Tag: health

Canadian vaping study details danger from ‘popcorn lung’ chemical

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A 17-year-old Canadian nearly lost his lungs after five months of intensive vaping, but the ingredient suspected of doing the damage, diacetyl, is different from the substance US authorities blame for dozens of deaths. The case, described Thursday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), deepens the mysteries surrounding e-cigarettes, which have grown so popular US President Donald Trump earlier this week backed away from a proposed ban on certain […]

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New York sues e-cigarette firm Juul for targeting youngsters

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York on Tuesday became the second state this week to sue Juul, the United States’ largest electronic cigarette manufacturer, for illegally targeting minors with its marketing campaigns. The lawsuits come as the vaping industry faces intense scrutiny over an epidemic of lung ailments linked to e-cigarette use that has killed more than 40 people and sickened more than 2,000 in recent months. The New York action, which […]

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E-cigarettes: five things to know

  by Olivier THIBAULT Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — E-cigarettes have become hugely popular in the past decade but a rash of vaping-linked deaths and illnesses is feeding caution about a product, already banned in some places. On Thursday an 18-year-old man died in Belgium in a vaping-linked death, the first such case in the country. Here are five things to know about electronic cigarettes. – Around for two decades – Early designs […]

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Delhi suffocates under toxic smog but millions go without masks

  by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA Agence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — A thick grey smog choked New Delhi for the fifth day Saturday, adding to a mounting pollution health crisis, but retired naval commander Anil Charan is one of the vast majority of the city’s 20 million inhabitants who do not wear a mask. Indian media is packed with warnings about the risk of premature death, lung cancer and particular danger to children from […]

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Climate change poses ‘lifelong’ child health risk

by Patrick GALEY PARIS, France (AFP) — Climate change will damage the health of an entire generation unless there are immediate cuts to fossil fuel emissions, from a rise in deadly infectious diseases to surging malnutrition, experts warned Thursday. Children across the world were already suffering the ill effects of air pollution and extreme weather events said The Lancet Countdown in its annual report on the impact of climate change on human health. And far […]

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Indonesians quitting ‘rice addiction’ over diabetes fears

by Haeril HALIM Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian Mirnawati once ate rice with every meal, but its link to diabetes convinced her to join a growing movement to quit a staple food in the third biggest rice-consuming nation on Earth. As World Diabetes Day is held Thursday, the Southeast Asian nation is struggling to tackle a disease that affects as many as 20 million of its 260 million people, and has emerged […]

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Two treated for deadly pneumonic plague in Beijing

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Two people in Beijing have been diagnosed with the pneumonic plague — a rare instance of the highly-contagious disease that is fatal if left untreated. The two individuals were being treated at a central hospital in China’s capital city — home to over 21 million inhabitants — on Tuesday, local authorities said. Pneumonic plague can prove fatal in 24 to 72 hours and is the “most virulent form of plague,” according […]

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WHO prequalifies first Ebola vaccine

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said it had prequalified an Ebola vaccine for the first time, hailing a “critical step” towards its licensing, access and roll-out in countries most at risk of outbreaks. “This is the fastest vaccine prequalification process ever conducted by WHO,” it said in a statement, explaining that “prequalification means that the vaccine meets WHO standards for quality, safety, and efficacy.” The announcement comes hot on […]

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E-cigs may damage the heart, study says

by Elizabeth DONOVAN PARIS, France (AFP) — Vaping devices and the chemicals they deliver — increasingly popular among teens — may damage the cardiovascular system, a study said Thursday, adding to a growing chorus of concern over injury and deaths related to e-cigarettes. The latest findings, published in the journal Cardiovascular Research, come after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month declared an “outbreak of lung injuries” linked to vaping. “E-cigarettes contain […]

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Garbage crisis brings cholera to Yemen’s historic Taez

TAEZ, Yemen (AFP) — Mounds of stinking garbage line the streets of Yemen’s historic city of Taez, once renowned as one of the most beautiful places in the country, but now torn apart by war. The city in the highlands of southwestern Yemen has become a breeding ground for mosquitos as well as deadly outbreaks of diseases like cholera, as decaying refuse leaches into waterways. Yemen, long the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula, has […]

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Merkel urges Delhi to go green amid smog emergency

by Aishwarya Kumar NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel urged greater efforts to clean up New Delhi’s toxic air as she pledged one billion euros to help Indian cities switch to green transport. Merkel became a rare foreign leader to speak out on India’s smog crisis after being exposed to the capital’s air on Friday, when authorities said the pollution had reached “emergency” levels. Schools were ordered closed until Tuesday and all […]

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Texas hospital livestreams brain surgery on Facebook

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A young woman in Texas who remained awake for her brain surgery was able to speak to doctors during the procedure — and viewers form around the world looked on, as part of the operation was livestreamed on Facebook. By Wednesday, nearly 100,000 people had watched doctors removed a mass from Jenna Schardt’s brain during a 40-minute video of the operation that was livestreamed Tuesday morning. In the video, […]

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