Alcohol-related liver disease deaths are increasing rapidly among women and young adults, according to new research.

Researchers from the Universities Havard, Stanford, and Southern California (USC) attributed the rise to higher drinking during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to increasing health problems like obesity and high blood pressure.

"The pandemic itself came under control, but the disparities that came with it continued and lingered," said Dr. Nasim Maleki, a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, based on death certificates from across the US showed that between 2018 and 2022, deaths from alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) rose nearly 9 per cent a year. Between 2006 and 2018, ALD deaths stood at 3.5 per cent per year.

While men still had the highest number of deaths -- 17 per 100,000 people -- women's death rates grew faster.

Health authorities in France have confirmed the first locally transmitted case of mosquito-borne chikungunya this year.

The Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur (PACA) reported the case in the town of La Crau, located in the southern department of Var, news agency reported.

“We refer to a case as indigenous {domestic] when a person has contracted the disease on national territory and has not travelled to a contaminated area in the 15 days prior to the onset of symptoms,” the ARS said.

A chikungunya case not linked to travel suggests mosquitoes that carry the virus are in the country.

Health authorities in the area are conducting a door-to-door survey to see if other individuals are showing symptoms of the virus.

While children are largely thought to be less susceptible to Covid-19's serious effects on the lungs, a global study has indicated that in children suffering from severe infection with SARS-COV-2 virus, the health risks may go beyond the acute viral infection and can harm the heart.

Scientists from Harvard University (US) and Murdoch University (Australia) analysed blood samples from 147 children across different Covid.

Their study identified significant metabolic disruptions that affect how the body processes fats (triglycerides and cholesterol) critical to healthy heart structure.

"This research challenges the widespread assumption that children are largely unaffected by Covid-19 based on the relatively mild respiratory effects,” said lead researcher Professor Jeremy Nicholson, Director of The Australian National Phenome Centre.

A gene transfer approach to treating the bleeding disorder haemophilia B remains safe and effective long-term, according to a study by UK-based scientists.

Haemophilia B is a rare genetic disorder caused by insufficient levels of a circulating protein called factor IX, which promotes blood clotting.

Scientists from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and University College London used a one-time gene therapy intervention to address the disorder.

Their finding, based on 13 years of follow-up data, published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows an almost 10-fold reduction in annualised bleeding rate. It supports the long-term viability of gene therapy for the disease's treatment.

Blood transfusion is the cornerstone of effective healthcare and emergency responses, said Saima Wazed, Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia on Friday, ahead of the World Blood Donor Day.

World Blood Donor Day is marked annually on June 14. This year the theme is “Give blood, give hope: together we save lives.”

The day honours the silent heroes among us -- voluntary, unpaid blood donors -- whose simple yet powerful act of donating their blood saves countless lives each day.

Vaccinated patients hospitalised with Covid-19 who developed acute kidney injury had better outcomes than unvaccinated patients with the same condition, according to new research on Friday.

The study led by researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) showed that patients with prior vaccination were less likely to stay on dialysis after discharge, and more likely to survive than unvaccinated patients.

Acute kidney injury, or AKI, is common among people infected with Covid, with rates running as high as 46 per cent. It can lead to a mild decrease in kidney function or, if severe enough, to dialysis. The long-term renal and survival outcomes of these patients, however, have not been well understood.

Amid concern over rising cases of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh, a 52-year-old woman died of the virus during treatment at a private hospital in Indore.

The woman, a resident of Ratlam, around 150 km from Indore, was admitted to Manorma Raje T B (MRTB) hospital in Indore with complaints of respiratory distress on June 8.

Meanwhile, a COVID test was also conducted. Two days later, on Wednesday, medical reports revealed that she was COVID-positive.

Subsequently, she was shifted to the isolation ward.

She died on June 11, a senior doctor at MRTB hospital said on Thursday.

The hospital administration also confirmed that the patient was suffering from multiple diseases, including tuberculosis and hypertension, due to which her health condition continued to deteriorate.

Indonesia has reported 75 cases of Covid-19 across the archipelago since early this year, local media reported Wednesday, citing the Ministry of Health.

The ministry's spokesperson Aji Muhawarman said that most of those infected have recovered, adding that two people were found infected last week.

The ministry has urged the public to remain vigilant and continue practicing Covid-19 prevention measures, including wearing face masks in public spaces and avoiding large gatherings.

It came amid a slight uptick in domestic infections and growing global concern over the spread of new subvariants.

Suffering from metabolic syndrome? A handful of almonds daily may help improve your health, according to a study.

People with metabolic syndrome have at least three of the conditions like abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of "good" cholesterol, and high levels of triglycerides.

Scientists at Oregon State University (OSU), US, showed that eating 2 ounces of almonds -- about 45 nuts -- daily led to signs of better cardiometabolic and gut health.

The research, published in the journal Nutrition Research, is important because almost 40 per cent of the US adult population is estimated to have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that significantly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning that daytime temperatures in Delhi may soar to 45 degrees Celsius, the Health Ministry on Wednesday urged people to stay indoors during peak hours, and to drink safe fluids.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for the national capital on Wednesday.

The IMD has warned that daytime temperatures in Delhi could reach as high as 45 degrees Celsius, with night-time lows hovering around 29 degrees Celsius. The ongoing weather conditions are part of a prolonged heatwave affecting large parts of northwestern India.

"Extreme heat can be risky. Stay indoors during peak hours, eat lower-calorie food, drink safe fluids, and never leave kids or pets in parked cars,” the Health Ministry, said in a post on social media platform X.