Tag Archives: health

Paris, France | AFP | In the never-ending quest for youthful, magazine-cover looks, 8.6 billion euros ($10.7 billion) were spent last year on materials and chemicals used in cosmetic procedures worldwide, the IMCAS industry body said Thursday. This meant plastic surgeons and beauty practitioners spent about the equivalent of Costa Rica’s …

Degradation of freshwater ecosystems often brings disease, water protection improves health outcomes COMMENT | GIULIO BOCCALETTI | With climate change accelerating and its effects exacerbating other geopolitical and development crises, the role of environmental protection in preserving and improving human wellbeing has become starkly apparent. This recognition lies at the heart …

Washington, United States | AFP | The top US public health official resigned Wednesday due to financial conflicts of interest, a day after US media reported she bought tobacco stocks while heading the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A statement from the US Department of Health and Human …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s government was facing fresh turbulence on Wednesday as healthcare workers went on strike, joining thousands of demonstrators holding opposition protests on the streets. The two-day nationwide strike was called by the National Union of Hospital Practitioners of Togo (SYNPHOT) who are demanding better equipment …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was discharged from hospital Tuesday after being treated for a kidney ailment, the family of her ex-husband Nelson Mandela said. Madikizela-Mandela, 81, was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital 10 days ago. The struggle veteran, who was persecuted by authorities …

Over-reliance on and misuse of antibiotics has led to warnings of a future without effective medicines. Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | It’s a tale of scientific discovery taught the world over: the serendipitous find of a mould that revolutionised modern medicine. Almost 90 years ago, Alexander Fleming returned from holiday to …

THIS WEEK: Under age illicit alcohol consumption increasing, study finds Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 50.8% of the 600 respondents in a study conducted by a Health Communication Organisation – Straight Talk Foundation Uganda agreed to have consumed illicit alcohol, 17% of which were under the age of 18 years. …

Miami, United States | AFP | Flu is sweeping the United States, killing at least 37 children as influenza sends the most people nationwide in search of medical care since the 2009 “swine flu” pandemic, US officials said Friday. This year, the most common strain is H3N2, and nearly every …

Paris, France | AFP | Parents who give their teens alcohol, even to teach them how to drink responsibly, are more likely to do harm than good, according to a six-year study in Australia, published Thursday. “Parental provision of alcohol is associated with risk, not with protection,” said lead author Richard …

Davos, Switzerland | AFP | Ebola, zika, SARS: a century after the “Spanish flu” killed 50 million people, humanity now risks a new wave of deadly diseases, and in today’s globalised world another such pandemic may be unavoidable, experts warned at the Davos summit this week. “Pandemics are becoming a …