Zdrowie

Some countries have imposed restrictions on travellers returning from China, where there has recently been a significant increase in Covid-19 infections. However, research suggests that such restrictions may only slightly delay the transmission of the infection.more

A rising number of medical foreign objects, including wire cutters, scalpel blades and drill bits, have been left inside hospital patients after surgery in England, new figures reveal.more

Pharmacies say a lack of government planning is behind a shortage of cough and cold medicines in shops. The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said its members report a scarcity of "all medicines", in particular cough mixtures and lozenges. Flu and Covid cases have put pressure on the NHS and pharmacies said there should have been "better" communication with manufacturers. more

The problem is the increase in the incidence not only of influenza and flu-like infections. Epidemic data show that Poland is struggling with an outbreak of various infectious diseases, reports today's "Rzeczpospolita".more

Stephen Donnelly has acknowledged that people will die because of risks posed by overcrowding in emergency departments. It comes as more than 800 people are waiting on trolleys across the Irish hospital service on Wednesday morning.more

The war unleashed by Russia, which led to Western sanctions, has devastated the Russian health service. Doctors fled the country or were drafted into the army, The Insider reported.more

The coronavirus variants identified in China are already circulating in the EU and do not pose a challenge to the immune response of the community's citizens. In addition, EU citizens have relatively high levels of immunity and vaccination, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported yesterday.more

Parents in England are being urged to keep children off school if they are unwell and have a fever, amid high levels of flu and Covid-19 cases. The same applies for nurseries, according to advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).more

Without testing, it is difficult to distinguish between colds, flu, Covid-19 and RSV, as these infections cause similar symptoms, warns the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All of these infections are spread by the droplet route.more

Parts of hospital emergency departments in the UK are in a state of total crisis, putting patients' lives and health at risk, according to Ian Higginson, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), quoted by the BBC website today.more

The European Union should immediately consider increasing the sequencing of the genome of Covid-19 infections and the monitoring of wastewater, including from airports, to detect any new coronavirus variants from China, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a letter to the health ministers of the 27 EU Member States.more

NHS officials and Government scientists are putting pressure on Downing Street to put in place preventative measures to mitigate against a new wave of Covid-19 coming in from China. more

At least 30 children have died in the UK from invasive strep A since 19 September, new figures reveal. In total, 122 people have died in England from the invasive form of the bacterial infection, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data shows. Of these, 25 of the deaths were under-18s. There have been a further three deaths of children in Northern Ireland and Wales combined.more

More people could be spending the time between Christmas and new year in hospital in parts of England this year than at any time in the past decade, as NHS trusts struggle to find social care places for patients medically fit for discharge.more

Pope Francis has said former Pope Benedict XVI is very ill and he has asked pilgrims at the Vatican to pray for him. Benedict, 95, became the first leader of the Catholic Church to stand down in 600 years in 2013, citing advanced age.more

Italy has ordered COVID-19 antigen swabs and virus sequencing for all travellers coming from China, where cases are surging, the health minister said on Wednesday.more

The NHS is set to eliminate hepatitis C in England by 2025 due to targeted screening campaigns for those at risk and effective drug treatments, according to health officials. NHS England said the measures are helping to dramatically cut deaths from the virus five years ahead of global targets.more

Poles used less than half of the ordered influenza vaccines. Now they are taking redundancies on a large scale - "Dziennik Gazeta Prawna" reports today.more

The Chinese authorities announced a change in the name and classification of Covid-19 and the lifting of the quarantine obligation for people arriving from abroad on January 8. This marks the reopening of the country to the world after nearly three years of strict zero covid policy and border restrictions.more

Ambulance staff in five areas of England are to stage two further strikes in January, union leaders say.more

Family members of Pele have gathered at the hospital where the Brazilian football legend is being treated for worsening cancer as well as kidney and heart problems.more

The NHS has issued guidance to the public amid strikes today held by ambulance workers, including paramedics and call handlers, in England and Wales:more

Only a fraction of emergency patients are being guaranteed ambulances in the North West during the strikes on Wednesday, with others told to rely on "self-conveyance or taxi conveyance" more

Foreign officials and experts are watching with concern the wave of Covid-19 in China, which analysts say could lead to up to more than one million deaths there. Concerns are being raised about the global economy, supply chains and potential new mutations of the coronavirus.more

Today marks the second day of the biggest ever nurses' strike in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but all indications are that it will not be the last. According to media reports, if no agreement is reached, nurses are prepared to lead further protests for the next six months.more