WHO calls for immediate action as report shows 10% rise in child TB infections in European region
(Reuters) -Tuberculosis (TB) infections among children in the European region rose 10% in 2023, indicating ongoing transmission and the need for immediate public health measures to control the spread, the World Health Organization said on Monday.
WHO's European region, which comprises 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, reported more than 7,500 cases among children under 15 years of age in 2023, an increase of over 650 cases compared to 2022.
"The worrying rise in children with TB serves as a reminder that progress against this preventable and curable disease remains fragile," said Hans Henri Kluge, WHO's Regional Director for Europe.
Askar Yedilbayev, regional TB advisor for WHO's European region, said in an interview that a rise in overall cases might indicate improved diagnoses. However, it could also result from increased cross-border movement due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the two countries with the highest disease burden in the region.
Children under 15 years of age made up 4.3% of all TB cases in the European Union, a joint report by the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showed.
This shows an increase in cases in this age group for the third consecutive year, which Yedilbayev said was a "worrisome scenario".
WHO has previously warned that funding cuts from global donors will undo progress in controlling TB infections across low- and middle-income countries. These cuts can hurt TB programs in non-EU countries, fuelling a rise of hard-to-treat strains, the agency said.
Several local, on-ground workforces have been hurt from the funding cuts, and the supply of diagnostics and treatments remains at risk, said Yedilbayev.
TB, among the top 10 causes of death worldwide, is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs and spreads through coughing or sneezing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mass. AG Campbell sues Trump admin for sharing private health info with ICE
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell has opened another front in her ongoing legal battle with the Trump administration, charging that the Republican White House exposed private health information as it prosecutes its mass deportation campaign. The lawsuit, filed by Democrat Campbell and 19 of her colleagues nationwide, in U.S. District Court in California's Northern District on Tuesday, names U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert K. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem as defendants. "Disclosing individuals' private health data for the purpose of immigration enforcement puts lives at risk. These actions are yet another example of the Administration creating unnecessary fear and confusion among our residents,' Campbell said in a statement. Read More: Renowned Boston restaurant considers closing after manager is detained by ICE 'Congress has made it clear that emergency Medicaid coverage extends to all individuals, regardless of immigration status. I will continue to fight against cruel and unlawful policies that harm our residents,' she said. Kennedy's advisers ordered the release of a dataset that includes the private health information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state, and Washington, D.C., to the Department of Homeland Security, The Associated Press first reported last month. All of those states allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars. Read More: Mass. AG Campbell sues Trump over obscure rule used to withhold federal funding to states The unusual data sharing of private health information, including addresses, names, social security numbers, immigration status, and claims data for enrollees in those states, was released to deportation officials as they accelerated enforcement efforts nationwide. The data could be used to help the Department of Homeland Security locate migrants in its mass deportation campaign, experts said. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the legal action, said the Trump administration's data release violates federal health privacy protection laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the AP reported. 'This is about flouting seven decades of federal law policy and practice that have made it clear that personal healthcare data is confidential and can only be shared in certain narrow circumstances that benefit the public's health or the Medicaid program,' Bonta said during a news conference on Tuesday. The Trump administration has sought to arm deportation officials with more data on immigrants. In May, for example, a federal judge refused to block the Internal Revenue Service from sharing immigrants' tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help agents locate and detain people living without legal status in the U.S. The lawsuit filed by Campbell and her colleagues asks a federal judge to block any new transfer or use of this data for immigration enforcement purposes. It argues that the administration violated a brace of federal laws, including the Administrative Procedure Act, Social Security Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Federal Information Security Modernization Act, Privacy Act, and Spending Clause. The lawsuit also 'highlights that the Trump Administration's illegal actions are creating fear and confusion that will lead noncitizens and their family members to disenroll, or refuse to enroll, in emergency Medicaid for which they are otherwise eligible, leaving states and their safety net hospitals to foot the bill for federally mandated emergency healthcare services,' Cambell's office said in its statement. Other states joining the legal action included Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Trump threatens arrest of NYC mayoral candidate during visit to 'Alligator Alcatraz' Mass. has an on-time(ish) state budget: 3 big things to know about the $61B plan Here's how Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene described support for Trump's 'big beautiful bill' Group behind MCAS ballot question broke campaign finance law, state says Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down 1849 total abortion ban Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Could UK Tap Water's 'Forever Chemicals' Lead To France-Style Bans?
France has seen its biggest ever ban on tap water in Saint-Louis, near the Swiss city of Basel. Local authorities put letters through approximately 60,000 mailboxes urging the public to ensure that kids under two, pregnant and breastfeeding people, and the immunocompromised don't drink tap water. This was because the levels of PFAs, also known as 'forever chemicals,' had been raised to four times the acceptable limit by firefighting foam used in a local airport since the '60s. PFAS stand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, chemicals which take an extremely long time to break down. They're present in everything from skincare products to frying pans and include 5,000+ substances. Saint-Louis is one of thousands of EU water sources suspected to be contaminated by too many PFAs, the overconsumption of which may be linked to increased cancer risk, reproductive issues, compromised immune systems, and even heightened cholesterol levels. Given that 'from 2018 to 2022, 51-60% of rivers, 11-35% of lakes and 47-100% of transitional and coastal waters exceeded the annual average environmental quality standards (EQS) for PFOS [a specific PFAS]' in Europe, we thought we'd ask what that might mean for the UK. Speaking to HuffPost UK, Professor Sir Colin Berry, Emeritus Professor of Pathology at the Queen Mary University of London, offered some reassurance. 'It is worth emphasising the reason that these compounds [PFAS] are persistent is that they are non-reactive; the chances that the very small amounts found will have detectable adverse effect if ingested is vanishingly small,' the former President of the European Society of Pathology told us. 'The levels are set as precautionary values and are more to do with control of contamination than concern about health,' he added. The Drinking Water Inspectorate says that, 'Based on our current knowledge, the low levels of PFAS detected in some untreated water abstracted for public drinking water supplies has no acute or immediate impact on human health.' Still, a 2023 evaluation by the World Health Organisation concluded that teo PFAS (perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)) can be considered carcinogenic and possibly carcinogenic, respectively. PFOAs are group 1 carcinogens per the WHO's cancer research sector, IARC, along with processed meat, tobacco, and asbestos. PPOS are group 2B 'possible' carcinogens, along with aloe vera, coconut oil, and pickled vegetables. Doctors have previously criticised the IARC cancer grouping system for not considering 'the level of risk relative to the dosage,' which they think may have led to the body grouping things like salted fish in the same group 1 carcinogen class as plutonium. Whatever the disputed effects of going over the EU's limit of PFAS may be, Dr Shubhi Sharma, a Scientific Research Assistant at CHEM Trust, says parts of the UK certainly do that. 'PFAS have already been found in almost 200 untreated drinking water samples in England and the levels in these samples were found to be above the Drinking Water Inspectorate's PFAS threshold guidance for England and Wales, which is a 'wholesomeness' value of 0.1 ug/l for 48 PFAS,' she told us. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told The Guardian in response to those claims that 'Ensuring the safety of our staff, personnel and the public is our number one priority and that's why we are complying with the relevant legislation and regulations. 'As understanding of these chemicals has changed, we have responded accordingly. We have prioritised a programme of investigation of our sites, which has been agreed with the Environment Agency.' The CHEM Trust researcher said England and Wales 'have no statutory limits on PFAS in drinking water – the water companies just need to test for 48 PFAS, but this is a non-binding guidance. Scotland, on the other hand, adheres to EU standards, which are far stricter than the UK guidelines.' Member states of the EU, she added, will need to comply with the Drinking Water Directive thresholds by 12th January 2026. 'People in [the] UK have different threats of exposure to PFAS in their drinking water depending on whether they live in Scotland or England/Wales,' Dr Sharma added. Dr Sharma, who believes PFAS carry health risks and are a 'huge concern,' says that 'the UK needs to regulate PFAS as a group and at the very source' (mainly industrial sites). But seeing as England and Wales have no statutory limit on PFAS and Scotland sticks to the EU-recommended level, a tap water ban based on the slow-degrading chemicals seems unlikely any time soon. The Next Thing To Ruin The UK's Water Supply Isn't What You Think Tories Shamed Over UK's Polluted Water Supply: 'They Turned A Blind Eye' I've Dreaded Every Heatwave Since 2019 – And It's Only Going To Get Worse
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
WHO again urges countries to raise taxes on alcohol, sugary drinks
The World Health Organization (WHO) is again calling on countries to raise prices on 'harmful products' such as alcohol and sugary drinks through a new initiative. In a bid to improve public health and tackle rising rates for chronic diseases, the specialised UN agency is urging countries to increase prices of these products, as well as tobacco, by at least 50% through health taxes by 2035. Through its new '3 by 35' initiative, the WHO is looking to raise $1trn in public revenue over the next ten years, as the organisation claims that tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks are "fuelling the NCD (noncommunicable diseases) epidemic". According to the WHO, nearly 140 countries raised tobacco taxes between 2012- 2022, which saw real prices of the product go up by over 50% on average. Assistant director general for the health promotion and disease prevention and control at WHO, Dr Jeremy Farrar said: 'Health taxes are one of the most efficient tools we have.' He added: 'They cut the consumption of harmful products and create revenue governments can reinvest in health care, education, and social protection. It's time to act.' The WHO previously called on countries to raise taxes on sweetened and alcoholic drinks back in 2023. A spokesperson for FoodDrinkEurope commented on the WHO's new initiative, saying that a 50% drinks tax is 'not the solution.' The spokesperson said that diets and lifestyles are 'too complex to be effectively shaped by blunt instruments like taxes on individual foods, beverages, or nutrients,'. They added that a 'such one-size-fits-all measures often fail to deliver health benefits and can lead to unintended consequences,' such as consumers turning to 'alternative or unregulated products, which may carry greater health risks and add to social costs.' They continued: 'Empowering consumers through better information and broader choices is key to achieving lasting improvements in public health.' Several efforts have been made worldwide to bring in taxes on sugary products. In June, Vietnam approved a proposal to raise the consumption tax on alcohol, and bring in a levy on sugary drinks, according to the local branch of the World Health Organization (WHO). Earlier in April, the UK also called out for a consultation on proposals to widen the sugar tax on soft drinks and include milk-based drinks. Italy, on the other hand, has had plans to implement a sugar tax on sugary drinks since 2020, but last month this was pushed back again to January 2026. "WHO again urges countries to raise taxes on alcohol, sugary drinks" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
