more than 120,000 people was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine. “There has been widespread confusion in the biomedical community and the general public in the last […]
Health expert gives tips on how to avoid diarrhea during rainy season
VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) –A local health official reminds the public especially parents on how to avoid diarrhea, a common illness among children during rainy season. Dr. La Paz Peredo, provincial health officer in Ilocos Sur, said that diarrhea can cause dehydration thus, parents must be responsible enough to ensure that the food and drinks they give their children are safe and clean. “Diarrhea is caused by virus, bacteria or parasite from infected food […]
Diabetes, hypertension leading causes of kidney failure
DUMAGUETE CITY (PIA) — Global statistics showed that 70% of patients with kidney disease is caused by diabetes and 30% due to hypertension. This was bared by Dr. Kenneth Coo, Nephrologist of Holy Child Hospital, in a Kapihan sa PIA held in celebration of National Kidney month this June with the theme, “Bato ko Yaman at Buhay Ko.” Coo stressed that in 2007, cases of hemodialysis in the Philippines increased from 3,007 to 4,200. In 2013 it […]
Be careful when taking herbal supplements, doctors warn
DUMAGUETE CITY, June 29 (PIA) – Health experts in Negros Oriental are reminding the public to be careful in taking herbal supplements because this may bring negative effects to the kidneys. Speaking in Kapihan sa PIA forum on renal health care today, Dr. Kenneth Coo, a nephrologist of Holy Child Hospital, noted that the primary function of the kidney is to filter wastes from the blood. When a person drinks herbal capsules, its particles enter the […]
Companies race to test Zika vaccine
(Reuters) — The race to develop a vaccine and successfully test and immunize people against the Zika virus continues. Connecticut-based Protein Science Corporation is one of several companies in pre-clinical stages, developing and manufacturing a Zika vaccine for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine is based on production of recombinant variations of the E protein from the Zika virus. The production process is based on an FDA approved process for […]
Florida reports first baby born with Zika virus defects
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Florida on Tuesday reported its first case of a baby born with the birth defect microcephaly after the child’s mother, a Haitian citizen, was infected with the Zika virus while pregnant, officials said. The mother contracted Zika in Haiti and came to Florida to deliver the baby, said a statement from Governor Rick Scott’s office. The Florida Department of Health confirmed the case. Zika is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes but […]
Public urged to reduce consumption of sugar sweetened food
DUMAGUETE CITY (PIA)—The National Nutrition Council (NNC) urged the public to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened foods and beverage to reduce the risk of overweight and obesity and development of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes. Numerous studies in recent years showed that increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to overweight and obesity among children and adults. Sugar sweetened foods and beverages like commercially available cookies, granola bars, fruit drinks, sports drinks and soft drinks typically contain […]
