Tag Archives: health
Blast outside Bahrain mosque
Blast outside Bahrain mosque Our Correspondent / 19 July 2013 A car bomb exploded on Wednesday in the parking area of a mosque in Riffa Town, south of Manama, but caused no casualties. The town is not among the disturbed areas. Bahrain police banned two protests scheduled for Friday as the first announced measure to implement the directive of the King to security authorities to take all the necessary steps to enforce the law. The order of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was issued short after the blast on Wednesday. King Hamad issued the statement, condemning the attack and ordering security forces to enforce the law against instigators of these terrorist acts and accomplices who committed or assisted in such acts. “The people of Bahrain have had enough and have run out of patience over such acts that are strange to the people of Bahrain and their morals,” King Hamad said. According to the Interior Ministry the bomb was made of gas cylinder. The same method was followed to arson a building of a company in the early hours of Wednesday that damaged the offices. The ministry through its twitter account highlighted that the two protests scheduled for Friday are banned and violators will face legal actions. shamada@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
WHO official calls for awareness on Mers
WHO official calls for awareness on Mers Asma Ali Zain / 19 July 2013 A top World Health Organisation (WHO) official has asked people in the country and region to stay properly informed on the deadly Mers virus that has claimed over 40 lives and infected 84 others, mainly in Saudi Arabia. During a virtual Press conference held from Geneva on Wednesday night, Dr Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Security and Environment spoke to Khaleej Times and gave a message for the people staying in the midst of where the virus is said to have originated and got its name the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers). “The most basic and important message for the people who are living in the community is that they should be aware that there is a virus, particularly if you are in a country where a number of cases have been reported,” he said. “Especially if we are dealing with a new virus and we do not have the full information available,” he said. “Being informed is the foundation for taking care of yourself and your family. This is something we would recommend,” he added. The Press conference was held after WHO concluded an emergency committee meeting to assess the current threat posed by the virus. The committee stopped short of declaring a travel ban despite a looming threat as Saudi Arabia prepares for Haj pilgrimage. Dr Fukuda said that MERs, at the moment, did not meet conditions for a public health emergency of international concern. “We do not have specific information on how people are getting infected. However, we have a way for people to prevent themselves from getting infected or transmitting the infection,” he told Khaleej Times. “For example, it is important to wash your hands as hygiene turns out to be a very important way of preventing infection especially with soap and water or sanitisers. But one important thing to do is to keep your hands clean.” He further said: “Another thing is that if you are developing symptoms such as respiratory problems and they become severe such as high fever and have trouble breathing, it is really important to seek medical care and not wait too long.” “These are individual actions you can take that can reduce your chances of getting infected,” he added. The committee also said that WHO should help nations boost their surveillance system and laboratory capacity and also inform the public on reducing risks for infection. Saudi Arabia has discouraged the elderly, pregnant women and children from performing Hajj while WHO said it will release travel guidelines in a few days. Dr Fukuda said that such move was a national matter. Earlier this week, the UAE reported its first case of the MERS when an 82-year-old man was diagnosed with virus who is currently being treated in Abu Dhabi. Hospitals in the country have been asked to monitor patients and report immediately. The UAE health ministry said it was also monitoring the situation but no travel bans for Haj have been announced yet. The virus carries a 50 per cent rate of mortality in confirmed cases which is a major concern. Cough, fever and respiratory failure are primary symptoms. Secondary conditions associated with the virus include acute renal failure, multi-organ failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and consumptive coagulopathy — a clotting disorder that leads to hemorrhage, organ failure and death. asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Shortages in Syrian refugee camps
Shortages in Syrian refugee camps Amanda Fisher / 15 July 2013 Chronic shortages of resources are causing tensions to flare in Syrian refugee camps, says the managing partner of a Dubai-based company that has built accommodation for 6,000 more people fleeing the ongoing conflict. UAE-based company Modular & Mobile Solutions UAE managed the camp, which was knocked up along the Syria-Turkey border in three short months. Kilis Camp, which houses four schools, two mosques, a hospital, clinic, rehabilitation clinic, kitchen and 1,000 “modular homes” that can each accommodate a family of six, was opened two weeks ago and was at half capacity already. The homes, made up of pre-fabricated modules, measure 21 square metres and have running water and electricity, but company managing partner Ben Long said the new camp was no solution to alleviating the pressures facing the ever-growing number of refugees. “Absolutely not, there’s lots more needed. If you look at the project, it’s a big project, there’s 6,000 refugees but there’s 1.6 million registered refugees, and at least that number unregistered.” Tensions were rising inside camps, as people who had had to leave behind their livelihoods battled to get a share of limited resources. “Things are happening at the camps, incidents unfortunately, because there isn’t enough resources, there isn’t enough food or enough water.” Long’s company jointly managed the $6 million project, funded primarily by Kuwaiti charity Islamic Charitable Organisation, alongside Turkish company IHH which works closely with the United Nations — while the Turkish government was providing food. The British expatriate said there were measures in place in order to keep the number of people living at the camp capped with fences around the perimeter and security manning the entrances. “Security is one of the key issues and it is a secure camp, they’ve made sure people can’t just come in…there is an issue with there not being enough housing, but that’s why we need to act together to make more of these communities. We can do it quickly, that the whole thing has been done in three months and we can do it even faster if we get more people working together.” The rehabilitation centre that was operating at the camp was run by doctors and psychologists in order to help people through the emotional turmoil they had experienced. “We have people who can come in and talk about their issues…there’s all kinds of things happening that we can’t even begin to imagine so the rehabilitation team have gone in there with specialists to deal with it,” he said. The community also had provision to help people start working, including a workshop for sewing, while it was hoped a market would eventually start running to “get some trade going”. “Everything’s sort of there in place for people to start moving forward. You’ve got some families who might have a little bit but you’ve got other families with nothing.” amanda@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
