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Apr172023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

‘Era has passed’ as Beijing subway drops mandatory COVID mask rule

COVID19

GHealth News - Beijing's subway has dropped mandatory mask requirements for travellers, local media reported on Sunday, days after a Chinese health expert said the threat of COVID-19 to humans is no longer at a serious level. The mask move is in line with broader measures by China, which said last week it was now no longer mandatory to wear face masks when using public transport, according to state media. "It's as if an era has passed," a user said on China's popular social e-commerce app Xiaohongshu, as social media was abuzz with news of the rules being eased. Staff at a Beijing subway station tore down signs reminding people to wear masks, Beijing Daily reported. The pandemic is nearing its end, based on World Health Organization data, said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at...

Apr22023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

CDC warns of Marburg virus outbreak in Africa

Communicable Diseases

GHealth News - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending personnel to Africa to help stop outbreaks of Marburg virus disease and is urging travelers to certain countries to take precautions. The CDC is also taking steps to keep infections from spreading to the United States. Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania are facing their first known outbreaks of Marburg virus, a viral fever with uncontrolled bleeding that’s a close cousin to Ebola. This week, the CDC urged travelers to both countries to avoid contact with sick people and to watch for symptoms for three weeks after leaving the area. Travelers to Equatorial Guinea should take enhanced precautions and avoid nonessential travel to the provinces where the outbreak is ongoing, the agency said. In the United States, the ...

Apr22023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Chronic stress can affect your health. One activity can help

NCDs

By Melanie Radzicki McManus These days, many people find it hard to unplug. Inflation, global warming and gun violence are on the rise. Bullies proliferate on social media. The 24/7 news cycle constantly blares distressing news, and people often face difficult personal or professional situations. About half of Americans said they experienced stress within the past day, according to a Gallup Poll survey from last October, a finding that was consistent for most of 2022. Personal finances and current and political events were major sources of stress for one-third or more of adults, a survey from CNN in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation found in October. Stress isn’t inherently bad, said Richard Scrivener, a personal trainer and product development manager at London’s ...

Mar282023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

‘Silent pandemic’ warning from WHO: Bacteria killing too many people due to antimicrobial resistance

AMR

The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of a "silent pandemic" of antimicrobial resistance from infections caused by deadly pathogens that doctors are not able to cure because of a lack of novel agents. That’s according to an early release of special presentations by Dr. Valeria Gigante and Professor Venkatasubramanian Ramasubramanian of an online "pre-meeting" of the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases on April 15 to 18 in Copenhagen, Denmark. "Antibiotic resistance is one of the major concerns in modern medicine today," Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, told Fox News Digital. EUROPEAN DRUG REGULATOR DETERMINES ANTIBIOTIC SHORTAGE NOT A ‘MAJOR EVENT’ ...

Mar242023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Public health experts call for bold action to prioritise health over profit

Global Health

People, profits, and health, a three-paper series published today in global health journal The Lancet sheds light on the impact of commercial entities on human and planetary health and calls for urgent action to prioritise health over profit. The series highlights that many commercial organisations’ practices and products are contributing to growing health problems and harming the environment, with industries that produce tobacco, alcohol, highly processed foods, and fossil fuels responsible for over a third of preventable global deaths each year.[i] University of Melbourne Professor Rob Moodie, Series convenor and Professor of Public Health at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, said we are at a crunch point in history, emphasising now is the time fo...

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...