Weekly roundup of the top health news from around the web: 8th July 2013
International health news
- America no longer the fattest nation – A UN report rates Mexico as the fattest nation on the planet, with 70% of adults classed as overweight.
- MERS “not yet global threat” – The novel coronavirus, which originated in the Middle East, is not yet a global threat say experts.
- Sweden, Norway, Slovakia see greatest rise in antidepressant use – European countries have seen an increase in antidepressant use but a drop in suicides
Health advice
- Don’t ignore a persistent cough – People are being urged to get checked if they have a cough for 3 weeks or more as part of a campaign to lower the lung cancer death rate.
Country health alerts
- Israel: Polio discovery prompts vaccine push – The last case of polio was in 1988, now it has been detected in sewerage in the south of the country.
- USA: HIV men freed from drugs – Bone marrow transplants appear to have cleared HIV from two men who no longer take medication.
- UK: Tighter restrictions on health tourism – The UK government plans to restrict access to the NHS for medical tourists and short-term visitors.