Health

Saudi Arabia begins COVID-19 vaccination campaign for ages 5-11 amid omicron surge

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced it will begin vaccinating children ages 5-11 against COVID-19 “in order to ensure their safety and protect them from variants and complications,” the Ministry of Health said.

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The Kingdom’s health ministry said that vaccination priority will be given to those with conditions that may make them more vulnerable to complications from the coronavirus.

Individuals in Saudi Arabia can now take the third dose, or a booster shot, of the COVID-19 vaccine three months after taking the second dose, the country’s Ministry of Health announced on Monday.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s Public Health Authority (Weqaya) citizens and residents to avoid “unnecessary” travel outside the country amid rising COVID-19 cases and the new omicron variant.

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Health

Gender therapy review reveals devastating impacts on teens

A top Human Rights Council-appointed expert has welcomed the decision by all health authorities in the United Kingdom to halt the routine use of puberty-blockers offered to children as part of gender transition services, amid a sharp increase more widely in the number of teenage girls seeking such treatment and concerns that it might disrupt brain development.

Health

Teen alcohol and nicotine use in Europe is up, WHO urges preventive measures

Substance use is on the rise among teenagers in Europe, Central Asia and Canada and girls now match or even exceed boys when it comes to smoking and drinking, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report on Thursday.

Health

Latest hunger data spotlights extent of famine risk in Gaza, Sudan and beyond

Dangerous levels of acute hunger affected a staggering 281.6 million people last year – the fifth year in a row that food insecurity has worsened – heightening growing fears of famine and “widespread death” from Gaza to Sudan and beyond, UN agencies warned on Wednesday.