Category: Health Services

Geneva - Ma'an - The World Health Organization announced that thousands of cholera cases were recorded during the month of June, and that at least 160 people died due to the disease. According to the organization's statement, infections and deaths were recorded in 18 countries, and it turned out that the number of infections in June was 14 percent lower than in May. 32,467 new infections were recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean region, about 18,700 in Afghanistan, more than 6,600 in Yemen, and more than 5,200 in Pakistan. Overall, the number of infections recorded during the period from January 1 to June 30, 2024 in 25 countries amounted to 249,793 infections. It is worth noting that in January 2023, the World Health Organization considered the cholera outbreak a 'level 3 emergency,' which corresponds to the highest level of complexity. The organization's statement read: 'Given the number and geographical distribution of outbreaks worldwide, and the shortage of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess (according to June's findings) the global risk as very high.' What is striking is that the world is facing a 'critical shortage' of oral cholera vaccine, as 17 countries have requested 102 million doses since January 2023, while only 51 million doses have been produced during this period. As of July 8, 2024, the global stockpile of cholera vaccines stood at just 7.5 million doses. Cholera is a serious disease caused by the infectious bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which is transmitted through food or water. Source: Maan News Agency

Washington - Ma'an - The US Centers for Disease Control announced the spread of listeriosis, or what is known as Listeria, in 12 states at the same time. The center stated in its statement that two people died due to the disease, and 28 others were transferred to the hospital. The statement indicated that the actual number of infections with the disease may be higher. According to it, most of those infected had eaten meat products, including mortadella and sausages, but so far there is no confirmation that this is actually the cause. Earlier in Canada, two people died and nine others were hospitalized. It was noted that all of the infected people had consumed plant-based soft drinks. The infection that causes this disease is usually transmitted to the human body by eating foods contaminated with the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria (vegetables and animal products), which causes severe intestinal disorders. It affects the nervous system and can cause meningitis, encephalitis and death. At risk are people o ver 60 years of age, pregnant women, newborns, and people with weak immunity. Source: Maan News Agency

Riyadh: The Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Center located in the Seiyun district of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate provided its various medical services in May to 237 Yemenis who lost limbs, with the support of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief). During the project, 1,072 services were provided; beneficiaries were 54 percent male, and 21 percent of total beneficiaries were displaced. Artificial limbs and prosthetics were measured, manufactured, fitted, delivered, and maintained for patients. Furthermore, physiotherapy services including specialized consultations were provided. The service is an extension of the humanitarian projects provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by humanitarian arm KSrelief, to raise the capabilities of the health sector and try to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly people of Yemen. Source: Saudi Press Agency

Bethlehem-Ma'an- Smoke-free nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, chewing tobacco, and e-cigarettes, are significantly safer than smoking traditional cigarettes and have proven highly effective in helping smokers quit a potentially deadly habit. Nicotine is certainly addictive, but it is smoke that kills. It is therefore extremely important to adopt the most effective methods to encourage smokers to quit, even gradually, with the help of innovative alternatives developed by companies such as Philip Morris International. This is where expert opinion comes in to prove the importance of providing helpful alternatives. In this regard, Professor Peter Hajek, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, who was speaking as a smoking cessation expert at the 8th World Congress of the World Association of Dual Disorders (WADD) and the 26th Congress of the Spanish Society of Dua l Pathology (SEPD), which brought together more than 2,000 international mental health experts in Mallorca, said that after more than a hundred studies, many of which focused on the ingestion of toxins during e-cigarette smoking, it now represents only a fraction of the risks involved in burning tobacco, which occurs with conventional cigarettes. Professor Hajek is in favour of young people not consuming nicotine in any form, but the main concern is that smoking kills and causes cancer and cardiovascular disease, while the risks of e-cigarette smoking are much lower. He believes that the idea of ??banning cigarettes in which tobacco is burned is a good idea, but if we want to avoid the black market and criminal networks, access to less risky alternatives must be made available to adult smokers. The smoking cessation expert also mentioned the importance of eliminating passive smoking, stressing that the emissions from e-cigarettes are so low that they do not harm others, because the toxins responsible for sm oking-related harm are produced by burning tobacco in traditional cigarettes, and most of them are not present in e-cigarette aerosols, and the few chemical compounds present in them are at much lower levels, hundreds of times lower. However, he did not rule out the possibility of some impurities, which can be corrected, and which constitute only a small part of the health risks posed by burning tobacco. He also mentioned that we should encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes by reducing taxes, making them cheaper, and promoting them as a much less dangerous alternative. For her part, Georgian addiction expert Tata Asatiani stressed in a television program dedicated to reducing tobacco harms, while speaking about nicotine, that it is very important to distinguish between nicotine and products that rely on burning tobacco. Nicotine does not cause life-threatening complications, but the carcinogens in cigarette smoke do. She stressed the need to try to replace cigarettes with something less harmful, and t hat bans and restrictive measures are useless. Source: Maan News Agency

Riyadh: The Council of Health Insurance and the Saudi Insurance Authority began implementing a decision today to make insurance compulsory for domestic workers registered with an employer if their number exceeds four people. The general requirements for applying the benefits and limits of coverage under the policy include the obligation to submit a medical disclosure form, obtain approval from the health insurance company, and insure all workers. The implementation of this decision is part of the efforts of the Council of Health Insurance and the Insurance Authority to enable all beneficiaries to receive comprehensive care and prevention and to ensure justice, transparency, and excellence in performance for all stakeholders. The decision aims to achieve comprehensive health care, ensure the sustainability of health coverage, and stimulate health insurance companies and healthcare service providers to offer new products and increase job opportunities in all medical and non-medical specialities with insuranc e companies and healthcare providers. The official spokesperson of the Council of Health Insurance, Iman Al-Tariqi, explained that the domestic workers' insurance policy includes primary care, public health, and emergency cases and covers hospitalization without a deductible rate, as well as treatment in emergency cases for clinics with an unlimited number of visits, vaccinations, and examinations. Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh: The Council of Health Insurance and the Saudi Insurance Authority began implementing a decision today to make insurance compulsory for domestic workers registered with an employer if their number exceeds four people. The general requirements for applying the benefits and limits of coverage under the policy include the obligation to submit a medical disclosure form, obtain approval from the health insurance company, and insure all workers. The implementation of this decision is part of the efforts of the Council of Health Insurance and the Insurance Authority to enable all beneficiaries to receive comprehensive care and prevention and to ensure justice, transparency, and excellence in performance for all stakeholders. The decision aims to achieve comprehensive health care, ensure the sustainability of health coverage, and stimulate health insurance companies and healthcare service providers to offer new products and increase job opportunities in all medical and non-medical specialities with insuranc e companies and healthcare providers. The official spokesperson of the Council of Health Insurance, Iman Al-Tariqi, explained that the domestic workers' insurance policy includes primary care, public health, and emergency cases and covers hospitalization without a deductible rate, as well as treatment in emergency cases for clinics with an unlimited number of visits, vaccinations, and examinations. Source: Saudi Press Agency