Category: Health

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) held an educational event on Tuesday to shed light on lymphoma, the importance of early detection, and effective treatment strategies. Taking place at King Abdullah Centre for Oncology and Liver Disease, this event aimed to raise awareness about lymphoma, help patients actively participate in their healthcare journey, and foster collaboration in treating cases. The event was part of KFSHRC's educational initiatives to be carried out on World Lymphoma Awareness Day, which is observed annually on September 15. They will feature presentations by leading hospital experts on various aspects of lymphoma, including types and symptoms. Patients will share their experience, from diagnosis to treatment, offering the audience a deeper look into the challenges of living with lymphoma. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from experts. The lymphatic system is a critical component of the immune system, defending the bo dy against infections and diseases. It comprises an intricate network of vessels interspersed with lymph nodes distributed throughout the body. Responsible for filtering lymphatic fluid and eliminating harmful substances, the lymphatic system plays a vital role in maintaining overall health. KFSHRC has been ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 20th globally in the list of the world's top 250 Academic Medical Centers for the second consecutive year, and is recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East in the 2024 Brand Finance rankings. Also in 2024, it was ranked among the world's best 250 hospitals by Newsweek magazine. Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Arab League marks today Arab Health Day under the theme “Promoting the One Health Approach”, a concept endorsed by the Council of Arab Health Ministers at its 60th session in Geneva.

In a press release issued yesterday, Arab League Assistant Secretary-General and head of Social Affairs Sector Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh said that the One Health approach is a holistic framework that seeks to balance human and animal health. By recognizing the interconnectedness of these two fields, it aims to develop innovative strategies for disease monitoring and prevention, ultimately improving global health.

She added that the COVID-19 pandemic, a human health crisis originating from a zoonotic virus, underscored the importance of such an approach.

Abu Ghazaleh said that September 4 was declared Arab Health Day to commemorate the founding of the Council of Arab Health Ministers, which is actively promoting the One Health approach through various strategies, committee activities, and partnerships with stakehold
ers.

By working together to reduce public health threats, and collaborating with international organizations, Arab countries are striving to make significant strides in healthcare.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Paris - Ma'an - French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that "232 vaccination centers have been opened to deal with the possibility of an outbreak of monkeypox," and promised to provide 100,000 doses of vaccines to the most affected countries.

"We are ready to face all scenarios and risks. 232 vaccination centers have been opened across the country, and more will be opened," he wrote on X.

He explained that "at the request of the President of the Republic, France will donate 100,000 doses of the vaccine."

"These doses will be distributed across the European Union to areas where the virus is spreading strongly," he added, stressing that these donations would "boost current European efforts by about 50%."

Source: Maan News Agency

Together - Experts at the Institute of Industrial Economics and Trade at Seoul National University in Korea confirmed in a recent research study that switching to heated tobacco products increases the chances of quitting smoking completely, noting that the majority of users of heated tobacco products are people who smoked traditional cigarettes before switching to alternative products that rely on heating tobacco instead of burning it.

Experts also pointed out that there is no evidence that heated tobacco products may be a gateway to starting smoking, which is what the study conducted on about 4,514 adults showed. Rather, the study concluded that those who start smoking during adolescence are less likely to choose heated tobacco products, and prefer traditional cigarettes.

What is interesting about the results of this study, which included 2,356 non-smokers, 1,316 traditional smokers, and 842 users of heated tobacco products, is that it showed a greater tendency to switch to heated tobacco products among females, people with more education, those with children, those who work in office jobs, and those with health concerns.

The study also found that adult females aged 20-39 were more likely to switch to HTPs, regardless of their income levels. While males over 40 were more likely to switch to HTPs if they had a higher income.

In this context, the study pointed out that the Korean tobacco market has witnessed a major change since the launch of heated tobacco products in 2017, as their sales volume has increased significantly at the expense of traditional cigarettes. The study provided some data, while heated tobacco product sales represented only about 2.2% of total tobacco sales in the first year of its launch, this percentage rose to 12% in the first half of 2021.

Finally, the experts conclude that the changes in the Korean tobacco market provide an excellent research environment to explore the reasons why smokers adopt heated tobacco products, which is of particular importance to tobacco policymakers and regulators including taxation and market regulation.

Source: Maan News Agency

Ramallah - Ma'an - The Ministry of Health confirmed that Palestine is free of monkeypox virus, and no cases have been recorded. The ministry stressed in a statement issued today, Thursday, the readiness of its teams to deal with any emergency in this regard, and that the laboratory materials necessary to conduct the tests are available in the ministry. She said, "The Ministry of Health teams are following up around the clock on any developments in this regard at the global, regional and neighbouring levels." Source: Maan News Agency

BETHLEHEM - Ma'an - Despite its spread in Africa, and its being considered an emergency that requires taking rapid steps to contain it, the monkeypox vaccine will not be available for months in Africa, as there are still many obstacles, including limited vaccine supply, funding, and the spread of other diseases. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been more than 15,000 suspected cases of monkeypox in Congo this year, with 461 deaths, most of them children. A vaccine to help contain an outbreak of monkeypox (M.pox) in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries is unlikely to be available for months, even as the World Health Organization (WHO) considers following the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in declaring the outbreak a public health emergency. The Africa CDC, the continent's top public health agency, declared a continent-wide public health emergency on Tuesday for the first time, and a WHO-led committee will meet on Wedne sday to determine whether the outbreak poses a global threat. While experts hope the meetings will lead to stepped-up global action to combat the disease, many obstacles remain, including limited vaccine supply, funding and the outbreak of other diseases. Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, head of Congo's National Institute for Biomedical Research, said it was important to declare an emergency because the disease was spreading, adding that he hoped any declaration would help provide more funding for surveillance and support vaccine access in Congo. But he acknowledged the road ahead was full of obstacles in a vast country where health facilities and humanitarian funds have been strained by conflict and other outbreaks of diseases such as measles and cholera. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week it had received $10.4 million in emergency funding from the African Union to tackle monkeypox, and its director general, Jean Kasia, said on Tuesday there was a clear plan to deliver 3 mil lion doses this year, without elaborating. But sources involved in planning the Congo vaccination campaign said only 65,000 doses would be available in the short term, and campaigns were unlikely to begin before October at the earliest. There have been more than 15,000 suspected cases of monkeypox in Congo this year, with 461 deaths, most of them children, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. While usually mild, the viral infection can sometimes be fatal, causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled blisters. Source: Maan News Agency

Together - Many countries around the world have recorded significant reductions in the number of smokers. In Finland, the percentage of smokers has been on a downward trend, with only 11% of adults between the ages of 20 and 64 still smoking daily, with ongoing attempts and initiatives to reduce this percentage. As for Sweden, it is almost smoke-free within a year. However, in other parts of the world, the project to reduce the number of smokers remains a distant dream. Anyone who looks closely at the contradictory results of attempts to reduce the number of smokers from one country to another will find that the secret lies in the contradictory view of the medical and health community regarding nicotine alternatives. In search of answers to many questions, a number of doctors and public health experts, headed by Kari Vinho, a pulmonologist in the Central Finland Welfare Region, Kirsi Timonen, an assistant professor and clinical physiologist in the Central Finland Welfare Region, and Maria Huttunen, a dermat ologist in the Central Finland Health Services Region, confirm that adopting nicotine substitutes and smoke-free alternative products is not a primary goal of their creation; they are an entry point to achieving the ultimate goal of quitting, which remains the best option ever, and remains an effective factor in saving more lives from the risk of premature death due to traditional tobacco smoking. In other words, switching to these alternatives, which may not be completely risk-free, remains less burdensome than continuing to smoke traditionally, which ultimately leads to death due to its negative health consequences. The three doctors pointed out that smoking traditional tobacco causes many diseases, the most prominent of which is lung cancer, which many years of clinical experience have not succeeded in eliminating. Worse still, the consequences of traditional smoking extend to include patients feeling guilty about themselves due to their tobacco consumption, which the doctors explained that they see durin g their daily follow-up of many medical cases. The three doctors, who are public health experts, say that the number of smokers around the world is still alarming, which is not satisfactory to the conscious medical and health community. When discussing the reasons for the decline in the number of smokers in Finland and Sweden, the doctors believe that adopting a risk reduction strategy was the main factor in the results achieved in the two countries with regard to tobacco control. In Finland, where smokers who were trying to quit smoking were still craving nicotine, doctors were open to a risk reduction strategy: giving patients nicotine, which has been shown not to be the main cause of smoking-related diseases, although it can be addictive and is not without risks, while avoiding - as much as possible - exposure to the chemicals contained in traditional cigarettes, and those resulting from their combustion, which lead to psychological and physiological addictive effects that create a barrier and deterrent to quitting smoking, and which are primarily responsible for most of the harms and diseases associated with smoking. As for Sweden, it dealt with smoking and the addiction that nicotine can cause with a methodology that put the responsibility of its government on supporting smokers to save their lives and giving them the opportunity to embark on their journey against smoking in a different way than what is prevalent. It provided them with alternatives that may be better than tobacco, such as chewing tobacco products, modern nicotine pouches, electronic cigarettes, and heated tobacco products that have been scientifically proven to be less dangerous than traditional combustion cigarettes because they produce 95% fewer harmful chemicals, and allowed them to be traded at reasonable prices. In a related context, according to the three doctors, Public Health England has allowed the sale and use of heated tobacco products in almost all EU countries, including Sweden and Estonia, which is important for Finnish tra velers who can carry these products with them without facing legal issues related to them. The British Public Health Authority is making heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes available to about a million smokers, as part of its plan to prioritize trying alternatives that may be better, over limiting smokers to the two options of quitting immediately or risking death. Finland is expected to reach its goal of becoming a smoke-free country, with around 300,000 people quitting smoking cigarettes but continuing to consume nicotine in other forms, such as from pharmacies, shops or elsewhere. Finnish customs data suggests that legalizing nicotine pouches has reduced smuggling and illegal trade of these products, but high taxes on nicotine pouches may encourage smuggling, which explains why smoking rates in Sweden are lower than in Finland. The three doctors conclude that the doctor's duty requires him in many cases to choose between the dangerous and the less dangerous for the patient's best interest, which mea ns in the struggle against smoking, the necessity of transferring patients who want to quit to non-combustible nicotine as an option that may be better than consuming tobacco from traditional cigarettes. Source: Maan News Agency

Together - The Swedish experience in using alternative nicotine products to combat the dangers of traditional smoking revealed a strange paradox. Although the Swedes consume nicotine at the same rates as the rest of the European countries, the Swedes have become significantly less susceptible to health problems associated with tobacco. It's not a coincidence I have partnered with international public health experts to produce a study or report titled 'No Smoking… Less Harmful,' which explains that the way tobacco or nicotine is consumed is the basis for exposure to the risks of smoking or not, not the consumption of nicotine itself. In short, smoking traditional cigarettes leads to many health problems, but using chewing tobacco or nicotine pouches does not have the same effect. After many scientific studies and research that confirmed the benefits of alternative tobacco and nicotine products, Sweden began to rely on these products as less dangerous alternatives to nicotine consumption, which led to much better health outcomes. The death rate from tobacco among Swedish men became 38% lower than the European average, and the incidence of lung cancer decreased by about 41%. This is despite the fact that the rate of nicotine consumption may be equal among EU countries, including Sweden. One in four people consume nicotine in Sweden, which is almost the same rate as in neighboring countries. 'We haven't avoided nicotine,' the Swedes say, 'we've simply become dependent on safer forms.' The historical narrative that 'nicotine is the enemy' was proven wrong. We discovered that this was a big mistake, and we were able to change the public's perception and the rules for nicotine use in Sweden, which improved public health and reduced the health risks to society and smokers, without the need to impose a total ban on nicotine, which had long been a socially acceptable habit. Nicotine, like caffeine, has long been a familiar companion to many, a stimulant for some and an outlet for others. But our approach shows that w e need to focus on how we use nicotine. By offering and regulating safer alternatives, we can address health issues without stopping nicotine use. Smokers who want to quit should be helped. The revision of the findings on nicotine has changed the world's perceptions and beliefs. The popular belief that nicotine is a major cause of cancer has been scientifically proven wrong, and everyone knows that nicotine gum and patches do not cause cancer. Why should tobacco-free nicotine pouches or chewing tobacco be any different? But if we fail to differentiate between the products and provide accurate information, we risk the lives of those who need help dealing with the dangers of traditional cigarettes. As the world continues to struggle against smoking, Sweden is offering a model that cleans the air in a scientific and practical way at the same time. The report, 'No Smoke, Less Harmful,' is a call for the world to rethink its war on nicotine. A shift in favor of tobacco harm reduction that could save millions o f lives. It is a call for policymakers, practitioners and society as a whole to stop demonizing nicotine and recognize that the real enemy is smoke, not nicotine. Written by: Dr. Carl Fagerstrom, Associate Professor and Tobacco and Nicotine Researcher. Source: Maan News Agency

Riyadh, King Fahad Medical City has become the first institution in Saudi Arabia to earn accreditation in interventional oncology from the International Accreditation System for Interventional Oncology Services (IASIOS). The accreditation is proof of the fact that the hospital's interventional oncology services have met the highest international standards of excellence, including compliance with the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) Standards of Quality Assurance in Interventional Oncology. This achievement is also testament to the hard work and dedication of the medical team at King Fahad Medical City, which is part of the Riyadh Second Health Cluster. "Congratulations to the team for their hard work throughout the application process, proving their adherence to the CIRSE Standards of Quality Assurance in Interventional Oncology," stated the official IASIOS website. This four-year accreditation cements King Fahad Medical City's position as a leading national provide r of cancer treatment, research, and related services. This recognition underscores the unwavering commitment of the medical city to deliver world-class healthcare, according to the highest global standards. Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh, Health Minister and Chairman of the Health Sector Transformation Program Committee Fahd Al-Jalajel expressed gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for commending the Health Sector Transformation Program during yesterday's Cabinet session, highlighting the sector's advancements in providing top-tier health services in line with the leadership's directives. The accolade followed the recent report on the 2023 achievements of the program, which aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Notable milestones include the establishment of the Saudi National Institute of Health and the successful implementation of various transformational stages, notably the launch of health clusters across the Kingdom. Progress in digital health services, such as the NPHIES platform for health and insurance services launched by the Cooperative Health Insurance Council, and expanded virtual health services further bolstered the sector's capabilities. These advancements have significantly improved health indicators, as demonstrated by the rise in the average life expectancy in the Kingdom to 77.6 years. Al-Jalajel attributed this success to the comprehensive efforts to improve community health and encourage the integration of the health sector in a wider network of similarly concerned areas, and to robust preventive health measures, which all contribute to a healthier nation. Source: Saudi Press Agency