International health news
- Scientists warn we’re approaching a post-antibiotic era – Chinese scientists found that bacteria are becoming resistant to colistin, an antibiotic considered to be the “last resort.” The resistant bacteria was found in both humans and animals in China.
- Health experts accuse WHO of responding too slowly regarding Ebola outbreak – an independent panel of global health experts concluded that the slow international response contributed to the scale of the Ebola epidemic.
- Bilingualism eases stroke recovery – a new study found that bilingual stroke patients were twice as likely to have normal cognitive functions after a stroke than those who speak one language.
Health advice
- How to talk to children about terrorism– after the terrorist attacks in Paris, many parents asked themselves if they should talk their children about it. Here’s some guidance on how to talk to your kids about terrorism.
- Trouble sleeping? Try tai chi – a new study has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy and tai chi, the Chinese exercise technique, may reduce both insomnia and inflammation.
Country health updates
- Saudi Arabia: Compulsory health insurance scheme for expat visitors – as of December expat visitors and their dependents are obliged to take out a health insurance.
- UK: For the first time more babies are born to women over 35 – there were 138,592 live births to women under 25 and 144,181 to women 35 and over in England and Wales.
Image: [Oliver Dodd]