News Obiaks News

New tuberculosis drug cures 8 in 10 patients

Oct 23, 2018 641

A new treatment for a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis can cure 80 percent of sufferers, according to a trial hailed Monday as a "game changer" in the fight against the global killer.Doctors in Belarus -- a country with one of the highest... Read More

Doctors find 122 nails in patient’s stomach

Oct 22, 2018 882

Ethiopian doctors extracted over a hundred iron nails and other sharp objects from the stomach of a patient in the capital Addis Ababa at the weekend.Dawit Teare, a surgeon at St. Peter’s Specialised Hospital, said the 33-year-old patient... Read More

Virginity test violates female human rights - UN agencies

Oct 18, 2018 768

A group of United Nations agencies has issued a joint statement calling for a ban on tests meant to assess the virginity of any female.The statement, issued during the World Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Rio de Janeiro, stressed that... Read More

South African doctors transfer liver from HIV-positive mother to save her child's life

Oct 04, 2018 1096

Faced with the only chance to save a child's life, doctors in South Africa have performed a medical first -- transplanting part of the liver from a HIV-positive mother to her HIV-negative child, it was announced on Thursday.The doctors at the... Read More

Cholera outbreak: WHO launches second vaccination drive in Yemen

Oct 02, 2018 913

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it was helping Yemeni authorities with a second round of vaccination against cholera in three hard-hit districts, as cases surged across the war-ravaged country.More than 2,500 people have died of the... Read More

New study says women at greater risk of suffering stroke, dementia and Parkinson

Oct 02, 2018 1025

Nearly half of women and one in three men are at risk of developing stroke or degenerative neurological diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s during their lifetime, according to a study published on Monday.Dutch researchers considered all... Read More

First human case of rat hepatitis found in Hong Kong

Sep 28, 2018 1489

A 56-year-old man from Hong Kong has developed the world's first human case of rat hepatitis E.Researchers say it is unclear how the man contacted the virus, but refuse bins outside his home were infested with rats.There had been no previous... Read More

Cholera kills 61 in Yobe

Sep 21, 2018 1385

Yobe government on Friday confirmed 906 fresh cases of cholera with 61 deaths and 50 others still on admission in hospitals across the state.Dr Muhammad Kawuwa, the Commissioner for Health, stated this in a statement in Damaturu on Friday.He said... Read More

South Africa on red alert following cholera outbreak in neighbouring Zimbabwe

Sep 17, 2018 1087

South Africa on Monday issued a cholera alert following an outbreak in neighbouring Zimbabwe.“There is a significant risk that travelers from the outbreak-affected area may present with cholera in South Africa,’’ the National Institute for... Read More

Emirates' flight illness suspected to be flu - Health official

Sep 06, 2018 1078

Health officials in New York are awaiting the outcome of tests after 10 passengers on an Emirates flight from Dubai were taken to hospital.Acting health commissioner Dr Oxiris Barbot said their symptoms - fever, coughing and vomiting - suggested... Read More

Lack of exercise puts over 1.4 billion people at health risk - WHO

Sep 05, 2018 1193

The World Health Organisation says insufficient physical activity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable disease, negatively impacting mental health and overall quality of life.A newly released study published in The Lancet Global Health... Read More

Cigarette butts are world’s most discarded waste - WHO

Sep 05, 2018 1006

The World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control says cigarette butts have become the most discarded waste item worldwide, with some 4.5 trillion thrown away each year, representing 1.69 billion pounds of toxic trash... Read More

Flood-hit India state of Kerala battles rat fever outbreak

Sep 04, 2018 1588

The flood-hit south Indian state of Kerala has declared a health alert after 11 people died of leptospirosis or rat fever in the last two days.The government has asked everyone who came into contact with flood waters to take medication as a... Read More

West Nile virus claims 35 lives in Greece

Aug 29, 2018 2858

The West Nile Virus has claimed six lives in Serbia in the past week alone, pushing the number of confirmed deaths in the European country worst hit by the disease to 21, health officials said on Wednesday.That puts the number of confirmed... Read More

West Nile virus outbreak in Israel kills 2, 68 ill

Aug 24, 2018 1374

Israel’s Health ministry on Friday said two people have died and 68 others have taken ill, as a result of outbreak of the West Nile virus.NAN reports that West Nile virus, is a viral infection typically spread by mosquitoes. In about 75 per cent... Read More

No safe limit for alcohol consumption, global study confirms

Aug 24, 2018 2776

A large new global study published in the Lancet has confirmed previous research which has shown that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.The researchers admit moderate drinking may protect against heart disease but found that the... Read More

Bill to legalize abortion voted down by Argentina Senate

Aug 09, 2018 1796

Argentine senators on Thursday voted against legalizing abortion in the homeland of Pope Francis, dashing the hopes of women's rights groups after the bill was approved by the legislature's lower house in June.The vote, with 38 against, 31... Read More

Four more dead from Ebola in DR Congo

Aug 07, 2018 1364

Four more people have died from Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, two weeks after another outbreak that killed 33 people in the northwest was declared over, the Congolese health ministry has said.Four new deaths from people who tested... Read More