insert_link Health / Medical Why a social media detox may not be as good for you as you think – new research DimaBerlin/Shutterstock Niklas Ihssen, Durham University and Michael Wadsley, Durham University Whether you’re an influencer, an occasional poster, or just a lurker, you likely spend more time than you’d like on social media. Globally, working-age people with internet access now spend more than 2.5 hours per day on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook or X (Twitter). Social media use can become excessive and problematic when it interferes with school or work, […] todayNovember 28, 2023 14
insert_link Health / Medical How worried should we be about the pneumonia outbreak in China? C Raina MacIntyre, UNSW Sydney; Ashley Quigley, UNSW Sydney; Haley Stone, UNSW Sydney, and Rebecca Dawson, UNSW Sydney Reports of a surge in pneumonia-like illness primarily affecting children in northern China have captured our attention. The last time we heard about a mysterious respiratory outbreak leading to overcrowding in hospitals was the beginning of the COVID pandemic, so it’s not entirely surprising this has caused some alarm. On November 22 […] todayNovember 28, 2023 7
insert_link Health / Medical First Human Case Of Flu Seen In Pigs Detected In The UK The first human case of a flu strain seen in pigs has been detected in the UK. The source of the infection has yet to be found and investigations continue. Simon Gaitán reports. todayNovember 28, 2023 6
insert_link Health / Medical UN Health Agency says climate crisis equals health crisis The UN Health agency has warned of the inseparable connection between the climate crisis and a health crisis. Ahead of COP28 in Dubai, the World Health Organization argues that pollution impacting the climate negatively affects respiratory health, and extreme weather events play a role in causing different diseases. Here’s Dr. Maria Neira, WHO's Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment. todayNovember 27, 2023 13
insert_link Health / Medical New Zealand to repeal smoking ban for tax cuts New Zealand’s new government has announced it will scrap the nation’s world-leading smoking ban to help fund tax cuts. According to the BBC, the change has shocked health experts. The legislation, introduced under the previous Jacinda-Ardern-led government, planned to ban cigarette sales next year to anyone born after 2008. todayNovember 27, 2023 5
insert_link Health / Medical WHO says China health info shows no new or unusual germs The World Health Organization says there are no signs of unusual or new germs in China suggested in information supplied by Beijing. The W-H-O requested data after reports emerged of clusters of pneumonia in children, and a general rise in respiratory illnesses in China. Here's Andrew Wood in Hong Kong. todayNovember 24, 2023 7
insert_link Africa WHO says the arrival of malaria vaccines in Africa are a ‘breakthrough moment’ More than 330,000 doses of the World Health Organisation-recommended RTS,S malaria vaccine have arrived in Cameroon – a historic step towards broader vaccination against one of the deadliest diseases for African children. Dominika Mortimer reports on the development. todayNovember 23, 2023 5
insert_link Africa Patients’ beliefs about illness matter: the case of elephantiasis in rural Ghana Kristi Heather Kenyon, University of Winnipeg; Alexander Kwarteng, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST); Colleen McMillan, University of Waterloo; Mary Asirifi, MacEwan University, and Regiane Garcia, Simon Fraser University Would you take medication for an illness you didn’t believe you had? Or if you disagreed with healthcare workers about the cause of your condition? This is the dilemma of many people who live in areas of Ghana where […] todayNovember 23, 2023 4
insert_link Africa Malaria: two groundbreaking vaccines have been developed, but access and rollout are still big stumbling blocks By Rose Leke, Université de Yaounde 1 The approval of two malaria vaccines – the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine in 2021 and the R21/Matrix-MTM vaccine in 2023 – will help control, and eventually help eradicate, a disease that causes more than 600,000 deaths annually. Nearly 2 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have been vaccinated with the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine. It will be rolled out to more African countries from early next year. […] todayNovember 23, 2023 6
