Health

Many people believe that having a glass of wine with their meal – really a metaphor for moderate drinking any kind of alcohol — will protect them from heart disease. But a hard look at the evidence finds little support for that. That’s the conclusion of a new research review …

Patients at Lower Mulago Hospital will pay for the specialised services the section offers once it opens in October, Minister for Health Dr Ruth Aceng explained to journalists. The section of Old Mulago will remain open for free referrals. Aceng’s statement was made in the wake of a public outcry …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  The first African to head the World Health Organization, Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom, says he aims to replicate his success in turning around his country’s healthcare system on the global stage. The 52-year-old’s campaign focused on overhauling the UN health agency after its much-criticised handling …

Geneva, Switzerland | WHO MEDIA| Today the Member States of WHO elected Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the new Director-General of WHO. Dr Tedros  was nominated by the Government of Ethiopia, and will begin his five-year term on 1 July 2017. He will succeed Dr Margaret Chan, who has been WHO’s Director-General …

Three members of the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Islam were recently indicted on charges of “female genital mutilation” (FGM) in the U.S. state of Michigan. In Norway, meanwhile, one of the major political parties has backed a measure to ban childhood male circumcision. By Rebecca Steinfeld & Brian D Earp …

World Health Organisation confirms several dead in DR Congo The World Health Organization has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in a remote forested part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first in that country since 2014. By May 12, at least nine people were suspected of being infected, and three …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | An unlicensed Ebola vaccine could soon be tested in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of Congo hit by an outbreak of the virus, the World Health Organization said Thursday. There is no licensed vaccine for the Ebola virus, but a promising candidate vaccine …

Paris, France | AFP |  Weight-loss balloons swallowed rather than surgically inserted in the stomach were shown to be safe and effective in preliminary trials, according to findings unveiled Thursday at a medical conference. So-called intragastric balloons have been used for decades to help obese patients shed unwanted kilos. Inflated …

Cape Town, South Africa | AFP |  When an emergency call comes in from one of South Africa’s most crime-ridden neighbourhoods, ambulances do not rush straight to the scene but to a police station first to request an armed escort. A surge in attacks on ambulance workers has led to …

Risks remain whether it’s choice or forced Solomy Mukiibi never planned on delivering through C-section.  In fact, she had two normal deliveries before her third baby brought the unexpected. It started when she stopped feeling the rolling sensation of her baby’s movements. “The midwives and obstetrics gynecologists quickly realised something …