(2020-06-13). [Correspondence] NICE guideline for rectal cancer: already out of date. thelancet.com As members of a colorectal multidisciplinary team, some of whom have contributed to previous National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance1 and European Society of Medical Oncology guidelines in rectal cancer,2 we disagree with the current recommendations in the update to NICE guidance that was published in 2020: "offer preoperative radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy to people with rectal cancer that is cT1-T2, cN1-N2, M0, or cT3-T4, any cN, M0."3…
(2020-06-13). [Perspectives] Accountability for medical participation in torture. thelancet.com After revelations of the participation of US health professionals in torture of detainees in military or CIA custody in the wake of 9/11, citizens filed complaints to disciplinary and licensing boards in seven states against psychologists who had been publicly identified as having been part of the torture apparatus. All of the complaints were eventually dismissed, only one with an explanation. In light of the disciplinary bodies' resistance to investigate participation in torture, much less impose sanctions, colleagues and I, then representing Physicians for Human Rights, helped a New York legislator, Richard Got…
(2020-06-13). [Comment] Offline: COVID-19—what we can expect to come. thelancet.com The verdicts are now coming in. In Mark Honigsbaum's updated edition of The Pandemic Century, he has included a new chapter on COVID-19. As a historian of epidemics, he offers his judgments about how countries have responded to what he calls "China's Chernobyl moment". His critique is sharp. For decades, we have known that the world is intrinsically and increasingly vulnerable to pandemics—and yet, "we failed to heed the warnings about Covid-19 and act when our actions could have prevented the outbreak from spinning out of control".
(2020-06-13). [World Report] COVID-19 vaccines for all? thelancet.com If an effective COVID-19 vaccine is developed, how will it get to everyone in need? Ann Danaiya Usher reports on the initiatives being planned to ensure equitable access, and their shortcomings.
(2020-06-13). [Review] Meningococcal disease and sexual transmission: urogenital and anorectal infections and invasive disease due to Neisseria meningitidis. thelancet.com Neisseria meningitidis is an obligate human commensal bacterium that frequently colonises the upper respiratory tract. Person-to-person transmission occurs via direct contact or through dispersion of respiratory droplets from a carrier of the bacteria, and can lead to invasive meningococcal disease. Rare sporadic cases of meningococcal urogenital and anorectal infections, including urethritis, proctitis, and cervicitis, have been reported, typically following orogenital contact with an oropharyngeal meningococcal carrier.
(2020-06-13). [Correspondence] Questioning statin therapy for older patients. thelancet.com Single clinical trials have not yet determined whether statin therapy provides more benefit than harm to people older than 75 years with or without a history of vascular disease. The Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaboration, which alone has access to patient-level data from most trials, is best able to answer these questions. However, we have several concerns about the Article by the Collaboration1 and the presentation of its results to the media.
(2020-06-13). [Correspondence] Questioning statin therapy for older patients — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We were correct in stating that, among patients with established cardiovascular disease, the rates of use of statin therapy have been shown to decline among people older than 75 years.1 Not only do the Dutch data2 that we cited demonstrate this trend, but so do the US data reported by Salami and colleagues.3 Supplementary table 5a in the latter paper3 indicates that, after adjusting for other factors, the odds of statin use among patients with cardiovascular disease are about one-fifth lower among patients aged 75 or older than among patients aged 65—74 years.
(2020-06-12). Two Pandemics: COVID-19 and the 1918 Influenza. counterpunch.org 
The current Covid-19 epidemic has drawn comparisons to the 1918 influenza epidemic, often referred to as the Spanish flu or H1N1 virus. The influenza flu was devastating with an estimated 500 million people — one-third of the world's population — infected and 50 million died; in the U.S., about 675,000 deaths occurred and in New
(2020-06-12). Remember the "Fake" 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic: Manipulating the Data to Justify a Worldwide Public Health Emergency. globalresearch.ca A Worldwide public health emergency is unfolding, 4.9 billion doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine are envisaged by the WHO.
(2020-06-12). In the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Towards A New World Order? The Global Debt Crisis and the Privatization of the State. globalresearch.ca This is the true picture of what is happening. Poverty is Worldwide. While famines are erupting in Third World countries, closer to home, in the richest country on earth, "millions of desperate Americans wait in long crowded lines for handouts"
(2020-06-12). Coronavirus spread in Colombia triggers orange alert in Bogota, curfew in Barranquilla. colombiareports.com 
Colombia's capital Bogota declared an orange alert and port city Barranquilla decreed a curfew on Thursday as the coronavirus threatens to collapse the cities' healthcare systems. Bogota mayor Claudia Lopez…
(2020-06-12). Living is no laughing matter. mronline.org 
The United States government has withdrawn its support for the World Health Organisation (WHO) based on accusations that the WHO has not been forthcoming about the novel coronavirus and based on U.S. President Donald Trump's questioning of the WHO's independence from China, calling the organisation a 'puppet of China'.
(2020-06-12). Covid-19 Hits the French Health System. counterpunch.org 
On 28 February the WHO issued a report on China's efforts to control the Coronavirus outbreak, highlighting the necessity for a comprehensive government-led response to the threat. On 29 February, the French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe chose to divert priorities from a Ministerial Council dedicated to Covid-19 by utilising article 49-3 of the Constitution to
(2020-06-12). New Haven is Minneapolis: Racist police terror is alive and well in Connecticut. liberationnews.org 
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker is among the many political officials across Connecticut who are trying to distance themselves from the state's long history and ever present epidemic of racist police terror. On May 29, in his first statement on the wave of protests that have spread across the country following the murder of George …
(2020-06-12). Fighting For Our Future, Fighting Back Against Austerity. counterpunch.org 
Like many other cities across the US both big and small, Burlington, Vermont's economy has been hit hard by the fallout from the coronavirus epidemic. Because much of its economy depends on restaurants, bars, pubs and entertainment, the unemployment is higher than it has been in decades. As a result, tax revenues are down and
(2020-06-12). Will Science and Reason Save Us? The Liberal Left's False Wall of Defense. counterpunch.org Lies on social media, life-threatening health advice, "alternative facts," info wars, etc. It is easy to be concerned about the disregard for truthfulness, reflection, and sensibility involved in the far-right offensive that has entered government buildings around the world. Yet, it is also troubling that an increasing number of leftists embrace a neoliberal line of
(2020-06-12). Health care leaders urge patients to seek necessary care. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic's president and CEO, joined Tomislav Mihaljevic, M.D., chief executive and president of the Cleveland Clinic, in a public call for patients not to delay needed health care or screenings. In a New York Times Opinion piece, Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic's president and CEO, and Tomislav Mihaljevic, M.D., chief executive and president …
(2020-06-12). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Precautions for a summer of COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org With the onset of warmer weather and more and more states loosening their COVID-19 restrictions, lots of folks are wondering about some summer staples, like cookouts and a day at the beach or pool. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic, discusses how you can minimize your …
(2020-06-11). Leaked CDC document shows new danger in continuing coronavirus plague. peoplesworld.org 
Despite cheerleading from GOP President Donald Trump, the raw numbers show the coronavirus pandemic still plagues the U.S., and a leaked document from the Centers for Disease Control adds we're not out of the woods. That's because, compared to the other nine nations which lead the world in total coronavirus cases, the U.S. showed a …
(2020-06-11). Alternatives to Policing—The Case for Public Health and Community Development Investments. projectcensored.org By Amber Yang As outrage sparks over police brutality, systemic racism, and socio-economic inequality, activists are calling to defund police. Despite other calls for anti-bias training, civilian review processes, and…
(2020-06-11). Car convoy supports UK Sonic Health workers. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-06-11). U.S. Passes 2 Million Coronavirus Cases as States Lift Restrictions, Raising Fears of a Second Wave. democracynow.org 
The number of confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases has officially topped 2 million as states continue to ease stay-at-home orders and reopen their economies and more than a dozen see a surge in new infections. "I worry that what we've seen so far is an undercount and what we're seeing now is really just the beginning of another wave of infections spreading across the country," says Dr. Craig Spencer, director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.
(2020-06-11). WHO Believes That Mass Protests Are Important Even in a 'Pandemic' Provided They're More Popular Than WHO. anti-empire.com 
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization took time at its daily press conference to address another pressing issue: the wave of protests against police violence and racial injustice. The demonstrations began in the U.S. when George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer had pressed a knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while detaining him in Minneapolis. | The protests are now spreading around the world to Europe, Africa and other regions. | "WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds," said WHO director…
(2020-06-12). Corona epidemic and Yemen. indybay.org Authorities first wanted to calm down and played down the pandemic. Afterward, they had to convince the population to keep unusual physical distance, to wash their hands well at all times, and to refrain from major events. Finally, they wanted the population to accept the week-long lockdown, with business closures, exit, and travel restrictions.
(2020-06-12). EU warns COVID-19 health crisis not over yet, urges vigilance. yenisafak.com The public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic in Europe is not over yet, the European Union's top health official warned on Friday, urging governments to remain vigilant and plough ahead with testing and tracing the population."This is not behind us yet. We need to be vigilant," EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EU health ministers in a videoconference, amid fears of a new surge in infections as EU states gradually reopen business and borders and after mass protests in recent days across the continent [ nL8N2DO589].
(2020-06-12). Pakistan records over 6,000 more COVID-19 cases. yenisafak.com Pakistan on Friday recorded more than 6,000 coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day rise since the outbreak, according to official statistics on Friday.With 6,397 new cases, Pakistan's tally of coronavirus cases has reached 125,933, already surpassing China and Saudi Arabia, putting the country at number 15 worldwide in terms of cases, the data shows.Another 107 patients lost their lives due to COVID-19 across the country, bringing the death toll from the deadly virus to 2,463, while 40,247 patients have successfully recovered and discharged from the hospitals, according to the Health Min…
(2020-06-13). [Correspondence] Major burns: debt recovery or ethics? thelancet.com As one of the UK's largest tertiary burns centres, St Andrew's Burns Service has an ethical obligation to raise awareness about issues that compromise the care of patients. In 2017, new regulations placed a legal requirement on Health Authorities to establish patients' eligibility for free National Health Service treatment.1 An increasing number of patients ineligible for free care have been admitted to the St Andrew's Burns Service and subsequently presented with large invoices as soon as they recover.
(2020-06-11). Philippines: Denounce threats against protesters using Covid-19 as pretext. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement of Marco Valbuena, Chief Information Officer, Communist Party of the Philippines. | The Party denounces the Philippine National Police, whose spokesperson today, June 5, disparaged the mass actions against the Anti-Terror Bill saying the protesters compromised public health. The PNP's statement is a thinly veiled threat against the people's civil and political rights. | The PNP has now set the stage to stop further protest actions in an attempt to stop the mounting protest movement against the ATB. Earlier today, in the name of "public health," polic…
(2020-06-12). It Won't Be Protests That Bring On The Next Big Wave Of COVID19. popularresistance.org As people across the nation and the world came out to protest the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, corporate media carried a warning: Demonstrations against police violence risk creating a major upsurge in the spread of the coronavirus. | As ABC (6/3/20) put it: | As thousands of demonstrators continue to protest the killing of George Floyd, health experts are worried that a second wave of Covid-19 infections could be sparked by the mass gatherings. | An opinion piece in USA Today (6/8/20) warned, "George Floyd Protests Create Risk of Deadly Coronavirus Resurgence." "The absence of social distan…
(2020-06-11). Health Workers March To Expose Racism As A Health Crisis. popularresistance.org Seattle, WA – Dr. Nkeirika Banda's phone was vibrating. "I'm scared to check it," said the HealthPoint family medicine resident. Her mom, who lives in Zambia, is a worrier — and Banda had just sent her family a photo from the intersection of James Street and Sixth Avenue, where she was supporting the Seattle's Doctors for Justice rally against racism and police brutality. "So I obviously didn't tell her that I was coming [to the protest]," Banda said. | Banda and thousands of other health care professionals gathered at 10 a.m. June 6 at Harborview Medical Center in solidarity with Seattle's Black community.
(2020-06-11). [Commentary] Covert family planning as a symbol of agency for young, married women. thelancet.com Family planning has long been seen as both a marker and a potential driver of women's autonomy and overall population health. Family planning is strongly linked to child and women's health outcomes, and tends to be better for nearly every household measure [1,2].
(2020-06-11). COVID-19 highlights 'life and death' stakes for greater digital cooperation. news.un.org Managing the digital divide better, has become "a matter of life and death" for people unable to access essential healthcare information during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN chief has told a virtual high-level meeting on rapid technological change.
(2020-06-11). COVID-19 in Africa: WHO urges constant vigilance as cases top 200,000. news.un.org COVID-19 is accelerating in Africa, with more than 200,000 cases and more than 5,600 deaths, the regional office for the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Thursday.
(2020-06-11). Police shoot dead mentally ill man in Melbourne, Australia. wsws.org The man's death marks another incident where police have killed someone suffering a mental health crisis.
(2020-06-11). Report finds European lockdowns saved millions of lives, ending it threatens millions. wsws.org The report is an indictment of governments' initial delays in implementing public health measures and a warning of the terrible consequences of the return to business as usual.
(2020-06-11). Trump agitates to restart the global nuclear arms race. truepublica.org.uk By TruePublica: Time Magazine says Donald Trump is both "dangerous, impatient and foolish." EuroNews says Trump — "is a grave danger to the US and the world." The 2017 book entitled — The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, contains the essays from 27 psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals describing the "clear and present …
(2020-06-11). Millions of Ukrainian migrant workers forced to search for employment in Europe under unsafe conditions. wsws.org Despite little health or legal protections, Ukraine's migrant workers are being forced to search for work in Europe's farms and factories to avoid unemployment and social destitution.
(2020-06-11). US Passes 2 Million COVID Cases Amid Reopening, Raising Fears of Second Wave. truthout.org The number of confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases has officially topped 2 million as states continue to ease stay-at-home orders and reopen their economies and more than a dozen see a surge in new infections. "I worry that what we've seen so far is an undercount and what we're seeing now is really just the beginning of another wave of infections spreading across the country," says Dr. Craig Spencer, director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. | TRANSCRI…
(2020-06-11). Coronavirus transmission slowed in the UK but epidemic may continue for months. imperial.ac.uk COVID-19 has slowed in the UK, but despite a drop in transmission rate the epidemic remains likely to continue for months, according to new analysis.
(2020-06-11). 3rd step in managing COVID-19 to fully comply with protocols: Pres. Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 11 (MNA) — Stating that the third step in managing coronavirus is to fully observe health protocols, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, "We need to enter the stage of compensating economic losses caused by coronavirus."
(2020-06-11). COVID-19 Pandemic Isn't Coming to an End — It's Only Getting Worse! sputniknews.com On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Dr. Yolandra Hancock, who is a public health expert with a focus on health disparities; a professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University; and a board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist.
(2020-06-11). Corporate Looting, Crushing the Vote, Salting Wounds, Unmaking History. sputniknews.com The drug war, the for-profit health care system and now…
(2020-06-11). Johnson & Johnson to Begin Human Trials of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in July. sputniknews.com American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson revealed Wednesday that it would expedite the development of its vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by initiating human trials in late July instead of September, as it had initially planned.
(2020-06-11). India reports largest single-day jump in COVID-19 cases. yenisafak.com The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in India rose to 8,102 and the number of cases reached 286,579 after the highest single-day spike of 357 fatalities and 9,996 cases reported in the past 24 hours, according the Ministry of Health on Thursday.According to the data, the number of active cases stands at 137,448, while 141,028 people have recovered so far.Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-affected state with 94,041 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu with 36,841 and Delhi with 32,810.So far, healthcare professionals have performed 5,213,140 tests as of June 11, 9.00 a.m. (1530GMT), said the Indian Council…
(2020-06-11). Coronavirus: Oman reports 1,067 new cases, 5 new deaths. yenisafak.com Countries in the Middle East and North Africa region reported new COVID-19 cases and virus-linked fatalities on Thursday.In Oman, 1,067 new cases were registered over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 19,954, according to the Health Ministry.The Gulf country also confirmed five more deaths, bringing the tally to 89.A total of 6,632 patients have recovered from the virus so far.Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al Saeedi asked the public to limit family visits, and adhere to physical distance, wear face masks and observe precautionary measures.Bahrain's Health Ministry said that out of the 7,776 COVID-19 tests car…
(2020-06-11). Health Is A Political Choice. popularresistance.org In the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Article 25 offers an expanded vision of what it could mean to be a human being. Human beings, it notes, have 'the right to a standard of living adequate for [their] health and well-being'. This includes 'food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services'; human beings also have the 'right to security', which means they have the right to compensation for any lack of livelihood due to circumstances beyond their control. | Little of this vision has come to pass for the majority of the world's people. What workers' movements and…
(2020-06-11). Black Workers Face Two Of The Most Lethal Preexisting Conditions For COVID-19. popularresistance.org "We're all in this together" has become a rallying cry during the coronavirus pandemic. While it is true that COVID-19 has affected everyone in some way, the magnitude and nature of the impact has been anything but universal. Evidence to date suggests that black and Hispanic workers face much more economic and health insecurity from COVID-19 than white workers. | Although the current strain of the coronavirus is one that humans have never experienced before, the disparate racial impact of the virus is deeply rooted in historic and ongoing social and economic injustices. Persistent racial disparities in health sta…
(2020-06-10). Dossier 20: Health is a political choice. mronline.org 
In the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Article 25 offers an expanded vision of what it could mean to be a human being. Human beings, it notes, have 'the right to a standard of living adequate for [their] health and well-being'. This includes 'food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social …
(2020-06-10). Domestic violence: 'The epidemic within the pandemic'. workers.org 
"My husband won't let me leave the house" has become an all-too-familiar cry for help since the mandatory lockdown was instituted in early March — not just in the United States, but all over the world. Domestic violence has become a stealth epidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic. So much so . . . |
(2020-06-10). From Gekaufte Journalisten to Gekaufte Wissenschaftler. strategic-culture.org The two go hand-in-hand, of course. When several years ago the late Udo Ulfkotte published his revelations about the inner workings of the corrupt Western media (ostensibly printed in English by a minor publisher in 2017 but "unavailable" ever since, followed soon thereafter by convenient death by heart attack of the apparently healthy 57-year old German author) who would have suspected that in the fabled West identical processes were corroding other important areas of public life? | Just as a reminder, as the publisher points out in its blurb, "Dr. Udo Ulfkotte, a former editor for the German main daily newspape…