Medical
Alberta health officials declare province-wide syphilis outbreak
A total of 1,536 cases of infectious syphilis were reported in 2018 compared with 161 in 2014 - nearly a tenfold increase, said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer. Alberta Health Services says the best way to protect against sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis is consistent condom use. Like other STIs, the symptoms of syphilis may not be obvious. [Full Article...]
Increasing social media use tied to teens' depressive symptoms
Researchers also found evidence that social media - and not other screen-based activities - may promote depressive symptoms in those already suffering them. But the researchers found that each one-hour increase in the average amount of time students said they spent watching television within a given year was associated with an increase in the severity of depression symptoms that year. [Full Article...]
Man, 21, dies after contracting rabies on Vancouver Island
One thing people can do to avoid getting it is to wear long sleeves and trousers if they know they're going to be in an area where they may be bats - whether that's locally or if they're travelling overseas. Bats are the main cause of human rabies and have been for several years, responsible for infecting seven of every 10 people who develop the disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent... [Full Article...]
20 mln children fail to receive lifesaving vaccines in 2018
From 1 January 2018 to 30 May 2019, 49 of the 53 countries in the Region together reported over 160 000 measles cases and over 100 measles-related deaths. Meanwhile, for the first time, there is also data on coverage of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine which protects girls against cervical cancer later in life. [Full Article...]
DRC EBOLA outbreak spreads to Goma
According to the latest health ministry figures, issued on Saturday, 1,655 people have died from the notorious haemorrhagic virus since August 1 a year ago, when the disease broke out in North Kivu and spread to neighbouring Ituri. He felt ill last Tuesday, and a nurse visited him before embarking on his journey, according to local health authorities. He went through several health checkpoints o... [Full Article...]
AIDS deaths are down since 2010 according to UN
Six months to this deadline, this target is far from being achieved. "By contrast, AIDS-related deaths in the eastern Europe and central Asia and Middle East and North Africa regions have risen by 5% and 9%, respectively, over the eight-year period, and the annual number of HIV infections has increased in three regions: eastern Europe and central Asia (29% increase), Middle East and North Africa... [Full Article...]
Recorded drug deaths in Scotland 'highest in EU'
It means the country's drug death rate is now almost three times that of the United Kingdom as a whole, and is higher than that reported for any other European Union country. The statistics published by National Records of Scotland show that almost three quarters - 72% - of those who died a year ago were male. The health board area with the highest proportion of drug deaths in 2018 was Greater... [Full Article...]
Philippines declares dengue alert in several regions
Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever are acute viral infections that are known to affect infants, young children and adults. The virus is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes that feed during the day time. Early detection is so crucial". The national disaster relief agency has placed these provinces under watch. The government in late 2017 stopped the sale of dengue vaccine D... [Full Article...]