Health

What is dengue, and why is it so widespread this year?

by Jenny VAUGHAN HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Dubbed “breakbone fever”, dengue is one of the world’s leading mosquito-borne illnesses and infects tens of millions across the globe annually. Around half of the planet’s population live in at-risk areas, mainly in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Explosive outbreaks have ravaged Southeast Asia this year, infecting hundreds of thousands, killing hundreds, and crippling health care systems as governments struggle to contain the untreatable virus. So what is […]

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Shorter people run higher risk of diabetes: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — Shorter people are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published Tuesday. Each additional 10 centimeters in height translates into a 41 percent smaller chance of contracting the disease in men and a 33 percent smaller chance in women, according to the research in medical journal Diabetologia. The greater health risk in shorter individuals is likely linked to higher liver fat content, and a larger number […]

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Mosquito trials raise hopes of defeating dengue

by Jenny VAUGHAN NHA TRANG, Vietnam (AFP) — Hundreds dead in the Philippines; a threefold increase of cases in Vietnam; hospitals overrun in Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia — dengue is ravaging Southeast Asia this year due in part to rising temperatures and low immunity to new strains. But one group of scientists is rolling out trials to breed dengue-resistant bugs in a bid to tackle one of the world’s leading mosquito-borne illnesses, raising hopes the […]

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Global measles cases triple year-on-year: WHO

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Measles cases nearly tripled globally during the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2018, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, amid growing concern over public resistance to the vaccine. So far this year, 364,808 measles cases were reported around the world, compared to 129,239 cases during the first seven months a year earlier. These numbers are “the highest (registered) since 2006,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier […]

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US seniors fulfill dreams, fight depression with virtual reality

by Leila MACOR Agence France Presse Nidia Silva had never realized her dream of swimming with dolphins until a Miami NGO gave her a pair of virtual reality glasses as part of an experimental treatment for depression and isolation in senior citizens. “You’re in a world you don’t know, but it’s very beautiful and very important for me to see,” 78-year-old Silva said after taking off the virtual reality (VR) goggles. She was sitting in […]

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Kampanya para sa pagpapatupad ng smoke-free environment mula sa paninigarilyo, pinalakas

Report by Erwin Temperante Eagle News — Nasa ikalawang taon na ang kautusan para sa Smoke Free Philippines. Ikinasiya naman ng Dept. of Health na bumaba ang kaso ng atake sa puso dahil sa pag-iral ng smoke-free environment dahil sa paninigarilyo. Muling ipinaalala ng health dept ang magandang dulot ng smoke-free environment sa publiko. Ito ang tema ng ikalawang taon paggunita ng doh sa pagpapatupad ng Executive Order No.26 o ang smoke free ph na […]

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Swine fever sends China’s pork prices, imports soaring

by Sébastien RICCI BEIJING, China (AFP) — Pork prices have been sent soaring and herds devastated as African swine fever tears through China’s massive pig-farming industry, forcing the country to ramp up imports to satisfy demand — but analysts warn worse is yet to come. More than 1.1 million pigs have been killed or culled so far as authorities scramble to contain a virus that has spread to neighboring countries since the first cases emerged […]

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Germany makes measles vaccination compulsory for children

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany will make childhood measles vaccinations mandatory from March 2020, aiming to wipe out the resurgent and potentially deadly disease, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet decided Wednesday. Children will only be admitted to kindergarten or school if they have had the jabs, and vaccinations will also be compulsory for staff in day-care centres, educational institutions, medical facilities and refugee shelters. “We want to protect as many children as possible from a measles […]

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DR Congo urges calm after Ebola case in key city

by Bienvenu-Marie BAKUMANYA KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) — Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have appealed for calm after an evangelical preacher fell ill with Ebola in the eastern city of Goma, the first recorded case of the disease in the key urban hub in a nearly year-old epidemic. Goma, a border city with a population of one million, lies next to the Rwandan town of Gisenyi and has transport links to other parts […]

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China says pork production recovering as swine fever cases decline

BEIJING, China (AFP) — New cases of African swine fever have declined and pork production is returning to normal, Chinese officials said Thursday, after millions of pigs were culled because of the deadly disease. The virus — fatal to wild boar and pigs but harmless to humans — has cut a swathe through Mongolia, Vietnam, North Korea and China. The world’s top pork producer and consumer has seen prices and imports continue to rise since […]

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Scientists find earliest clues of Parkinson’s in brain

PARIS, France (AFP ) — Scientists said Thursday they had found the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease in the brain years before patients show any symptoms, a discovery that could eventually lead to better screening for at-risk people. Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disorder that causes patients movement and cognitive problems, is estimated to effect up to 10 million people worldwide. It is diagnosed by a build-up in the brain of a specific protein, a-synuclein, the cause […]

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Lower trust in vaccines among people in richer countries: survey

  by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — People in Europe have the lowest levels of trust in vaccines, according to a global survey of public attitudes toward health and science published Wednesday. The study found that people living in high-income countries have the lowest confidence in vaccines, a result that ties in to the rise of the anti-vaccination movement, in which people refuse to believe in the benefits of vaccinations […]

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