From killing over 600,000 elderly from dementia to an almost equal number of infants under the age of one-year, air pollution’s impact on young and old is explained simply through hard-hitting numbers in the latest State of Global Air (SOGA) report, by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute. The report identifies plenty of scope for immediate […] Continue reading ->
BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading ->
NEW YORK CITY – A painstakingly negotiated Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases with overwhelming support from UN member states failed to win formal endorsement at a special High Level Session of the General Assembly (GA) Thursday – after the United States torpedoed its adoption by consensus. The last minute moves means that the draft declaration […] Continue reading ->
On 25 September, world leaders will gather at the United Nations for the Fourth High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). It comes at a pivotal moment: funding for global health has plummeted, while NCDs like heart disease, cancer and diabetes continue to claim 75% of all lives lost worldwide. This amid recent efforts to water […] Continue reading ->
In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading ->
Over a billion people across the world are living with mental health disorders, a slight but significant increase over the numbers from the last time the data was collected in 2000, with anxiety and depression being the most prevalent conditions. In low-income countries, fewer than 10% of affected individuals receive care, compared to over 50% […] Continue reading ->
Africa’s population over the age of 60 will triple by 2050, bringing “a sharp rise in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, with profound health and economic costs”, according to a paper published in Nature last week. The paper highlights a five-year strategy, headed by a pan-African task force, to address this demographic shift on the continent, […] Continue reading ->
Digital tests based on speech and smell are being developed to screen for cognitive decline, researchers told the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto. Two speech apps are already some way down the road, testing several markers including speech speed, vocabulary and rhythm in different languages to establish a baseline for testing, a session convened […] Continue reading ->
Americans are about 20% more likely to experience memory problems if they lived in areas with high levels of atmospheric lead, according to a study of over 600,000 adults over the age of 65 released at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto on Tuesday. Researchers examined how exposure to airborne lead between 1960 and […] Continue reading ->
LONDON – Summit it was not as there were no heads of state or even Bill Gates, although the UK’s Minister for Climate Change made a compelling presentation showing the kind of policy leadership starkly absent in the United States. Even so, the recent Climate and Health Summit, hosted by the UK Physiological Society, the […] Continue reading ->