Health

“Depression: let’s talk” says WHO, as depression tops list of causes of ill health WHO | GENEVA – Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 300 million people are now living with depression, …

Montevideo, Uruguay | AFP | Uruguay will become the first country in the world to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in pharmacies, starting in July, the president’s office said Thursday. The South American country adopted a revolutionary law in 2013 that fully legalized the production, sale and consumption of marijuana. …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US government plans to stop funding the United Nations Population Fund because of the organization’s “coercive” family planning practices, including providing abortions, officials in Washington said late Monday. According to a State Department official, President Donald Trump has instructed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson …

And other exercise questions answered By James Brown If you started 2017 with a resolution to lose weight or get fit then you may have found that you need some extra help and motivation by now. In fact, 80% of people who join the gym in the New Year will …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Cases of depression have ballooned almost 20 percent in a decade, making the debilitating disorder linked to suicide the leading cause of disability worldwide, the World Health Organization said Thursday. By 2015, the number of people globally living with depression, according to a revised definition, …

France’s CNRS research institute says it has found a new way to zoom in on AIDS virus hideout Scientists have found a way to pinpoint elusive white blood cells which will provide a hideout for the AIDS virus in people taking anti-HIV drugs. These “reservoir” cells have long been a …

The days of using pen and paper to keep track of menstrual cycles are past. Apps for period tracking have proliferated for both iPhone and Android. Some of these apps are simple calendars; others have space for tracking cervical mucus and body temperature to help women estimate when they are …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Donald Trump suffered a bitter defeat Friday in his first major legislative challenge, as the president’s effort to repeal Obamacare was shot down by rebel Republican lawmakers. Barely two months into his term, Trump was forced to withdraw an embattled Republican health care bill, …

Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump on Friday asked House Speaker Paul Ryan to withdraw an embattled Republican health care bill, moments before a vote, signaling a major political defeat for the US president. “The speaker talked to the president at three o’clock today and the president asked the …

Television programmes can influence the perceptions and behaviours of adolescents either negatively or positively. But if unregulated they can cause harm. The Conversation Africa’s Health and Medicine Editor Joy Wanja Muraya spoke to Sammy Yaah Baya about its impact. How is television viewing likely to influence the sexual behaviour of …