Sinus irrigation with contaminated tap water may cause meningoencephalitis

Changing epidemiology of rare disease links sinus irrigation with contaminated tap water, 2 deaths — Cases highlight importance of using appropriately treated water for nasal irrigation – When water containing the Naegleria fowleri ameba, a single-celled organism, enters the nose, the organisms may migrate to the brain, causing primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a very rare?but usually fatal?disease.

Men may have greater allergy risk than women

Men May Have Greater Allergy Risk Than Women, Suggests Largest Ever National Allergy Study — Quest Diagnostics Health Trends analysis raises possibility that men are underdiagnosed for allergies – A study of nearly 14 million blood tests for aiding allergy diagnosis shows that men exhibited higher sensitivity to 11 common allergens than women when tested, contradicting other research suggesting women experience allergies more frequently than men.

Dust from distant lands may affect climate and health in US, Europe

Dust from distant lands may affect climate and health in the Americas and Europe — University of Miami Professor Joe Prospero to share findings at AAAS – Residents of the southern United States and the Caribbean have seen it many times during the summer months-a whitish haze in the sky that seems to hang around for days.

Lyme disease is spreading in Canada

Lyme disease is spreading in Canada, and physicians are crucial in helping minimize its impact – Lyme disease is emerging in Canada, and is expected to increase with climate change, but effective, enhanced surveillance and clinician awareness will be key to minimizing the impact of the disease, write researchers in a review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Climate change a biggest health threat of 21st century

Climate change is the biggest health threat of the 21st Century, researchers claim. – A major report on managing the health effects of climate change, launched jointly by The Lancet and UCL (University College London) today, says that climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st Century.

Humans driving increased dengue risk in Australia

Humans, not climate, driving increased dengue risk in Australia – Drought-proofing Australia’s urban regions by installing large domestic water tanks may enable the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti to regain its foothold across the country and expand its range of possible infections, according to a new study published May 5 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Keeping slim is good for the planet

Lean population will consume almost 20% less food and produce fewer greenhouse gases than a population in which 40% of people are obese. – Maintaining a healthy body weight is good news for the environment, according to a study which appears today in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Dr Ramadoss a public health champion says UN Secretary General

UN Secretary General lauds Dr. Ramadoss as a Public Health champion – UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon met the India’s Health & Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, and discussed a wide gamut of health related issues including National Rural Health Mission, impact of global financial crisis on health and climate change.

Health Newstrack