Health | WPN World People News

Swedish medical authorities are investigating a possible case of Ebola at a hospital in Stockholm

Previously unrecognized health benefits could be realized from fast action to reduce climate change and its consequences. For example, changes in energy and transport policies could save millions of lives annually from diseases caused by high levels of air pollution. The right energy and transport policies could also reduce the burden of disease associated with physical inactivity and traffic injury.

Two new reports highlight the importance of addressing the needs of people in the workplace who have substance use disorders. Two Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports show that while many employers have policies and programs addressing substance use disorders, many of the 10.8 million full-time workers with these problems may not be receiving help in the workplace.

Scientists used advanced genomic sequencing technology to identify a single point of infection from an animal reservoir to a human in the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This research has also revealed the dynamics of how the Ebola virus has been transmitted from human to human, and traces how the genetic code of the virus is changing over time to adapt to human hosts. Pardis Sabeti, M.D., Ph.D, a 2009 National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator awardee and her team carried out the research.

A health worker checks a blood sample for Ebola at Kenema government hospital, Sierra Leone.