Plastic Pollution Treaty 2025: Will world leaders finally address the $1.5 trillion health crisis in Geneva?
Global plastic treaty talks in Geneva 2025: Global leaders are meeting in Geneva to discuss a treaty on plastic pollution. A new report highlights the health risks of plastics. Plastic exposure can harm human health at every stage of life. Plastic production is increasing, while recycling efforts lag. The plastic crisis is connected to the climate crisis. Experts urge action to address this global problem.
AP Plastic items are seen on Place des Nations in front of the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025 before the second segment of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5.2). (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) Global plastic treaty talks in Geneva 2025: As nearly 180 nations gather in Geneva this week for talks on what could become the world's first global treaty on plastic pollution, a new medical report is calling on leaders to confront a deeply personal consequence of plastic waste: human health, as per a report.Published Monday in The Lancet medical journal, the report warns that plastic is a "grave, growing and under-recognized danger" to health that costs about $1.5 trillion a year, as reported by CBS News.
The latest review of existing evidence, which was conducted by leading health researchers and doctors, was published one day ahead of the fresh talks in Geneva, where experts have called on delegates from about 180 nations to attend the gathering and finally agree on a treaty after previous failed attempts, according to the report.Philip Landrigan, a doctor and researcher at Boston College, highlighted that, "It is incumbent on us to act in response," adding, "To those meeting in Geneva: please take up the challenge and the opportunity of finding the common ground that will enable meaningful and effective international cooperation in response to this global crisis," as quoted by the CBS News report.
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The report mentions that, "Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding $1.5 trillion annually," as quoted by the CBS News report.The recent umbrella review of epidemiological research on the health impacts of plastic chemicals showed "consistent evidence for multiple health effects at all stages of human life for many plastic chemicals" and found that infants and young children were especially at risk," as quoted in the CBS News report. The Lancet Countdown on health and plastics report pointed out that, "These effects include impaired reproductive potential (eg, polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis), perinatal effects (eg, miscarriage, reduced birthweight, and malformations of the genital organs), diminished cognitive function (eg, intelligence quotient loss), insulin resistance, hypertension and obesity in children, and type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity, and cancer in adults," as quoted in the report.
ALSO READ: As the July jobs report paints a grim picture, 114 companies plan layoffs in August - is yours on the list? The report found that the amount of plastic produced by the world has risen from two million tons in 1950 to 475 million tons in 2022, as per CBS News. While the amount of plastic is projected to triple by 2060 and currently just less than 10% of all plastic is recycled, according to the report.Landrigan explained that plastic is made from fossil fuels, and the world's plastic "crisis" is connected to its climate crisis, saying, "There is no understating the magnitude of both the climate crisis and the plastic crisis," as quoted in the report.He said, "They are both causing disease, death and disability today in tens of thousands of people, and these harms will become more severe in the years ahead as the planet continues to warm and plastic production continues to increase," as quoted by the CBS News report.How does plastic affect my health?Many plastics contain harmful chemicals that can interfere with hormones, cause reproductive issues, and increase the risk of chronic illnesses like diabetes and cancer, as per the CBS News report.
Is plastic connected to climate change? Yes. Plastic is made from fossil fuels, and its production and disposal contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, as per the CBS News report.
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6 hours ago
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Can The Brain Help Regulate Blood Sugar In Type 1 Diabetes? Here's What New Study Says...
Curated By : Satyaki Baidya Translation Desk Last Updated: August 06, 2025, 19:07 IST When insulin drops, leptin falls too, tricking the brain into sensing low energy despite glucose and fat. (Representative/AP) A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has unveiled significant insights into the role of the brain in type 1 diabetes management. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that halts insulin production, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. In the absence of insulin, the body resorts to breaking down fat for energy, causing a dangerous increase in blood sugar and ketoacids, a condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), typically treated with insulin. The study highlights the importance of leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells, in regulating hunger and energy balance via the hypothalamus in the brain. It has found that when insulin levels drop, leptin levels also decrease, misleading the brain into thinking there is an energy deficit despite the presence of glucose and fat. This miscommunication prompts the brain to increase sugar and ketone production, resulting in DKA, the study suggested. In 2011, Dr. Michael Schwartz, a professor at Washington University in the US, and his team conducted an experiment where leptin was injected into the brains of type 1 diabetic mice and rats. Initially, there were no significant changes, but after four days, it was found that the animals' blood glucose and ketone levels normalised without insulin. This breakthrough suggested that the brain alone might regulate blood sugar levels, challenging the conventional belief that type 1 diabetes solely stems from a lack of insulin. The study highlighted that not only did the sugar level drop, but it also stayed balanced—indicating the brain can regulate blood sugar on its own. The scientific community initially met this discovery with scepticism. However, recent studies and analyses have strengthened the hypothesis that the brain plays a crucial role in managing type 1 diabetes. Dr. Schwartz now aims to seek approval from the US FDA for human trials to explore if leptin can yield similar results in humans. Swipe Left For Next Video View all The discovery of insulin 104 years ago marked a major step in diabetes treatment. Now, new research suggests leptin may also help regulate blood sugar, potentially reducing the need for daily insulin or frequent monitoring. According to the research, convincing the brain that the body has enough energy, or blocking the brain's signals that trigger glucose and ketone production, could help prevent diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This challenges the long-held belief that type 1 diabetes is solely caused by a lack of insulin. The News18 Lifestyle section brings you the latest on health, fashion, travel, food, and culture — with wellness tips, celebrity style, travel inspiration, and recipes. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments News lifestyle Can The Brain Help Regulate Blood Sugar In Type 1 Diabetes? Here's What New Study Says... Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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6 hours ago
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After billions spent, why is polio still spreading in Pakistan and Afghanistan?
Despite a decades-long global push and over $20 billion spent, polio remains entrenched in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Health workers report falsified data, mismanaged campaigns and persistent vaccine mistrust. As eradication deadlines continue to slip, insiders question whether the strategy — particularly the use of the oral vaccine — is part of the problem, not the solution read more For the last ten years, Sughra Ayaz has walked from house to house in southeastern Pakistan, urging parents to permit their children to receive polio vaccinations as part of a worldwide drive to eliminate the crippling illness. She often hears their concerns and objections. Some are rooted in daily struggles — families often prioritise essentials like food and clean water over immunisation, The Associated Press (AP) reported in a feature. Others are based on baseless rumours — like claims that the oral vaccine is designed to cause infertility in children. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Amid widespread misinformation and growing pressure to deliver results, Ayaz revealed that some supervisors have told vaccinators to falsely record children as immunised. She also noted that the vaccines, which need to be kept refrigerated, are not always stored at the required temperatures. 'In many places, our work is not done with honesty,' Ayaz told AP. The global effort to eradicate polio was launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners in 1988, aiming to eliminate the disease — a milestone previously reached only with smallpox in 1980. Afghan children wait in line to get a polio vaccine in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, May 26, 2025. File Image/AP Progress was notable, especially in 2021, when just five wild polio cases were identified in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But numbers rose again, reaching 99 last year, and multiple self-imposed deadlines for eradication have been missed. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only nations where polio transmission — a highly contagious disease mainly affecting children under five and capable of causing lifelong paralysis within hours — continues uninterrupted. As a result, these countries have been the primary focus of the polio campaign's attention and resources for the last ten years. However, according to campaign workers, public health experts, and internal documents reviewed by AP, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has struggled due to poor management, an outdated strategy, and persistent reliance on the oral vaccine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These issues have hindered progress in what is one of the most ambitious and costly public health programmes in history — costing more than $20 billion and involving nearly every country on Earth. Internal materials and accounts from staff indicate that some officials have fabricated vaccination data, appointed unqualified individuals to distribute vaccine drops, neglected to deploy vaccination teams during critical drives, and dismissed alarms about the oral vaccine's role in triggering outbreaks. In Pakistan and Afghanistan — neighbouring countries with widespread vaccine scepticism and fragile health systems — field workers like Ayaz have raised concerns to top-level managers for years. Yet, insiders claim these warnings, along with similar alerts from global health experts, have often been ignored. A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child in Karachi, Pakistan, April 21, 2025. File Image/AP Campaign officials highlight key achievements — vaccinating over 3 billion children and preventing paralysis in an estimated 20 million individuals. Yet they also concede that obstacles remain in Afghanistan and Pakistan, from difficult terrain and remote communities to cultural and religious objections to vaccines. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Since the campaign's inception, hundreds of health workers and security personnel have been killed, targeted due to their perceived ties to the Western-led initiative. Dr. Jamal Ahmed, WHO's polio director, defended the campaign's strategies in Pakistan and Afghanistan, pointing to localised interventions tailored for resistant regions. 'There's so many children being protected today because of the work that was done over the past 40 years,' he said. 'Let's not overdramatise the challenges, because that leads to children getting paralysed.' Ahmed expressed optimism that the virus could be eliminated in the next 12 to 18 months. The eradication campaign has now set a goal of 2029. To meet that target, officials say approximately 45 million children in Pakistan and 11 million in Afghanistan must be vaccinated this year. Each child generally requires four doses to be considered fully immunised. Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, a member of several advisory boards for WHO and the Gates Foundation, urged campaign leaders to heed constructive criticism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Continuing blindly with the same strategies that we have relied on since eradication began is unlikely to lead to a different result,' he said. Internal reports reveal persistent flaws in vaccination campaigns Internal WHO evaluations of polio immunisation efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan — shared with AP by past and current employees — expose how, as early as 2017, local staff were warning about serious issues to their superiors. These documents detail repeated instances of forged immunisation records, replacement of trained vaccinators with untrained family members, and improper administration of vaccines. WHO's own assessments frequently found that 'vaccinators did not know about vaccine management,' citing failure to maintain cold-chain requirements. A health worker, left, marks a house after administering polio vaccines in Karachi, Pakistan, April 21, 2025. File Image/AP Reports also noted discrepancies in vaccine usage logs, stating there were 'more used vaccine vials than were actually supplied.' An August 2017 report from Kandahar, Afghanistan, described how interference by local authorities and others led to the appointment of 'underage and illiterate volunteers' as vaccinators. Many campaign teams worked hastily, lacking supervision or proper monitoring. For example, a team in Nawzad, Afghanistan, in 2017 missed half of their designated area, skipping 250 households entirely. According to local elders, no team had visited the area in at least two years. Health workers and officials in both countries corroborated the contents of the internal documents. They pointed out the extreme difficulty of conducting door-to-door immunisations amid cultural sensitivities, distrust in vaccines, and chronic poverty. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Most of the time when we go to vaccinate and knock on the door, the head of the house or the man is not at home,' one worker told AP under the condition of anonymity. 'Many people find it offensive that a stranger knocks on the door and talks to a woman.' Some households are abandoned or relocated, and on occasion, workers face verbal abuse or threats. 'We have shared these problems with our senior officials,' the worker said. 'They know about it.' Responding to AP's inquiries, Dr. Ahmed acknowledged 'operational challenges' in the region and claimed that the campaign has 'robust monitoring and evaluation processes.' Ayaz spoke of practices like 'fake finger marking' — the ink on a child's pinky, meant to signify vaccination, is sometimes applied without administering the drops. 'There is so much pressure,' Ayaz said. Oral polio vaccine remains a point of contention Before the first polio vaccine became available in 1955, the virus — spread through contaminated water and fecal matter — paralysed hundreds of thousands of children annually. During outbreaks, public gatherings were avoided, and hospitals filled with children relying on iron lungs to breathe. In places with inadequate sanitation, polio spreads when children encounter infected waste. According to WHO, a single infected child can jeopardise the health of children everywhere. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Eradicating polio requires near-perfect immunisation coverage, with over 95 per cent of children vaccinated and zero wild virus cases. Yet experts and former WHO staff criticise the campaign for being far from flawless, especially concerning the oral vaccine. While this vaccine has safely immunised more than 3 billion children, it carries very rare risks. Scientists estimate that one in every 2.7 million first doses may lead to vaccine-induced paralysis. In rarer situations, the live virus in the vaccine can mutate and trigger outbreaks in regions with low immunisation coverage. Since 2021, hundreds of such vaccine-derived cases have been reported annually, with at least 98 already identified this year. Most health professionals agree the oral vaccine should be phased out as soon as feasible. However, the injectable alternative — which carries no live virus and avoids these risks — is in short supply, costlier, and harder to administer. More than 25 current and former senior polio figures told AP that agencies leading the campaign have resisted reviewing or altering their approach, despite ongoing issues. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Dr. Tom Frieden, a former CDC director and current member of the polio eradication oversight board, stated that eradication is unattainable without the oral vaccine. However, he has advocated for adapting strategies, including faster detection of cases. Since 2011, he and his peers have regularly issued reports on systemic failures in the campaign. 'There's no management,' Frieden said, citing a lack of oversight and accountability. In 2023, former WHO scientist Dr. T Jacob John emailed WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus twice, calling for a fundamental overhaul of the campaign. John, who provided those emails to AP, said he received no response. 'WHO is persisting with polio control and creating polio with one hand and attempting to control it by the other,' John wrote. Ahmed, in his reply to AP, maintained that the oral vaccine remains a 'core pillar' of eradication, highlighting that 'almost every country that is polio-free today used (it) to achieve that milestone.' 'We need to step back and really care for the people,' he added. 'The only way we can do that in large parts of the world is with oral polio vaccine.' He also pointed to India's success in eliminating polio — once deemed improbable. In the final four years before eradication there, nearly 1 billion doses of the oral vaccine were administered to over 170 million children. Currently, nearly all polio cases worldwide — primarily in West Asia and Africa — stem from mutated versions of the oral vaccine, except those in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Scott Barrett, a professor at Columbia University, called for a thorough investigation into campaign failures, especially after a misstep in 2016 where a strain was removed from the oral vaccine. That move triggered outbreaks in over 40 countries and left more than 3,000 children paralysed, according to an expert WHO-commissioned report. Last year, a baby in Gaza was paralysed by a mutated virus linked to that error. 'Unless you have a public inquiry where all the evidence comes out and WHO makes serious changes, it will be very hard to trust them,' Barrett said. Scepticism toward eradication efforts continues With a yearly budget near $1 billion, the polio initiative is among the costliest in public health. After the US withdrew from WHO and US President Donald Trump reduced foreign aid, WHO officials admitted privately that maintaining funding will be challenging without demonstrable progress. Some argue that these funds could better address other health priorities. 'We have spent more than $1 billion (in external polio funding) in the last five years in Pakistan alone, and it didn't buy us any progress,' said Roland Sutter, a former WHO polio research leader. 'If this was a private company, we would demand results.' Many villagers have protested the focus on polio, staging hundreds of boycotts since 2023. They demand medication, food, or electricity instead of repeated immunisation drives. A police officer stands guard while a health worker, centre, administers a polio vaccine to a child in Karachi, Pakistan, April 21, 2025. File Image/AP In Karachi, residents told AP they couldn't understand the government's obsession with polio, especially given pressing issues like contaminated water and rampant heroin abuse. Health workers often operate under armed protection — Pakistani officials report that since the 1990s, more than 200 health workers and security personnel have been killed, largely by militants. Adding to the challenge is a flood of false information — including rumors that the vaccine contains pig urine or causes premature puberty. Some say growing anti-vaccine sentiments in countries funding the initiative, particularly the US, are fuelling distrust in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In southwest Pakistan, Saleem Khan, 58, claimed his grandchildren under five were vaccinated against his family's wishes. 'It results in disability,' Khan said, without providing evidence. 'They are vaccinated because officials reported our refusal to authorities and the police.' Johns Hopkins University professor Svea Closser said resistance was much lower decades ago. Now, resentment over the focus on polio — while other illnesses like measles and tuberculosis go unaddressed — fuels conspiracy theories. 'Polio eradication has created a monster,' Closser said. She noted that public confidence in vaccination drives took a hit in 2011 when the CIA used a fake hepatitis campaign to try to locate Osama bin Laden through DNA collection. Field workers say they face that mistrust every day. In a remote mountainous area of southeastern Afghanistan, a mother of five said she wanted her children to be vaccinated but was overruled by her husband and other male relatives who believe false claims that the vaccine harms fertility. 'If I allow it,' she told AP, withholding her name for fear of reprisal, 'I will be beaten and thrown out.' With inputs from AP
News18
6 hours ago
- News18
A young surgeon tries to save lives at crippled Gaza hospital
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Aug 6 (AP) At Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip, nothing is sterilised, so Dr Jamal Salha and other surgeons wash their instruments in soap. Infections are rampant. The stench of medical waste is overwhelming. And flies are everywhere. Without painkillers, patients moan while lying on metal beds lining the corridors. There's no electricity and no ventilation amid searing heat, leaving anxious visitors to fan bedridden relatives with pieces of cardboard. Shifa, once the largest hospital in Gaza and the cornerstone of its health care system, is a shell of its former self after 22 months of war. The hospital complex the size of seven soccer fields has been devastated by frequent bombings, two Israeli raids and blockades on food, medicine and equipment. Its exhausted staff works around the clock to save lives. 'It is so bad, no one can imagine," said Salha, a 27-year-old neurosurgeon who, like countless doctors in Gaza, trained at Shifa after medical school and hopes to end his career there. But the future is hard to think about when the present is all-consuming. Salha and other doctors are overwhelmed by a wartime caseload that shows no sign of easing. It has gotten more challenging in recent weeks as patients' bodies wither from rampant malnutrition. Shifa was initially part of a British military post when it opened in 1946. It developed over the years to boast Gaza's largest specialized surgery department, with over 21 operating rooms. Now, there are only three, and they barely function. Because Shifa's operating rooms are always full, surgeries are also performed in the emergency room, and some of the wounded must be turned away. Bombed-out buildings loom over a courtyard filled with patients and surrounded by mounds of rubble. Salha fled northern Gaza at the start of the war — and only returned to Shifa at the beginning of this year. While working at another extremely busy hospital in central Gaza, he kept tabs on Shifa's worsening condition. 'I had seen pictures," he said. 'But when I first got back, I didn't want to enter." A young doctor and a war After graduating from medical school in 2022, Salha spent a year training at Shifa. That is when he and a friend, Bilal, decided to specialize in neurosurgery. But everything changed on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and Israel's retaliatory campaign began. For the first few weeks of the war, Salha was an intern at Shifa. Because Israel had cut off Gaza's internet service, one of Salha's jobs was to bring scans to doctors around the complex. He had to navigate through thousands of displaced people sheltering there and run up and down stairwells when elevators stopped working. Once Israeli troops moved into northern Gaza, he and has family left. Bilal, who stayed in Gaza City, was killed a few months later, Salha said. Not long after Salha left, Israeli forces raided Shifa for the first time in November 2023. Israel said the hospital served as a major Hamas command and control center. But it provided little evidence beyond a single tunnel with two small rooms under the facility. It made similar arguments when raiding and striking medical facilities across Gaza even as casualties from the war mounted. Israel says it makes every effort to deliver medical supplies and avoid harming civilians. Under international law, hospitals lose their protected status if they are used for military purposes. Hamas has denied using hospitals for military purposes, though its security personnel can often be seen inside them and they have placed parts of hospitals off limits to the public. Israeli forces returned to Shifa in March 2024, igniting two weeks of fighting in which the military said it killed some 200 militants who had regrouped there. The hospital was left in ruins. The World Health Organisation said three hospital buildings were extensively damaged and that its oxygen plant and most equipment were destroyed, including 14 baby incubators. While all this was going on, Salha worked at a hospital in central Gaza, where he performed over 200 surgeries and procedures, including dozens of operations on fractured skulls. Some surgeons spend a lifetime without ever seeing one. When he returned to Shifa as a neurosurgeon resident, the buildings he used to run between — some had been rehabilitated — felt haunted. 'They destroyed all our memories," he said. A shrunken hospital is stretched to its limits Shifa once had 700 beds. Today there are roughly 200, and nearly as many patients end up on mattresses on the floor, the hospital manager said. Some beds are set up in storage rooms, or in tents. An extra 100 beds, and an additional three surgery rooms, are rented out from a nearby facility. The hospital once employed 1,600 doctors and nurses. Now there about half as many, according to Shifa's administrative manager, Rami Mohana. With Gaza beset by extreme food insecurity, the hospital can no longer feed its staff, and many workers fled to help their families survive. Those who remain are rarely paid. On a recent morning, in a storage room-turned-patient ward, Salha checked up on Mosab al-Dibs, a 14-year-old boy suffering from a severe head injury and malnutrition. 'Look how bad things have gotten?" Salha said, pulling at al-Dibs' frail arm. Al-Dibs' mother, Shahinez, was despondent. 'We've known Shifa since we were kids, whoever goes to it will be cured," she said. 'Now anyone who goes to it is lost. There's no medicine, no serums. It's a hospital in name only." There are shortages of basic supplies, like gauze, so patients' bandages are changed infrequently. Gel foams that stop bleeding are rationed. Shifa's three CT scan machines were destroyed during Israeli raids, Mohana said, so patients are sent to another nearby hospital if they need one. Israel has not approved replacing the CT scanners, he said. Patients wait for hours — and sometimes days — as surgeons prioritize their caseload or as they arrange scans. Some patients have died while waiting, Salha said. After months without a pneumatic surgical drill to cut through bones, Shifa finally got one. But the blades were missing, and spare parts were not available, Salha said. 'So instead of 10 minutes, it could take over an hour just to cut the skull bones," he said. 'It leaves us exhausted and endangers the life of the patient." When asked by The Associated Press about equipment shortages at Shifa, the Israeli military agency in charge of aid coordination, COGAT, did not address the question. It said the military "consistently and continuously enables the continued functioning of medical services through aid organizations and the international community.? Unforgettable moments From his time at the hospital in central Gaza, Salha can't shake the memory of the woman in her 20s who arrived with a curable brain hemorrhage. The hospital wouldn't admit her because there were no beds available in the intensive care unit. He had wanted to take her in an ambulance to another hospital, but because of the danger of coming under Israeli attack, no technician would go with him to operate her ventilator. 'I had to tell her family that we will have to leave her to die," he said. Other stories have happier endings. When a girl bleeding from her head arrived at Shifa, Salha's colleague stopped it with his hand until a gel foam was secured. The girl, who had temporarily lost her vision, greeted Salha after her successful recovery. top videos View all 'Her vision was better than mine," the bespectacled Salha said, breaking a smile. 'Sometimes it seems we are living in a stupor. We deal with patients in our sleep and after a while, we wake up and ask: what just happened?" (AP) RD RD RD (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 06, 2025, 18:45 IST News agency-feeds A young surgeon tries to save lives at crippled Gaza hospital Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
