Health

Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel has said that the federal government is aiming to expand universal health coverage. Addressing the World Health Assembly in Geneva, the minister said that the anniversary of WHO signifies an important moment in global collaboration when countries of the world came together and founded WHO, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve …

The top US health official on Tuesday issued a stark warning to parents, tech companies and regulators, saying the evidence is growing that social media use may seriously harm children. In a lengthy advisory, US surgeon general Vivek Murthy said that while not without benefits, “there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm …

GENEVA: Taiwan failed on Monday in its efforts to gain an invitation to the World Health Organisation’s annual assembly despite the island’s assertion that support was growing for its participation. The annual assembly in Geneva decided not to extend Taiwan an invitation to the event, which runs from May 21-30. China and Pakistan urged members to reject Taiwan’s inclusion, while …

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan reported another case of monkeypox on Monday, two days after a woman tested positive. The victim, a 50-year-old male who arrived from Kuwait to Islamabad, tested positive for the virus, taking the total number of cases to five. The patient was identified as a suspect of monkeypox (mpox) at the Islamabad Airport and referred to the Pakistan Institute …

The symptoms of a heart attack and heartburn are so similar that they have strong potential to misguide anyone experiencing the health hazards. The symptoms of both afflictions do have a tendency to confuse and result in something serious. Heart attack is a serious condition that requires prompt medical intervention while heartburn can also be treated at home. Heart attack …

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation on Saturday launched a global network to help swiftly detect the threat from infectious diseases, like Covid-19, and share the information to prevent their spread. The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) will provide a platform for connecting countries and regions, improving systems for collecting and analysing samples, the agency said. The network aims to help ensure …

The effect of medicines on women and men can differ significantly. This also applies to the currently most promising anti-ageing drug rapamycin, as researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne and University College London have now shown. They report that the drug only prolongs the lifespan of female fruit flies, but not that of males. …

For the first time ever, global temperatures are now more likely than not to breach 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming within the next five years, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday. This does not mean the world would cross the long-term warming threshold of 1.5C above preindustrial levels set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. …

NEW DELHI: India’s drug regulator has proposed testing cough syrups in government laboratories before they are exported, media outlet News18.com reported on Tuesday, after Indian-made syrups were linked to dozens of deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year. India’s health ministry received the proposal from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation(CDSCO) this month and is considering it, the news website quoted an unidentified …

Artificial sweeteners, used to replace sugar in a vast range of products, do not help in losing weight and can have serious health effects, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The United Nations’ (UN) health agency released new guidelines on Monday advising against using so-called non-sugar sweeteners or NSS. A systematic review of available evidence “suggests that use of …