Pregnant women are being advised to postpone nonessential travel to 11 Southeast Asian countries due to the increasing risk of infection from the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which was shown to cause severe birth defects, according to US health officials. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have named Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, [...]
The world’s first artificial pancreas, which replicates the functions of a healthy pancreas, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for market release. The artificial device, developed by Ireland-based medical technology development company Medtronic Plc, is designed to automatically monitor blood sugar and supply insulin. The device, called MiniMed 670G, is [...]
The upcoming 8th edition of MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND, the leading medical and healthcare event in Thailand and the region, will once again bring together new and innovative technologies, solutions, products and services from around the world. Connected Healthcare and Geriatric Rehabilitative Careacross two dedicated platforms and numerous concurrently held events will be the emphasis of [...]
Thailand is currently investigating four suspected Zika-linked microcephaly cases in three babies and one 36-week old unborn baby, according to the country’s public health minister. If the cases are confirmed, they will be the first Zika-linked microcephaly cases in the Southeast Asia region. Among the countries in Southeast Asia that reported increasing numbers of the [...]
Sanofi recently announced that its vaccines global business unit, Sanofi Pasteur, will receive US$43.2 million in funding for the manufacturing of an inactivated Zika vaccine for phase II development or mid-stage trials that are expected to begin in the first half of 2018. The fund proposal has been approved by the Biomedical Advanced Research and [...]
After a 22-year vaccination drive against measles, the Americas has now become the first region in the world to be free of measles, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The health milestone was confirmed after three years of no recorded cases of the highly contagious disease in the region, the PAHO said. Carissa [...]
The upcoming 8th edition of MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND, the leading medical and healthcare event in Thailand and the region, will once again bring together new and innovative technologies, solutions, products and services from around the world. Connected Healthcare and Geriatric Rehabilitative Careacross two dedicated platforms and numerous concurrently held events will be the emphasis of [...]
A double dose of insecticides that are designed to kill both adult mosquitoes and their larvae have delivered an effective “one-two punch” that has stopped the first Zika virus outbreak in the Wynwood section of Miami, Florida in the US, said health officials. The trendy Miami neighborhood became the first in the continental US to [...]
Young people who spend an inordinate amount of time on the internet increase their risks of suffering from mental health problems such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, executive functioning issues, impulsiveness and inattention. A recent study by researchers at McMaster University in Canada looked at the effects of internet and social media use in 254 university-age [...]
As people reach the ages beyond 50s, their brains tend to shrink in volume and memory starts to decline. In people with Alzheimer’s disease, for example, there is notable shrinkage in parts of the brain involved with storing and retrieving memories. Although these widespread brain changes are considered entirely normal, mounting evidence suggests they may [...]
Health experts around the world have recently expressed their concern over the growing number of bacteria that are becoming resistant to various drugs and antibiotics. These ‘superbugs’ are listed as a key threat to human health by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the researchers in a new study, the rise of these superbugs [...]
Japanese scientists at the University of Tokyo suggest that daytime naps lasting for more than one hour could be a warning sign for type 2 diabetes. The link was found after the researchers analyzed observational studies involving more than 300,000 people. The study found there was a link between long daytime naps of more than [...]
The world’s first artificial pancreas, which replicates the functions of a healthy pancreas, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for market release. The artificial device, developed by Ireland-based medical technology development company Medtronic Plc, is designed to automatically monitor blood sugar and supply insulin. The device, called MiniMed 670G, is [...]
The exclusive rights to two internationally recognized eye movement tests that help doctors more accurately and objectively identify early stages of autism in children 12 to 40 months old, and aids in detecting Parkinson’s disease in patients of all ages have been acquired by health technology company RightEye LLC. The Bethesda, Maryland-based company uses eye [...]
There are around 70 million wheelchair users worldwide, but only 10% of that group has the sufficient upper body function to use devices that can help them stand and walk like crutches or the ReWalk robotic exoskeleton, according to Oren Tamari, CEO of UPnRIDE Robotics Ltd. The remaining 90% are still looking for a satisfactory [...]
A team of surgeons at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital in the UK have successfully used a robot to operate inside the eye and restore sight for the very first time. The device was controlled via a joystick to remove a membrane that is one-hundredth of a millimeter thin. Bill Beaver, a 70-year-old curate in Oxford, [...]
A new revolutionary bone-scanning technique that produces extremely high-resolution 3D images without exposing patients to X-ray radiation has been developed by chemists from Trinity College Dublin, in collaboration with RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland). Luminescent compounds are attached to tiny gold structures to form biologically safe ‘nanoagents’. These nanoagents are attracted to calcium-rich [...]
Sanofi recently announced that its vaccines global business unit, Sanofi Pasteur, will receive US$43.2 million in funding for the manufacturing of an inactivated Zika vaccine for phase II development or mid-stage trials that are expected to begin in the first half of 2018. The fund proposal has been approved by the Biomedical Advanced Research and [...]
After a 22-year vaccination drive against measles, the Americas has now become the first region in the world to be free of measles, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The health milestone was confirmed after three years of no recorded cases of the highly contagious disease in the region, the PAHO said. Carissa [...]
French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and Verily, the life sciences research unit of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., have teamed up to form a US$500-million joint venture company that will focus on diabetes management and care improvement. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US, the joint venture, called Onduo, aims to combine devices, software, medicine, and [...]
Just a few months ago, researchers estimated that around 200,000 people in the UK alone may have been prompted to stop taking statin pills within a six-month period due to a public controversy that started in 2013 regarding the drug’s effectiveness. A study funded by the British Heart Foundation also said that an extra 2,000 [...]
In response to the growing number of cases of the Zika virus infection in more than 60 countries and territories all over the world, including the US, Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is the latest to join the list of companies developing vaccines against the Zika virus. The company has recently announced that its Vaccine [...]
An innovative life insurance program that rewards customers with free insurance coverage for taking steps to stay healthy and active has recently been launched in China by Manulife-Sinochem, the first Chinese-foreign joint-venture life insurance company established in the country. The launch of the MOVE program in mainland China is part of Manulife’s strategy of changing [...]
1. YOU’RE EATING HIDDEN SUGARS Eating “healthy” convenience foods like breakfast cereal, low-fat yogurt, protein bars, ready-made soups and bottled juices could mean consuming more sugar than is good for you.While you may not be eating foods that have obviously high amounts of sugar in them, you should be watchful of hidden sugars. Always check [...]
The international environmental group Greenpeace was recently called on by more than 100 Nobel laureates to end its opposition to genetically modified crops, saying there is a scientific consensus they are safe and can benefit society. In particular, the scientists cited in a news conference the value of a genetically modified rice used to prevent [...]
Kids are naturally active and full of endless energy. Giving them the right nutritious foods will help keep their energy levels up and fuel their busy days. But it can tricky for parents to know what foods their kids should be consuming to stay full of life, so here are some tips to keep in [...]
Struggle with weight loss is something we all hear about quite often, but it is the struggle to gain weight that’s heard less about. You’d be surprised to know that it is, indeed a sore point for many. At the outset, a weight gain program may seem like an opportunity for indulgence. Just grab some [...]
Pregnant women are being advised to postpone nonessential travel to 11 Southeast Asian countries due to the increasing risk of infection from the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which was shown to cause severe birth defects, according to US health officials. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have named Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, [...]
Thailand is currently investigating four suspected Zika-linked microcephaly cases in three babies and one 36-week old unborn baby, according to the country’s public health minister. If the cases are confirmed, they will be the first Zika-linked microcephaly cases in the Southeast Asia region. Among the countries in Southeast Asia that reported increasing numbers of the [...]
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have nominated six candidates for the position of WHOdirector-general in an upcoming election process. The director-general is the organization’s chief technical and administrative officer and oversees WHO’s international health work.Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO’s incumbent director-general who has held the office since 2006, will be replaced by the [...]
All 193 United Nations (UN) member states have agreed to sign a groundbreaking declaration and pledge £606 million (US$790 million) in the fight against what has been said to be the world’s biggest health threat, the antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”. The pledge follows a UK-led drive to raise awareness of the potential impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), [...]
When Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, and his pediatrician wife, Priscilla Chan, had their daughter, they pledged to allocate 99% of their wealth to philanthropic causes such as promoting equality and curing diseases during their lifetimes. At a recent event held in San Francisco, California in the US for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the couple announced [...]
Cardiovascular diseases or heart diseases have been the leading cause of death for both men and women all over the world for many years now. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 17.5 million people died from CVDs in 2012, representing 31% of all global deaths. People with cardiovascular disease or who are [...]
One of the problems being faced by the healthcare system today is the growing number of deaths caused by drug overdose, specifically opioids which are morphine-derived painkillers like heroin, Vicodin, or Oxycontin. According to estimates by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of fatalities in the US from opioid abuse [...]
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently said that brain cancer has now surpassed leukemia as the deadliest form of childhood cancer in the country. In 1999, nearly one in three children who died had leukemia, while brain cancer only caused one death in four. But by 2014, researchers who were comparing death [...]
Many companies that sell antibacterial soaps and body washes market their products as something that helps keep you and your family safe by helping prevent the spread of germs and bacteria and lowering the risk of getting infected by illnesses and diseases. But according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there is not [...]
Four Singapore residents have been hospitalized for serious conditions after consuming illegal health products that contained undeclared ingredients. In a statement by Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA), they identified the products as Snake Powder Capsules, JC Gold, and Tu Cho Pan Chi Pian. The products, which are all sold in capsule form, are touted as [...]
Recent editions of Medical Fair Asia, the region’s leading exhibition for the medical and healthcare sector, have been seeing growing exhibitor interest from North America and the Middle East as Southeast Asia continues to expand as an attractive market. The 11th edition of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA held earlier this month, which was 30% larger than [...]
Health ministers from the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) attended a teleconference that was recently held to address the growing number of Zika virus infection cases in the Southeast Asia. Health representatives from the ASEAN member countries vowed to [...]
International donors have raised more than US$12.9 billion in global fund as part of the campaign to effectively eradicate AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030. Various governments, faith-based and private sector partners were asked by the Global Fund to raise US$13 billion at a donor conference in Montreal, Canada, called the “Fifth Replenishment Conference of [...]
The best way to speed up the body’s metabolism and burn excess fat is to get regular exercise. But for those who don’t have the time to go to the gym and are looking for easier ways to boost their metabolism, here are eight simple options that you can incorporate in your daily routine. 1. [...]
Eleven member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region have agreed to set up a dedicated fund for health emergencies in the region, which is considered one of the most disaster-prone areas, as a critical step towards enhancing preparedness. The South-East Asia Region – made up of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Maldives, [...]
Scientists say that they have discovered a new compound that stops malaria in animals with one low dose. This could provide a new avenue for researchers to develop more effective antimalarials as parasites become more resistant to existing drugs. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University in the US found that [...]
Scientists are able to reprogram a signal that promotes tumor growth into one that shrinks it instead by using gene editing. A team from the First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, China demonstrated in their study, published in Nature Methods, how they could stop the growth of cancer in cells by modifying part of the [...]
Sri Lanka was recently certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as malaria-free. In an outstanding public health achievement, the country has successfully eliminated malaria, a life-threatening disease which long affected the island country. “Sri Lanka’s achievement is truly remarkable. In the mid-20th century it was among the most malaria-affected countries, but now it is [...]
The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on September 5 the country’s first reported case of the Zika virus infection this year, and the sixth recorded case in the country since 2012. The DOH said that the infection was locally acquire as the victim, a 45-year-old married woman from Iloilo City, did not travel to [...]
The Health Ministers from 11 World Health Organization (WHO) member nations from the South-East Asia Region are meeting from September 5 to 9 in Colombo, Sri Lanka to set the region’s health priorities. According to a WHO press release, a key agenda at the 69th WHO Regional Committee meeting, the highest policymaking body of WHO [...]
