ANALYSIS AND COMMENTS

September 2019 theConversation; Ebola outbreaks, such as the current one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has claimed 2,074 people’s lives, are widely covered in the media. But another virus is ravaging the DRC with minimal publicity. That virus is measles. Although measles has a much lower mortality …

August 2019 theguardian; You need not feel shy about having looked up your condition when you go to see your GP – but neither should you turn it into an ‘internet v doctor’ face-off Be confident , but considerate There is no need for you to feel self-conscious about letting your …

August 2019 npr; Steroid inhalers commonly used to prevent asthma attacks may not work any better than a placebo for many people with mild asthma, according to recent research. Synthetic corticosteroids mimic the steroid hormone cortisol, reducing inflammation in the airways. But the drug targets a type of inflammation that …

August 2019 theStar; An article published by Parents Africa Magazine titled: “Ugali linked to cervical cancer” has a FALSE HEADLINE. The article that has been queued as potentially false, purports that eating ugali has been linked to cancer, specifically cervical cancer in women. The article cites research carried out on women at the Moi …

July 2019 theStar;In 2010, humanity passed an important milestone. Obesity became a bigger public health problem than hunger. One hungry child is still one too many. Eradicating hunger remains a priority. But the rising rates of obesity and diabetes can no longer be ignored. A recent review by the Ministry …

June 2019 npr; As a group, surgeons are not well known for their bedside manner. “The stereotype of the abrasive, technically gifted … surgeon is ubiquitous among members of the public and the medical profession,” write the authors of a 2018 article in the AMA Journal of Ethics. While poor manners aren’t …

June 2019 Medicalnewstoday; Energy drinks are popular, especially among teenagers and young adults. But a clinical trial reports that energy drinks caused disturbances to the volunteers’ heart rhythms and blood pressure. Energy drinks are the second most popular dietary supplement of choice for teenagers and young adults in the United …

May 2019 YahooNews;Country folks have driven the recent global rise in obesity, a study published Wednesday suggests.  This contradicts the predominant thinking that links being overweight with urban living. “The results of this massive global study overturn commonly held perceptions that more people living in cities is the main cause of the …

April 2019 DailyMail;It’s bad news for hipsters but men with beards harbour more germs in their whiskers than dogs carry in their fur, scientists say. The alarming news follows a study that found every sampled beard was crawling with bacteria, and nearly half had bugs that were hazardous to human …

April 2019 Yahoo news; The over-the-counter herbal drug kratom has been linked to an increasing number of overdose deaths, federal health officials said this week. Kratom was a cause of death in at least 91 fatal overdoses in the United States from July 2016 to December 2017, and 152 tested positive for the substance …