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Mar172023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

How Science Diplomacy Can Make a Difference in Global Health

Global Health

Before the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was adopted in 2003, the World Health Organization had worked for many years to prevent damage caused by tobacco consumption with the goal of passing an international agreement on tobacco regulation. The agreement, however, was not moving forward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzoBj9gboN0 “The real breakthrough came as scientific evidence emerged showing the negative consequences of passive smoking and its impact on children,” Ilona Kickbusch, the founding director of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, tells host Garry Aslanyan in the new episode of the “Global Health Matters” podcast. “These data and this evidence really made a significant difference in getting the negotiations...

Mar22023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Covid-19 likely came from lab leak, says news report citing US energy department

COVID19

A campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China The virus that drove the Covid-19 pandemic most likely emerged from a laboratory leak but not as part of a weapons program, according to an updated and classified 2021 US energy department study provided to the White House and senior American lawmakers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The department’s finding – a departure from previous studies on how the virus emerged – came in an update to a document from the office of national intelligence director, Avril Haines, the WSJ reported. It follows a finding reportedly issued with “moderate confidence” by the FBI that the virus spread after leaking out of a Chinese laboratory. The conclusion from the energy department – which oversees a network of 17 US ...

Feb202023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

What is the deadly Marburg virus? Symptoms, causes and vaccines

Communicable Diseases

By Harriet Barber Marburg virus disease is an often fatal illness which causes hemorrhagic fever in humans. It is closely related to Ebola and is typically spread by bats, which provide a natural reservoir for the virus. Once in human populations, Marburg is spread person-to-person via droplets of blood, saliva, mucus and other bodily fluids. The average fatality rate is around 50 per cent, with rates varying from 24 per cent to 88 per cent in past outbreaks depending on the strain of the virus and quality of medical care. There is currently no vaccine for the virus. What is the history of Marburg? Marburg was first recognised in 1967, when outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever occurred simultaneously in laboratories in Marburg and Frank...

Feb92023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Why Hypertension, Heart Attack, Stroke Risks are Higher in the Winter

NCDs

By Beth Ann Mayer Research and experts indicate that cold weather puts stress on the heart. It can increase the risk of high blood pressure and even heart attacks. Individuals at higher risk for cardiovascular disease in warm weather are more likely to have high blood pressure or heart failure when the temperatures dip. It’s possible to reduce the risk of cold-related heart issues. You may have heard that your mood can take a dip in the winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a major depressive disorder (MDD) that occurs around the same time each year, affects 0.5 to 2.4 of people in the U.S. During these times, someone may feel like they have a broken heart. But what about physical heart health? “Cold weather can increase the risk of heart attack...

Jan272023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Ozempic: How a TikTok weight loss trend caused a global diabetes drug shortage – and health concerns

NCDs

By Oceane Duboust & Natalie Huet A diabetes drug is facing shortages worldwide and causing health concerns as social media users boast its properties as a “wonder” weight loss hack. Produced by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, Ozempic is an injectable drug that regulates blood sugar levels and insulin. It’s usually prescribed to adults suffering from Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes. But the drug’s active ingredient, semaglutide, also mimics a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that targets areas of the brain that regulate appetite and food. Because it makes users feel full faster, it can lead them to lose weight. As a result, Ozempic has been touted on the Internet as a miracle diet drug. On TikTok, the hashtag #Ozempic already has...

Jan272023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

With rise of new coronavirus variants, FDA halts authorization of Evusheld

COVID19

The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday halted the emergency use authorization of Evusheld because it does not appear to protect against Covid-19 from viral variants currently circulating in the United States. Evusheld is a monoclonal antibody therapy used to prevent Covid-19 in immunocompromised people, who are less likely to generate an immune response from Covid-19 vaccination. US officials have warned for months that the antibody therapy was not working against certain emerging variants, but it was still available. CNN had previously reported that many patients who used the medication weren’t aware the medication was no longer as effective as it once was, and continued to rely on it for protection against Covid-19. On Thursday, the FDA revised Evush...

Jan272023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO urges ‘immediate action’ after cough syrup deaths

Global Health

GHealth News - The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for “immediate and concerted action” to protect children from contaminated medicines after a spate of child deaths linked to cough syrups last year. In 2022, more than 300 children – mainly aged under 5 – in Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan died of acute kidney injury, in deaths that were associated with contaminated medicines, the WHO said in a statement on Monday. The medicines, over-the-counter cough syrups, had high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. “These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even taken in small amounts, and should never be found in medicines,” the WHO said. As well as the countries above, the ...

Jan212023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO says it backs global health agenda of Indian presidency set at G20 meet

Global Health

GHealth News - The WHO on Thursday said it was a strong supporter of the Global Health Agenda being set by the Indian presidency at the G20 Health Working Group meeting here as it was focused, well-articulated and takes into account priorities of the day. Stephanie Seydoux, WHO envoy for Multilateral Affairs at the G20 India Health Working Group Meet here, further said on the sidelines that the agenda being set by the Indian presidency was ambitious and well supported by G20 members and participants. "The World Health Organisation (WHO) is a very strong supporter of the Global Health Agenda being set by the Indian presidency. It is indeed an ambitious agenda, but it is focused, well-articulated and it certainly speaks of the priorities of the day," she said. The first Health Working ...

Jan142023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO updates COVID-19 guidelines on masks, treatments and patient care

COVID19

GHealth News - WHO has updated its guidelines on mask wearing in community settings, COVID-19 treatments, and clinical management. This is part of a continuous process of reviewing such materials, working with guideline development groups composed of independent, international experts who consider the latest available evidence and the changing epidemiology. Masks continue to be a key tool against COVID-19 WHO continues to recommend the use of masks by the public in specific situations, and this update recommends their use irrespective of the local epidemiological situation, given the current spread of the COVID-19 globally. Masks are recommended following a recent exposure to COVID-19, when someone has or suspects they have COVID-19, when someone is at high-risk of severe COVID-19, a...

Jan72023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Advancing health and health equity across the globe

Global Health

Prof. Beate Kampmann © Charité l Artur Krutsch A new platform for global health is being created within Berlin’s university medicine landscape in the form of the Charité Center for Global Health (CCGH). At its center is the Institute of International Health of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, formerly known as the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, which has been headed since the beginning of this year by Einstein Professor for Global Health, Prof. Beate Kampmann. The renowned expert in international child health will lead the CCGH with Prof. Christian Drosten, who heads Charité’s Institute of Virology, with both of them working together to sharpen its scientific focus and leverage the enormous potential in Berlin and beyond. The CCGH will be support...