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May302022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Monkeypox outbreak reaches 257 confirmed cases worldwide, WHO says

Highly magnified electron micrographic image shows a mulberry-type monkeypox virus particle GHealth News - The World Health Organization has received reports of 257 confirmed monkeypox cases and about 120 suspected cases in 23 nations where the virus is not endemic as of Thursday, it said in a Sunday update. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 12 cases in eight states as of Friday afternoon. In five African countries where monkeypox is commonly found, the WHO said it has received reports of 1,365 cases and 69 deaths due to the virus. These illnesses were reported in various periods ranging from mid-December to late May. No deaths have been reported in nonendemic countries. "Since 2017, the few deaths of persons with monkeypo...

May232022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO DG announces Global Health Leaders Awards

Global Health

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) GHealth News - The WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has announced six awards to recognize outstanding contributions to advancing global health, demonstrated leadership and commitment to regional health issues. Dr Tedros himself decides on the awardees for the World Health Organization Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Awards. The ceremony for the awards, which were established in 2019, was part of the live-streamed high-level opening session of the 75th World Health Assembly. “At a time when the world is facing an unprecedented convergence of inequity, conflict, food insecurity, the climate crisis and a pandemic, this award recognizes those who have made an outst...

May212022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Monkeypox: 80 cases confirmed in 12 countries

Communicable Diseases

GHealth News - More than 80 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in at least 12 countries. The World Health Organization has said another 50 suspected cases are being investigated - without naming any countries - and warned that more cases are likely to be reported. Infections have been confirmed in nine European countries, as well as the US, Canada and Australia. Monkeypox is most common in remote parts of Central and West Africa. It is a rare viral infection which is usually mild and from which most people recover in a few weeks, according to the UK's National Health Service. The virus does not spread easily between people and the risk to the wider public is said to be very low. There is no specific vaccine for monkeypox, but a smallpox jab offers 85% protect...

May192022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO Results Report shows global health achievements despite COVID-19 pandemic

Global Health

Brazilian 99-year-old former WWII combatant Ermando Armelino Piveta gestures as he leaves the Armed Forces Hospital after being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and discharged, in Brasilia, Brazil. REUTERS GHealth News - Despite the the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization’s 2020-2021 Results Report tracks WHO’s significant achievements across the global health spectrum. Released ahead of the World Health Assembly next week, the report details such accomplishments as the delivery of more than 1.4 billion vaccine doses via the COVAX facility, the recommendation for broad use of the world’s first malaria vaccine and WHO’s response to some 87 health emergencies, including COVID-19. During 2020-2021, WHO led the largest-ever global response to a health crisis, w...

May152022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Climate change: ‘Fifty-fifty chance’ of breaching 1.5C warming limit

Climate Change

By Matt McGrath Rising temperatures are linked to more extreme weather events such as these floods in China UK Met Office researchers say that there's now around a fifty-fifty chance that the world will warm by more than 1.5C over the next five years. Such a rise would be temporary, but researchers are concerned about the overall direction of temperatures. It's almost certain that 2022-2026 will see a record warmest year, they say. The Met Office is the UK's national meteorological service. As levels of warming gases in the atmosphere have accrued rapidly over the past three decades, global temperatures have responded by rising in step. In 2015, the world's average temperature first went 1C above the pre-industrial levels, which are generally thought of as the temperat...

May102022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO launches first ever global report on infection prevention and control

Global Health

GHealth News - The COVID-19 pandemic and other recent large disease outbreaks have highlighted the extent to which health care settings can contribute to the spread of infections, harming patients, health workers and visitors, if insufficient attention is paid to infection prevention and control (IPC). But a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that where good hand hygiene and other cost-effective practices are followed, 70% of those infections can be prevented. Today, out of every 100 patients in acute-care hospitals, seven patients in high-income countries and 15 patients in low- and middle-income countries will acquire at least one health care-associated infection (HAI) during their hospital stay. On average, 1 in every 10 affected patients will die from their H...

May22022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Bill Gates calls for task force to monitor future pandemic outbreaks

Global Health

GHealth News - Bill Gates has outlined proposals for a new global pandemic surveillance unit, claiming the World Health Organization currently has "less than 10 full-time people" on the lookout for deadly new viruses. The Microsoft cofounder was pushing countries to take the threat of a global pandemic more seriously long before COVID-19 arrived, warning viewers of a 2015 TED Talk the world was "not ready" for a deadly outbreak. Speaking to the FT ahead of the release of his upcoming book, "How to Prevent the Next Pandemic", Gates said his proposed "Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization" initiative should fall under the WHO's management. The billionaire philanthropist suggested the task force be put together to monitor global hea...

Apr272022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Hepatitis cases in children might be linked to adenovirus, UK health officials report

Global Health

GHealth News - Health officials in the UK have released new details in their ongoing investigation of an unusual series of hepatitis cases in children. The new report helps explain why they have zeroed in on a possible link to the adenovirus family, the UK Health Security Agency announced Monday. Since the beginning of the year, at least 111 children have been identified in the UK with acute liver inflammation that does not appear to be caused by the group of hepatitis viruses that would've been a more likely culprit. Many more cases have been announced in the US and other countries around the world. Roughly three-quarters of the 53 children who were tested for adenovirus in the UK came back positive. The virus that causes Covid-19, on the other hand, was found in only a sixth of childr...

Apr222022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Earth Day: 5 ways to repair the damage to our planet and combat climate change

Climate Change, Global Health

International Mother Earth Day is a chance to reflect on how humanity has been treating our planet, and let’s face it: we’ve been poor custodians. And while a steady stream of IPCC reports has painted a legitimately worrying picture of the current state of the planet, don’t lose hope – here's why: there are more innovative ideas for serious climate action than ever and around the world, people are working together on solutions to help repair the damage that’s been done to our fragile home. International Mother Earth Day is a chance to reflect on how humanity has been treating our planet, and let’s face it: we’ve been poor custodians. And while a steady stream of IPCC reports has painted a legitimately worrying picture of the current state of the planet, don’t lose hope – here's why: there ...

Apr222022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Rare, severe liver damage reported in kids in U.S. and Europe

Global Health

GHealth News - Public health officials in Europe and the United States are investigating dozens of puzzling cases of severe hepatitis in young children. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. The cause is often a virus, but the viruses that commonly cause the illness — hepatitis A, B, C, D and E — have been ruled out in the cases in question, leaving doctors searching for the culprit. In several cases, the illness was so severe that the children needed a liver transplant. No deaths have been reported. The World Health Organization on Friday said it was investigating 74 cases of severe acute hepatitis in children under age 13 in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Three cases were also reported in Spain, the WHO said. It's not clear when symptoms for most of the ...