Health

Malta: Ħal Qormi Mayor Renald Falzon dies

The death has been announced of Ħal Qormi Mayor Renald Falzon at the age of 46 years. Qormi Local Council posted on Facebook that it is grateful for everything the…

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EU approves contract with BioNTech-Pfizer alliance to ensure access to a potential Covid-19 vaccine

On Wednesday, the European Commission approved a fourth contract with pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Pfizer, which provides for the initial purchase of 200 million doses on behalf of all EU…

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European Commission takes first steps towards European Health Union

The European Commission is taking the first steps towards building the European Health Union announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the Union address. The Commission is putting forward…

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Malta: Travel ‘amber list’ significantly expanded

The health authorities have announced that the Covid-19 “amber list” – the list of destinations from which travellers are required to submit a negative Covid-19 test on arrival – is…

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Malta: Rise in virus cases within three homes for the elderly, Gauci says

Almost 90 new COVID-19 cases detected this week are of elderly residents at three care homes, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said on Friday. Gauci said that the 85 patients…

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Malta: ‘Lovable’ priest becomes 60th COVID-19 death

Tributes have been paid to a 76-year-old priest, who has become Malta's latest COVID-19 victim. Fr Lino Cardona has been described as 'lovable' and 'jovial' by the students he taught…

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Malta: COVID-19 rapid testing commenced today

COVID-19 rapid testing commenced today with the result being announced just after a few minutes. This is taking at Boffa Hospital in Floriana for health workers, passenger arrivals at Luqa…

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Malta: “Big family gatherings should be avoided this Christmas ” – Minister Fearne

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne reaffirmed that the maximum number of people who can gather outside is 6, and stressed that what cannot be done outside should…

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Exposure to air pollution may accelerate Covid-19 deaths

Exposure to air pollution may be linked to some 15% of Covid-19 deaths worldwide, according to research published Tuesday that highlights the health risks posed by greenhouse gas emissions. Previous…

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Europe needs ‘serious acceleration’ in fight against coronavirus – WHO

Europe needs a "serious acceleration" in the fight against the coronavirus and a lack of contact-tracing capacity could drive the disease into the darkness, a top World Health Organization official…

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Malta: Urgent appeal for O Negative blood with only three bags remaining

Health authorities have issued an urgent appeal for the donation of O negative blood. In a post on the health ministry’s Facebook page, authorities said that the urgent need for…

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Malta: BOV Gżira and Marsa branches back in service

Bank of Valletta would like to advise its customers that with effect from Wednesday 21st October, it will be reopening its Gżira and Marsa Branches. The Branches were temporarily closed…

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First contact tracing and warning apps linked to EU system

To exploit the full potential of contact tracing and warning apps to break the chain of coronavirus infections across borders and save lives, the Commission, at the invitation by EU…

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Malta: Covid-19 related decisions should be in the hands of health authorities – PN

The government should leave the necessary decisions related to the coronavirus pandemic in the hands of the health authorities, Partit Nazzjonalista said on Monday The PN’s action team on coronavirus…

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Harsh Reality Check – After collective denial, Europe chases the second wave

European leaders from London to Berlin face an alarming reality: lockdowns are creeping back on the agenda as the pandemic threatens the continent again. It’s a scenario many ruled out…

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Malta: Authorities turn to students, retired health workers for contact-tracing help

Authorities have turned to students, trainees and retired health workers asking them to help with contact tracing as the numbers of COVID-19 cases reach record highs. And they have brought…

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EU-OSHA launches campaign to address Europe’s most common work-related health problem

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has launched its 2020-2022 campaign — Healthy Workplaces Lighten the Load — which focuses on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The…

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Covid-19 is not transmitted to newborn from breast milk

COVID-19 does not get passed on to a newborn from breast milk, according to a study coordinated by Turin's Città della Salute (City of Health) and published in the Frontiers…

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Malta: ITU and oncology nurses to follow union directives following staff shortage

Nurses at the Intensive Therapy Unit and the Oncology Centre will be following union directives as from Wednesday after reporting burnout caused by a shortage of staff. In a letter…

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Malta-24 News Briefing – Saturday 26th September 2020

Updated 2002 - 92 year old is 31st victim from Covid-19 A 92-year-old woman is the 31st Covid-19 death, the Ministry of Health said last night. She was a resident…

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Pfizer to know by October if vaccine is effective

Pfizer is betting that its coronavirus vaccine candidate will show clear evidence of effectiveness early in its clinical trial, according to the company and internal documents reviewed by Reuters that describe how…

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Covid-19 situation in Europe is alarming – WHO

While worldwide coronavirus have exceeded the 30 million mark, according to official data, it is the Old Continent which is causing the biggest headaches to the World Health Organisaton. “The…

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Spain becomes first European country to have 500,000 COVID-19 cases

Spain became the first country in Western Europe to register 500,000 coronavirus infections on Monday, after a second surge in cases that coincided with schools reopening. Health Ministry data showed…

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Malta: Steward says dispute over hospital staff meal allowances is a government matter

Steward Health Care Malta said Tuesday that it has no objection in principle to government employees working at Gozo General Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital and St Luke’s Hospital being given…

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UK’s online tax plan risks killing retail patient

by Aimee Donnellan via REUTERS BREAKINGVIEWS Rishi Sunak should remember that bad cures sometimes worsen diseases. The UK chancellor is eyeing a 2 billion pound tax on internet sales.…

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Swab tests to be requested in all Italy for visitors from Malta, Greece, Spain and Croatia

In an extraordinary meeting held on Wednesday ministers Boccia and Speranza announced that the regions in Italy need to have and follow the same rules otherwise there will be chaos. Amongst…

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Unhealthy ‘buy one get one free’ deals targeted in bid to tackle obesity in England

"Buy one get one free" deals on unhealthy food will be banned as part of the government's bid to tackle obesity in England. The plan will also include restrictions on…

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Malta: Telemedicine: 24 hour medical advice service

More than 15,000 people made use of a new service from the Department of Primary Care, during the pandemic months, where a medical consultation was being given through different forms…

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EPP calls for EU to step up action on health

The Group of the European People's Party in the European Parliament called for stronger commitment by the European Union with regard to health. In a statement, the Group said that…

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WHO discontinues Malaria and HIV testing on covid as it fails to reduce mortality

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it was discontinuing its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 after…

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“We can beat cancer together” – EPP

Cancer kills about 9 million people a year in the world. In the European Union alone, 1.3 million people die of cancer every year and 3.5 million new cases are…

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Unicef highlights plight of children in Yemen humanitarian disaster

In Yemen, humanitarian needs have never been more acute, or funding more constrained, according to Unicef. “As of today, UNICEF’s US$479 million appeal to sustain essential basic services for children…

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Health threats: boosting EU readiness and crisis management

The EU is proposing to substantially increase its health funding by €9.4 billion through a new Europe-wide programme, EU4Health, which aims to strengthen Europe’s health systems to respond better to…

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Malta: Government should work more towards accessibility of the OCP

Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCP) should be considered as an essential medicine not only because they have the function of contraception, but because these pills are used for the numerous conditions…

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Malta: Health authorities evaluating possibility of making seasonal influenza vaccine mandatory

The health authorities are evaluating the option of making the seasonal influenza vaccine mandatory for certain groups as concerns rise over the dual impact with COVID-19 in the winter season.…

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Microsoft to adapt its cloud software for healthcare industry

Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday it plans to roll out a version of its cloud-based software that will be modified to suit the needs of healthcare organizations. While Microsoft is known for general…

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Live Update: Covid-19 Bulletin Malta – Saturday 16th May 2020

Update 2145 Six Spaniards were arrested on Friday evening after attacking police officers who approached them to inform them that they were breaking Coronavirus measures which establish that people…

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Brazil Health minister resigns after less than a month in office

Brazil’s outgoing health minister Nelson Teich said in a press briefing on Friday that he had decided to resign from his position, becoming the second person to leave the top…

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230 children in Europe affected and two died from new life-threatening inflammatory syndrome linked to Covid-19

A new life-threatening inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19 has affected 230 children in Europe and killed two so far this year, a regional health body said on Friday, as medics…

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Protests in Slovenia, as Covid-19 epidemic ‘end’ declaration is labelled ‘economic’ and unhealthy

Thousands of cyclists took over the centre of Ljubljana once again on Friday to protest against Slovenia's centre-right government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa, less than a day after the government…

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Economics vs Health in fighting Covid-19

by Matthew Bugeja Everything is about COVID19 at the moment. There is no escaping the unprecedented impact it has had on the entire planet in just three short months. Short…

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Malta: Malta most trusted in health sector during pandemic

A European Union agency report for the month of April, says Malta is the most trusted country among all member states within the health sector. The report, carried out by…

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Malta: Government launches new free vaccination for babies born after 1 April

The government today launched a new vaccine on the National Vaccination Schedule, which will be available as from Monday, free of charge, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health…

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WHO Director-General warns that “worst is yet to come” in coronavirus pandemic

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, warned this evening that "the worst is yet ahead of us" with regard to the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic.…

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Covid-19 Bulletin Update – Friday 3rd April 2020

Updated 1501 Government has indicated that entities operating in the media sector will be provided support to continue to operate as they face the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus…

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CoVid 19 Malta Bulletin – Monday 16th March 2020

Updated 17:07 Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that as from midnight tomorrow restaurants, bars, cinemas, gyms and local clubs (kazini) are to remain closed. Deliveries and take-aways will be…

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Polish chemist reported to have made breakthrough discovery in CoVid19 treatment

A Polish chemist from the Wrocław University of Technology, Prof. Maciej Drąg and his team of researchers, together with their counterparts at Lubeck University in Germany have made a breakthrough…

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Noise pollution threatens health of one in five Europeans

The European Environment Agency said Thursday that noise levels were so bad in the European Union that the bloc was failing to meet its own standards. Exposure to noise pollution…

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Coronavirus, Europe’s health policy and the challenges ahead – Academic perspective

The difficulty to forecast the level of spread and danger of the Coronavirus is linked to the fact that the biggest problem that we have is that "we don’t know…

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Mumps cases hit 10-year high across England

Health officials are urging people to have both parts of the MMR vaccine after cases of mumps in England reached their highest level in a decade. Outbreaks in universities and…

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Romania declares flu epidemic as 18 people die

The Romanian Health Ministry has declared a flu epidemic in the country, considering the high number of flu cases and respiratory infections over the past week. Over 7,000 flu cases…

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Landmark study to transform cancer treatment

More than a thousand scientists have built the most detailed picture of cancer ever in a landmark study. They said cancer was like a 100,000-piece jigsaw, and that until today,…

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EU to launch new plan to fight cancer

To mark World Cancer Day, the European Commission has announced it's to launch a new initiative to fight cancer in the EU by the end of the year. Cancer is…

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British drugmaker GSK to collaborate with CEPI in effort to develop coronavirus vaccine

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc is collaborating with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to contribute towards the effort of developing a vaccine for the coronavirus outbreak, GSK and CEPI…

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American FDA approves first drug for treatment of peanut allergy for children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Palforzia [Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Allergen Powder-dnfp] to mitigate allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, that may occur with accidental exposure to peanuts. Treatment with Palforzia…

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GO Challenging People To Start Living Healthier with 2020 Grid Challenge.

As of Thursday 30th January, listeners of VIBE FM’s breakfast show ‘The Morning Vibe’ should step up their persuasion tactics to try and convince breakfast show hosts Abel, JD and…

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Over 50 people killed in China from virus outbreak, Chinese President warns country is facing a “grave situation”

Fifty-six people have died from the coronavirus outbreak in China as the country's leader described the accelerating spread of the disease a grave situation. It comes as China's Hubei province…

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