The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) announced that it is working on developing and implementing a national medication safety program, in cooperation with the WHO Office in Qatar and the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, with the particip…

A delegation from the Canadian Embassy, headed by Canadian Ambassador to Jordan, Tariq Khan, was briefed on Jordan’s experience in digital transformation in the health sector, carried out by the national Hakeem Program. During a visit made to Electron…

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Childrens Fund UNICEF, reveal signs of immunization services rebounding in some countries, but coverage still falls short of pre-pandemic levels, particularly in low-income countries, putting children at grave risk of disease outbreaks. Global immunization services reached four million more children in 2022, compared with the previous year as countries increase efforts meant to combat the historic backsliding in immunization triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data published by the UN agencies reveal that, in 2022, 20.5 million children failed to receive one or more diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccines, compared to 24.4 million children in 2021. DTP vaccinations are commonly used as the global indicator of immunization coverage. Despite the improvement, this figure is still more than the 18.4 million children who failed to receive one or more vaccines in 2019, before pandemic-related disruptions to routine immunization services kicked in. “These data are encouraging, and a tribute to those who have worked so hard to restore life-saving immunization services after two years of sustained decline in immunization coverage,” said WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “But global and regional averages dont tell the whole story and mask severe and persistent inequities. When countries and regions lag, children pay the price.” Of the 73 countries that recorded substantial declines in coverage, 15 have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, 24 are on the road to recovery and, most concerningly, 34 have stagnated or continued to decline, WHO Director-General said. South Asia, which reported gradual increases in coverage in the decade prior to the pandemic, has demonstrated a more rapid and robust recovery than regions that suffered declines, such as Latin America and the Caribbean, Ghebreyesus added. Last year, 21.9 million children – 2.7 million more than in 2019 – missed the routine measles vaccination

Head of health enhancement administration at the Ministry of Health Dr Abeer Al-Bahouh affirmed that the rise in obesity rate in Kuwait, especially between the age of 18 to 29, calls for early intervention to fight obesity. In an interview with KUNA on Saturday, Dr Al-Bahouh noted that statistics have shown a prominent rise in obesity, making Kuwait become the number one country in the Arab World, with 77 percent of the total population being overweight, while obesity rate is over 40 percent. Being overweight is a global problem, with expectations that four billion people will suffer from the issue by 2035, compared with 2.6 billion people in 2020. This is reflected by the rise in population numbers from 38 percent in 2020 to an expected above 50 percent by 2035, she added. She noted that obesity rate is expected to be the highest among children and teenagers, rising from ten percent to 20 percent among boys from 2020 to 2035, while the percentage among girls will go from eight to 18 percent around the world. Meanwhile, Dr Al-Bahouh warned against the risks obesity pose for people’s health, including heart and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and high pressure. She added that obesity is the fifth main cause of death. Obesity has many negative impact on children’s health as well, such as trouble breathing, fatigue, sweating, snoring, joint pain and late puberty for girls and boys, she said. Children’s obesity is caused by bad eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, genetic factors, intestine flora and Cushing’s syndrome. According to local statistics and the World Health Organization (WHO), one out of five adults suffer from extreme obesity in the Gulf, she said, adding that obesity rate among adults in Kuwait is expected to reach 52 percent by 2035. Treating obese children begins with teaching them