February 2021 MedicalnewsToday; A range of factors influences health, including genetics, lifestyle, environmental factors, and diet. Unraveling the complex relationships between these factors is a challenge. For many reasons, it is incredibly difficult to investigate the role of nutrition in health and disease. For instance, no two people eat the …
Read More »KENYA: Women’s doctor with gifted hands
When JACKSON BIKO calls Dr John Odero Ong’ech, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, to set up this interview, there is rhumba dripping in the background. In his office at Nairobi Reproductive Health Services where he is the CEO, he plays it at low volume. Dr Ong’ech is a voluminous character, full of mirth, …
Read More »KENYA: State mulls medicare cover for retired civil servants
February 2021 BusinessDaily; A healthcare insurance cover is to be included in the self-funded pension scheme for civil servants, enhancing comfort for retired officers. Director of Pensions Michael Kagika said the Treasury was working with the department of public service to develop a post-retirement health cover for the 663,000 government …
Read More »Alphabet-backed Oscar Health files for IPO as telehealth market booms
February 2021 Reuters; Oscar Health, a health insurance start-up backed by Google parent Alphabet Inc, filed for an initial public offering on Friday, looking to cash in on the surge in demand for digital health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York-based company, which has about 529,000 users, enables …
Read More »Plastics in your table salt
February 2021 the Standard; Some of the table salt sold in Kenya is contaminated with tiny plastic particles, which may be a health risk to consumers. Salt bought from open markets and supermarkets in eight African countries, including Kenya, was tested, and found to contain plastic particles. “It is obvious …
Read More »KENYA: KU pesticides study a wake-up call for food safety regulators
February 2021 theStandard; The United Nations Population Division estimates that, by the year 2050, there will be 9.7 billion people on earth – around 24 per cent more people than in 2020. Huge population growth will occur in developing countries. To keep pace with population growth, the Food and Agriculture …
Read More »Diabetes treatment may protect against COVID-19 mortality
January 2021 MedicalNewsToday; Researchers have found that people with diabetes undergoing treatment with the medication metformin are at significantly less risk of death due to COVID-19 compared with those not taking the medication. The study, which appears in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology, also found that African American study participants were …
Read More »USA: Biden Moves to Open Health Insurance Marketplace, Counter Trump on Abortion
January 2021 USN; PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN signed an executive order Thursday to open a special enrollment period for the federal health insurance marketplace, offering millions of uninsured people a clear pathway to get coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move comes after former President Donald Trump declined to open a special …
Read More »KENYA: 1 in 3 people in Nairobi has been infected with Covid-19, says researchers
January 2021 theStandard; At least one in every three people living in Nairobi has been infected with coronavirus, a new study shows. The survey which analysed antibodies shows seroprevalence (the level of a pathogen in a population as measured in blood serum) for the virus in Nairobi stands at 35 …
Read More »Germany set to limit AstraZeneca jab to under-65s
January 2021 BBC; Germany’s vaccine committee has said AstraZeneca’s Covid jab should only be given to people aged under 65. The committee cited “insufficient data” over its efficacy for older people. The European Medicines Agency is to decide on Friday whether to approve the vaccine for use across the EU. …
Read More »