COVID-19: Germany, Italy, Holland, others ban UK flights – Newstrends
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COVID-19: Germany, Italy, Holland, others ban UK flights

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Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Israel are among countries that have banned flights from the United Kingdom to contain a new wave of the coronavirus, which scientists say is 70 per cent more infectious than the first.

The countries made the announcement after the Dutch government confirmed at least one case of the same mutation that made parts of Britain to return to lockdown rules.

The Dutch health ministry said the case in Holland had been identified at the beginning of December and was being investigated.

The ministry said that the air travel ban from 5am (GMT) on Sunday 20 December would likely stay in place until at least January 1, 2021.

“An infectious mutation of the COVID-19 virus is circulating in the United Kingdom. It is said to spread more easily and faster and is more difficult to detect,” the Dutch health ministry said in a statement.

The UK recorded 35,928 of coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period. Another 326 deaths have been announced within 28 days of a positive test.

Europe’s biggest economy Germany has also announced it would restrict travel between Germany and the UK from midnight on Sunday 20 December. It has also banned travellers from South Africa, after the two countries reported identifying a new coronavirus strain.

A regulation is being drawn up and the federal government is in contact with European partners, a spokesperson for the German government said.

Similar measures have been announced by Belgium, which has suspended flights. Trains to Belgium have also been banned.

Italy’s foreign minister Luigi Di Maio, said that the country’s government had decided to act after Britain “raised the alarm”over a new form of COVID-19 strain.

He said that the government has a “responsibility to protect Italians” and as such “after having warned the British government, the health ministry will sign a provision for the suspension of flights with the UK.”

Also, Austria said it would halt flights from the UK, however, it had not confirmed the details on the timing of the ban at the time of publication.

Bulgaria similarly said it would suspend flights to and from the UK over the new variant of COVID-19.

Other EU countries such as France are also reportedly planning similar course.

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Measles infection reached 10.3 million people in 2023 – WHO

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2 days ago

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November 25, 2024

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Measles infection reached 10.3 million people in 2023 – WHO

A new report by the World Health Organisation, WHO, has shown that no fewer than 10.3 million people were infected with measles in 2023.

The new estimates from the WHO and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, showed that the surge was a 20 per cent increase from 2022. The report further traced the surge on inadequate immunisation coverage globally.

Measles is preventable with two doses of measles vaccine; yet more than 22 million children missed their first dose of measles vaccine in 2023. Globally, an estimated 83 per cent of children received their first dose of measles vaccine last year, while only 74 per cent received the recommended second dose.

Coverage of 95 per cent or greater of two doses of measles vaccine is needed in each country and community to prevent outbreaks and protect populations from one of the world’s most contagious human viruses.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who spoke on the report, said: “Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years. To save even more lives and stop this deadly virus from harming the most vulnerable, we must invest in immunisation for every person, no matter where they live.

“The number of measles infections are rising around the globe, endangering lives and health,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen said. “The measles vaccine is our best protection against the virus, and we must continue to invest in efforts to increase access.”

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As a result of global gaps in vaccination coverage, 57 countries experienced large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2023, affecting all regions except the Americas, and representing a nearly 60 per cent increase from 36 countries in the previous year. The WHO African, Eastern Mediterranean, European, South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions experienced a substantial upsurge in cases. Nearly half of all large and disruptive outbreaks occurred in the African region.

The new data showed that an estimated 107,500 people, mostly children younger than 5 years of age, died due to measles in 2023.

“Although this is an 8 per cent decrease from the previous year, far too many children are still dying from this preventable disease. This slight reduction in deaths was mainly because the surge in cases occurred in countries and regions where children with measles are less likely to die, due to better nutritional status and access to health services.

Even when people survive measles, serious health effects can occur, some of which are lifelong. Infants and young children are at greatest risk of serious complications from the disease, which include blindness, pneumonia, and encephalitis (an infection causing brain swelling and potentially brain damage).

The report further showed that as measles cases surge and outbreaks increase, the world’s elimination goal, as laid out in Immunisation Agenda 2030, was under threat.

“Worldwide, 82 countries had achieved or maintained measles elimination at end of 2023. Just this week, Brazil was reverified as having eliminated measles, making the WHO Americas Region once again free of endemic measles. With the exception of the African Region, at least 1 country in all WHO regions has eliminated the disease.”

It further called for urgent and targeted efforts by countries and partners, particularly in the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions, and in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings to vaccinate all children fully with two doses of measles vaccine.

“This requires achieving and maintaining high-performing routine immunisation programmes and delivering high-quality, high-coverage campaigns when those programmes are not yet sufficient to protect every child.

It further noted that countries and global immunisation partners must also strengthen disease surveillance, including the Global Measles Rubella Laboratory Network (GMRLN) as strong disease surveillance is critical to optimising immunisation programmes and detecting and responding rapidly to measles outbreaks in order to mitigate their size and impact.

Measles infection reached 10.3 million people in 2023 – WHO

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Beirut hit by massive Israeli strikes – local media

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4 days ago

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November 23, 2024

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Beirut hit by massive Israeli strikes – local media

Israel has carried out massive air strikes on central Beirut, Lebanese media say, and there are reports of several deaths.

An eight-storey residential building was completely destroyed with five missiles in the capital’s Basta district, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

Hezbollah’s al-Manar media outlet quoted the Lebanese health ministry as saying four people were killed and 23 injured. Videos have now emerged purportedly showing the wreckage of a building.

The Israeli military made no immediate comments on the reported strikes early on Saturday.

The massive Israeli attack happened at about 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Saturday, and the explosions shook the city.

In the dark, emergency teams searched the site in Basta, a densely populated area.

Footage showed a plume of smoke rising from a huge crater after one building collapsed.

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In recent months, Israeli air strikes have killed several top Hezbollah members in Beirut, including the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began a major offensive against Hezbollah in September, carrying out air strikes and also sending troops into southern Lebanon.

The hostilities escalated after the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired repeated salvoes of rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas, the Palestinian group that carried out the deadly 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Israel’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of the group’s attacks.

In Lebanon, the conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and forced more than one million from their homes, Lebanese authorities say.

Earlier this week, a US mediator visited both Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to secure a ceasefire.

Amos Hochstein indicated some progress had been made – but has not publicly commented on any details.

Beirut hit by massive Israeli strikes – local media

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Constant sexual intercourse does not prevent prostate cancer – Urologist

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1 week ago

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November 18, 2024

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Constant sexual intercourse does not prevent prostate cancer – Urologist

A consultant urologist, Dr. Odezi Otobo, says there is no medical or urological evidence that constant sexual intercourse and ejaculation reduce a man’s risk of contracting prostate cancer.

Otobo, who works with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), said this at a medical outreach for men organised by Asi Ukpo Comprehensive Cancer Centre on Monday in Calabar.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the outreach, which was held at the premises of the Christian Central Chapel International (CCCI), Calabar, is part of programmes to commemorate “Movember.”

Movember, which involves growing of moustaches, is an annual event held in November to raise awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s mental health.

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The urologist, who was reacting to claims on social media that constant sexual activities and having multiple girlfriends could prevent prostate cancer, said the disease was either hereditary, caused by lifestyle, or environmental.

“Instead of taking unprofessional and unscientific advice from different quarters, it is important to visit a hospital if you notice anything, and for those in their forties and fifties, get screened because early detection is key to effective treatment of cancer.

“Prostate cancer is indolent cancer and can be handled when a man is aware, visits a medical facility, and changes his lifestyle, not by having multiple ‘side chicks,’ he said.

On his part, Mr Yegwa Ukpo, the Executive Director, Asi Ukpo Comprehensive Cancer Centre, said they had to commemorate Movember because men’s health issues were hardly addressed in society.

Represented by Mrs Mercy Njoku, Event and Outreach Manager of the centre, Ukpo said there was something about masculinity in society that made men think they had to keep their issues to themselves.

“I want to appeal to the men to take their health seriously because cases of men slumping and dying in their forties and fifties are on the increase; we don’t want this to continue.

“Also, a lot of men engage in excessive intake of alcohol; others work all the time just to make ends meet without checking their livers, kidneys, hearts, and even mental state; this is why we are insisting on this outreach, which will be annual,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Saviour Eze, Head of Medical Team in CCCI, said that they decided to partner with ASI Ukpo because the outreach specifically called out men to be attended to, which was quite unusual in the society.

Eze said as a church, they recognised the fact that physical illnesses should be handled by those God had placed in the medical profession to take care, even though they pray for God’s healing.

NAN also reports that the outreach, which saw men screened for the function of their hearts, kidneys, livers, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), was in partnership with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Rotary Club, and Pink Africa, among others. (NA

Constant sexual intercourse does not prevent prostate cancer – Urologist

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