MARIA CHENG

AP Medical Writer
UK scientists openly question government’s pandemic response
The British government insists that science is guiding its decisions as the country navigates its way through the coronavirus pandemic.
 
WHO: Trump cut to US funds would hit world’s most vulnerable
The head of emergencies at the World Health Organization has warned an end to sizable U.S. funding for the U.N. health agency will have a “major implication for delivering essential health services to the most vulnerable people in the world.”
 
WHO bows to calls from countries for independent virus probe
The World Health Organization has bowed to calls from most of its member states to launch an independent evaluation of how it managed the international response to the coronavirus.
 
UN agency: China virus ‘too early’ for emergency declaration
The World Health Organization says a viral illness in China that has sickened hundreds of people and prompted Chinese authorities to effectively shut down three cities is not yet a global health emergency.
 
Slovakia may force women to get pre-abortion ultrasound
Lawmakers in Slovakia are scheduled to debate a proposed law that would compel women seeking an abortion to first have an ultrasound and listen to the heartbeat of the embryo or fetus, a move many groups have decried as a backward step for women’s rights.
 
Dutch court clears doctor in landmark euthanasia trial
A Dutch doctor has been acquitted in a landmark trial that prosecutors and physicians hope will help clarify how the country’s 2002 euthanasia law can be applied to people with severe dementia.
 
UN: Don’t worry about drinking microplastics in water
The World Health Organization says the levels of microplastics in drinking water don’t appear to be risky, but that more research is needed into their effects on the environment. Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic.
 
Humanitarian activist Winnie Byanyima named to head UNAIDS
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has selected humanitarian activist Winifred “Winnie” Byanyima to head the United Nations agency responsible for helping end the AIDS epidemic.
 
Malawi becomes 1st nation to immunize kids against malaria
Malawi has become the first country to begin immunizing children against malaria using the only licensed vaccine to protect against the mosquito-spread disease.
 
UN: Gene editing for human reproduction is ‘irresponsible’
An expert panel convened by the World Health Organization says it would be “irresponsible” for scientists to use gene editing for reproductive purposes, but stopped short of calling for a ban.
 
UN health agency: Rising misconduct reports are ‘positive’
The World Health Organization says it’s seeing increasing reports of misconduct reported by staffers, describing the trend as “a positive thing.”
 
Dutch to prosecute doctor who euthanized woman with dementia
Dutch officials say they will prosecute a nursing home doctor for euthanizing an elderly woman with dementia, the first time a doctor has been charged since the Netherlands legalized euthanasia in 2002.
 
AP Investigation: Hospital patients held hostage for cash
The Associated Press has found that hospitals around the world are serving as makeshift prisons. First, they heal patients. Then, if they can’t pay, they detain them.
 
AP Investigation: Hospital patients held hostage for cash
For failure to pay their bills, patients around the world are being prevented from leaving the hospital.
 
Dutch probe ‘appalling’ euthanasia of dementia patient
In a rare series of moves, Dutch authorities are investigating whether doctors may have committed crimes in five euthanasia cases, including the deaths of two women with advanced Alzheimer’s disease.
 
Russia: Asking permission before taking organs is ‘inhumane’
At least two lawsuits filed at a top European court allege Russia violated Europe’s Human Rights Convention by removing organs from the recently dead without telling relatives. Russia’s response: Asking relatives’ permission would be “inhumane.”
 
Ethics dispute erupts in Belgium over euthanasia rules
A disputed case of euthanasia in Belgium, involving the death of a dementia patient who never formally asked to die, has raised concerns about weak oversight in a country with some of the world’s most liberal euthanasia laws.
 
Hundreds of thousands of poor people detained in hospitals
Researchers in a new report estimate that hundreds of thousands of people are being illegally detained in hospitals in poor countries worldwide because they cannot afford to pay their bills. Faide Mwenge in eastern Congo is one of them.
 
“What could help me to die?” Doctors clash over euthanasia
Documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal a split between leading doctors in Belgium over legal requirements needed to approve euthanasia for mentally ill patients.
 
EU court: Vaccines can be blamed for illnesses without proof
The European Union’s highest court says courts can consider if vaccination led to an illness even without scientific proof. The decision was issued in relation to the case of a Frenchman known as Mr.
 
Ethiopia’s Tedros to be next leader of UN health agency
Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a former health minister, will become the next director-general of the World Health Organization. After three rounds of voting, Tedros, who goes by his first name, defeated Britain’s Dr. David Nabarro.
 
Adopted kids see long-lasting effects of Romanian orphanages
A study found that Romanian children adopted from overcrowded orphanages in the 1990s were more likely to suffer psychological problems as adults compared to other children taken in by British families.
 
Where’s Zika going next? Maybe China, India, or Nigeria
Scientists trying to predict the future path of Zika say that 2.6 billion people living in parts of Asia and Africa could be at risk of infection, based on a new analysis of travel, climate and mosquito patterns in those regions.
 
UN: Yellow fever outbreak in Africa isn’t a global emergency
The World Health Organization says that the ongoing yellow fever outbreak in Africa is serious but does not warrant being declared an international health emergency.
 
Taekwondo grudge match in Rio off after surprising loss
The taekwondo grudge match that was supposed to happen at the Rio de Janeiro Games is off. British-born Aaron Cook, who now fights for Moldova, had been hoping to prove British officials wrong for snubbing him in the lead-up to the London Olympics.
 
Taekwondo grudge match could be settled at Rio Olympics
 
Brutal techniques of ‘gentle’ judo on the rise at Olympics
 
Rafaela Silva wins Brazil’s 1st gold of Rio Olympics in judo
From the favela to the top of the podium, Rafaela Silva earned Brazil’s first gold medal of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
 
AP Investigation: American company bungled Ebola response
An Associated Press investigation has found that an American company that bills itself as a pioneer in tracking emerging epidemics made a series of costly mistakes during the 2014 Ebola outbreak that swept across West Africa.
 
AP Investigation: Bungling by UN agency hurt Ebola response
KENEMA, Sierra Leone (AP) — Something didn’t smell right.

As a worker at Kenema Government Hospital mixed a batch of chlorine on a broiling August day, he noticed it didn’t have its typically strong, bleach-like odor.
 
Load More