Health

Disease Alert for Flooded Area’s of Thailand

MEDICAL experts are warning of an outbreak of disease in Bangkok as the floods start to recede and the government says the cost to the Thai economy may exceed $30 billion.

Thai officials said half of the millions of cubic metres of floodwaters had flowed into the sea but another 11 days were still required before Bangkok was completely drained.

Several areas of Bangkok and neighbouring regions are inundated as waters from the north edge their way through the capital to the Gulf of Thailand. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the city was facing a net inflow of 100 million cubic metres of water a day.

The floods, the most severe in 50 years, have claimed 529 lives and still affect 24 provinces, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported.

Rekha Hanvesakul, a doctor at BNH Hospital in Bangkok, says Thailand’s health system is facing a major test to cope with the floods’ aftermath.

“It’s definitely a big challenge because of the quantity or mass of water that’s coming through. I don’t think we’ve ever had to deal with such large amounts of water,” Rekha said.

“If it’s one or two days people can manage to deal with this. (But) because the quantity of or mass of water is so huge and a lot of people are living under these conditions for a long periods of time disease becomes a real issue,” she said.

Doctors are already warning people, especially women, of the dangers of infection from water contaminated by animal urine that can lead to leptospirosis, with symptoms of fever, headache, nausea and vomiting.

Other causes of concern include cholera and gastrointestinal diseases, such as typhoid. BNH also warns of poisonous snakes, scorpions and centipedes in the water.

“Of course things like typhoid, which again comes from salmonella bacteria, unclean food, water, unhygienic methods, not washing your hands after going to the bathroom or defecating in flood waters just because there are no toilets,” she said.

Rekha said visitors to Bangkok should have second thoughts before travelling. “I think this is not a good time to tour Bangkok for sightseeing for any purpose,” she said.

“But if they do come for business issues or other issues they need to be informed of the flooding situation – where they can live, where there will be no floods, and they really need to be updated on this.

“There are places at the moment that are not flooded. (But) we’re not sure what will happen in the next week or two,” she said.

The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce says damage to property and assets could be as high as $33 billion, with up to one million left unemployed.

The floods hit seven industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thai provinces north of Bangkok, causing massive disruption to supply chains for the car, electronics, hard disk drive and other key industries.

Today, workers at industrial estates near Bangkok were hoping to hold at bay floodwaters still making their way through the capital, raising fears factories due west from the capital, largely focused on food processing, would be hit.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has earmarked $4 billion from the latest fiscal budget for 2012, announced this week, to compensate flood victims and for post-flood rehabilitation.

Tourism officials are also counting the cost. Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Suraphon Svetasreni told reporters tourist arrivals had fallen by 25 per cent in recent weeks.

Suraphon said if floods continued until the end of December total revenue losses could reach $825 million, of which $387 million would be losses from international tourism.

He said the situation remained uncertain.

“If you say it’s not safe there’s evidence to say it’s not safe. At the same time you say it’s safe, you still have some upcoming, unknown factors. So I still cannot say it’s safe or I cannot say it’s not safe,” he said.

Suraphon said tourists should focus on other destinations within Thailand such as Phuket Island ahead of the peak holiday Christmas season.

Visitor arrivals for 2011 are expected to come in at 19.1 million, down from 19.5 million initially forecast.

Thailand’s international airport of Suhvanabhumi remains open, with the airport perimeter sandbagged to a height of 3.5 metres. But the domestic airport of Don Muang has been shut due to flooding since late October.

The Australian embassy is recommending to visitors to “reconsider your need to travel”, except for Suhvanabhumi International Airport, due to the transport disruptions “and reduced access to essential services caused by severe flooding”.

Australian officials said the outlook “was hard to predict”, with fears the central parts of Bangkok, still dry, could still be inundated if dykes collapsed from carrying weeks of pressure from the rising waters.

But health officials warn against a spread of disease, even as the waters recede.

Health

Report Causes Pfizer Stock to Climb Approximately $1 Billion Acquired by Starboard

(VOR News) – According to a rumor that activist investor Pfizer Starboard Value has taken a holding in the struggling pharmaceutical business that is expected to be worth around one billion dollars, the stock of Pfizer (PFE) is on the increase in premarket trading on Monday.

This comes after the report was made public. The report was made available to the general public following this. Starboard Value was successful in moving forward with the acquisition of the position.

Starboard is said to have approached Ian Read, a former chief executive officer of Pfizer, and Frank D’Amelio, a former chief financial officer, in order to seek assistance with its goals of boosting the performance of the company, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read and D’Amelio are both former Pfizer executives.

The purpose of this is to facilitate the accomplishment of its objectives, which include enhancing the overall performance of the firm.

In their previous jobs, D’Amelio and Read were chief financial officers.

It is stated in the report that the hedge fund is of the opinion that Pfizer, which is currently being managed by Albert Bourla, who succeeded Read as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2019, does not demonstrate the same level of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) discipline that Read did. Bourla took over for Read in 2019. Read was succeeded by Bourla in the year 2019.

Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical conglomerate, has made substantial investments in the acquisition of more companies that are involved in the research and development of cancer medicines.

These businesses have been acquired for billions of dollars. The biotechnology company Seagen, which was acquired by Pfizer in the previous year for a price of $43 billion, is included in this category. One of the businesses that can be classified as belonging to this category is Seagen.

In spite of the fact that the S&P 500 Index experienced a 21% increase in 2024.

No major trading occurred in Pfizer stock that year.

Due to the fact that the demand for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines fell after the firm reached its pandemic peak in 2021, the share price of the corporation has decreased by over fifty percent since that time.

This drop has occurred ever since the company’s shares reached their maximum peak, which was during the time that this decline occurred. Not only have they not changed at all, but they have also remained essentially stable. This is in contrast to the S&P 500, which has gained 21% since the beginning of this year.

Recently, the corporation was forced to take a hit when it decided to recall all of the sickle cell illness medications that it had distributed all over the world.

Fears that the prescription could lead patients to experience severe agony and possibly even death were the impetus for the decision to recall the product. In spite of the fact that Pfizer’s stock is increasing by almost three percent as a result of the news that followed the company’s decision, this is the circumstance that has come about.

SOURCE: IPN

Health

New Study Reveals Drinking Soda Pop Increases the Risk of Stroke

If you drink too much soda, fruit juice and coffee, beware!

A recent report from global research indicates that excessive consumption of coffee or soda pop is associated with an increased risk of stroke, although the intake of black and green tea is correlated with a reduced risk. Excessive consumption of soda pop or coffee warrants caution!

Recent research indicates that it may substantially elevate the risk of stroke.

Consuming four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke, according to studies, although ingesting 3-4 cups of black or green tea daily typically offers protection against stroke. Additionally, consume more coffee; it may reduce your risk of mortality.

Recent findings from global research studies co-led by the University of Galway and McMaster University, alongside an international consortium of stroke researchers, indicate that soda, encompassing both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened variants such as diet or zero sugar, is associated with a 22 percent heightened risk of stroke. The risk escalated significantly with the consumption of two or more of these beverages daily.

Stroke Risk Fizzy Drinks and Soda Pop

The correlation between fizzy drinks consumption and stroke risk was most pronounced in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Women exhibit the most elevated risk of stroke from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage) associated with fruit juice beverages. Consuming over 7 cups of water daily diminishes the likelihood of stroke due to a clot.

Researchers observed that numerous items advertised as fruit juice are derived from concentrates and have added sugars and preservatives, potentially negating the advantages often associated with fresh fruit and instead elevating stroke risk.

Fruit juice beverages were associated with a 37 percent heightened risk of stroke resulting from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage). Consuming two of these beverages daily increases the risk thrice.

Consuming over four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke by 37 percent, although lower consumption levels do not correlate with stroke risk. Conversely, tea consumption was associated with an 18-20 percent reduction in stroke risk. Additionally, consuming 3-4 cups daily of black tea, such as Breakfast and Earl Grey varieties, excluding green and herbal teas, was associated with a 29 percent reduced risk of stroke.

Consuming 3-4 cups of green tea daily was associated with a 27 percent reduction in stroke risk. Notably, the addition of milk may diminish or inhibit the advantageous effects of antioxidants present in tea. The lower risk of stroke associated with tea consumption was negated for individuals who added milk.

Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for informational reasons and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical counsel. Consistently consult your physician regarding any inquiries pertaining to a medical problem.

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Health

Following a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer, What Else Should You Know?

(VOR News) – Even though breast cancer affects one in eight American women, receiving a diagnosis can make a woman feel isolated.

Experts in breast cancer from the American College of Physicians (ACS) advise patients on how to manage their disease so that they may better cope with this awful information.

First, the kind and stage of breast cancer dictates the course of your care.

In addition to immunotherapy and chemotherapy, there are various surgical options available for the treatment of breast cancer.

Women of African descent are disproportionately affected by triple-negative breast cancer, an extremely aggressive form of the disease that has never proven easy to treat.

According to the American Cancer Society, pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an immunotherapy, has been shown to be helpful when combined with chemotherapy and is currently the recommended course of treatment for certain combinations of triple-negative breast cancer.

In her presentation, Dr. Katharine Yao said, “It’s really important that the patient and physician discuss the patient’s preferences and values when deciding what type of treatment to pursue and that they have an honest, individualized discussion with their care team.”

She is currently responsible for developing breast cancer treatment recommendations for more than 575 hospitals and institutions nationwide in her role as chair of the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Institutions (NAPBC).

Yao, vice chair of research at Endeavor Health NorthShore Hospitals in New York, pointed out that each decision made about a patient’s treatment plan should take her preferences and diagnosis into consideration.

She ought to think about whether she would prefer a mastectomy—a surgical procedure that involves removing the entire breast with or without reconstruction—or a lumpectomy, which involves a surgical procedure that spares part of the breast tissue.

She stated that “the breast cancer you have may be very different from the breast cancer you hear about in your neighbor, colleague, or friend” in a press release issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

“Consider that while discussing breast cancer with others.”

Throughout your journey, it is critical that you look after your emotional health because having breast cancer may have a detrimental impact on your mental health.

“Getting a cancer diagnosis does not mean that everything in your life stops to be normal.” Director of the Fellowship in the Diseases of the Breast program at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas and state head of the American Cancer Society Commission on Cancer for Arkansas, Dr. Daniela Ochoa She thinks adding the burden of a cancer diagnosis and treatment to all the other pressures in life may be taxing.

“Managing stress and emotional health is vital component of a treatment plan.”

Ochoa recommends clinically trained psychologists and social workers who have assisted people in coping with cancer to anyone receiving treatment. Learning coping techniques might also be facilitated by joining cancer support groups or cancer wellness initiatives.

Breast cancer specialists say your care team is crucial.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) defines comprehensive care as having support at every stage of the procedure from surgeons, oncologists, patient navigators, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and other specialists.

After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, women should see a surgeon or medical oncologist to explore their options; nevertheless, treatment shouldn’t be discontinued after just one appointment or after surgery is over.

Additionally, you can ask trustworthy friends or family members to accompany you to appointments and aid you with research or notes. They could serve as a network of support for you.

Yao stated in his talk that “one of the most important things is that patients should search out a team they have confidence in, that they trust will have their back when they need it, and a team they feel they can get access to and that will help them when they are in need.”

SOURCE: MP