The health gap that exists between developed and developing countries appears to be growing smaller. The advances made during the last two decades are in fact remarkable. However, according to global health statistics published today by the WHO, major inequalities still remain. Here is an overview.
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Malnutrition is a global scourge and is responsible for one in three infant deaths. In its chronic form, it affects 165 million children. At an international conference being held in Paris on 14 and 15 May, UNICEF is calling for an end to emergency situations through the introduction of long-term po......
“Formal contraindications to breastfeeding are rare”, assures Dr Sandrine Boudault, a doctor at Nantes Breastfeeding Centre. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends breastfeeding for all mothers, except those undergoing treatment for cancer or who are HIV positive. Especially as – most ......
There is new hope for migraine sufferers. A team of American researchers recently discovered that a gene mutation may be associated with aura migraine. This study, though only preliminary, could open the way to the development of new treatments for a condition that still today remains very mysteriou......
According to a major American study, youngsters who exercise intensively in just one discipline are at greater risk of fatigue fracture. So, how can you tell if your child is training too hard? Quite simply by seeing if the number of hours your child spends each week on the sports field is greater t......
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently announced a new 6-year plan aimed at freeing the world of polio. This disease was supposed to have been eradicated by the year 2000. But in 2004, authorities in the state of Kano in Nigeria decided for religious reasons to suspend the vaccination campaign......
Every year in France, 50 children die after ingesting a foreign object. And thousands more experience dangerous suffocation… According to writers in the magazine Revue Prescrire, children under the age of 3 are those most at risk of accidental asphyxiation.
In terms of food, the most serious th......
Endometriosis is an extremely disabling condition that affects 5% to 10% of women. Women with endometriosis suffer intense pain during their periods, when urinating and during sexual intercourse... Professor Philippe Descamps, a gynaecologist and head of department at Angers University Hospital expl......
The A/H7N9 avian flu virus is continuing to expand in China. By 29 April, 126 cases of infection in humans had been recorded. This represents an additional 17 cases in 4 days, the last tally having been made on 25 April. In total, this virus has been the cause of 24 deaths. At the present time, the ......
If you want to stop smoking, take up exercise. The idea isn’t new but has now been backed up by some scientific research. An American study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in fact reveals that if adolescent smokers were to do 20 minutes of exercise a day – and this could simply b......
A situation of social and financial insecurity can encourage obesity. All epidemiological studies have shown this. But how can this unfortunate fact be explained? Dr Jean-Michel Lecerf, head of the Nutrition Department at the Pasteur Institute in Lille helps us to understand this phenomenon.
An ......
Want to look like Michelle Obama or Jennifer Aniston? It’s something many women dream of. But do you know which part of their body they most admire? Not their bottoms, their bosom, not even their legs – in fact they dream about getting the same toned arms. That’s right! There’s been a real e......
“Vaccination is one of the most powerful tools we have for protecting children against fatal diseases.” The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is convinced of this. However, in World Immunization Week (24-30 April), UNICEF representatives are worried about the number of children across th......
Exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months after birth appears to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS. At least this is the finding of an American research team in Zambia. However, this solution is far from ideal if there is no antiretroviral treatment available. Breastmil......
Do you find that your child won’t touch his food? Or, on the contrary, does he eat up everything you put in front of him? Should you suspect that he might have some sort of eating disorder? To avoid such worries, here is a quick insight into three attitudes very commonly found among young children......
According to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, brain games and mental exercises such as Sudoku and more recently Ruzzle, can help prevent cognitive decline. And they can do this more effectively than medication or physical exercise.
According to researchers at the Uni......
British researchers appear to be on the track of a treatment for the new coronavirus (nCoV). They have shown that a combination of two well-known antiviral agents (ribavirin and interferon) inhibits replication of the virus. In cell cultures at least.
Professor Vincent Munster and his colleague......
According to teams from the CNRS (French National Scientific Research Centre) and the Pasteur Institute, even the use of low-dose antibiotics is likely to increase the emergence of resistance among pathogenic bacteria. The scientists have in fact observed “a stress response that leads to the acqui......
Researchers at INSERM (French National Institute for Health and Medical Research) and the CNRS (French National Scientific Research Centre) have recently discovered a previously unknown role for hematopoietic stem cells. In addition to their ability to renew our blood cells, in emergencies they are ......
In developing countries, pneumonia and diarrhoea are responsible for almost a third of deaths among children under five. Almost 90% of these occur in sub-Saharan Africa and in South Asia. This carnage is all the more intolerable as effective means of prevention exist. The World Health Organisation (......
According to the well-known saying, the shoemaker’s children always go barefoot. If we apply this to health, it suggests that healthcare professionals are often the least good at looking after themselves. Certainly, what some doctors say does not always match up to their own everyday behaviour, pa......
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