Health

WHO launches Global Emergency Response Plan for Zika outbreak

THE World Health Organization has launched a global Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan to guide the international response to the spread of Zika virus infection and the neonatal malformations and neurological conditions associated with it. The strategy focuses on mobilizing and coordinating partners, experts and resources to help countries enhance surveillance of the Zika virus and disorders that could be linked to it, improve vector control, effectively communicate risks, guidance and protection measures, […]

Heart disease – age doesn’t matter

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 17) – This February, we celebrate  National Heart Month, reminding the public to take good care of their heart through healthy lifestyle, nutrition and exercise. Heart Month, which is observed in many countries, aims to promote heart disease awareness and address the most common prevalent forms of cardio-vascular diseases, particularly coronary artery disease. Keeping your heart healthy, whatever your age, is the most important thing you can do to help prevent and […]

Eating too much fish while pregnant raises child obesity risk: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Women who ate more than the recommended three servings of fish per week while pregnant gave birth to children at a higher risk of obesity than expectant moms who ate less, a study said Monday. The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics found an association between higher fish intake and the likelihood of rapid growth and obesity in offspring, but researchers cautioned that they had not […]

Brain Health

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 15) – The brain as part of the nervous system is responsible for memory, consciousness and voluntary actions. It also controls the maintenance for respiration, heart rate, digestion and blood pressure. As the master control of our body, it is important that this organ remains healthy. To maintain good health, the body has to exert physical efforts and maintain supplements. The brain needs cognitive effort to maintain good health. As we age, our brain […]

Cancer kills 7,500 daily in China: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Chronic infections, smoking and pollution have contributed to skyrocketing cases of cancer in China, with an estimated 4.3 million new diagnoses last year and 2.8 million deaths, researchers said Tuesday. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in China, said the report published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and led by Wanqing Chen of the National Cancer Center in Beijing. The report described cancer as a major […]

Bad teeth, broken dreams!

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 15) – When taking picture everyone says, “Say cheese! Smile!” So, you do and show your teeth. The healthier your teeth are, the happier you look. Cleaning our teeth needs proper knowledge; it’s like learning how to read A-B-C, and learning how to tie your shoes. Many of us do not prioritize teeth and gum problems;  some of us would rather have their nails or hair done, than go and see a […]

Take care of your teeth!

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 12) – We can’t deny that once we experience any tooth problem, our whole body is painfully affected. But said effects don’t just stop there, it can also affect our quality of life in the form of our physical, mental and social well-being.  Sadly, tooth problems can affect the way we speak, eat and socialize. These problems occur because sometimes when we already feel something is wrong with our teeth, we often ignore […]

February is National Heart Month

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 12) – Every time the month of February arrives, I know that several of you might be planning ahead of the time to set a date with your partner or plans of better ways to express your love to your family, friends and loved ones. But, more than that, don’t you know that February is also the “National Heart Month”? In the Philippines, based from Proclamation No. 1096, s. 1973, the month of […]

Airports boost efforts to stop spread of Zika: UN agency

CANADA (AFP) — Airports are stepping up efforts to reduce populations of mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus in order to prevent its spread, the UN aviation agency said Thursday. “The management of the outbreak is currently focused on reducing the populations of the Aedes mosquito that transmit the virus at airports (vector control),” the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said in a statement. Vector control refers to the spraying of insecticides or other pest […]

Brazil army will go door-to-door in fight against Zika

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Some 220,000 soldiers will hand out leaflets door-to-door across Brazil on Saturday, ahead of a massive insecticide-spraying operation as the government tries to stem an outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. “We have to protect the population, especially pregnant women, athletes and tourists who will come for the Olympic Games” in Rio de Janeiro in August, Defense Minister Aldo Rebelo said at a news conference Thursday. Troops will visit three million […]

Fish, other mosquitoes now warriors in Zika battle

SAN DIEGO, El Salvador (AFP) — With larva-chomping fish and genetically modified insects, Latin Americans are deploying legions of little helpers to destroy mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus in the world’s latest mass health scare. Scientists are devising numerous ways to try and stamp out the mosquitoes whose bites spread the virus, which they suspect can cause brain damage in babies and paralysis in adults. Some want to wipe out baby mosquito larvae in standing […]

WHO cautions against linking Zika virus with rare nerve disorder

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday urged caution about linking the Zika virus with a rare nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre which health officials in Colombia have blamed for three deaths. “Yes, we have seen cases of death from Guillain-Barre syndrome, three have been reported. But I would urge caution” on linking it with Zika, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said. Colombia last Friday said three people had died after contracting the […]