International Health News

‘Magic dolls’, which are famously used all over the world to show the effects of teenage pregnancy, may not be as effective as first thought. A study in Australia has revealed that girls who took part in the programme were more likely to get pregnant before the age of 20 than girls who didn’t participate.

A man who was placed in a medically induced coma and failed to wake up has been the subject of an innovative experiment in an attempt to ‘jump-start’ his brain. The patient, who was mostly unresponsive to previous attempts, was able to fully wake up for the first time thanks to an ultrasound shooting small amounts of energy into his brain.

Health Advice

New research from the University of Surrey has shown just how bad traffic is for your health. Although it has already been known to raise stress levels, the study shows that greater exposure to toxic fumes brought on by traffic jams is increasingly detrimental to our health.

Country Updates

262 orphans in Saudi Arabia will now receive health insurance coverage, says the Joud Women’s Organization. The charity have made agreements with the Kanaf Organization to provide insurance to these 262 orphans initially, although they hope to expand the number in time.

The effects of the Zika virus continues to be rampant in the U.S. with the Food and Drug Administration calling for all blood donations to be screened for the infection. This will also be carried out in states where the virus is not present, as the 11,500 confirmed Zika cases in the U.S continues to grow.

A new programme to help more low-income families afford health insurance premiums has been announced in Utah. The Association for Utah Community Health claim they implemented the programme when they realised citizens were still unable to afford insurance, even with government offered subsidies. They hope to assist 1,100 households throughout the state.