Top health stories this week: overuse of testosterone medication and measles in Brazil.
International health news
- Do men need HRT? – Prescriptions for testosterone drugs have soared around the world in the last decade, but do men really need them, and how safe are they?
- Human skin can replace animal testing – Human skin grown in a lab in the UK is a cost effective way of testing cosmetics and drugs, replacing animals currently used.
- Walking boosts creative thinking – Creative output increases by 60% when walking – Steve Jobs, Charles Dickens, and Harry S. Truman were compulsive walkers.
Health advice
- Binge drinking and overeating – More than 3 large glasses of wine can lead to the consumption of 6,300 extra calories in the following 24 hours.
Country health updates
- Saudi Arabia: MERS deaths pass 100 – Since 2012 over 100 people have died of the infection in Saudi Arabia, and Egypt reported its first case this week.
- Brazil: World Cup measles fears – Despite strong immunisation rates, cases have been rising since 2012, and fears are growing football fans could bring more.
- UAE: Critical look at the health system – High rates of chronic illnesses and a critical lack of beds mean many patients travel abroad for treatment.