BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Sunday said a mysterious viral pneumonia outbreak that has affected 59 people was not the flu-like virus SARS that killed hundreds more than a decade ago. The infection was first reported last week in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million — leading to online speculation about a resurgence of the highly contagious SARS virus. “We have excluded several hypotheses, in particular, the fact […]
Tag: health
Australian Open delay valid if smoke haze worsens: Djokovic
BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) — Novak Djokovic said Australian Open organizers should consider delaying the first Grand Slam of the year if haze from bush-fires raging around the country threatens players’ health. The opening major of 2020 is due to start at Melbourne Park on January 20 and the city was blanketed by smoke from blazes burning to the east on Saturday, compromising air quality. Djokovic, president of the ATP players council, said in the early […]
US unveils partial ban on flavored e-cigarettes
by Ivan Couronne WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government announced Thursday it was banning most flavored e-cigarettes in a bid to curb the rising tide of youth vaping, but under industry pressure, it stopped short of the full ban promised in September by the White House. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said cartridge-based e-cigarettes in flavors other than tobacco or menthol would be illegal unless specifically authorized by the government. The change […]
State of emergency as bushfires rage in Australia
by Daniel DE CARTERET Agence France Presse BUXTON, Australia (AFP) — A state of emergency was declared in Australia’s most populated region on Thursday as an unprecedented heatwave fanned out-of-control bushfires, destroying homes and smothering huge areas with a toxic smoke. As thousands of firefighters battled blazes, temperatures neared 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in some places and authorities warned the extreme weather conditions could get even worse. Australia endures bushfires every year […]
Canada to ban vaping ads aimed at youth
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Concerned by a sudden rise in youth vaping, Canada’s health minister on Thursday announced a ban on advertising for vaping products targeting young people. Marketing of the products would be allowed only in specialty shops, businesses and websites accessible by adults, and banned elsewhere, including convenience stores and billboards. Ottawa also proposed mandatory health warnings on vaping product packaging, which would have to be made childproof, and limiting their nicotine content. […]
US raises tobacco and e-cigarette purchase age from 18 to 21
by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Congress voted Thursday to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 across the country, a move intended to stem the rising tide of youth vaping. Passed by the Senate as part of a wider budgetary bill, it will take effect next year and will mean that tobacco and e-cigarettes will join alcohol as substances that […]
Vaping linked to rare lung disease: study
PARIS, France (AFP) — Doctors treating a patient with a rare lung disease usually caused by exposure to industrial metals say it may instead be the first case linked to vaping. Electronic cigarettes are sold as safer alternatives to traditional tobacco products and as aids to stop smoking. But they have been implicated in a growing number of recent deaths and health alerts, especially in the United States. Researchers at the University of California San […]
Japan launches human trial of new Ebola vaccine
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese scientists will begin the country’s first human trial for a new vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus this month, they said Friday. The vaccine, which has previously been tested in monkeys, uses an inactivated form of the virus that can only effectively replicate in artificial cells. Scientists hope that will make it safer than other treatments, the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo said in a […]
Measles killed more than 140,000 amid stagnating vaccine rates
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — More than 140,000 people died from measles worldwide in 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) and US authorities said Thursday, the result of global vaccination rates that have stagnated for almost a decade. Poorer countries were hardest hit, with the vast majority of measles cases and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Wealthier countries, however, have also been battling their own outbreaks, with four European nations losing their “eliminated” status in 2018. […]
Early cholesterol treatment lowers heart disease risk: study
PARIS, France (AFP) — Treating younger people with high cholesterol levels may help reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke in later life, a major study showed Wednesday. Described as the “most comprehensive” review of its kind covering almost 400,000 patients over more than 40 years, the study in The Lancet said its findings on the link between cholesterol levels and ill health “may be particularly important in people under 45 years.” A summary […]
Former US president Jimmy Carter again hospitalized
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former US president Jimmy Carter has been hospitalized for treatment of a urinary tract infection, the Carter Center said Monday — the latest in a series of health issues for the 95-year-old Democrat. Carter “was admitted to Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, this past weekend,” his center said in a statement. “He is feeling better and looks forward to returning home soon.” Last week, Carter — the […]
Samoa’s measles death toll rises to 20
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — The death toll from a measles epidemic in Samoa has risen to 20 as the outbreak rages out of control, with hundreds of new cases emerging daily, official data released Friday showed. The government said there were 1,644 cases, with 202 diagnosed since Thursday, most affecting young children. It said the number of deaths had hit 20, including 19 children aged under four years old. An additional 11 children are […]
