Health
SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCK DEMOCRATIC BILL TO PROTECT IVF NATIONWIDE
Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-led bill Thursday to codify broad federal protections for in vitro fertilization in the midst of a growing partisan clash over reproductive rights in the United States. The vote was 48-47, with just two Republicans voting for it: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Others in the GOP said…
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MIFEPRISTONE ACCESS AFTER THE SUPREME COURT RULING
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The ruling was a win for proponents of access to abortion, but laws surrounding access in states vary. The Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone in 2000 for medication abortion. In 2016, it extended the time frame in which a pregnant woman can use the drug…
NCDC WARNS AS CHOLERA SPREADS, CLAIMS 30 LIVES
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has alerted the public to the increasing trend of cholera cases across the country as the rainy season intensifies and the need to be health conscious. According to the agency, between January and the 11th of June 2024, 1,141 suspected cases of cholera have been recorded…
JAPA: STAY BACK TO SALVAGE HEALTH SECTOR, SHETTIMA URGES RESIDENT DOCTORS
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has appealed to residents doctors to stay and join hands with President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the ongoing efforts to salvage the nation, particularly the health sector. The spokesperson of the Vice-President, Stanley Nkwocha, in a statement on Wednesday, said Shettima, made the appeal when he granted audience to the National Executive…
FEWER PEOPLE MAY NEED STATINS TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS
A new way of determining heart disease risk may result in millions fewer people getting prescriptions for statins, according to new research. Heart doctors warned, however, that more information is needed and patients shouldn’t stop taking their medications. Statins, such as Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor, are widely used to protect against high levels of LDL…
FG TO SANCTION HOSPITALS REJECTING EMERGENCY PATIENTS
The Federal Government has threatened to go after the management of any hospital that refused to attend to patients rushed into their facilities in an emergency. The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, gave the warning at the ‘Unlock Grants Award’ ceremony in Abuja on Sunday. In October 2023, the media was awash with the…
NHS APPEALS FOR O-TYPE BLOOD DONATIONS AFTER CYBER-ATTACK DELAYS TRANSFUSIONS
An appeal has been launched for O blood-type donors to book appointments across England after the ransomware attack affecting major London hospitals. NHS Blood and Transplant is appealing for O blood-type donations as this is safe to use for all patients. The cyber-attack means the affected hospitals cannot match patients’ blood at the same frequency as usual….
BMI HAS ITS FLAWS. IS THE ‘BODY ROUNDNESS INDEX’ ANY BETTER?
New research points to a better way to measure obesity than body mass index. Body mass index was first developed in 1832 and has been the standard way to estimate a person’s body fat since the 1980s. The calculation, however, has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. One major critique of BMI is that it doesn’t look at…
AS MORE YOUNG MEN USE A HAIR LOSS DRUG, SOME DOCTORS CAUTION ABOUT RARE SIDE EFFECTS
More young men are taking a medication to prevent hair loss, prompting some concerns that the oral drug has been linked to rare but potentially long-lasting side effects. A report by Epic Research, conducted on behalf of NBC News, found that the number of men in the U.S. with finasteride prescriptions increased nearly 200% in…
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NEW SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED FUNGAL INFECTION REPORTED IN US
Medical experts have raised the alarm about a highly contagious rare fungal strain — after a sexually transmitted ringworm was reported for the first time in the United States. What is trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII (TMVII)? According to the CDC, Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII is a drug-resistant fungus that causes skin disease in animals and humans and is acquired through…