Tag - health

 
 

HEALTH

A screen at the Karolinska Institute shows this year's laureates Katalin Kariko of Hungary (left) and Drew Weissman of the U.S. during the announcement of the winners of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 2, 2023
Pair win medicine Nobel for work related to COVID-19 vaccines
Their findings "fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system," the Nobel committee said.
A meeting to discuss how to prevent the use of kiken drugs (hazardous drugs), is held at the health ministry on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 29, 2023
As drug use rises in Japan, government eyes prevention plans
The ministry reported that by the end of August, around 300 stores in the country were found to be selling quasi-legal products known as “kiken drugs.”
A type of adenovirus that causes pool fever
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2023
'Pool fever' cases reach highest level in a decade in Japan
Local governments are calling for infection prevention measures such as washing hands and gargling.
People queue to get tested for dengue fever in the eastern Gedaref state of Sudan on Friday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 26, 2023
Hundreds dead from dengue fever in war-torn Sudan, medics say
More than five months into the war, 80% of the hospitals in Sudan are out of service, according to the United Nations.
A woman with HTLV-1 from Okinawa Prefecture talks about her experience of being turned away at a clinic outside the prefecture.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 25, 2023
Website aims to shed light on little-known blood cancer virus
Awareness of HTLV-1, a virus that causes adult T-cell leukemia and other diseases, is low in Japan. A website called Hot Lives aims to change that.
People visit the area near Sensoji Temple, a popular tourist destination, in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Sept. 7.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023
Japan's schools face double whammy of the flu and COVID-19
In the period between Sept. 11 and 17, the average national influenza case count rose to over 7.03 per medical institution from just 4.48 the week prior.
An elderly person plays a racing video game in 2022 to ward off dementia.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023
As Japan OKs Alzheimer's drug, issue of side effects comes into focus
There are big challenges ahead for the use of lecanemab, particularly on how to control side effects such as brain swelling and bleeding.
An electron micrograph of the bacteria treponema, which causes syphilis
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023
Syphilis cases in Japan top 10,000 for second year in 2023
It is unclear why new cases have shot up, reaching 10,000 two months earlier than last year.
Amgen's office in South San Francisco, California
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023
Big Pharma bets on AI to speed up clinical trials
AI is playing a sizeable and growing role in human drug trials.
A nurse pushes a bed at the COVID-19 ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 23, 2023
Long COVID linked to multiple organ changes, research suggests
A third of people hospitalized with COVID-19 have "abnormalities" in multiple organs months after getting infected, the study said.
Drinking can be an unavoidable part of life in Japan, so what can do you to offset the worst of the damage?
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 23, 2023
Can't curb your drinking? These steps will reduce the harm
The current evidence makes it pretty clear that even a little alcohol is bad for your health.
Leaves of marijuana plants from which hemp fibers are extracted at Japan's largest legal marijuana farm in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on July 5, 2016
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 21, 2023
Does a university cannabis scandal point to a larger trend?
A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise.
A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine targeting BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. Japan will roll out an updated version targeting the XBB variant on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Sep 19, 2023
Japan to begin COVID vaccine drive targeting XBB subvariant
The free shots will be offered until March next year to prepare residents for an expected uptick in infections during the winter.
Oleg Panchurin, 32, head of the Union of Veterans of the Special Military Operation, speaks during an interview in the town of Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, on Aug. 25.
WORLD
Sep 18, 2023
Back from Ukraine war, Russia's veterans begin reintegration
In the last few months, Russian media have reported a rise in incidents involving veterans from the front.
Survivors fill up water from a tanker truck in the earthquake-hit village of Ineghede in Morocco on Sunday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 18, 2023
Dire hygiene spells new threat for Morocco quake survivors
An especially pressing need is the provision of clean water, which was already in short supply in some areas before the quake.
Nobody wishes for a medical emergency, but preparing for one while you're in a foreign country can only make things easier.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 18, 2023
How to avoid medical purgatory when hospitalized in Japan
Much like a legal will, a visit to the hospital is the last thing for which you want to prepare — yet doing so will save you stress and worry.
The unusual timing and resurgence of the flu have been attributed to a decline in immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic and a loosening of disease prevention restrictions.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 15, 2023
Flu season already in full swing in Japan
The season has begun earlier than usual, with a number of schools either suspending individual classes or closing entirely.
New health minister Keizo Takemi is the son of Taro Takemi, a prominent physician who was dubbed “Emperor Takemi” due to the enormous and often dictatorial power he wielded over health care policy as president of the Japan Medical Association.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 15, 2023
Critics worry about new health minister's ties with lobby group
Keizo Takemi is the son of a former president of the Japan Medical Association, a political lobby mostly made up of doctors in private practice.
An image of a fetus on the screen of a portable ultrasound system.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 15, 2023
The world’s first artificial womb is on the way
The artificial placentas are intended to help struggling prematurely born infants develop much like they would in the prenatal environment.
Preliminary data suggests that updated COVID-19 boosters, which are matched to a previous variant known as XBB, could still offer protection against the new edition.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2023
New Pirola COVID-19 variant shows value of booster shots
Data suggests the updated COVID-19 boosters, which are matched to the XBB variant, could still offer decent protection against the new edition.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?