Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
By Agnès PEDRERO GENEVA, April 17, 2024 (AFP) – Women’s bodies have become political “battlegrounds”, putting at risk 30 years of progress on sexual and reproductive health for women and girls, the UN warned Wednesday. Though maternal mortality rates and unwanted pregnancy rates have been steadily falling, progress is now slowing or even flatlining on key measures, said the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency. Thirty years ago, at […]
By Pam CASTRO MANILA, April 12, 2024 (AFP) – A faster and vastly more effective treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis is being rolled out in the Asia-Pacific region, raising hopes of a “new era” in tackling one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. The region had most of the world’s estimated 10.6 million new TB cases in 2022, and more than half of the 1.3 million deaths, World Health Organization (WHO) figures show. While TB can […]
By By Issam Ahmed and Lucie Aubourg WASHINGTON, April 4, 2024 (AFP) – A drug used to treat diabetes slowed the progression of motor issues associated with Parkinson’s disease, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine said Wednesday. Parkinson’s is a devastating nervous system disorder affecting 10 million people worldwide, with no current cure. Symptoms include rhythmic shaking known as tremors, slowed movement, impaired speech and problems balancing, which get worse over […]
By Lea Farges and Clement Kasser PARIS, April 1, 2024 (AFP) – French swimmer Caroline Jouisse has been keeping track of her periods using her phone over the last year, collecting information for her coaches ahead of competing in the Paris Olympics this summer. The data helps her plan the best time to work on building her muscles, which is ideally in the middle and at the end of her menstrual cycle when her testosterone […]
TOKYO, March 29, 2024 (AFP) – A Japanese drugmaker said on Friday it is investigating five deaths potentially linked to dietary supplements meant to lower cholesterol and apologised for the “anxiety and fear” it had caused. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has recalled three brands of over-the-counter tablets after customers reported kidney problems. The firm said it was trying to establish if the products containing red yeast rice, or “beni koji”, had caused five deaths and 114 hospitalisations. […]
By Robin MILLARD GENEVA, March 28, 2024 (AFP) – Two years of talks aimed at striking a landmark global agreement on handling future pandemics failed to seal a deal in time on Thursday, and will restart next month for one final push. Scarred by Covid-19, which shredded economies, overturned societies, crippled health systems and killed millions, countries are trying to craft an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. But while they largely agree […]
A Japanese drugmaker whose dietary supplements are at the centre of a growing health scare reported on Thursday two more deaths potentially related to its tablets. Last week, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical recalled three supplement brands — “Beni Koji Choleste Help” and two others — after customer complaints of kidney problems. The over-the-counter products contain an ingredient called red yeast rice, or “beni koji”, which is supposed to help lower cholesterol. Thursday’s announcement brings the total number […]
WASHINGTON, March 29, 2024 (AFP) – Latin America and the Caribbean should prepare for their worst dengue season ever, as global warming and the El Nino climate phenomenon fuel the mosquito-borne epidemic, a UN health agency warned Thursday. In less than three months in 2024, regional health authorities have already tallied more than 3.5 million cases and a thousand deaths due to the virus, which is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. “Probably […]
By Camille BAS-WOHLERT COPENHAGEN, March 27, 2024 (AFP) – Some 16 percent of children aged 11 to 15 were cyberbullied in 2022, up from 13 percent four years ago, a WHO Europe report covering 44 countries said on Wednesday. “This report is a wake-up call for all of us to address bullying and violence, whenever and wherever it happens,” WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement. Fifteen percent of boys and […]
TOKYO, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – A Japanese drugmaker said Tuesday it is investigating one death from kidney dysfunction potentially linked to health supplements recalled last week by the firm. It comes a day after the company said it was aware of 26 cases of people being hospitalised in relation to the prescription-free tablets. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, which sells over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements, has received an additional 50 unconfirmed reports of hospitalisations as of Tuesday […]
By Robin MILLARD GENEVA, March 25, 2024 (AFP) – Here are 10 key dates on the pathway towards the signing of an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response: May 19, 2020 World Health Organization member states call for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the handling of Covid-19 which will “make recommendations to improve capacity for global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response”. July 9, 2020 WHO launches the Independent Panel for Pandemic […]
PARIS, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – The world needs to better manage its freshwater resources but thirsty new technologies touted as solutions could lead to “serious problems” if left unchecked, a UN report warned Friday. Roughly half of the planet’s population is facing grave water shortages, with climate change-linked droughts affecting more than 1.4 billion people between 2002 and 2021, the report for the UN cultural agency UNESCO said. As of 2022, more than 2 […]
