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Unicef report warns that 25% of SA’s toddlers face severe food poverty
A report by the United Nations Children’s Agency Unicef shows that almost a quarter (23%) of South African children under five are at risk...
Global pandemic treaty talks grind to a halt
Global deliberations on an international treaty that could unite the world in a strategy against another pandemic have been unsuccessful, with countries failing to...
US delays ban on menthol cigarettes
In a decision that has been widely criticised, the US Government has put on hold its plan to ban menthol cigarettes, a move that...
Britain takes first step with vote to ban smoking
Britain is on course to ban smoking for an entire generation after a historic vote in the House of Commons this week, which is likely to see the UK...
UK pharmacists to treat for common ailments, cutting out GPs
Under changes to pharmacy regulations in England, customers can now get treatment for seven common conditions without needing to see doctors, freeing up 10m...
IP clause sows division over WHO's draft pandemic accord
The draft pandemic accord sent to WHO member states by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) last week was met with mixed reaction, being welcomed...
UK to clamp down on avalanche of sick notes
In efforts to reduce the alarming number of sick notes dished out by UK GPs – sometimes booking off people for months on end...
UN approves global accord on pandemic response
A political declaration by UN member states on more effective pandemic preparedness and response was approved at a High Level Meeting last week, signalling...
New vaping tax won’t put off youth, say experts
Like others around the world, the South African Government has imposed excise taxes on products like alcohol and tobacco to reduce their demand –...
New US guidance allows more gay men to donate blood
For nearly 40 years, guidance from the US Food and Drug Administration has banned most gay men from donating blood, but from next week, the...
Experts call for legal framework for patients’ data
As technology speeds up healthcare professionals’ access to patients’ cellphone data, the collection, usage and sharing of this information can be a concern, prompting...
Moving away from BMI as a health risk indicator
The American Medical Association’s recent policy decision to reduce and de-emphasise the use of BMI is part of a growing movement away from the...
New sin tax pushes up vaping costs
South African vapers would have felt the pinch last Thursday when the new sin tax kicked in, more than doubling the price of vaping...
Policy shift call as global drug use and deaths highest ever
Fifty years into the world “war on drugs”, the drugs are winning. Global levels of drug use and production, as well as drug-related deaths...
Early diagnosis hope with new cystic fibrosis screening programme
A new screening programme for cystic fibrosis (CF) in on the cards for South Africa which, it is hoped, will diagnose cases in newborns...
Sodium content policy change can save 7m lives – WHO
Eating too much salt is killing nearly 2m people every year, and unless global policies are swiftly implemented to limit sodium content in processed...
Stringent EPA limits for ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water
America’s Environmental Protection Agency is proposing the US’ first drinking-water standards for a group of human-made carcinogenic chemicals, which are common in consumer items...
No proof yet that sugar tax has led to obesity decline, say cane growers
Government is yet to provide data to show that obesity levels have declined since the introduction of the "sugar tax" in 2018, South Africa's...
Canada starts three-year pilot to decriminalise hard drugs
The Canadian province of British Columbia is starting a first-in-the-nation trial decriminalising small amounts of hard drugs like cocaine and heroin, starting this week...
Menopause leave trial rejected by UK Ministers
British Ministers have rejected a proposal from MPs to introduce “menopause leave” pilots in England, arguing it could be “counterproductive”, and simultaneously dismissed a...
Landmark US health body decision on collision sports link to CTE
In a landmark move, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest biomedical research agency, has formally acknowledged a clear causal link...
Critical need for national strategy to address chronic surgical backlog
National Department of Health statistics reveal that more than 107,000 non-emergency or elective surgeries were put on the back burner during the COVID-19 pandemic....
NHS removes words ‘woman’ and ‘women’ from menopause page
In what many may consider to be completely over the top in political correctness, the NHS has removed the words “woman” and “women” from...
UK pharmacists and therapists now also allowed to issue sick notes
Under new legislation in Britain, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists will be able to issue fit notes, giving workers more flexibility when seeking necessary...