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Health

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Indians are addicted to cheap coal power and it’s killing them

With a population forecast to overtake China’s as the world’s largest within just five years, India has a pressing need to alleviate poverty and build infrastructure. That means tackling a complex challenge like air pollution often falls by the wayside. Causes include coal-powered plants, but also unregulated construction sites, agricultural burning, millions of vehicles and an arid landscape, yet debate of the impact remains muted.

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WHO welcomes Industry action to align with global trans fat elimination targets

Trans fat intake is responsible for over 500,000 deaths from coronary heart disease each year globally.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met with IFBA representatives, including chief executive officers from several of the 12 companies comprising the alliance, on 2 May 2019 to discuss actions to take to eliminate industrial trans fats, and reduce salt, sugar and saturated fats in processed foods.

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To grow up healthy, children need to sit less and play more

The pattern of overall 24-hour activity is key: replacing prolonged restrained or sedentary screen time with more active play, while making sure young children get enough good-quality sleep. Quality sedentary time spent in interactive non-screen-based activities with a caregiver, such as reading, storytelling, singing and puzzles, is very important for child development.

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WHO releases first guideline on digital health interventions

One digital intervention already having positive effects in some areas is sending reminders to pregnant women to attend antenatal care appointments and having children return for vaccinations. Other digital approaches reviewed include decision-support tools to guide health workers as they provide care; and enabling individuals and health workers to communicate and consult on health issues from across different locations.

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World’s worst Air Pollution finally emerges as an Election Issue in India

The ruling BJP’s election manifesto promises to focus on 102 most polluted cities in the country. “We will reduce the level of pollution in each of the mission cities by at least 35 percent over the next five years,” it says, lauding itself for “effective steps” taken to reduce the level of pollution. The Congress party manifesto calls air pollution a national public health emergency. It promises to strengthen the National Clean Air Program to tackle pollution.

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World’s first malaria vaccine launched in Africa

“We have seen tremendous gains from bed nets and other measures to control malaria in the last 15 years, but progress has stalled and even reversed in some areas. We need new solutions to get the malaria response back on track, and this vaccine gives us a promising tool to get there,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The malaria vaccine has the potential to save tens of thousands of children’s lives.”

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Lawyers expect wave of litigation targeting popular heart drugs in US

Millions of Americans have taken the drugs, which are at the center of a widening recall being overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and have been for decades used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure and other common conditions.A lawyer involved in an effort to combine about 50 lawsuits, including at least 27 by patients who say they contracted cancer by using the recalled medicine, told a U.S. federal court he expects a surge of legal action.

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