Gaza, Feb 15 (IANS) Gaza health authorities said on Sunday that the Rafah Crossing with Egypt is operating under strict limits that endanger thousands of patients needing medical treatment abroad. In a statement, officials said the partial reopening of the crossing on February 2 allows only a small number of travellers, “far short of the minimum humanitarian obligations owed to the sick and wounded.”The authorities said more than 20,000 patients, including critical cases of cancer, heart disease…
Latest World Health Organization News & Updates
New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) As tuberculosis (TB) continues as the deadliest infectious cause of deaths globally, a new study has shown that artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled digital stethoscopes can help fill critical screening gaps, especially in hard-to-reach areas.In a commentary published in the journal Med (Cell Press), global experts contended that stethoscopes combined with digital technology and AI can be a better option against the challenges faced in screening programmes, such as under-…
New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) Integrating Ayush with modern medicine in public health can help boost Universal Health Coverage, said Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, on Thursday.Speaking at the third day of the World Governments Summit, held in Dubai, UAE, she highlighted the need to shift health systems towards prevention and long-term wellbeing. Addressing the session “From Policy to Practice: Investing in the Future of Integrative Medicine”, Patel noted that th…
New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) The Goods and Services Tax (GST) exemption of lifesaving cancer drugs and higher taxation on tobacco products are the steps aimed at strengthening public health in the country, according to a new study led by oncologists from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.The GST council, in its 56th meeting in September last year, recommended the total exemption of 33 lifesaving drugs, including those used in cancer care, from GST altogether (from 12 per cent to zero, and t…
New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) A world-first Australian trial has found that a simple fingerstick test for hepatitis B DNA is as accurate as standard lab testing, paving the way for wider access in remote and resource-limited settings.Published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, the study showed that the point-of-care test can deliver results within an hour and be performed in decentralised clinics, Xinhua news agency reported. The fingerstick test can help overcome delays caused by laboratory-ba…
New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) A team of researchers in Japan has announced a clinical trial to confirm a vaccine’s efficacy against the deadly Nipah virus in humans.The vaccine candidate developed at the University of Tokyo is set to start clinical trials in Belgium in April, Nikkei Asia, a Japan-based English-language news magazine, reported. The new vaccine offers a potential breakthrough against a disease whose fatality rate is estimated to be between 40 per cent and 75 per cent. Currently, there i…
New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) Up to four in 10 or 7.1 million cancer cases worldwide could be prevented, according to a new global analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) on Wednesday.The study, released on World Cancer Day on February 4, identified tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer globally, responsible for 15 per cent of all new cancer cases.It also found, for the first time, that nine cancer-causing infections are…
Yangon, Feb 2 (IANS) Myanmar has intensified health screening and surveillance at Yangon International Airport to prevent the possible entry of the Nipah virus, the state-owned daily The Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Monday.In view of the ongoing outbreak of the Nipah virus in India’s West Bengal state, special attention is being given to travelers arriving from India, with health checks focusing on fever and other Nipah-related symptoms, the report said, citing the Ministry of Health….
Islamabad, Feb 2 (IANS) Pakistan on Monday launched its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2026, aiming to vaccinate more than 45 million children from February 2 to February 8, the National Emergency Operations Centre said.The campaign was inaugurated in Islamabad by Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq, with representatives of UNICEF and the World Health Organization also attending.Speaking at the ceremony, Farooq said polio eradication remains a t…
New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) The risk of transmission of Nipah virus remains low, and there is no need for any travel or trade restrictions, said the World Health Organisation, noting that it is closely monitoring the deadly virus cases in India.In its latest Epidemiological Bulletin, the global health body reported two cases of Nipah virus in 25-year-old nurses — a woman and a man — working at the same private hospital in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.The WHO informed that the health…