Latest news with #healthAuthorities
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Health
- Al Arabiya
Israeli forces step up Gaza City bombardment as Egypt hosts Hamas
Israeli forces demolished houses in eastern areas of Gaza City overnight, killing at least 11 people in aerial and tank fire, local health authorities said, as the Palestinian militant group Hamas told mediators it was ready to resume ceasefire talks. Residents and medics said eight people were killed when Israeli tank shelling hit a house in Zeitoun neighborhood, while a man was killed in an airstrike on a building in the nearby Shejaia suburb. Two other people were killed in tank shelling in Tuffah, a third Gaza City suburb. Local health authorities said they had received desperate calls from families trapped in the Zeitoun area, including from people saying they were wounded, and that ambulance vehicles could not reach them. 'The explosions are almost non-stop in eastern Gaza areas, mainly Zeitoun and Shejaia. The occupation (Israel) is erasing homes there, as we hear from some friends who live nearby,' said Ismail, 40, from Gaza City. 'At night, we pray for our safety as the sounds of explosions get louder and closer. We hope Egypt can secure a ceasefire deal before we are all dead,' he told Reuters via a chat app. More than 22 months into Israel's military offensive in Gaza, residents have also been grappling with a worsening hunger crisis. Four more people died of starvation and malnutrition in the territory in the past 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said on Thursday. That took the total to 239, including 106 children, since the war began, it said. Israel disputes malnutrition and hunger figures reported by the health ministry in Gaza, which Hamas took control of in 2007. Israel's planned seizure of Gaza City - which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing - is probably weeks away, officials say. In an effort to avert the planned military escalation, Egypt has been trying to revive a push for a ceasefire in Gaza, hosting a Hamas delegation led by the group's chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya. He told mediators in Cairo on Wednesday that Hamas was ready to resume ceasefire talks to achieve a temporary truce, and was open to discussing a comprehensive agreement that would end the war, Egyptian and Palestinian sources said. The latest round of indirect talks in Qatar ended in deadlock in late July with Israel and Hamas trading blame over the lack of progress on a US proposal for a 60-day truce and hostage release deal. Gaps between the sides appear to remain wide on key issues, including the extent of any Israeli military withdrawal and demands for Hamas to disarm. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
Arab News
09-07-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Pakistan to launch targeted polio vaccination drive in northern districts next week
KARACHI: Pakistan will launch a targeted five-day polio vaccination campaign next week, aiming to immunize more than 158,000 children in high-risk districts of the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, health authorities said on Wednesday. The campaign will be conducted exclusively in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, and Kolai-Palas districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), which oversees Pakistan's polio eradication efforts. 'Special focus and effective strategies are being applied in high-risk union councils,' the NEOC said in a statement, referring to administrative units where access and vaccine acceptance remain challenging. The drive will take place from July 14 to 18. Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects young children and can cause permanent paralysis. There is no cure, but it can be prevented through multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and a complete routine immunization schedule, experts say. Pakistan, one of only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic, the other being neighboring Afghanistan, has made significant gains in recent decades. Annual cases have fallen dramatically from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to single digits by 2018. However, the country has witnessed a worrying resurgence recently. As of July 2025, Pakistan has reported 14 polio cases, including eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, according to official data. The country reported 74 cases in 2024, raising alarms among health officials and global partners supporting the eradication campaign. In contrast, only six cases were recorded in 2023 and just one in 2021. The latest targeted drive follows smaller vaccination efforts in high-risk areas. A special campaign was conducted last month in six union councils of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district, where approximately 17,500 children were vaccinated. A similar operation is planned for 11 union councils in North Waziristan, another district with a history of polio transmission. The government conducted three nationwide polio campaigns earlier this year, in February, April, and May, aiming to reach around 45 million children with the help of over 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 women vaccinators. Despite decades of effort, Pakistan's eradication drive has faced persistent challenges, including misinformation about vaccines and resistance from conservative religious and militant groups who view immunization campaigns with suspicion. Some clerics have claimed the vaccines are a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or part of intelligence operations. Vaccination teams and police providing security have also been targeted in militant attacks, particularly in remote and conflict-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. These threats have at times forced the suspension of campaigns and restricted access to vulnerable populations. Pakistan launched its national polio eradication program in 1994.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Greek health authorities issue alert after man dies of rare tick-borne illness
Health authorities in Greece are raising the alarm after a 72-year-old livestock farmer died of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever. The man was infected by a tick and hospitalised in Larissa, where he transmitted the disease to his doctor, who now appears to be in good health. In all, 25 people have been quarantined because they were either close contacts or nursing staff who came in touch with the man who died. None have fallen ill, but 10 people belong to high-risk groups. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is a viral illness that spreads through tick bites. It is rare in Europe, but sometimes appears in the Balkan and Mediterranean countries. Greece last reported a case in 2018. More than 80 per cent of cases have no or mild symptoms, but among severe cases that require hospitalisation, about 30 per cent of patients will die from the disease, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Symptoms can include fever, muscle and stomach pain, and dizziness, as well as nosebleeds and organ failure, the ECDC said. Since the man's infection was identified, Greece's public health officials have taken samples from humans and 15 ticks to conduct laboratory testing, with results expected in the next few days. They are also fumigating the area to reduce risks to people. The authorities have advised health workers to be vigilant about suspicious illnesses and are taking steps to inform high-risk groups about prevention measures, such as avoiding woods and meadows where ticks may be present, wearing light-coloured clothing to make it easier to spot ticks, and using insect repellant. To prevent person-to-person spread, public health authorities recommend that people avoid close physical contact with someone who may have hemorrhagic fever, wear gloves and protective equipment when caring for patients, and wash their hands regularly.
The Independent
07-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Fresh Covid fears as Asia case surge shows no sign of slowing
Several Asian countries, including India, Thailand, and Indonesia, are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, raising concerns about more infectious variants. Health authorities are monitoring Omicron subvariants LF.7 and NB.1.8.1 as potential drivers of the surge, though they are not yet designated as variants of concern. The NB.1.8.1 subvariant, found in multiple countries, exhibits a strong ability to bind to human cell receptors, potentially increasing its infectiousness. Common symptoms of the new strains include fatigue, sore throat, nasal congestion, and gut discomfort, with current vaccines expected to protect against severe symptoms. While most infections result in mild symptoms, vulnerable groups are advised to seek medical attention for severe symptoms like shortness of breath or low blood oxygen levels.
Globe and Mail
06-06-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
At least 16 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, health officials say
Sixteen Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military in Gaza on Friday, according to local health authorities, as a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group said it had handed out aid in the enclave after earlier saying that its distribution sites were closed. The military had no immediate comment on the reports of deaths in war-shattered Gaza. Health authorities said strikes had killed people in Gaza's Jabalia, Tuffah and Khan Younis areas. Witnesses and medics told Reuters that Israeli planes and tanks had intensified strikes on Jabalia and nearby Beit Hanoun since the early hours. The Israeli military issued evacuation orders to residents of certain blocks in northern Gaza on Friday, spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X. The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) told Reuters by e-mail it had delivered aid on Friday, despite earlier announcing on its official Facebook page that its distribution sites were closed until further notice and that people should stay away from the sites 'for their safety' after a series of deadly shootings. The GHF opened two sites in southern Gaza on Thursday after closing all of its centres the previous day in the wake of shootings in the vicinity of its operations. It has so far operated four distribution centres. The organization bypasses traditional relief agencies and has been criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for alleged lack of neutrality, which it denies. Palestinians collecting aid from GHF sites told Reuters that there was no clear distribution system, describing the process as disorganized and chaotic. Footage released this week by the organization has shown similar scenes at one of its sites. GHF halted distributions on Wednesday and said it was pressing Israeli forces to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its operations after dozens of Palestinians were shot dead near the Rafah site over three consecutive days. The Israeli military said on Sunday and Monday that its soldiers had fired warning shots. On Tuesday, it said, forces also fired warning shots before firing towards Palestinians that it said were advancing towards troops. GHF has said that aid was safely handed out from its sites without any incident. Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X on Friday that Palestinians would have 'free movement' to aid distribution sites between 06:00 and 18:00, but warned that outside those hours the area would be a 'closed military zone' and movement would pose a significant risk to life. Israel has re-intensified an offensive against Gaza's dominant Hamas militant group since breaking a two-month-old ceasefire in March in a war triggered by Hamas' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
