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Dec172022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Is It Flu, Covid or RSV? A Chart to Tell Symptoms Apart.

By Knvul Sheikh Three different viruses are sending children and adults to hospital emergency rooms across the United States this winter. Not only is the coronavirus making a comeback because of new immune-evasive variants, but influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus are also spreading earlier than usual and at record rates. Most people were able to avoid the flu and other infections like R.S.V. for the past few years while the coronavirus was new and a large portion of the population was taking steps to slow the spread of Covid, which also slowed the spread of other viruses. Our immunity to these viruses may have waned in that duration, and many children born during the pandemic never gained any immunity at all. As a result, more people are vulnerable to common winter...

Dec172022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Chile heat wave exacerbates forest fires, causes public health risk

Climate Change

A helicopter assists as a wildfire burns parts of the rural areas around Curacavi town outside Santiago, Chile, December 15, 2022. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado GHealth News - A heat wave that has hit Chile this week with record temperatures in some areas and a lack of rainfall has intensified forest fires that have already burned more than 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres)in the South American nation. Dozens of people have had to evacuate their homes because of the fires and the capital Santiago is under a public health alert due to a cloud of smoke, officials said on Friday. The state-owned National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) said firefighters were currently tackling 18 fires concentrated in the country's central regions, as well as a smaller number in the south. Among several localiti...

Dec142022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

‘Tough times’: Warnings sound over China’s rapid ‘zero-COVID’ exit

COVID19

GHealth News - A week after China began dismantling its tough 'zero-COVID' controls, the World Health Organization warned of "very tough" times ahead and state media reported some seriously ill patients at hospitals in Beijing, raising fears of a wave of infections. China last Wednesday announced sweeping changes to testing and quarantine rules, aligning with a world that has largely reopened, after historic protests against mass lockdowns that caused mental strain for millions but kept the virus in check. The elation that met those changes has quickly faded amid mounting signs that China may pay a price for shielding a population that lacks "herd immunity" and has low vaccination rates among the elderly. "It's always very difficult for any country coming out of a situat...

Dec142022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

World Health Organization names Sir Jeremy Farrar as Chief Scientist

Global Health

Sir Jeremy Farrar GHealth News - WHO announced that Dr Jeremy Farrar will become its new Chief Scientist. Currently, Director of the Wellcome Trust, Dr Farrar will join WHO in the second quarter of 2023. Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu will become WHO's Chief Nursing Officer. Previously Minister for Health of the Kingdom of Tonga, and before that Tonga’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dr Tuipulotu will join WHO in the first quarter of 2023. As WHO’s Chief Scientist, Dr Farrar will oversee the Science Division, bringing together the best brains in science and innovation from around the world to develop and deliver high quality health services to the people who need them most, no matter who they are and where they live. Dr Farrar is a clinician scientist who, before joining Wellcome...

Nov162022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

U.S. FDA authorizes Roche’s monkeypox test

Communicable Diseases

GHealth News - The U.S. health regulator on Tuesday issued an emergency use authorization to Roche's (ROG.S) test for the detection of DNA from monkeypox virus in swab specimens collected from people suspected of the virus infection. The tests will be conducted on the Swiss company's cobas systems, which can also detect HIV, hepatitis B and C viruses. The Food and Drug Administration said testing will be limited to laboratories that meet the requirements to perform moderate or high complexity tests. While around 80,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in nearly 100 countries since the outbreak started earlier this year, the number of cases have declined from the peak in August. Over 28,000 cases have been reported in the United States in the outbreak this...

Nov162022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Everything You Should Know About RSV

Communicable Diseases

By: Jessica Rendall Parents of younger children may be feeling uneasy, as reports of young RSV patients filling hospitals have marked October and November this year. Respiratory syncytial virus is a common virus, but it can be serious in younger children and babies, as well as some adults. Respiratory viruses like COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus often spread and peak during winter, when people travel for the holidays and spend more time indoors and breathing the same air. We've already been warned that we are likely in for a rough flu season this year, as public health measures like mask-wearing are phased out after a few years of COVID-19 precautions. But RSV has become an additional concern, as infection waves started earlier than normal and f...

Nov162022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

CDC Issues Warning to Health Systems About Surge in Respiratory Viruses

Communicable Diseases

GHealth News - The CDC issued its highest-level warning to public health officials regarding the surge of respiratory viruses, particularly among children, that are overwhelming some health systems across the nation. “We suspect that many children are being exposed to some respiratory viruses now for the first time, having avoided these viruses during the height of the pandemic,” said Jose Romero, MD, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, on a media call Friday. “Currently, the United States is experiencing a resurgence in the circulation of non-COVID 19 respiratory viruses.” In addition to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the flu, the warning mentioned rhinovirus and enterovirus. These viruses can worsen asthma symptoms and ...

Nov152022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Insulin and health technology manufacturers make commitments in support of WHO asks

NCDs

GHealth News - WHO hosted several private sector entities who have expressed new commitments and proposed contributions to requested WHO Asks or strengthened previous commitments to increase access to insulin and health technologies. This was part of the 3rd diabetes dialogue to support diabetes diagnosis and monitoring including access to devices such as glucose meters and point-of-care glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) for people that need them most in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Diabetes continues to pose a critical challenge to global health and is among the top causes of death globally with more than 420 million people currently living with diabetes worldwide. Lack of access to insulin, blood glucose monitoring devices, and other essential medicines further compound...

Nov12022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO and WMO launch a new knowledge platform for climate and health

Climate Change

The first global knowledge platform dedicated to climate and health - climahealth.info – was launched today by the Joint Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), with support from the Wellcome Trust. It is in response to growing calls for actionable information to protect people from the health risks of climate change and other environmental hazards. Climate and health are inextricably linked. Climate change, extreme weather events and environmental degradation have fundamental impact on human health and well-being. More people than ever before are exposed to increased climate-related health risks, from poor water and air quality to infectious diseases and heat stress. "Climate change is killing people right now,” said Diarm...

Oct192022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Make Global Health a Political Choice

Global Health

The World Health Summit ended yesterday after three days with 404 speakers and 61 different sessions. The leading international meeting for global health was jointly organized together with the World Health Organization (WHO). Around 60,000 participants worldwide took part online via the World Health Summit and WHO channels. More than 4,100 participants from 141 countries were on site in Berlin. Over 30 ministers from around the world were among the speakers. There were more women speakers than men speakers: 203 of the speakers were women, 201 were men. The opening ceremony on Sunday, October 16, was followed via livestream around the world by more than 40,000 participants and by 2,500 people on-site in Berlin. The last day focused on the Polio Pledging Event and the final se...