The Zero COVID policy was implemented by China, wherein mass testing and strict quarantine measures were used to prevent the spread of outbreaks.

However, since the end of 2022, the policy has been lifted.

In the two months since the lifting of the policy, an estimated 1.87 million excess deaths have been reported.

This study was conducted based on obituary notices for three major Chinese universities from December 2022 to January 2023.

The authors created a model that extrapolated the findings to the rest of the country.

The number of deaths in Beijing universities increased significantly when compared to expected deaths, increasing by 403% (95% CI, 351% to 461%) and 56% (95% CI, 41% to 73%) in December 2022 and January 2023, respectively.

The 36th meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the international spread of poliovirus was recently held.

The meeting was held in the context of eradicating wild poliovirus (WPC) and putting an end to cVDPV2 outbreaks by the end of 2023.

Data on WPV1 and cVDPV was reviewed for the same.

Since the last meeting:

However, the risk of poliovirus spreading internationally remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

The CDC recently released a report on provisional estimates of suicide in the United States for the year 2022.  

The findings of the report are as follows:

The CDC’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program (CSP) is designed to implement and evaluate a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention, focusing on those disproportionately affected.  

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline suggest five steps to help safeguard people from the risk of suicide and support them when in crisis: 

An RCT that challenges previous assumptions about the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND diet) was recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Due to the abundance of leafy greens and other vegetables that are high in antioxidants and nutrients that support brain function, the Mediterranean diet and the DASH  diet were formerly believed to be combating cognitive decline.

The study participants included were:

Older persons without cognitive impairment

The intervention group received a MIND diet.

Both groups received counseling on mild calorie restrictions. 

The MRI scans revealed:

The change in the diet of the control arm without any intervention could have led to the findings.

Thus, the study results need to be interpreted with caution.

United Nations agencies warn that in the absence of humanitarian aid:

The complex interplay of negative forces has led to severe food insecurity, which may progress to a famine in the Menaka region of Mali.

These factors include:

The UNICEF authorities have highlighted the need for urgent aid in this landlocked crisis-ridden region to:

Hailed as the worst fire in the history of the country, the blaze in Johannesburg claimed the lives of 74 adults and 12 young children. 

The blaze originated in an impoverished area under the control of criminal gangs and brought down a five-story building inhabited by homeless people. 

Cyril Ramaposa, president of the country, visited the place to convey his condolences and ensure support to the affected.

The United Nations has also pledged support to the affected families and assured them that they will collaborate with the local government to prevent such disasters in the future.

Apart from the well-known vibrio infections caused by the consumption of raw seafood, the Vibrio vulnificus species of Vibrio bacteria can lead to infections by contact of an open wound with raw seafood. 

Vibrio vulnificus results in fever, discharge, discoloration, pain, and swelling which can also lead to necrotizing fasciitis, with some cases even needing limb amputation. 

20% of the cases can also lead to death within a few days of infection. 

Immunocompromised individuals and those with liver diseases are more prone to severe infections. This deadly infection can be prevented by avoiding seas while having an open wound and post-exposure washing the exposed wound with soap and water

Insulin administration techniques have advanced significantly over the years, moving from glass syringes with long needles to disposable syringes with finer needles to prefilled insulin pens. 

Dr. Arnold Kadish created the first artificial pancreas to constantly deliver insulin in the 1960s. Following these, the Biostator and Insulin Pump were created in the 1970s and 1990s, respectively. 

The battery-powered, modern insulin pump administers insulin through a tiny teflon or steel cannula placed just under the skin either at predetermined rates or at the press of a button, cutting down on the number of pricks from several times per day to just once every 2-3 days. 

Tubeless insulin pumps can change the insulin doses based on glucose information from a continuous glucose monitor. 

Better insulin modifications for various times of day and night, exercise, illness, menstruation, exams, and other everyday scenarios are a further benefit, which helps to decrease bouts of hypoglycemia and improve HbA1c status. 

However, high cost (2-5 lakhs), stigma among patients regarding wearing a device that constantly reminds them of their condition, problems with cannulas in thin patients or those who sweat a lot, and skin reactions from adhesive tapes, deter patients from switching to insulin pumps.

The IAS-Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights cautions that human rights violations jeopardize the global HIV response. 

Discriminatory laws and campaigns targeting at-risk communities, like MSM, pose a threat to HIV efforts. 

Uganda's anti-gay law, including punishment of death for "aggravated homosexuality," hinders LGBTQ+ avail to vital HIV services. 

Recent research in sub-Saharan Africa links higher MSM HIV prevalence to the criminalization of same-sex conduct, substantiating the concern. 

UNAIDS data confirms escalated HIV rates among marginalized groups - MSM, sex workers, and drug users. 

Commission co-chair Adeeba Kamarulzaman suggests diplomatic efforts from major HIV funders to counter laws.

Co-chair Chris Beyrer urges collaboration between the HIV community and LGBTQ+ activists to tackle persistent challenges.

The WHO Online Repository of Evidence-informed Decision Making (EIDM) is a platform developed by the Evidence-informed policy network. 

It highlights tools utilized by WHO to facilitate knowledge translation and partner organizations involved in planning, managing, monitoring, and evaluating the process of evidence use and implementation.

 However, it adds to the existing WHO Evidence, policy, and impact framework. 

The repository is continuously updated and enables users to access EIDM methods and tools corresponding to the policy /action cycle. 

Transforming knowledge into action and thereby achieving the Triple Billion targets is the goal of the WHO

New York endured poor air quality in the early weeks of June due to smoke from Eastern Canadian wildfires making the air quality index unhealthy across the state. 

Daily mean PM 2.5 values were calculated and compared with the baseline value. 

The asthma-associated emergency department visits were recorded from the Electronic Syndromic surveillance system. 

They concluded that increased concentration of PM led to a three-fold increase in asthma-associated ED visits among older children and young adults.  

This study alerts physicians and public health experts towards low-risk communication and enhanced focus on high-risk individuals, devising effective wildfire smoke response plans.