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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A new approach using existing medicines to prevent malaria has been shown to reduce severe cases of parasitic disease among infants by more than 70 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study. The “dramatic” results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, came from combining booster shots of an antimalarial vaccine ahead of the rainy season together with preventative drugs. Malaria kills more than 400,000 people […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia on Thursday reported more than 1,000 new local coronavirus cases for the first time during the pandemic, as a Delta variant outbreak surged in Sydney. New South Wales state, which includes the country’s most populous city Sydney, announced a record 1,029 cases of Covid-19 for the previous 24 hours. An outbreak that began in the city in mid-June has reached over 15,000 cases and spread to smaller towns and cities, […]
SPRINGS, South Africa (AFP) — A rundown South African railway station has been converted into an unlikely vaccination site where a shiny white train brings jabs to remote areas and boost sluggish uptake. One by one, people waiting in plastic chairs spaced out across a platform in the town of Springs, 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Johannesburg, were called to board a vaccine center on rails — the “Transvaco”. “We want to try and […]
by Natalie HANDEL PARIS, France (AFP) — The search for the origins of the Covid pandemic that has killed millions and crippled economies is at a standstill even as time is running out, scientists charged with the task by the UN warned Wednesday. An initial report by the team of independent, international experts sent to China by the World Health Organization in January concluded that it was most likely that the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from […]
by Paul HANDLEY WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A mysterious affliction dubbed “Havana Syndrome” that has brought severe headaches, nausea and possible brain damage to US diplomats has many officials convinced they are under sustained attack using electronic weapons. On Tuesday, US Vice President Kamala Harris delayed for several hours a trip to Vietnam after the US embassy in Hanoi reported a possible case involving “acoustic incidents” there, raising concern she could be a target. […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will halt the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s Covid vaccine after reports of contamination in several lots, drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry said Thursday. Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, said it had “received reports from several vaccination centres that foreign substances have been found inside unopened vials from specific lots.” “Upon consultation with the health ministry, we […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday a second dose of its Covid-19 vaccine boosted immunity beyond the first dose. In two clinical studies that have not yet been peer-reviewed, the additional shot evoked a nine-fold increase in antibodies to the coronavirus, the company said in a news release. President Joe Biden’s administration has announced plans for all Americans vaccinated with mRNA vaccines — Pfizer and Moderna — to receive a third […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — YouTube said Wednesday it has removed more than one million videos with “dangerous coronavirus misinformation” since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The statement by the Google-owned video platform comes as social media platforms are under fire from political leaders for failing to stem the spread of false and harmful misinformation and disinformation about the virus and other topics. YouTube said in a blog post it relies on “expert consensus […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Protection from two doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines wanes within less than six months, according to a study of phone app data Wednesday, suggesting that booster shots may be needed to ensure prolonged coverage. The latest finding comes as several countries are rolling out additional jabs for the fully vaccinated, a move slammed by the World Health Organization as millions in the world have yet to receive […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Masks will have to be worn outside in Oregon, the state’s governor announced Tuesday, as the United States grapples with a surge in Covid-19 cases. The mandate, which takes effect Friday, makes the northwestern state the first in the country to re-introduce a rule that was common during the darkest days of the pandemic. “The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of […]
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AFP) — A young Guinean woman who tested positive for the Ebola virus in Ivory Coast after arriving there two weeks ago has recovered from the disease, the Ivorian health ministry said Tuesday. “We performed on the patient two biological tests which were negative in an interval of 48 hours. She is therefore declared cured,” Serge Eholie, ministry spokesman and head of the country’s infectious diseases department told AFP. “We are lifting […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel on Tuesday lowered the age threshold to receive a third coronavirus booster dose to anyone aged 30 and above, as it continues to battle surging infections. Israel is among a handful of nations that has decided to administer a third vaccine dose, a policy criticized by the World Health Organization, which has called for more doses to be sent to poorer states. But Israel’s health ministry announced the lowered age […]
