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Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Health
- Times of Oman
Afghanistan launches nationwide polio drive to protect children
Kabul: Afghanistan is set to launch a new nationwide polio vaccination campaign on July 20, targeting children under the age of five to protect them from the debilitating virus, according to the Afghanistan Polio-Free Organization, Khaama Press reported. The campaign will be carried out across several provinces and districts and includes the administration of Vitamin A supplements alongside the oral polio vaccine to help strengthen children's immune systems. Khaama Press said this combined effort aims to boost resistance against other diseases and improve overall child health. "The campaign aims to protect children under the age of five from the debilitating effects of polio," the organization stated, urging families to ensure that no child is left out of the initiative. According to Khaama Press, the organization emphasized the role of parents and guardians, calling on them to collaborate with health teams and ensure full community participation. It added that people can contact the free helpline at 141 for more details about the campaign. Polio, a highly infectious virus primarily affecting children, spreads through contaminated water and can cause fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiff neck, and limb pain. In about one in 200 cases, the disease results in irreversible paralysis. Afghanistan and Pakistan are currently the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic, Khaama Press noted. Ongoing eradication efforts are seen as critical to protecting Afghan children from lifelong disability. "Polio vaccination is one of the most effective ways to ensure a healthier, brighter future for Afghan children," the organization reiterated, according to Khaama Press. "These vaccination campaigns represent a significant step toward a polio-free future for the country," it added, stressing that continued public cooperation is essential to the success of the initiative. In support of these efforts, Japan has provided USD 5 million through UNICEF to bolster polio eradication efforts and strengthen immunisation programs across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, according to Khaama Press. The Government of Japan, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has partnered with UNICEF in a 12-month initiative aimed at reaching over 13 million children with lifesaving polio vaccines and routine immunisations, Khaama Press reported. UNICEF stated on Thursday, July 10, 2025, that the new grant reaffirms Japan's longstanding commitment to Afghanistan's health sector. It will help sustain progress toward the global goal of eradicating polio, especially in underserved, conflict-affected, and hard-to-reach areas, Khaama Press noted. Afghanistan is one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus transmission has not yet been halted. While under-five and maternal mortality rates have declined in recent years, access to basic health services remains limited, leaving millions of children vulnerable to deadly and preventable diseases, Khaama Press highlighted. A resurgence of polio in 2023 underscored the presence of major immunity gaps, particularly among children in previously unreachable locations and mobile or cross-border populations. Despite improvements in cold chain infrastructure and expanded vaccine coverage, urgent efforts are needed to bridge these gaps.
Zawya
04-07-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Study Validates Impact of International Teams in Africa's Outbreak Response
A new study carried out by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) confirms the critical role international health teams have played in strengthening outbreak response across the African continent. The study also highlights the need for more strategic and locally tailored support models to ensure long-term sustainability and effectiveness. Presented and validated during a high-level virtual workshop held from 23 to 24 June 2025, the study offers one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of international technical deployments and their impact on national outbreak preparedness and response systems in African Union (AU) Member States between 2020 and 2023. The findings show that international teams provided crucial short-term surge capacity across several public health domains, including surveillance, laboratory systems, epidemiology, infection prevention and control, clinical care, and risk communication. Notably, nearly half of all deployments supported two or more of these areas, underscoring their value in addressing multifaceted outbreak challenges. Beyond emergency response, the study details how international teams supported countries through the provision of equipment and infrastructure, the development of operational systems and protocols, the transfer of skills through training, the enhancement of coordination structures, and rapid deployment of human resources during critical capacity gaps. 'These deployments have delivered vital expertise, resources, and rapid response capacity at crucial moments,' said Dr Radjabu Bigirimana, Programme Lead for Africa CDC's African Volunteers Health Corps (AVoHC). 'However, they also raise important questions about sustainability, coordination, and how we strengthen long-term national preparedness systems.' While national stakeholders widely appreciated the contributions of international teams, the study also captured reflections from international partners on the importance of aligning deployments with local needs, existing national capacities, and longer-term health security goals. Effectiveness, the study found, often depended on the expertise of deployed personnel and their integration into existing national response systems. 'This workshop reinforces the need for global partnerships to evolve—where international deployments are not just reactive measures, but deliberate investments in national systems, tailored to local realities and long-term goals,' said Dr Edmund Newman, Director of the UK-PHRST. 'Evidence-informed learning must guide how we improve emergency public health deployments,' added Dr Femi Nzegwu, Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene&Tropical Medicine and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning lead at UK-PHRST. 'The findings of the report validate experiences across Africa but also point to what must change to ensure deployments are more effective, context-specific, equitable, and empowering for Member States.' The workshop resulted in the collaborative development of a roadmap to operationalise the report's recommendations, serving as a good practice guide on how to enable sustainable solutions in outbreak management among AU Member States. In turn, the report lays a foundation for reducing long-term reliance on external surge capacity by strengthening national health systems. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Medical News Today
01-07-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
How to find reliable sources of health information
Reliable health information online uses high quality, recent, peer-reviewed research. People should look for balanced information and site transparency and avoid websites that use sensationalism or fear to balanced, credible, and inclusive health content from reliable sources allows people to make informed decisions about their health. This may also help people feel more confident going into discussions with their healthcare misinformation online can be challenging due to the sheer amount of contradictory information available. Misinformation is false or misleading information that may deliberately aim to deceive is no single way to confirm a site's reliability. However, the following tips and advice can help a person evaluate an online source's health information onlinePeople can assess the website, the content itself, and the sourcing of health content online to ensure they are reading reliable website itselfReliable sources of health information will be transparent about their intentions, ownership, and contact information. They may have an 'about us' section outlining their that are trying to sell a product or service may be less reliable than websites that aim to explain or inform people. This is because they may favor the product or service they want to sell rather than offering a balanced at a website's privacy policy and how they use personal information can also indicate their reliability. The National Institute on Aging suggests that looking at a website's URL or web address may be helpful to identify the type of source it is:government agency URLs end in .goveducational institute URLs end in .edunonprofit organization URLs typically end in .orgpersonal blogs and commercial website URLs may end in .comThe URL does not guarantee whether all information on the site is reliable, but it may be a good place to contentReliable health content will be balanced, inclusive, and supported by high quality research. People should try to avoid content that uses the following:Sensationalism: Sensationalized content may use shocking and exciting language to catch a reader's attention rather than prioritizing accurate, balanced tactics: A website may use misleading or exaggerated content to scare people and persuade them to believe a particular bias: Sites may use language or limited research that only supports a certain perspective rather than offering balanced information and allowing the reader to and review processesReliable sources of health information will have evidence of research. This may be in the form of in-line citations or a source list that links to high quality studies and reviews that support or match the content's may also be a good idea to look at who wrote the content and their experience, if possible. Reliable sources will be transparent about when the content was written or updated and their review process. A recent review by a healthcare professional with expertise in the subject can be a good indicator of the content's quality. Medical research is constantly changing. Reliable sources of health information will carry out regular reviews to reflect Medical News Today a reliable site?Creating trustworthy content is at the core of MNT's mission. We prioritize up-to-date, in-depth health information to provide readers with a deeper understanding of their are some ways MNT works to create trustworthy, accurate, and reliable content:An established editorial processMedical News Today uses an established editorial process that focuses on the following four pillars in all of our content:learning and maintaining trusthigh journalistic standardsprioritizing accuracy, empathy, and inclusioncontinually monitoring and updating contentRead more about MNT's editorial evidence-based, medically accurate contentMNT's Medical Affairs team consists of a diverse group of healthcare professionals from all corners of the healthcare industry. As well as evaluating the medical accuracy of our content before publication, the Medical Affairs team stays up to date with the latest advances in healthcare to provide readers with the most accurate, reliable information. Read more about MNT's Medical Affairs diversity and inclusionMNT is committed to amplifying and engaging with diverse voices when researching health information and creating content. We use conscious language to promote inclusion and equity when helping people understand their more about MNT's approach to content media and advocacy groupsHealth information on social media sites is often brief, which can make it harder to evaluate its reliability. However, it is a good idea to look for the same markers of reliability as any other website. For example:Is the content promoting something or earning the creator money?Is the creator transparent about any funding they receive?Does the creator provide any sources to support their claims?Does the creator have any proven healthcare credentials?Does the content use shocking or exaggerated language?Does the content offer a balanced view?If social media content involves a personal testimony or anecdote, it is important to remember that this is only one case. It does not guarantee that every person with the same health issue or situation will have the same groupsAdvocacy groups involve people with similar experiences. They may hope to promote a certain health issue or simply support one can create an advocacy group. Because they tend to focus on a single health topic or condition, there may also be a risk of bias. People can look for the same signs of reliability listed above when using content on advocacy group websites.»Learn more:How to advocate for yourself at the doctor's officeFinding and understanding peer-reviewed researchPeer review is a process in which an expert in a particular field reviews the work of another expert to assess its quality before publication. Experts consider peer-reviewed work the gold standard in scientific can search for peer-reviewed studies and reviews in databases such as the National Center for Biotechnology it is still important to consider the limitations of studies and research. Questions to ask may include:How old is the study or the research in the review?Is the study on cells, animals, or humans?What is the participant sample size?Does the study contain a diverse range of candidates?What uncontrolled variables might have affected the results?Has the study revealed a causal link or observed a correlation between two things?Is more research necessary on the subject?Predatory journalsPredatory journals misrepresent their publishing practices but claim to be legitimate. They may:violate copyrightfalsely claim to use peer reviewshide or misrepresent information about its publication or the editorial boardPredatory journals are not a reliable source of health information and typically prioritize profits over accurate, high quality a journal's editorial board, publishing processes, and contact information can help people identify predatory with a healthcare professionalSpeaking with a trusted healthcare professional is a good way to learn reliable health information tailored to a person's circumstances. Some people may prefer getting multiple opinions to feel fully informed about their health can also discuss health information they've found online with their healthcare team. A healthcare professional may also be able to recommend reputable sources of information for the person to use.»Learn more:Getting a second opinion without a referralFrequently asked questionsAre government health websites always the most reliable sources?Government health websites can be a good starting point for finding reliable health information. However, it is still a good idea for people to check the publication date, review process, and health websites can be a good starting point for finding reliable health information. However, it is still a good idea for people to check the publication date, review process, and should someone do if they find contradictory health information online?If someone finds contradictory health information online, people can check:the quality of the references or sources that each site useswhen the information was published, updated, or reviewedif other reputable sources support one of the viewsif a healthcare professional recommends one source over the otherIf someone finds contradictory health information online, people can check:the quality of the references or sources that each site useswhen the information was published, updated, or reviewedif other reputable sources support one of the viewsif a healthcare professional recommends one source over the otherSummaryFinding reliable health content and avoiding misinformation online is increasingly challenging. However, people can take steps to assess the websites they use and the content they the publication date, the quality of the references, who reviewed the information, and the website's in doubt, it is a good idea to speak with a healthcare professional. They can help a person understand the information they have found and recommend other reputable sources.
CNN
10-06-2025
- CNN
Multiple explosions reported in Colombian city of Cali
A series of explosions were reported in the Colombian city of Cali on Tuesday morning. The city's mayor, Alejandro Eder, said authorities were 'responding to two explosive devices in our city: one at the Meléndez police station and another at the Manuela Beltrán CAI.' 'Our law enforcement officers are already on site, and health teams are on standby for any eventuality,' the mayor stated on social media. Authorities are also responding to other explosion sites, sources from the Cali Metropolitan Police confirmed to CNN. Several people were injured in the explosions, the sources said. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
10-06-2025
- CNN
Multiple explosions reported in Colombian city of Cali
A series of explosions were reported in the Colombian city of Cali on Tuesday morning. The city's mayor, Alejandro Eder, said authorities were 'responding to two explosive devices in our city: one at the Meléndez police station and another at the Manuela Beltrán CAI.' 'Our law enforcement officers are already on site, and health teams are on standby for any eventuality,' the mayor stated on social media. Authorities are also responding to other explosion sites, sources from the Cali Metropolitan Police confirmed to CNN. Several people were injured in the explosions, the sources said. This is a developing story and will be updated.
