Saturday 19th November 2016- Al Jazeera: Battle for Aleppo: ‘All hospitals are destroyed’

 

‘All medical facilities in Syria’s rebel-held Aleppo have been destroyed, health officials and opposition activists have told Al Jazeera, as another day of ferocious government bombardment on the besieged city left dozens of people dead.

Air raids, barrel bombs and artillery fire killed at least 56 people on Saturday, volunteers with the White Helmets group told Al Jazeera. The rescuers, who operate in rebel-held parts of Syria, said they had been pulling bodies, including those of children, out of the rubble.’

‘The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group monitoring the war, reported a lower death toll of 27 civilians.

The latest deaths came as health officials said that every hospital in the rebel-held east is now out of service – a statement also confirmed by the World Health Organisation, according to Reuters news agency.

“They [health officials] say that they are specifically being targeted to make people give up. In the last few hours, two remaining hospitals have come under intense shelling by the regime,” Al Jazeera’s Osama bin Javaid, reporting from Gaziantep, on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border, said.’

Related Articles:

Battle for Aleppo: ‘All hospitals are destroyed’

East Aleppo’s last hospital destroyed by airstrikes- The Guardian

Syria conflict: Aleppo hospitals ‘knocked out by bombardment’- BBC News

Saturday 19th November 2016- Al Jazeera: Syria war: Air raid hits children’s hospital in Aleppo

(This is video is a similar one from Al Jazeera (AIR RAID HITS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IN ALEPPO) but not the same as the video from this article. Please see the link below)

‘An air raid has hit a children’s hospital in Syria’s rebel-held east Aleppo, forcing medical staff to evacuate patients, including several newborn babies still in incubators.

The moment of the attack on Friday was captured by an Al Jazeera crew, including journalist Amro Halabi, who was reporting on survivors of previous Syrian and Russian bombing raids on rebel-held parts of the city.

Halabi was filming a man and his two children, who were suffered breathing problems from an earlier attack, when the room suddenly went dark immediately after a loud explosion.

Nurses and other medical staff were seen scrambling through the blackness, trying to rush the patients out of the badly damaged hospital as children cried out for help.

In another room, nurses grabbed babies from damaged incubators, with one staff member using a cloth to protect a visibly undernourished child before trying to console a weeping colleague, who was also carrying a newborn.

The nurses later moved the babies to another room, putting them on the floor next to each other and covering them with blankets. At least one of the infants still had medical tubes attached.

Staff told Al Jazeera that all of the babies survived the attack.’

Related Articles:

Syria war: Air raid hits children’s hospital in Aleppo

Aleppo’s children’s hospital bombed as it treats chlorine gas victims- The Guardian

Syria conflict: Children’s hospital hit in deadly Aleppo strikes- BBC News

Premature babies in Aleppo removed from incubators after air strikes hit city’s only children’s hospital- The Independent

Monday 1st February 2016- The Guardian: World Health Organisation declares Zika virus public health emergency

‘The World Health Organisation has declared that the clusters of brain-damaged babies born in Brazil – linked to but not proven to be caused by the Zika virus – constitute a public health emergency of international concern.

The declaration, made by the WHO director Margaret Chan, will trigger funding for research to try to establish whether the Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, is responsible for the large numbers of babies born with abnormally small heads in Brazil. It will also put resources behind a massive effort to prevent pregnant women becoming infected and, through mosquito control, stop the virus spreading.

Chan called the birth of thousands of babies with microcephaly “an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world”. She was speaking following a meeting of the WHO’s international health regulations emergency committee, summoned to advise the director general on whether to make the declaration, which calls in international resources and expertise.’

‘“Members of the committee agreed that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted this advice,” she said.

Chan, who was criticised for being slow to make a similar declaration while Ebola spread across west Africa, sidestepped the question when asked if she felt that was a factor in the response to the Zika crisis in Brazil.

“It is important to realise that when the evidence first becomes available of such a serious condition like microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities, we need to take action, including precautionary measures,” she said.’

‘Tropical disease experts involved in the Ebola epidemic applauded the declaration. “The WHO faced heavy criticism for waiting too long to declare the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency and they should be congratulated for being far more proactive this time,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust. “Today’s declaration will give the WHO the authority and resources it needs to lead the international response to Zika.”

Chan called for countries to refrain from imposing any sort of travel restrictions on those Latin American countries where the Zika virus is spreading.’

Related Articles:

World Health Organisation declares Zika virus public health emergency

WHO chief declares Zika virus as public health emergency – video- The Guardian

WHO Director-General summarizes the outcome of the Emergency Committee regarding clusters of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome- The World Health Organisation

 

 

Tuesday 26th January 2016- BBC News: Zika virus: Outbreak ‘likely to spread across Americas’ says WHO

‘The Zika virus is likely to spread across nearly all of the Americas, the World Health Organization has warned.

The infection, which causes symptoms including mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache, has already been found in 21 countries in the Caribbean, North and South America.

It has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains and some countries have advised women not to get pregnant.

No treatment or vaccine is available.

The virus was first detected in 1947 in monkeys in Africa. There have since been small, short-lived outbreaks in people on the continent, parts of Asia and in the Pacific Islands.’

Related Articles:

Zika virus: Outbreak ‘likely to spread across Americas’ says WHO

Zika virus likely to spread throughout the Americas, says WHO- The Guardian

Zika virus likely to spread across the Americas, states WHO- The Independent

Tuesday 26th January 2016- The Guardian: Hunt apologises to family of dead boy over NHS sepsis failings

‘Jeremy Hunt has accepted the recommendations of a damning NHS report which found that doctors and the NHS helpline missed four opportunities to save the life of a one-year-old boy.

The health secretary offered a public apology to the family of William Mead, who died in September 2014 of the common sepsis bug, which went undetected despite repeated visits to the GP and a call to the NHS 111 helpline hours before his death.

Speaking in the Commons, Hunt said: “Whilst any health system will inevitably suffer some tragedies, the issues raised in this case have significant implications for the rest of the NHS which I’m determined we should learn from.”’

‘William’s mother Melissa – who has chronicled the family’s campaign for better awareness about sepsis on a blog – welcomed the apology and said that she hoped that a report into the 12-month-old’s death would have far-reaching implications across the health service.’

‘The report found that 16 mistakes had contributed to William’s death. It said the “tickbox” system used by helpline call handlers failed to include “sepsis red flags” despite the fact that it is one of the most common causes of death among children.’

Related Articles:

Hunt apologises to family of dead boy over NHS sepsis failings

Mother tells how NHS 111 helpline failed to save son – video- The Guardian

Jeremy Hunt: we let William Meade down in worst possible way – video- The Guardian

NHS 111 helpline ‘broken’, says mother of baby who died of sepsis- The Guardian

Hunt apologises for NHS failings over baby death- BBC News

William Mead’s ‘fate was sealed’ after NHS 111 call handlers failed to identify his deadly illness, says mother- The Independent

NHS 111 helpline missed chances to save baby William Mead’s life and is ‘unable to detect deadly child illnesses’- The Telegraph

Monday 18th January 2016- BBC News: Cancer treatment for MS patients gives ‘remarkable’ results

‘UK doctors in Sheffield say patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are showing “remarkable” improvements after receiving a treatment usually used for cancer.

About 20 patients have received bone marrow transplants using their own stem cells. Some patients who were paralysed have been able to walk again.

Prof Basil Sharrack, of Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital, said: “To have a treatment which can potentially reverse disability is really a major achievement.”

Around 100,000 people in the UK have MS, an incurable neurological condition. Most patients are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s.

The disease causes the immune system to attack the lining of nerves in the brain and spinal cord.’

‘The treatment – known as an autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) – aims to destroy the faulty immune system using chemotherapy.

It is then rebuilt with stem cells harvested from the patient’s own blood. These cells are at such an early stage they’ve not developed the flaws that trigger MS.

Prof John Snowden, consultant haematologist at Royal Hallamshire Hospital, said: “The immune system is being reset or rebooted back to a time point before it caused MS.”‘

See:

Cancer treatment for MS patients gives ‘remarkable’ results

Friday 15th January 2016- The Guardian: French drug trial leaves one brain dead and five critically ill

‘One person is brain dead and five others are seriously ill after taking part in a drug trial for Portuguese pharmaceutical firm Bial at a clinic in north-west France.

The French health ministry said the six male patients aged 28 to 49 had been in good health until taking the oral medication. They started taking the drug on 7 January. One person started feeling ill on Sunday and the other five afterwards. The brain dead volunteer was admitted to hospital in Rennes on Monday. Other patients went in on Wednesday and Thursday.

Pierre-Gilles Edan, head of the hospital’s neurology department, said one man was brain dead, three others were suffering a “handicap that could be irreversible” and another had neurological problems. The sixth volunteer had no symptoms but was being monitored.’

‘The French health minister, Marisol Touraine, said 90 people in total had taken part in the trial and received some dosage of the drug; others had taken a placebo. All trials on the drug have been suspended and all volunteers who have taken part in the trial are being called back.

The ministry said the test was carried out by the Biotrial clinic for Bial, which “specialised in carrying out clinical trials”.

The trial was intended to test for side-effects of the new drug but all trials at the clinic have been suspended and the French state prosecutor has opened an inquiry.

Touraine said the drug was a so-called FAAH inhibitor meant to act on the body’s endocannabinoid system, which deals with pain. Earlier reports suggested that the drug contained cannabinoids, an active ingredient found in cannabis plants, but the minister said it did not contain the drug or any derivatives of it.

Touraine said the study was a phase one clinical trial, in which healthy volunteers take the medication to “evaluate the safety of its use, tolerance and pharmacological profile of the molecule”.’

‘Testing had already been carried out on animals, including chimpanzees, starting in July, Touraine said.

Bial said it was committed to ensuring the wellbeing of test participants and was working with authorities to discover the cause of the injuries, adding that the clinical trial had been approved by French regulators.’

Related Articles:

French drug trial leaves one brain dead and five critically ill

Multiple investigations launched into France drug trial that left man brain dead- The Telegraph

Friday 15th January 2016- BBC News: Plan to reduce organ donation vetoes by families

‘Bereaved families have blocked the donation of organs from 547 UK registered donors since 2010 – about one in seven cases, figures show.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) says it will no longer seek the consent of families formally, to make such “overrides” more exceptional.’

Related Articles:

Plan to reduce organ donation vetoes by families

Organ donations vetoed by hundreds of bereaved families- BBC News

Hundreds of bereaved families blocking organ donation, according to NHS- The Independent

Letting families veto organ donations is an outrage- The Telegraph

NHS to prevent bereaved families blocking donation of relatives’ organs- The Telegraph

Wednesday 13th January 2016- BBC News: Should scientists be allowed to modify human embryos?

‘The body which regulates fertility research is to consider the first application in the UK to genetically modify human embryos.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) will consider an application from Dr Kathy Niakan to edit human genes for research into miscarriages.

Dr Niakan said the experiments would provide a deeper understanding of the earliest moments of human life and could reduce miscarriages.’

Related Articles:

Should scientists be allowed to modify human embryos?

Kathy Niakan: Scientist makes case to edit embryos- BBC News

Friday 8th January 2016- The Independent: New alcohol guidelines: How much is 14 units?

BBC News article explaining new changes:

The Independent:-

‘The UK’s chief medical officer has fully reviewed alcohol guidelines issued in 1995, and reduced the recommended maxium number of limits to 14 for both men and women per week. Previously, men were told they could safely drink 21 units.

The guidelines also warn pregnant women that they should aim to abstain from drinking entirely, when they were previously told they could safely drink one or two units a week at most.

Below, we outline how what the 14 unit limit is equivalent to.

One unit of alcohol (10ml) is the equivalent to:

A single measure of spirits (ABV 37.5%); half a pint of average-strength (4%) lager; two-thirds of a 125ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine; half a 175ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine; a third of a 250ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine.

14 units of alcohol equal:

14 single measures of spirits (ABV 37.5%); seven pints of average-strength (4%) lager; nine and one-third 125ml glasses of average-strength (12%) wine; seven 175ml glasses of average-strength (12%) wine; four and two-thirds 250ml glasses of average-strength (12%) wine.’

The Telegraph:

Binge Drinking Across The UK:

Weekly Alcohol Consumption Guidelines Across Europe:

Related Articles:

New alcohol guidelines: How much is 14 units?

Alcohol limits cut to reduce health risks- BBC News

Weekly alcohol limit cut to 14 units in UK for men- The Guardian

Mapped: How the UK’s new alcohol guidelines compare with the rest of Europe- The Telegraph

Mapped: The binging regions furthest from the new alcohol guidelines- The Telegraph