Author:  Marta Iraola Iribarren-Euronews

By Marta Iraola Iribarren/Euronews Health Correspondent. The chronic condition could cost OECD countries billions per year, with the total comparable to the annual health budgets of the Netherlands or Spain, a new report shows. The long-term illness impacting some people who suffered a COVID-19 infection, known as long COVID, could cost OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries a total of $135 billion (almost €116 billion) per year over the next decade. This is “comparable to the entire annual health budget of the Netherlands or Spain,” a new report by the OECD noted. While this March marked six years since…

Sugar placed in a baby’s mouth before a needle procedure can reduce pain, according to a new scientific review. Sugar can help relieve pain for babies during hospital procedures, a new review has found. Babies, especially newborns and infants in intensive care units, routinely undergo multiple procedures, including vaccinations and blood tests. Because their pain regulation systems are still immature, infants experience pain differently from adults, often, more intensely. A new Cochrane review found that sucrose can reduce pain during and immediately after the needle injection. The authors also found that sucrose appeared to be more effective than pacifiers. “Parents may be…

Story By Marta Iraola Iribarren. India has confirmed two cases of Nipah virus in West Bengal, a region in the eastern part of the country bordering Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. Both infected patients are healthcare workers from the region, and are hospitalised in intensive care. The Indian government added that 196 contacts of the confirmed cases are all asymptomatic and have tested negative for the virus. The health ministry states that available data suggest that there is no need for the general public to be apprehensive about the safety of individuals and their family members. However, given the high potential mortality…