Wearable heart sound devices represent a groundbreaking shift in cardiac care, offering continuous, non-invasive monitoring with the potential to revolutionise the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular conditions, according to a new study.

Cardiovascular diseases remain a global health crisis, spurring an urgent demand for innovative diagnostic tools that enable early detection and effective treatment.

These cutting-edge advancements promise to enhance patient care and outcomes by providing real-time insights into heart health, said researchers from the City University of Hong Kong.

"Our work on wearable heart sound devices marks a significant step forward in the early detection and monitoring of cardiovascular diseases," said Dr Bee Luan Khoo, Associate Professor at the City University of Hong Kong and a leading researcher in the field.

Namibia's Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has raised an alert following a sharp rise in malaria cases in the country's northern regions.

The outbreak resulted in 2,210 cases reported as of December 15 and 265 severe cases, nine deaths during the period from November 4 to December 15, MoHSS Executive Director Ben Nangombe said in a statement Tuesday.

"At least 16 malaria-endemic districts have surpassed the epidemic threshold and are experiencing outbreaks," he said.

Affected districts include Eenhana, which accounted for 661 cases or 30 per cent of the total, followed by Okongo with 336 cases or 15 per cent. Other districts affected include Outapi, Engela, Nkurenkuru, Oshakati, and Omuthiya, Nangombe added.

According to Nangombe, the southern African nation experiences seasonal malaria transmission from December to April, driven by rainfall, news agency reported.

Namibia's Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has raised an alert following a sharp rise in malaria cases in the country's northern regions with 2,210 cases reported as of December 15.

The outbreak resulted in 265 severe cases and nine deaths during the period from November 4 to December 15, MoHSS Executive Director Ben Nangombe said in a statement Tuesday.

"At least 16 malaria-endemic districts have surpassed the epidemic threshold and are experiencing outbreaks," he said.

Affected districts include Eenhana, which accounted for 661 cases or 30 per cent of the total, followed by Okongo with 336 cases or 15 per cent. Other districts affected include Outapi, Engela, Nkurenkuru, Oshakati, and Omuthiya, Nangombe added.

According to Nangombe, the southern African nation experiences seasonal malaria transmission from December to April, driven by rainfall, news agency reported.

The online pharmacy sector in the country will see steady revenue growth next fiscal, reducing operating losses to below 10 per cent from over 30 per cent in fiscal 2023, by sharpening focus on high-margin product segments and operational efficiencies, a report showed on Tuesday.

E-pharmacies are eyeing sustainable growth by diversifying into high-margin segments such as wellness products and medical equipments, which are expected to comprise 40 per cent of sales next fiscal, up from about 30 per cent now and under 15 per cent in fiscal 2023.

“Players are also moving away from aggressive discounting to reduce key operating costs (discounting, delivery, distribution and employee — or DDDE) from around 65 per cent in fiscal 2023 to below 35 per cent next fiscal, which should help narrow losses and accelerate the move to profitability,” said Poonam Upadhyay, Director, CRISIL Ratings.

A Covid-19 infection does not worsen symptoms or disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS) and is caused by an autoimmune attack on the body's healthy cells.

Researchers from the University of Texas’s Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas conducted the study on 2,132 adults with MS with an average age of 65. They were followed over 18 months.

While infections are known to cause disability among people with MS, the results published in the online issue of the Neurology journal, showed that “for Covid-19 infections specifically, this was not true”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Yemen bears the highest burden of cholera globally.

In a statement, the WHO reported on Monday that as of December 1, Yemen had recorded 249,900 suspected cholera cases and 861 associated deaths in 2024 alone, representing 35 per cent of the global cholera burden and 18 per cent of reported global fatalities from the disease.

The latest figures reveal a significant year-on-year surge, with the number of cases and deaths reported in November 2024 increasing by 37 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively, compared to the same period in 2023, the WHO said.

"The outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera and acute watery diarrhea imposes an additional burden on an already stressed health system facing multiple disease outbreaks," WHO representative and head of mission in Yemen, Arturo Pesigan, was quoted as saying.

Pesigan emphasised that the lack of safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor access to timely medical treatment are exacerbating the crisis.

The epidemiological situation of Mpox in Africa remains "especially concerning," with high case counts observed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Uganda, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

According to the latest report of the WHO, Africa has seen 13,769 confirmed cases across 20 countries as of December 15, including 60 deaths. The most affected country continues to be DRC, with 9,513 confirmed cases detected.

While the DRC, the outbreak's epicenter, has seen a relatively stable epidemic trend in recent weeks, WHO still warned that the plateauing and declining trends should be interpreted cautiously, given possible reporting delays.

The latest outbreak features the emergence and spread of a more dangerous but poorly understood variant, clade 1b, first detected in the DRC in September 2023. Cases of this clade 1b strain have since been reported in several countries, including Sweden and Thailand.

Consumption of coffee and tea can lower the risks of developing head and neck cancer, including cancers of the mouth and throat, claimed a study on Monday.

Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide, and rates are rising in low- and middle-income countries.

The findings, based on an analysis of data from 14 studies, showed that compared with non-coffee-drinkers, individuals who drank more than 4 cups of caffeinated coffee daily had 17 per cent lower odds of having head and neck cancer overall. It also led to a 30 per cent lower risk of having cancer of the oral cavity, and 22 per cent lower odds of having throat cancer.

Drinking 3-4 cups of caffeinated coffee was linked with a 41 per cent lower risk of having hypopharyngeal cancer -- a type of cancer at the bottom of the throat), revealed the study published in the peer-reviewed CANCER journal.

The Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Public Health on Monday announced a three-day vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 4.8 million children under the age of five from poliovirus.

Running from Monday to Wednesday, the campaign will provide anti-polio drops to children in 11 out of the country's 34 provinces, said Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesperson for the ministry.

In his message, Amarkhil urged tribal elders, religious scholars, and parents to actively participate and fully cooperate with polio workers to implement the campaign appropriately, news agency reported.

On October 28, the Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Public Health announced a three-day vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 6.2 million children under the age of five from poliovirus.

The campaign provided anti-polio drops to children in 16 out of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, said Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesperson for the ministry.

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and NITI Aayog on Monday launched the seventh edition of the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Challenge for 2024-2025, to foster innovation for people with disability.

The challenge, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this year will be implemented in collaboration with the AssisTech Foundation (ATF). It invites young entrepreneurs, including those with disabilities, to develop innovative solutions that “enhance access to opportunities and well-being for Persons with Disabilities” (PwDs).

The initiative aims to foster social entrepreneurship and drive sustainable development.

“Youth Co:Lab, co-created in 2017 by UNDP and Citi Foundation, aims to empower and invest in youth to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship,” Niti Ayog said.