Aug252022 DmediaNo Comments

US Judge Blocks Idaho Abortion Ban in Emergencies

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A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Idaho from enforcing an abortion ban when women with pregnancy complications require emergency care, a day after a judge in Texas ruled against President Joe Biden's administration on the same issue.  The conflicting rulings came in two of the first lawsuits over the Democratic administration's attempts to ease abortion access after the conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the procedure nationwide.  Legal experts said the two state rulings, if upheld on appeal, could force the Supreme Court to wade back into the debate.  About half of all U.S. states have or are expected to seek to ban or curtail abortions following Roe's reversal. Those states include Idaho and Texas, which like 11 others adopted…
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Aug242022 DmediaNo Comments

Nigeria Integrates Rotavirus Vaccine into National Vaccination Programs Amid Shortfalls

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Nigeria this week added a rotavirus vaccine to its national program that is expected to prevent 50,000 deaths of children per year from the diarrheal disease. But the launch comes amid shortages of the vaccine in countries such as Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania. The launch Monday coincided with the commemoration of Africa Vaccination Week. Officials from the World Health Organization, the United Nations children's agency, as well as Nigeria's Health Ministry, attended the launch in the capital. During the event, many young children received the vaccine for free, while authorities urged citizens to embrace the measure. "They'll get the opportunity of taking it when they're taking other vaccines,” said Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. “We need to seize this opportunity — mothers,…
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Aug242022 DmediaNo Comments

Patients in India Protest Shortage of Life-Saving HIV Drugs  

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A group of HIV-positive people has been protesting for more than a month at the central office of India's National AIDS Control Organization, or NACO, in New Delhi, demanding a regular supply of life-saving antiretroviral therapy — also known as ART — drugs across the country. NACO is the nodal organization of the government of India that manages programs for the prevention and control of HIV and AIDS in the country. ART drugs work by stopping the virus from replicating in HIV-infected people, helping them live longer and reducing or stopping the infection of the virus to others. Centers that supply ART drugs across India have been out of stock on several antiretroviral drugs for months, threatening the lives and well-being of hundreds of thousands of HIV patients, according to…
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Aug242022 DmediaNo Comments

Ebola Vaccinations in East Congo to Start on Thursday After New Case

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An Ebola vaccination campaign will start in the Congolose city of Beni on Thursday after a new case of the virus was confirmed this week, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. More than 200 vaccine doses have been arrived in Beni, in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo, it said. The latest confirmed case has been genetically linked to a 2018-2020 outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which claimed nearly 2,300 lives. Six people were killed in another flare-up from that same outbreak last year. A WHO spokesman told Reuters the shots were provided by the organization and that inoculations would start on Thursday. Congo's dense tropical forests are a natural reservoir for the Ebola virus, which causes fever, body aches, and diarrhea, and can linger in…
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Aug222022 DmediaNo Comments

Study: Already Shrunk by Half, Swiss Glaciers Melting Faster

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Switzerland's 1,400 glaciers have lost more than half their total volume since the early 1930s, a new study has found, and researchers say the ice retreat is accelerating at a time of growing concerns about climate change. ETH Zurich, a respected federal polytechnic university, and the Swiss Federal Institute on Forest, Snow and Landscape Research on Monday announced the findings from a first-ever reconstruction of ice loss in Switzerland in the 20th century, based in part on an analysis of changes to the topography of glaciers since 1931. The researchers estimated that ice volumes on the glaciers had shrunk by half over the subsequent 85 years — until 2016. Since then, the glaciers have lost an additional 12%, over just six years. "Glacier retreat is accelerating. Closely observing this phenomenon…
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Aug222022 DmediaNo Comments

UK to Use Lower Dose of Monkeypox Vaccine to Stretch Supply

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British health authorities will begin offering eligible people just a fraction of the normal monkeypox vaccine dose to stretch supplies by about five times, in line with similar decisions to extend available doses in Europe and the U.S. In a statement Monday, Britain's Health Security Agency said patients at clinics in Manchester and London would soon get just one fifth the regular monkeypox vaccine dose as part of ongoing research, citing earlier work suggesting the smaller dose provided as effective an immune response as a full dose. Last week, the European Medicines Agency authorized the move for its 27 members across the continent, echoing the decision made by U.S. regulators earlier this month. "Adopting this tried and tested technique will help to maximize the reach of our remaining stock," said…
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Aug212022 DmediaNo Comments

Polio in UK, US, Elsewhere Reveals Rare Risk of Oral Vaccine

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For years, global health officials have used billions of drops of an oral vaccine in a remarkably effective campaign aimed at wiping out polio in its last remaining strongholds — typically, poor, politically unstable corners of the world. Now, in a surprising twist in the decades-long effort to eradicate the virus, authorities in London, New York and elsewhere have discovered evidence that polio is spreading there. The original source of the virus? The oral vaccine itself. Scientists have long known about this extremely rare phenomenon. That is why some countries have switched to other polio vaccines. But these incidental infections from the oral formula are becoming more glaring as the world inches closer to eradication of the disease and the number of polio cases caused by the wild, or naturally…
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Aug212022 DmediaNo Comments

On Ukraine’s Frontline, a Fight to Save Premature Babies

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Echoing down the corridors of eastern Ukraine's Pokrovsk Perinatal Hospital are the loud cries of tiny Veronika. Born nearly two months prematurely weighing 1.5 kilograms (3 pounds, 4 ounces), the infant receives oxygen through a nasal tube to help her breathe while ultraviolet lamps inside an incubator treat her jaundice. Dr. Tetiana Myroshnychenko carefully connects the tubes that allow Veronika to feed on her mother’s stored breast milk and ease her hunger. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, three hospitals in government-controlled areas of the country’s war-torn Donetsk region had facilities to care for premature babies. One was hit by a Russian airstrike and the other had to close as a result of the fighting  — leaving only the maternity hospital in the coal mining town of Pokrovsk…
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Aug212022 DmediaNo Comments

Scientists Warn of Dire Effects as Mediterranean Heats Up

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While vacationers might enjoy the Mediterranean Sea's summer warmth, climate scientists are warning of dire consequences for its marine life as it burns up in a series of severe heat waves. From Barcelona to Tel Aviv, scientists say they are witnessing exceptional temperature hikes ranging from 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 Fahrenheit) to 5 degrees Celsius (9 Fahrenheit) above the norm for this time of year. Water temperatures have regularly exceeded 30 C (86 F) on some days. Extreme heat in Europe and other countries around the Mediterranean has grabbed headlines this summer, but the rising sea temperature is largely out of sight and out of mind. Marine heat waves are caused by ocean currents building up areas of warm water. Weather systems and heat in the atmosphere can also pile…
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Aug212022 DmediaNo Comments

Giant Sharks Once Roamed the Seas, Feasting on Huge Meals

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Today's sharks have nothing on their ancient cousins. A giant shark that roamed the oceans millions of years ago could have devoured a creature the size of a killer whale in just five bites, new research suggests. For their study published Wednesday, researchers used fossil evidence to create a 3D model of the megalodon — one of the biggest predatory fish of all time — and find clues about its life. At around 50 feet (16 meters) from nose to tail, the megalodon was bigger than a school bus, according to the study in the journal Science Advances. That's about two to three times the size of today's great white shark. The megalodon's gaping jaw allowed it to feed on other big creatures. Once it filled its massive stomach, it…
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Aug202022 DmediaNo Comments

African Migratory Birds Threatened by Hot, Dry Weather

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Africa's migratory birds are threatened by changing weather patterns in the center and east of the continent that have depleted natural water systems and caused a devastating drought. Hotter and drier conditions due to climate change make it difficult for traveling species who are losing their water sources and breeding grounds, with many now endangered or forced to alter their migration patterns entirely by settling in cooler northern areas. Roughly 10% of Africa's more than 2,000 bird species, including dozens of migratory birds, are threatened, with 28 species — such as the Madagascar fish eagle, the Taita falcon and hooded vultures — classed as “critically endangered.” Over one-third of them are especially vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather, an analysis by the environmental group BirdLife International said. “Birds are…
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Aug202022 DmediaNo Comments

Indonesia Confirms First Monkeypox Case in Citizen Returning From Abroad – Ministry

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Indonesia has confirmed its first monkeypox infection, detected in a person who had returned from an unidentified country with documented cases, a health ministry spokesman said Saturday. The 27-year-old male tested positive in the capital Jakarta late Friday, Mohammad Syahril told a news conference.   The Indonesian national, who is doing "well" and showing only mild symptoms, is self-isolating at home, said Syahril, who did not say where the patient had come from. "We have followed up with tracing of close contacts and will check up on them," he said, adding the government is in the process of procuring around 10,000 vaccines for monkeypox. The health ministry is urging calm and has reassured the public that monkeypox is treatable. It has so far tested 22 suspected cases from across the…
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Aug192022 DmediaNo Comments

Kill-on-Sight Campaigns Target Invasive Lanternfly 

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When Stephen Nixon recently noticed a "beautiful" spotted lanternfly by his bag as he skateboarded in Brooklyn, he heeded the request of city officials.  He stomped on it.  "I don't like killing things. Not many people do. I'll catch and release cockroaches if I find them in my apartment," Nixon said. But he said it "seems like something worse" if the insect's population explodes.  Kill-on-sight requests in New York City and elsewhere are a part of public campaigns to fight an invasive insect now massing and feeding on plants around much of the eastern United States. Pretty with red wing markings, the spotted lanternfly is nonetheless a nuisance and a threat — the sort of insect that inspires people to post about squishing and stomping them on social media.  In…
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Aug192022 DmediaNo Comments

EU Regulator OKs Plan to Stretch Monkeypox Vaccine Supplies

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A smaller dose of the monkeypox vaccine appears to still be effective and can be used to stretch the current supply by five times, the European Medicines Agency said Friday, echoing a recommendation made earlier this month by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The EU drug regulator said in a statement that injecting people with one-fifth of the regular dose of the smallpox vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic appeared to produce similar levels of antibodies against monkeypox as a full dose. The approach calls for administering Bavarian Nordic's vaccine with an injection just under the skin rather than into deeper tissue, a practice that may stimulate a better immune response. People still need to get two doses, about four weeks apart. The EMA said national authorities could decide, "as…
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Aug192022 DmediaNo Comments

WHO Approves Lifesaving Ebola Drugs

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The World Health Organization says clinical evidence shows two monoclonal antibody treatments are effective at saving the lives of many people stricken with the deadly Ebola virus. The action follows a systematic review and analysis of randomized clinical trials of therapeutics for the disease. WHO Team Lead for Clinical Care Janet Diaz says the evidence underpinning the recommendations comes from two clinical trials. The largest was done in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018 and 2019. She says the trials were conducted during Ebola outbreaks, demonstrating quality control trials can be done even under the most difficult circumstances. “The evidence synthesis that informs this guideline shows that mAb114 and Regeneron-EB3 reduced mortality. The relative risk reduction was about 60 percent…Between 230 to 400 lives saved per 1,000 patients. Translate…
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Aug192022 TechmanNo Comments

‘Silicon Lifeline’: Report Reveals Western Technology Guiding Russia’s Weapons in Ukraine

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Microelectronics produced in the United States and allied countries are crucial components of Russian weapons systems used in the Ukraine invasion, according to a report by Britain’s Royal United Services Institute. The RUSI report, Silicon Lifeline: Western Electronics as the Heart of Russia’s War Machine, says more than 450 foreign-made components have been found in Russian weapons recovered in Ukraine. The report’s authors say Moscow acquired critical technology from companies in the United States, Europe and Asia in the years before the invasion. Ukraine says Russia fired more than 3,650 missiles and guided rockets into its territory in first five months of the war. Most of the weapons rely highly on Western-made microelectronic technologies, according to report co-author Gary Somerville, a research fellow at RUSI’s Open-Source Intelligence and Analysis Research…
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Aug182022 DmediaNo Comments

WHO Experts Recommend COVID Booster Shots for High-Risk People 

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A group of World Health Organization experts is recommending COVID-19 booster shots for people at the highest risk of severe illness and death. The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization or SAGE, which met in extraordinary session August 11, issued its updated guidance Thursday. SAGE recommends continued use of the two-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Since the vaccines’ efficacy wanes after several months, however, the group of experts advises a booster shot for everyone, beginning with those at highest risk. This is the first time SAGE has updated its guidance on the administration of a second booster shot. Its recommendations are based on increasing evidence on the benefits of a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines for select groups of people. SAGE chairman Alejandro Cravioto said the group recommends a…
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Aug182022 DmediaNo Comments

US to Boost Monkeypox Vaccine Supply

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The White House announced Thursday it will make an additional 1.8 million doses of monkeypox vaccine available for distribution beginning next week. At a news conference, White House national monkeypox response coordinator Bob Fenton said the additional doses will be available for U.S. jurisdictions to order starting Monday, through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra also took part in the news briefing. Fenton said in the less than 10 days since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC authorized the Jynneos vaccine for emergency use against monkeypox in individuals 18 years of age and older, HHS has delivered nearly 1 million doses to U.S. states and cities, making it the largest…
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Aug182022 DmediaNo Comments

For Ancient Megalodon, Killer Whale Would be a Snack, Research Says

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Today's sharks have nothing on their ancient cousins. A giant shark that roamed the oceans millions of years ago could have devoured a creature the size of a killer whale in just five bites, new research suggests. For their study published Wednesday, researchers used fossil evidence to create a 3D model of the megalodon — one of the biggest predatory fish of all time — and find clues about its life. At around 16 meters from nose to tail, the megalodon was bigger than a school bus, according to the study in the journal Science Advances. That's about two to three times the size of today's great white shark. The megalodon's gaping jaw allowed it to feed on other big creatures. Once it filled its massive stomach, it could roam…
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Aug182022 DmediaNo Comments

US Judge: Pharmacies Owe 2 Ohio Counties $650M in Opioids Suit

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A federal judge in Cleveland awarded $650 million in damages Wednesday to two Ohio counties that won a landmark lawsuit against national pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, claiming the way they distributed opioids to customers caused severe harm to communities and created a public nuisance. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster said in the ruling that the money will be used to abate a continuing opioid crisis in Lake and Trumbull counties, outside Cleveland. Attorneys for the counties put the total price tag at $3.3 billion for the damage done to the counties. Lake County is to receive $306 million over 15 years. Trumbull County is to receive $344 million over the same period. Polster ordered the companies to immediately pay nearly $87 million to cover the first two years…
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Aug172022 DmediaNo Comments

Studies Examining if Mutations Behind Monkeypox Spread, WHO Say

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Studies are underway to see whether genetic changes in the monkeypox virus are driving the rapid spread of the disease, the World Health Organization told AFP on Wednesday. The two distinct clades, or variants, of the virus were called the Congo Basin (Central African) and West African clades, after the two regions where they are each endemic. On Friday, the WHO renamed the groupings as clade I and clade II respectively, to avoid geographic stigmatization. It also announced that clade II had two sub-clades, IIa and IIb, with viruses within the latter identified as being behind the current global outbreak. On Wednesday, the U.N. health agency specified that clades IIa and IIb are related and share a recent common ancestor, therefore IIb is not an offshoot of IIa. Research into…
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Aug172022 DmediaNo Comments

CDC Chief Announces Agency Shake-Up Aimed at Improving Speed

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The head of the top U.S. public health agency on Wednesday announced a shake-up of the organization, intended to make it more nimble. The planned changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — CDC leaders call it a "reset"— come amid ongoing criticism of the agency's response to COVID-19, monkeypox and other public health threats. The changes include internal staffing moves and steps to speed up data releases. The CDC's director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, told the agency's staff about the changes on Wednesday. It's a CDC initiative, and was not directed by the White House or other administration officials, she said. "I feel like it's my my responsibility to lead this agency to a better place after a really challenging three years," Walensky told The Associated Press. The…
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Aug172022 DmediaNo Comments

Malawi Cholera Cases Rise Despite Vaccination Campaign

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Despite a nationwide vaccination campaign that started in May, Malawi is struggling to contain a cholera outbreak that has infected more than 1,073 people and caused 44 deaths.  The figures from the Malawi Ministry of Health, updated as of Aug. 16, 2022, are triple the numbers recorded when the vaccination campaign was launched three months ago.    The report also says the outbreak has spread to 10 districts from eight in May. The hardest hit districts include Blantyre with 489 cases, Neno with 128 cases, and Nsanje with 289 cases.     George Mbotwa, spokesperson for a health office in Nsanje district, which borders Mozambique south of Malawi, said continued incidents of cholera in the district are largely because of movements of people between the two countries.    "What is…
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Aug172022 TechmanNo Comments

India’s Vast Rural Areas Plug into Digital Economy  

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In the past year, there has seen a dramatic transformation in the way customers pay for their purchases in Banuri, a village in the Himachal Pradesh state of North India. Whether at a small grocery store or a street cart, instead of handing over cash, they use a simple system that involves scanning a code on a smartphone to make an online payment. “Even if someone buys only half a kilogram of vegetables, he can pay digitally. We do the smallest of transactions,” said Nishant Sharma, a vegetable vendor in Banuri as he hands over a cauliflower to a customer that costs 75 cents. “It is much easier than handling cash.” In recent years, a government initiative called “Digital India” has helped millions plug into new digital technologies as internet…
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Aug172022 DmediaNo Comments

More Than 150 Children Dead in Zimbabwe Measles Outbreak

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A measles outbreak in Zimbabwe has killed at least 157 children, with more than 2,000 infections reported across the country, the government said Tuesday. Cases have been growing rapidly in the southern African nation since authorities said the first infection was logged earlier this month, with reported deaths almost doubling in less than a week. "As of 15 August, the cumulative figure across the country has risen to 2,056 cases and 157 deaths," Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said, briefing journalists after a weekly Cabinet meeting. Mutsvangwa said the government was going to step up vaccinations and has invoked special legislation allowing it to draw money from the national disaster fund "to deal with the emergency." She said the government was to engage with traditional and faith leaders to garner their…
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