health news

Panama is the happiest nation on Earth

If you’re happy and you know it, then you probably live in Latin America. Latin American countries dominated a Gallup poll that revealed populations with the most positive emotions.

Panama is the happiest nation on Earth

Coming in first place? Panama. A whopping 85% of Panama residents responded positively when asked about their overall well-being. Looks like money doesn’t buy happiness because Panama ranked 90th in a worldwide GDP, which means Gross Domestic Product. It’s basically a measurement of the country’s wealth. And 90th place is no bueno.

Singapore has nothing to sing about. They came in dead last and get this; they have one of the highest GDPs in the world. Only 46% of Singapore residents answered “yes” to questions such as “do you smile a lot?” and “do you feel treated with respect?’ Singapore even beat out Syria, Afghanistan, and Haiti. Now those countries have something to complain about.

Source: news fix

A death by suicide every 40 seconds, says WHO

Somebody dies by taking their own life every 40 seconds, according to a significant report by the World Health Organization (WHO). It said suicide was a “major public health problem” that was too often shrouded in taboo.

A death by suicide every 40 seconds, says WHO

The WHO wants to reduce the rate of suicide by 10% by 2020, but warned that just 28 countries have a national suicide prevention strategy. Campaigners said there needed to be more education in schools. The WHO analysed 10 years of research and data on suicide from around the world.

It concluded:

  • Around 800,000 people kill themselves every year
  • It was the second leading cause of death in young people, aged 15 to 29
  • Those over 70 were the most likely to take their own lives
  • Three-quarters of these deaths were in low and middle income countries
  • In richer countries, three times as many men as women die by suicide
  • It said limiting access to firearms and toxic chemicals was shown to reduce rates of suicide.

And that introducing a national strategy for reducing suicides was effective, yet had been developed in only a minority of countries. Dr Margaret Chan, the director general of the World Health Organization, said: “This report is a call for action to address a large public health problem, which has been shrouded in taboo for far too long.”

Social stigma attached to mental health disorders is known to stop people seeking help and can ultimately lead to suicide. The WHO also attacked the reporting of suicide in the media, such as the details revealed about the death of Hollywood actor Robin Williams.

There was also a call for countries to provide more support for people who had previously made a suicide attempt as they were the most at-risk group. Dr Alexandra Fleischmann, a scientist in the department of mental health and substance abuse at WHO, said: “No matter where a country currently stands in suicide prevention, effective measures can be taken, even just starting at local level and on a small-scale.”

Jonny Benjamin, a suicide campaigner in the UK, told the BBC: “I think there needs to be much more public awareness around suicide and how to approach people that may be experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings, too few of us know how to react when they see someone who may be at risk of taking their life or experiencing those thoughts and feelings.

“I think there needs to be much more public awareness, much more education in schools as well because, as statistics today have shown young people are especially at risk of taking their own lives.”

Source: bbc news

Surgeons use 4-year-old’s rib to rebuild his throat

A 4-year-old boy will have his throat rebuilt using part of his own rib by doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Wednesday, according to a press release.

Surgeons use 4-year-old’s rib to rebuild his throat

Emmett Rauch suffered severe injuries after he swallowed a button battery from a remote control on his first birthday. The quarter-sized battery became lodged in his throat, burning a hole in his esophagus which left him unable to breathe, eat or speak on his own.

“This will be a major step in helping little Emmett be a normal boy,” Dr. Alessandro de Alarcon, director of the Center for Pediatric Voice Disorders at Cincinnati Children’s said in a press release. “If all goes well, the trach tube will be removed within the next year. He wants to play soccer, so we think he’ll be able to do that and play other sports if he wants, which is important for his childhood development.”

Surgeons are hoping this will be the last major surgery for Emmett, who uses a tracheostomy to help him breathe. Emmett regained the ability to eat through his mouth again after undergoing a procedure two years ago in which Cincinnati Children’s doctors used part of his colon to repair the hole in his esophagus.

“He’s undergone extensive swallow therapy to learn how to eat,” Emmett’s mother, Karla Rauch said in a press release. “He is a champ now. The esophagus surgery changed his and our lives.”

Now, the rib-graft procedure will be used to restore function to the vocal cords by spreading them apart to create an airway passage. “The airway surgery will be preparing him to go to mainstream school next year – kindergarten,” said Karla. “He will start voice therapy where he will learn to adapt to his newly repaired vocal cords. It will also give him a safe and secure airway.”

Alarcon said that Emmett will still deal with many life-long issues as a result of his injury since his rebuilt throat will not function as effectively as a normal esophagus.

In the meantime, Karla Rauch launched the website EmmettsFight.com to raise awareness about the dangers of button batteries.

Source: fox news

‘Dead’ man rescued 2 hours later when family notices body bag moving

A 54-year-old Brazilian man may be suffering from terminal cancer, but the docs got it wrong when they told his family he’d died of respiratory failure and multiple organ failure Saturday night.

'Dead' man rescued 2 hours later when family notices body bag moving

Two hours later, when family members went to the morgue to dress Valdelucio de Oliveira Goncalves’ body, they noticed the closed body bag moving up and down as if he were still breathing

They implored staff to free him, given he was tied up and his ears and nose were stuffed with cotton wool. The family, who was told three months ago that the man is dying of terminal cancer, has already opened an inquiry into the matter,

“Hospital directors will meet the team who saw the patient to clarify the course of action taken,” the local health department said in a statement. Bizarre as it is, this type of incident is far from unheard of; earlier this year, one man who tried to commit suicide and was pronounced dead at the hospital woke up just before being embalmed, and a man in Mississippi also woke up in a body bag.

Source: fox news

‘Ban E-cigarette use indoors,’ says WHO

The World Health Organization says there should be a ban on the use of e-cigarettes indoors and that sales to children should stop. In a report the health body says there must be no more claims that the devices can help smokers quit – until there is firm evidence to support this.

WHO experts warn the products might pose a threat to adolescents and the foetuses of pregnant women. But campaigners say regulations must be proportionate.

'Ban E-cigarette use indoors,' says WHO

Tempting flavours
According to the WHO legal steps need to be taken to end the use of e-cigarettes indoors – both in public spaces and in work places. And the report focuses on the potential for products to spark wider cigarette use in children. The health experts call for a ban on advertisements that could encourage children and non-smokers to use the devices.

And they say fruit, candy or alcoholic-drink style flavours should be prohibited too, while the sales of electronic cigarettes from vending machines should be heavily restricted.

1. On some e-cigarettes, inhalation activates the battery-powered atomiser. Other types are manually switched on

2. A heating coil inside the atomiser heats liquid nicotine contained in a cartridge

3. Liquid nicotine becomes vapour and is inhaled. The ‘smoke’ produced is largely water vapour. Many e-cigarettes have an LED light as a cosmetic feature to simulate traditional cigarette glow.

‘Health threats’
The WHO warns exhaled e-cigarette vapour could increase the background air levels of some toxicants and nicotine. According to the team while e-cigarettes are likely to be less harmful than traditional cigarettes, they may pose threats to adolescents and the foetuses of pregnant women who use these devices.

But some researchers suggest tough regulations may prevent smokers having access to products that are potentially less harmful than conventional cigarettes. A spokesman for the British American Tobacco company said: “We have always said that given nicotine is addictive, minimum age laws of 18 for the sale of e-cigarettes should be introduced.

“However, if overly restrictive regulations are introduced hampering innovation or adult usage, then this could simply stifle the growth of new products and prevent smokers from being aware of and having access to them – this can only be bad thing for public health.”

‘Proportionate regulation’
Hazel Cheeseman, at the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said there was no evidence of any harm to bystanders and warned regulation needed to be proportionate.

She added: “Smoking kills 100,000 people in the UK alone. “Smokers who switch to using electronic cigarettes in whole or in part are likely to substantially reduce their health risks.

“Although we cannot be sure that electronic cigarettes are completely safe, as the WHO acknowledges, they are considerably less harmful than smoking tobacco and research suggests that they are already helping smokers to quit.”

Global guidelines
A UK Department of Health spokeswoman said: “More and more people are using e-cigarettes and we want to make sure they are properly regulated so we can be sure of their safety.

“We have already set out our intention to change the law to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to children under 18. “The UK has an existing licensing system for higher strength products and those that claim to help people quit.

“We are also bringing in new European rules to cover lower strength products which will ban most advertising, limit nicotine levels and set standards for ingredients, labelling and packaging.” The WHO’s recommendations were published ahead of a meeting involving all countries that have signed up to an international convention on tobacco control.

New global guidelines could be agreed during the October meeting.

Source: bbc news

Two U.S. Ebola Patients Released From Hospital

Two American missionaries who contracted Ebola in Liberia have recovered from the deadly illness and been discharged, Emory University Hospital officials said Thursday.

Smiling broadly as he appeared at a hospital news conference and looking as fit as he had in photos taken before he became ill, Kent Brantly said he was grateful to have survived a disease that kills the majority of those infected.

Two U.S. Ebola Patients Released From Hospital

“I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my family,” said Dr. Brantly, a 33- year-old medical missionary from Fort Worth, Tex.

Dr. Brantly and Nancy Writebol, 59 years old, spent more than two weeks in a special isolation unit at the hospital after a medical evacuation from Liberia by the two Christian charities for whom they worked. Mrs. Writebol was discharged and quietly left the hospital Tuesday, officials said Thursday.

The patients, who contracted the disease while working at the same hospital in Liberia, no longer have symptoms and don’t have traces of the deadly virus in their blood, said Bruce Ribner, who heads the isolation unit where they were treated.

“There is no evidence of Ebola virus infection in their bodies,” he said. They pose “no public health threat.” Recovered Ebola patients generally “are not contagious, they don’t as a general rule relapse, and they don’t spread the virus to anyone else.”

Moreover, they are immune to the strain of Ebola virus that infected them, Dr. Ribner said—a strain that caused an outbreak that has infected at least 2,473 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, killing 1,350 of them.

The two were discharged by Emory after consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health officials in Georgia and North Carolina, Dr. Ribner said.

The bearded Dr. Brantly, wearing khaki pants and a blue shirt with the logo of Samaritan’s Purse, the charity he works for, appeared healthy as he addressed journalists, with his wife Amber by his side. He choked up at times while thanking his medical team and the charity. He then hugged the roughly 30 people from his treatment team, including doctors, nurses and support staff, conveying that he was no longer infectious. Many recovered Ebola patients in West Africa are shunned. “God saved my life, the direct answer to thousands and thousands of prayers,” he said.

Dr. Brantly said he would be going away with his family for a while to recover. Mrs. Writebol already is with her husband at an undisclosed location, said SIM USA, the Christian charity where she worked.

In a statement issued Thursday, her husband, David Writebol said,”The lingering effects of the battle have left her in a significantly weakened condition. Thus, we decided it would be best to leave the hospital privately to be able to give her the rest and recuperation she needs at this time.”

While in treatment in Liberia, the two Americans received an experimental drug, called ZMapp, which is made by San Diego-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. and had never been tested in humans. On Thursday, Dr. Ribner said it’s impossible to know what the effect of the drug was on the two.

“Frankly we do not know whether it helped them, whether it made no difference, or even theoretically if it delayed their recovery,” Dr. Ribner said.

“There is a crying need for research on these agents,” he said.Three doctors in Liberia have been given the same drug, and all are responding, said Director of Social Welfare John Sumo at the Ministry of Health. He didn’t know if or how those doctors were being monitored for research purposes.

On its website, Mapp says that the combination of antibodies that make up ZMapp were identified only last January, and that “larger trials are necessary to determine whether ZMapp is safe and effective.” The company declined to comment on its use on the American and Liberian patients.

Dr. Ribner said the Emory medical team learned several things in treating the two Americans, particularly involving replacing fluid and electrolytes in sick patients, and is writing guidelines for practitioners in Africa.

Source: The wall street journal

Special oral health hospitals across India soon

The government plans to set up hospitals exclusively for oral health care at both the national and regional levels, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Thursday.

Special oral health hospitals across India soon

“Facilities for dental treatment and oral health are still inadequate in India. In rural areas, they are practically absent,” he said while inaugurating the Centre for Oral Health Promotion at the Centre for Dental Education and Research at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here.

The minister said the coming years would see more investment in dental hospitals and colleges at the national and regional levels.

These would have the latest sophisticated equipment and research facilities.
The new centre at AIIMS has been recognised by the World Health Organization as a partner.

“Doctors on their own should act as points of dissemination of information on positive and healthy habits,” Harsh Vardhan said.

“While the government will do its duty of framing policies and schemes and implementing them, it would require the cooperation and involvement of all to make ‘health for all’ a social movement,” he said.

Source: yahoo news

Doctors remove skeleton of baby left inside mother for 36 years

Jyoti Kumar went to the doctor after she started experiencing constant abdominal pain—and experts in the Indian city of Nagpur discovered the cause was a baby skeleton that had been inside her for 38 years.

Doctors remove skeleton of baby left inside mother for 36 YEARS

Jyoti Kumar, 62, had an ectopic pregnancy when she was 24, and was told the fetus—growing outside of her womb—would likely not survive

At some point, “She apparently knew that the baby had died and that she would need an operation,” but she was scared of surgery and fled the hospital, instead opting to get treatment for her abdominal pain at a small clinic, her doctor says

When the pain came back decades later, however, she allowed doctors to remove the skeleton, which was inside a calcified sac, from her abdomen. “We found a lump on the lower right side of her abdomen, and feared it was cancer. A CT scan then revealed that the lump was made of hard, calcified matter,” one of the doctors says.

Doctors remove skeleton of baby left inside mother for 36 YEARS2

“But it was only after the patient underwent an MRI that we could make out that the mass was in fact a child’s skeleton. The amniotic fluid that protects the fetus might have been absorbed and the soft tissues liquefied over time with only a bag of bones with some fluid remaining.” The mass was removed from between Kumar’s uterus, intestines, and bladder.

Doctors believe it is the world’s longest ectopic pregnancy; prior to this, the longest known case involved a Belgian woman who had the remains removed after 18 years

Source: fox news

Medical mystery as boy grows giant 40-pound hands

Doctors in India are baffled over an 8-year-old boy whose hands have ballooned to a combined weight of nearly 40 pounds.

Identified only by his first name, Kaleem, the young cricket fan is now unable to use his hands for simple tasks such as tying his shoes because they have swelled to such mammoth proportions.

Medical mystery as boy grows giant 40-pound hands

His gigantic hands weigh around 18 pounds apiece and measure 13 inches from the base of his palm to the tip of his middle finger.

Kaleem lives with his parents in eastern India and they say it’s been hard to find help for their son because they only make around $20 a month.

Doctors who have had the chance to examine Kaleem have been mystified by his condition, but do believe it is most likely the result of lymphangioma or hamartoma

Medical mystery as boy grows giant 40-pound hands222

Lymphangioma is a rare condition of the lymphatic system that causes the development of non-malignant masses consisting of fluid-filled parts of the body.

A hamartoma is a benign tumor-like malformation that consists of an abnormal mixture of cells and tissues found in areas of the body where growth takes place. Both conditions are said to be treatable.

Source: New York Post

 

Suspected Ebola case found in Myanmar

Myanmar has discovered a suspected case of the deadly Ebola virus disease, the information ministry said Wednesday.

Suspected Ebola case found in Myanmar

A 22-year-old man, who worked in Guinea and Liberia in West Africa, was found during a screening of passengers at the Yangon International Airport Tuesday, Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying on its website.

The man, who arrived from Bangkok and had a fever, was immediately sent to an isolated ward on the outskirts of the capital city for further confirmation whether he is really infected with the deadly disease, it added.

Myanmar is taking preventive measures against the spread of Ebola in the wake of the discovery of such disease in four West African countries. Detection of the virus is being done at airports and ports by using modern equipment and training courses and infection control programmes are being carried out at the country’s heathcare facilities.

According to its earlier statement, the health ministry is cooperating with its counterparts from other countries, UN agencies, local international non-governmental organisations and civil societies for related preventive measures.

Source: One india news