COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Halted in Parts of South Africa Due to Civil Unrest

13/07/2021 Chandre Prince

JOHANNESBURG – Violent unrest in South Africa has had a disastrous impact on the country’s healthcare and emergency services and has brought the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out to a near standstill in at least two provinces, as the country continues to battle with a third wave of the pandemic. On Tuesday, the national health department temporarily […] Continue reading ->

Careful Mortality Data Analysis Uncovers Epidemic of Femicide in Brazil

08/07/2021 Chandre Prince

A “hidden epidemic” of femicides and domestic violence in Brazil has been unearthed by a careful examination of mortality data, a Vital Strategies webinar on women and health was told on Thursday. Fatima Marinho, Principal Technical Advisor in Vital Strategies’ Brazil office, described the mortality findings as “shocking” – but added that they showed how […] Continue reading ->

New Cervical Cancer Guidelines Advocate DNA Tests, While Experts Call for Activism

06/07/2021 Chandre Prince

At least 70% of women should be screened for cervical cancer via high-performing DNA-based tests to identify the human papillomavirus (HPV), not a visual inspection with acetic acid or a Pap smear, which are more common. The HPV DNA test is not only more accurate, but it is also more cost-effective, according to the World […] Continue reading ->

‘Our Economies are Shattered’: Island Countries Cry Out for Help to Fight COVID-19 and Climate Change

02/07/2021 Chandre Prince

Small island states need more help to deal with the effects of climate change as well as the new challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the first World Health Organization (WHO) Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Summit concluded this week. Following a two day virtual SIDS Summit: For a healthy and resilient future in […] Continue reading ->

European Farm Animals Now Have Lower Level of Antibiotics than Humans

30/06/2021 Chandre Prince

The use of antibiotics in farming has decreased sharply in Europe, and antibiotic consumption in livestock is now proportionally lower than in humans, a new report by three European Union agencies has found. The report, published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention […] Continue reading ->

US had Nearly 5 Times More COVID-19 Cases Than Reported In First Half of 2020 – Study Finds

25/06/2021 Chandre Prince

The United States may have experienced nearly 17 million additional COVID-19 cases in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH study, published this week in Science Translational Medicine, suggests that for every coronavirus infection recorded until mid-2020, nearly 4.8 more […] Continue reading ->

Leading Researchers Highlight the Impact of COVID-19 on Global Liver Disease

24/06/2021 Chandre Prince

Patients who had liver transplants or those with advanced liver fibrosis may not be adequately protected against COVID-19 after two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, in light of the findings of a new study presented Wednesday on the opening day of the International Liver Congress(ILC) 2021. Presenting abstracts from the soon-to-be-released study on Wednesday, Dr […] Continue reading ->

UNESCO and WHO Launch Initiative to Promote Healthier School Environments

22/06/2021 Chandre Prince

A new initiative by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health Organization(WHO) on Tuesday aims to help countries to promote healthier school environments – including nutritious school lunches, opportunities for more physical activity, and mental health support – for 1.9 billion school-aged children and adolescents worldwide. An estimated 365 […] Continue reading ->

New Chinese Research on Bat Coronaviruses & Wuhan Markets Published Ahead of US-EU Meeting Asking for Answers on SARS-CoV2 Origins

11/06/2021 Elaine Ruth Fletcher & Chandre Prince

Chinese researchers have this week published two papers that shed new light into the likely bat origins of SARS-CoV2 and related foodborne risks – even as pressures from the United States and the European Union grow for a more complete investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV2. The US and EU are expected to issue a […] Continue reading ->

Aspirin Does Not Improve Survival for Hospitalised COVID-19 Patients

11/06/2021 Chandre Prince

Administering aspirin to critically ill COVID-19 patients does not boost their odds of surviving the virus, results from a major trial studying the commonly used painkiller and blood thinner showed this week. In the RECOVERY study, University of Oxford scientists hoped that aspirin would work because it cuts the risk of blood clots — a […] Continue reading ->