Posts

Showing posts with the label Health

2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home, more than twice as many lack safe sanitation

World Health Organization Some 3 in 10 people worldwide, or 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home, and 6 in 10, or 4.5 billion, lack safely managed sanitation, according to a new report by WHO and UNICEF.  Story here.

Humans face a shocking, chemical-induced reproductive crisis

Image
treehugger Endocrine disrupting chemicals in our environment have damaged male sperm, most of which are now misshapen and unable to swim properly. Story here. Plastics like this  contribute to the problem. 

Superbug Explosion Triggers UN General Assembly Meeting

Image
Scientific American A confined animal feeding operation. "Unnecessary or incorrect antibiotic use in...agricultural production has worsened the problem."  USGS photo. Several times a week Brad Spellberg struggles with a difficult decision. A patient stumbles into his emergency room in southern California suffering from familiar symptoms: pressure when she urinates, pain in her side, fever and nausea. Based on these clues Spellberg can quickly diagnose the problem as a kidney infection, but the trouble lies in deciding what he should do next. He knows the patient is hurting and of course he wants to help, but more than his patient’s health hangs in the balance. Story here.

Superbug Resistant to Two Last-Resort Antibiotics Found in US For First Time

STAT  A strain of E. coli resistant to two last-resort antibiotics has for the first time been reported in the United States. Story here.

You Can Give Them Back Their Summers

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment Forest fires are not an unusual thing in the Northwest Territories, but the summer of 2014 went beyond anything Yellowknife residents had seen before. The air quality index was at 10 or worse – the worst it can be – for much of the summer because of all the smoke. Story here. RELATED: " B.C. remains quiet over polluted Hullcar aquifer"

World Health Day: Rapidly Rising Diabetes Closely Linked to Poverty

INTER PRESS SERVICE Diabetes, which now affects more than 400 million people worldwide, is closely linked to poverty in most regions of the world, World Health Organization Medical Officer Alessandro Demaio told IPS Thursday. Story here.

Almost 13 Million People Die Yearly Due to Unhealthy Environments.

Image
World Health Organization PinP photo. Geneva – An estimated 12.6 million people died as a result of living or working in an unhealthy environment in 2012 – nearly one in four of total global deaths, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). Environmental risk factors, such as air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change and ultraviolet radiation, contribute to more than 100 diseases and injuries.

El NiƱo and Climate Change—Contributing Factors in the Dispersal of Zika Virus in the Americas?

THE LANCET In their letter, Isaac I Bogoch and colleagues (Jan 23, p 335) 1 anticipated the international spread of Zika virus from Brazil through air traffic. Story here.

TPP Caves to The Tobacco Industry, Threatens Public Health

bilaterals.org The vacuous “tobacco control” provision in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) virtually capitulates to the demands of multinational tobacco corporations, jeopardizing nations’ health and economic welfare. Story here.

Teen Pregnancy and Sexual Violence Soars in Nicaragua

Plan Canada Early pregnancy is one of 6 barriers commonly keeping girls from school . In Nicaragua , where the rates of teen pregnancy are the highest in Latin America, the issue is spiraling out of control. Story here.

Climate Change a Major Health Threat to Children, Doctors Warn

CBC News Climate change poses a rising global public health and safety threat, and children are particularly vulnerable, the American Academy of Pediatrics says in a new policy statement. Story here.

Obesity-Related Cancers on the Rise, Especially in Developed Countries

Image
United Nations News Centre A veggie basket from an organic farm in Manitoba, CA.  Larry Powell  PinP  photo. A healthy diet can help to alleviate risk factors for a range of chronic diseases linked to obesity.  Details here. Related: "R esearch Suggests Our Past, Prolific Use of the Insecticide DDT May Still Be Contributing To A Scourge Of Modern-Day Diseases Related To Obesity."

Health Professionals Worldwide Demand Urgent Climate Action Following IPCC Report

Image
Eco Watch TRANSFORMING GREEN Health and medical organizations from around the world are calling on governments to respond to the major health risks described in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s recent Second Working Group reporting , ‘Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation,’ which was released on Monday. Details here.

‘Swine Flu’ Strain Returns in US; Dramatic Rise in Deaths of Young Adults, Children

The Washington Post The H1N1 virus responsible for the 2009 global pandemic is back. State health officials from across the country say the resurgence is resulting in a dramatic rise in flu deaths in young and middle-aged adults and in children this season. Full story here.

Climate Change Rattles Mental Health of Inuit in Labrador

CBC News 'Grief, mourning, anger, frustration' over environmental changes. Details here.

Could a User Fee Curb Excessive Antibiotics Use?

Image
Summit County Citizens Voice Cattle on a prairie feed lot. PLT photo. Massive use of antibiotics for food (livestock) production is only marginally beneficial and poses a huge long-term risk to human health, researchers in Canada say. Details here.

CDC Study on Superbugs Does Not Reflect Well on Factory Farming Methods

Image
Centers for Disease Control -  Threat Report 2013 This report, Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2013,  gives a first-ever snapshot of the burden and threats posed by the antibiotic-resistant germs having the most impact on human health.  Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year... Details here. Related:  CDC Reveals Scary Truth About Factory Farms and Superbugs Could Antibiotics Actually be Killing You?

It is Time for a Ban on Cosmetic Pesticides

Centre for Policy Alternatives Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh has announced legislation on cosmetic pesticides that will finally bring Manitoba into step with the majority of other provinces in Canada. Full story here. Related: Manitoba to Proceed With Ban on Cosmetic Pesticides

BPA in Most Canadians’ Urine, Effects Unknown

Image
Canadian Press TORONTO – A Health Canada study suggests most Canadians have the chemical bisphenol A in their urine and all have traces of lead in their blood. Details here.

So You Don't Think Climate Change is Worth Fighting? Read on.

 DARA - a Madrid-based humanitrian group. The Human Toll of Inaction Could Exceed 100 Million Deaths Between Now and 2030 Alone! •Climate change and the carbon economy as estimated here are responsible for 5 million deaths each year today and cause illness in tens of million people globally comparable to the third leading cause of preventable death with a similar societal impact as tobacco use (see: Health Impact Climate/Carbon) • The carbon economy claims the largest share of this impact, in particular due to toxic air pollution, at over 4.5 million deaths a year today  • Climate change is estimated to be responsible for 400,000 deaths each year, particularly due to hunger and communicable diseases in the lowest-income countries