Global Scans · Health · Weekly Summary

• [New] Lead poisoning, an invisible and often overlooked global health threat, kills more than 1.6 million people each year, but efforts to curtail lead poisoning in low- and middle-income countries only receive $15 million each year. U.S. Agency for International Development
• [New] By advocating for global standards and certification systems, the UK can contribute to the growing global effort to minimise the environmental impact of antimicrobial production, reduce the risk of AMR AMR emergence, and protect both ecosystems and human health. GOV.UK
• [New] By actively contributing to global prevention efforts, the UK plays a pivotal role in reducing the risk of pandemics and health crises that have the potential to disrupt economies and overwhelm healthcare systems, both domestically and internationally. GOV.UK
• [New] In the coming decades, environmental health professionals are bracing for a warmer, wetter climate that will likely prompt or exacerbate threats to public health across the globe. Verywell Health
• [New] The coming decades will be characterized by increases in the frequency and intensity of many types of extreme weather and climate events, with the potential for significant impacts on populations and health care systems worldwide. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Under the auspices of the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an independent cancer agency, has been coordinating with the European Commission to prepare the European Code Against Cancer, which includes 12 ways to reduce cancer risk. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Sticking to a healthy BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is recommended by health authorities such as the US CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) in order to minimize the risk of health problems. www.gigacalculator.com
• [New] Funding and attention for global health and development is faltering, putting progress at risk. ReliefWeb
• [New] To better protect people globally from the devastating effects of climate change on health, solutions that draw across climate, health, and agricultural science will be needed. ReliefWeb
• [New] USAID will continue to prioritize child nutrition, including by working to integrate child health care and nutrition programs at the community and facility level to strive for a world where no child dies because of a lack of food. U.S. Agency for International Development
• [New] The financial burdens imposed by protracted FDA approval processes could strain health care budgets, limiting access to essential diagnostic services and potentially widening health care disparities. Scientific American
• [New] A full-scale military operation in Rafah could lead to a bloodbath, and further weaken an already broken health system. The Guardian
• [New] Greater investment in efforts to educate girls, eliminate child marriage, empower women, and improve sexual and reproductive health and rights will have enormous benefits for people and the planet. Population Institute
• [New] Threats to health in a world facing severe climate and ecological change pose harsh and potentially devastating consequences for society. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Physical inactivity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions, including the world's major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancers, and shortens life expectancy. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] In the UK, people from the most disadvantaged areas can expect to die nine years earlier compared with people from the least disadvantaged areas while people in the north of England have lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and worse health and wellbeing compared with national averages. ScienceDaily
• [New] The government price-setting policies for medicines enacted by the Biden administration put at risk, among other things, the jobs of construction workers who build new medical facilities, as dozens of companies say they will scale back investments. Washingtonian
• [New] Gasimov pointed out the great potential in Azerbaijan for medical tourism: At the same time, projects related to the development of medical tourism are being implemented in Azerbaijan. Report News Agency
• To control environmental threats to the health of children in Latin America, WHO and PAHO should focus on the most serious threats to a greater number of children: indoor and outdoor air pollution, water pollution and toxic substances. PubMed Central (PMC)
• Although Mexico has made progress in children's environmental health, it requires a national environmental health program to prevent and mitigate the risks and damages to health generated by environmental degradation and pollution. PubMed Central (PMC)
• The presence of HIV/AIDS is unequally perceived within and between countries, depending on the social determinants of risk and global inequities in healthcare. PubMed Central (PMC)
• During the quarter, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence reconfirmed its guidance supporting the use of PICO for closed surgical incisions in patients who are at high risk of surgical site infections. ADVFN
• AI-enabled diagnostic support could revolutionize access to affordable primary healthcare in places like rural India, where according to the World Health Organization, for every 1,000 patients there is fewer than one available doctor, on average. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Last updated: 10 May 2024