Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | A Bangkok court on Tuesday granted a Japanese man “sole parent” rights to 13 children he fathered through Thai surrogate mothers, a ruling that paves the way for him to take custody of the group. Mitsutoki Shigeta caused a “baby factory” scandal in 2014 after …
Read More »Babies born in poorest countries still face ‘alarming’ risks: UNICEF
Washington, United States | AFP | Babies born in the world’s poorest countries, most of them in Africa, still face “alarming” risks of death that can be 50 times as high as those in the richest countries, according to a UNICEF report released Tuesday. While the last quarter-century has seen …
Read More »After the Mengo Hospital deaths
New guidelines to regulate mushrooming free medical camps Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | As early as 9am on Feb.09, people had started gathering at Centenary Park. It was yet another ‘free medical camp’. Organized by the Mulago hospital based College of Health Sciences, people would at this camp get free …
Read More »Being a single dad can shorten your life: study
Paris, France | AFP | The risk of dying prematurely more than doubles for single fathers compared to single mothers or paired-up dads, according to a study of Canadian families published Thursday. “Our research highlights that single fathers have higher mortality, and demonstrates the need for public health policies to …
Read More »Linger over lunch to lose weight: study suggests
Paris, France | AFP | People who wolf down their food could lose weight simply by chewing longer and pausing between bites, study results suggested Tuesday. Research involving nearly 60,000 Japanese people showed a link between eating slower or faster, and losing or gaining weight. “Changes in eating speed can affect …
Read More »New cancer machine restores patients hope
Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Agnes Atiang was in line for a breast operation at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala when we spoke. Her story should have been one of double tragedy. Instead, it was one of hope. An X-ray at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital had revealed that the …
Read More »Male circumcision: Could it lead to a bad sex life?
Male circumcision: Could it lead to a bad sex life? Kampala, Uganda | NIELS EBDRUP | Circumcised men have more difficulties reaching orgasm, and their female partners experience more vaginal pains and an inferior sex life, a new study shows. If a man is circumcised, he faces an increased risk of …
Read More »Sterile mosquitos released in Miami to battle disease
Miami, United States | AFP | In a bid to cut the population of disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitos, health officials in Miami are releasing millions of their brethren treated with a bacteria that makes them sterile. “Treat them carefully! You don’t want to hurt them,” said South Miami mayor Philip Stoddard …
Read More »Virtual reality may reduce paranoia in psychotics: study
Paris, France | AFP | Virtual reality-based therapy combined with standard treatment reduced paranoia and anxiety in people with psychotic disorders, scientists reported Friday. In clinical trials involving 116 patients in the Netherlands, virtual reality exercises led to less fraught social interactions, a team wrote in The Lancet Psychiatry. More …
Read More »S.Africa to compensate families of mentally-ill patients
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The South African government will compensate the families of more than 100 mentally-ill patients who died from neglect after they were moved from hospital and placed into unlicenced health facilities. At least 144 psychiatric patients died from hunger and lack of care within months …
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