All you need to know about Uganda Ebola vaccine, Diabetes drugs and lot more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 21-09-2018 11:41 IST | Created: 21-09-2018 10:28 IST
All you need to know about Uganda Ebola vaccine, Diabetes drugs and lot more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Uganda to deploy Ebola vaccine if the virus spreads from Congo

Uganda will vaccinate against Ebola should it spread from Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been hit twice this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. Uganda borders Congo's Ituri and North Kivu provinces, where Ebola is believed to have killed 97 people since the latest outbreak started in July, and infected another 45.

Tanzania suspends U.S.-funded family planning ads on radio, television

Tanzania has suspended broadcasting of family planning advertisements by a U.S.-funded project, a health ministry letter showed, a fortnight after President John Magufuli said family planning was for those "too lazy to take care of their children". The letter written by a senior official in the ministry covering health and gender issues asked the head of FHI 360, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, to immediately stop airing advertisements under a project called Tulonge Afya (Let's speak health).

Diabetes drugs less affordable, less available in lower-income countries

People who live in low-income and middle-income countries may have a harder time finding and affording essential medicines for diabetes than residents of wealthier nations, a recent study suggests. Metformin, an older generic drug to help lower blood sugar, was available in all of the pharmacies researchers checked in high-income countries and in India, for example. But it was stocked in just 65 percent of other low-income countries excluding India.

Cargill recalls about 132,000 lbs of beef products over possible contamination

Cargill Meat Solutions is recalling about 132,000 pounds of ground beef products that may have been contaminated with E.Coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. Cargill's ground beef had been identified in an August investigation into an E.Coli outbreak which had resulted in 17 illnesses and one death, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said in a statement.

More evidence exercise may be good for your mood

People who exercise may experience symptoms of mental health disorders less often, a U.S. study suggests. That may be true even when the exercise involves doing household chores, researchers found.

One in three gun-owning U.S. veterans don't store weapons safely

A substantial percentage of U.S. military vets store guns loaded and ready to use, according to an American study that could have implications for suicide prevention. "American veterans have a higher suicide risk than demographically matched U.S. adults and most of their suicides are actually related to firearm injury," said lead author Dr. Joseph Simonetti of the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Colorado.

Bon appetit! French find traces of bugs in their food and drink

From insect residues in fizzy drinks to beef gelatin in yogurt, consumer group Foodwatch said it had found undisclosed animal-based ingredients in a dozen food and drink products sold in France. The watchdog's findings come as consumers call for more transparency on the ingredients in their food, and as the number of vegans and vegetarians rises in France."All kinds of critters are hiding in our food and drink without us knowing it," Foodwatch said in a statement published on Thursday denouncing "scams on the label".

Excess pounds can lead to a leaky bladder

Young and middle-aged women who are overweight or obese may be more likely to develop a leaky bladder, researchers say. Australian researchers found that obese women were twice as likely as those at the normal weight to leak urine, according to a paper in Obesity Reviews.

Technogym targets content fix for fitness fans to sustain growth

Italy's Technogym is looking to offer fitness fanatics more content via exercise equipment screens or their personal devices, its founder and chief executive said on Thursday. Nerio Alessandri, who started off the high-end gym equipment company in the northern Italian town of Cesena at the beginning of the 1980s, said Technogym would continue to invest to offer more training programs, including sport-specific ones, as well as live and on-demand services.

EU approves a fifth copy of AbbVie's $18 billion drugs Humira

Europe has approved the fifth copy of AbbVie's $18-billion-a-year biologic drug Humira – the world's best-selling prescription medicine – ramping up competition among makers of less-expensive biotech drugs. Mylan and Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics said on Thursday they had won a European Commission green light to market their version of the injectable medicine, known as Hulio. They intend to launch it in Europe on or after Oct. 16, when AbbVie's primary European patent on Humira expires.

Give Feedback