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Oct252021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO and partners call for action to better protect health and care workers from COVID-19

COVID19

The World Health Organization and partners[i] have issued an urgent call for concrete action to better protect health and care workers worldwide from COVID-19 and other health issues. The organizations are concerned that large numbers of health and care workers have died from COVID-19, but also that an increasing proportion of the workforce are suffering from burnout, stress, anxiety and fatigue. In a Joint Statement issued this week, WHO and partners are calling on all Member State governments and stakeholders to strengthen the monitoring and reporting of COVID-19 infections, ill-health and deaths among health and care workers. They should also include disaggregation by age, gender and occupation as a standard procedure, to enable decision makers and scientists ...

Oct212021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Global heating ‘may lead to epidemic of kidney disease’

Climate Change

Sugar-cane cutters in Nicaragua, where abnormally high numbers of agricultural workers suffer from CKDu (chronic kidney disease of unknown causes). Photograph: Ed Kashi/VII Chronic kidney disease linked to heat stress could become a major health epidemic for millions of workers around the world as global temperatures increase over the coming decades, doctors have warned. More research into the links between heat and CKDu – chronic kidney disease of uncertain cause – is urgently needed to assess the potential scale of the problem, they have said. Unlike the conventional form of chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is a progressive loss of kidney function largely seen among elderly people and those afflicted with other conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, epidemics of CKDu h...

Oct152021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

New advice could trigger global change in use of aspirin to prevent heart attacks

Global Health

By Melissa Cunningham It was once deemed the “wonder drug” in the fight against heart attacks and strokes. But an influential medical taskforce in the United States has overhauled guidelines for aspirin, recommending that middle-aged and older people no longer take a low dose of the mild analgesic to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, in a move experts hope will make Australians rethink taking aspirin preventatively of their own accord. Bleeding risks for adults in their 60s and older who haven’t had a heart attack or stroke outweigh potential benefits from the painkiller, the US Preventive Services Task Force said in its draft guidance. Doctors have long recommended daily low-dose aspirin for many patients who have already had a heart attack or stroke, and the ta...

Oct92021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Sweden, Denmark pause Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for younger age groups

COVID19

Sweden and Denmark said on Wednesday they are pausing the use of Moderna's (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine for younger age groups after reports of possible rare cardiovascular side effects. The Swedish health agency said it would pause using the shot for people born in 1991 and later as data pointed to an increase of myocarditis and pericarditis among youths and young adults that had been vaccinated. Those conditions involve an inflammation of the heart or its lining. "The connection is especially clear when it comes to Moderna's vaccine Spikevax, especially after the second dose," the health agency said, adding the risk of being affected was very small. Shares of Moderna fell 4.9%, or $16.08, to $316.11 in afternoon trading. A Moderna spokesperson said in an email the company was aw...

Sep282021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Resistance to front-line malaria drugs confirmed in Africa

Global Health

Scientists have confirmed that malaria parasites in Africa have developed resistance to a key family of drugs used to protect against them. “We’ve all been expecting and dreading this for quite some time,” says Leann Tilley, a biochemist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, who researches the molecular basis of antimalarial resistance. Signs of drug resistance have long been present in Africa: for instance, in Rwanda between 2012 and 2015, scientists detected the existence of gene mutations associated with resistance in malaria parasites. A new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine today, bolsters these findings by showing that such mutations are causing an observable drop in antimalarials’ ability to quickly treat people with the disease. The ‘gold stand...

Sep242021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Bill Gates Says We Aren’t Ready for the Next Pandemic

Global Health

Not enough is being done to prepare for the next pandemic, a new report from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has said. In the report, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation challenged nations to invest long-term in healthcare systems as well as calling for a reduction in vaccine and resource inequalities between high and low income nations. “It seems obvious that in a globalized world, where people and goods move constantly across borders, it’s insufficient for rich countries to be the only ones with the equipment and resources to sequence viruses,” the report stated. In 2015, Bill Gates warned of the threat of a global pandemic on human life, and in the report outlined these challenges, such as 31 million additional people in extreme poverty as a result of coronavi...

Sep152021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Here’s what we know about the MU variant

COVID19

A coronavirus variant known as “mu” or “B.1.621” was designated by the World Health Organization as a “variant of interest” earlier this week and will be monitored by the global health body as cases continue to emerge across parts of the world. It is the fifth variant of interest currently being monitored by the WHO. Where was it first detected and where is it now? The variant was first detected in Colombia in January 2021, where cases continue to rise. It has since been identified in more than 39 countries, according to the WHO, among them the United States, South Korea, Japan, Ecuador, Canada and parts of Europe. Will my coronavirus vaccine work against mu? It’s unclear how much protection the vaccines offer against this variant. “The Mu variant has a constella...

Sep82021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Covid-19 disrupted fight against HIV, TB, malaria

Global Health

A community health worker carries out a rapid diagnosis test for malaria in the village of Gbapi, Kenema District The Covid-19 pandemic had a "devastating" impact on the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in 2020, according to a report released by the Global Fund on Wednesday. "To mark our 20th anniversary, we had hoped to focus this year's report on the extraordinary stories of courage and resilience that made possible the progress we have achieved against HIV, TB and malaria over the last two decades," said Peter Sands, the Global Fund's executive director. "But the 2020 numbers force a different focus. They confirm what we feared might happen when Covid-19 struck," he said. "The impact of Covid-19 on the fight against HIV, TB and malar...

Sep42021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO releases new compendium of innovative health technologies for COVID-19

COVID19

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for innovative health technologies that can help countries improve health outcomes by providing shortcuts to solutions despite lack of infrastructure and resources. However, many of the new technologies that have come to market are unaffordable or unsuitable for low- and middle-income countries. To ensure that all countries benefit from health innovation, WHO has compiled a compendium of 24 new technologies that can be used in low-resource settings. “Innovative technologies are accelerating access to healthcare everywhere, but we must ensure that they are readily available in all health facilities, fairly priced and quality-assured,” said Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant Director General for Access to Health Products. “WHO will continu...

Sep12021 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Why Is It Taking So Long to Get a Covid Vaccine for Kids?

COVID19, Vaccines

By: Tara Parker-Pope As kids around the country head back to school, there has been disappointing news this week for parents of children under 12. While many health experts had hoped for an early fall approval of a vaccine for young children, two of the nation’s top public health officials said it’s not going to happen. “I’ve got to be honest, I don’t see the approval for kids 5 to 11 coming much before the end of 2021,” said Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, on the NPR program “Morning Edition.” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, offered a slightly more hopeful timeline. He told the “Today Show” on NBC that there was a “reasonable chance” that Covid-19 shots would be available to children under 12 by mid- to ...