Cases of type 2 diabetes in people under 40 are rising sharply in the UK.

There has been a sharp rise in cases of type 2 diabetes in people under 40 over the past 20 years say researchers. The disease can now be considered “common” in this age group in the UK, according to a lead researcher.

Research by Cardiff University shows that in 1991 there were some 150 cases of the condition per 100,000 people aged under 40, which has risen by around 270% in 20 years to reach 500 cases per 100,000 people, the BBC reports.

It seems the average age at which people develop the disease is also falling: the percentage of people under 40 with the disease has risen from 5 to 12 percent.

Professor Craig Currie, of Cardiff University’s School of Medicine and leader of the research said the rise will “undoubtedly place an increasing burden on healthcare resources and result in poorer quality of life”.

He added that factors such as changes to diet, obesity and family history are factors in the rise in cases among younger adults.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), type 2 diabetes comprises 90 percent of the total diabetes cases around the world. It is largely the result of being overweight and not doing enough exercise.

It’s not just the UK which is affected, globally the number of diabetes 2 cases rose from 30 million in 1985 to 285 million in 2010. Changes to lifestyle, growing obesity rates and poor diets are thought to be to blame among those with a genetic predisposition to the illness.

Employers in the UAE are not doing enough to protect their workers when they travel to African malaria zones.

Companies in the UAE aren’t doing enough to protect employees they send to malaria prone regions, say experts.

Over the past three years there has been a 61 percent increase in travel to malaria prone African countries, according to analysis of more than 8.7 million travellers by International SOS. The organisation said the number of employers doing risk assessments for employees travelling to Africa was “quite low”.

“There’s a growing awareness but it’s by no means universal, and the people most difficult to convince are those who have gone 
five times to a malaria-prone country and have always been healthy,” said International SOS Middle East and Africa Medical Director Dr Beau Dee.

The level of precaution required depends on the type of travel. If you’re going from a five star hotel to the airport and back the risk is relatively low, explained Dr Dee. If you’re going to inspect a mine or travelling around the country then a personal risk assessment is essential.

International SOS group medical director Dr Myles Neri said in a press statement on World Malaria Day, that the UAE was often the headquarters for organisations expanding into Africa, with many of their employees travelling in and out of malaria zones.

“We have seen an uptick in mobile employees from finance, education, technology, manufacturing and the engineering sectors. Many of their employers are unprepared—unaware that even a short trip without the appropriate measures and chemoprophylaxis can be fatal.”

Malaria is often not recognised or treated appropriately in non-endemic countries. International SOS recommended that employers define their policy towards malaria and travel to medium-high risk regions.

Global health officials voice concerns over bird flu and coronavirus becoming pandemics.

Two new respiratory viruses originating in different regions of the globe have caught the attention of international health officials. The novel coronavirus (NCoV) in the Middle East and bird flu outbreaks in China are triggering fears of global pandemics.

Last week, reports stated the SARS-like novel coronavirus had spread to France where two patients are currently hospitalized with the illness. The first patient probably caught the disease in Dubai and then infected his hospital roommate say health officials. This lends support to the theory the disease can be passed through close human-to-human contact.

NCoV is known to cause pneumonia and sometimes kidney failure. World Health Organisation (WHO) officials have expressed their concern over the clusters of this disease, and its ability to spread.

Since 2012 there have been 34 reported cases in the Middle East and Europe, with 18 deaths. Nearly all cases have some link to the Middle East.

Bird flu in China

At the same time, a new bird flu strain, H7N9, has been infecting people in China since March. It has caused 35 deaths out of 130 reported cases. So far there has been no evidence of human-to-human transmission of this disease, something reiterated by Chinese state media on Monday.

Little is known about how the viruses are infecting humans. NCoV has shown signs of being passed from human-to-human contact, while H7N9 appears to jump directly from infected poultry to humans.

WHO recommends good personal hygiene practices such as thorough hand-washing and minimising contact between potentially infected patients and those most at risk (pregnant women, the elderly and young children).

Top health news stories from around the web this week.

International health news

• Best countries to be a mother, or a baby - Mother’s Index rates countries on criteria including maternal health and infant mortality. The US and UK didn’t make the top 20.
• Modern life causing dementia earlier - Scientists say electronics, chemicals, mobile phones and PCs are to blame for a sharp rise in dementia related deaths of under-74s.

Health advice

• Slimming clubs better than dieting alone - A study shows people who go to a dieting club lose 5 times more than those who do it alone.
• Sun benefits outweigh cancer risk - Scientists now say, while sunlight can be bad for your skin, it benefits the rest of the body. So get outside!

Country alerts

• Bangladesh: Factory collapse in Dhaka – A woman was pulled alive from the rubble of the collapsed factory 17 days after the disaster.
• UAE: Cocoon sleeping pods for flyers – Those on an extended stopover can take advantage of 10 new GoSleep pods for around €9 per hour in Abu Dhabi.
• France: Two cases of coronavirus – Two men are in hospital with the novelcorona virus, in a case of human to human transmission say authorities.

Seven retirement destinations offering healthcare from as little as $30 a month.

Retirees considering moving abroad don’t need to be concerned about health care costs. Some top retirement destinations offer high-quality healthcare from as little as $30 per person per month, a new report from InternationalLiving.com has found.

The report profiles seven destinations with high-quality, low-cost health care.

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, expats can take advantage of the universal healthcare system. Residents pay into the scheme depending on their income, but it normally ranges between $30-$90 a month. This includes prescriptions, doctor’s visits, testing, surgery, and most other health care needs.

The quality of healthcare in Costa Rica is high, evidenced by its popularity as a medical tourism destination.

Uruguay

Uruguay also scored well, being described as “the Switzerland of South America”. Expats will find highly-trained doctors and world class facilities. Many doctors train abroad in the US, Germany or Brazil.

Doctors in public hospitals often don’t speak English, so expats who don’t speak Spanish may want to take a friend along as an interpreter.

France

In France expats can enroll in the sécurité sociale, France’s universal healthcare system. Both the public and private systems provide excellent care. The public system pays around 70% of most medical costs.

Most residents also buy additional private coverage, a mutuelle, to cover all or part of the remaining costs.

Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the world’s busiest medical tourism destinations, its high quality and affordable facilities attract thousands of patients annually. For example, a check-up at the doctors office costs around $16, the same as a house call. A hip replacement, in America would cost $80,000, in Malaysia it costs around $20,000.

Malaysia’s public health care system is not open to legal foreign residents, but with local insurance options and low costs it’s not a problem, Justin Strong, a Chicago native, told InternationalLiving.com.

Other countries which featured on the list were Ecuador, Panama, and Mexico.

For older people moving abroad can be a dream retirement, but healthcare is always a consideration. These countries offer high-quality care and a good general standard of living at affordable prices.

New study shows blenders and fridge compartments are rife with bacteria.

A new study has highlighted several germ hot spots in our kitchens, and several are quite surprising. Blenders and fridge compartments ranked among the worst places for bacteria due to ineffective  cleaning.

The research from NSF (originally the National Sanitation Foundation), a leading public health organisation, looked at 14 kitchen items. The items were swabbed and tested for E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, mold and yeast.

The worst offender for harbouring bacteria and germs was the vegetable crisper. Traces of Listeria and Salmonella were found on the vegetable compartment, along with mold and yeast. The NSF recommends cleaning refrigerator vegetable and meat drawers once a month with warm water and mild detergent.

The four other top bacteria havens are refrigerator meat compartments, rubber spatulas, blender gaskets and can openers. Yeast and mold were detected on all of these items. Both contaminants can cause allergies and respiratory illnesses in some people.

“Smoothies are popular these days and we found people don’t take their blenders apart when they wash them,” Lisa Yakas, a microbiologist at NSF International told Today.

“They just take the lid off and put the whole jar and blade assembly together in the dishwasher. Some people can’t get that blade unscrewed any more because it’s so caked together.”

While some of these microorganisms are harmless to physically robust people, “some strains are very virulent and can cause serious illness in otherwise healthy adults and children,” said Allison Aiello, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.

Other bacteria spots on the list include refrigerator water and ice dispensers, knife blocks and Tupperware or food containers with rubber seals. NSF recommends people take apart blenders, food containers, can openers etc. where possible before washing.

“The thing to remember is: You can’t sterilize a dirty surface,” Yakas said. “Just make sure you get a cleaning routine in place so they don’t get a bio-film buildup where these (germs have a place to) stick and grab onto.”

British expats are increasingly returning home after finding healthcare expensive abroad.

It seems growing numbers of expats are returning home due to the high cost of healthcare in their adopted countries. Jelf Employee Benefits is hearing increasing anecdotal evidence of British expats being unable to afford the healthcare they need abroad, and so returning home.

The company is warning expats to educate themselves on the cost of healthcare in the country they are relocating to, before they move. This is particularly true for people retiring abroad who aren’t covered by a company insurance policy and may require greater healthcare support than younger expats.

Sarah Dennis, international healthcare director said, “There are a rising number of cases where people are forced to return to Britain to receive treatment. In some cases people return immediately as they need treatment quickly or in other cases the return is delayed but eventually inevitable, as people are paying an unsustainable cost for their healthcare locally.”

Jelf Employee Benefits claim the reasons behind why expats are forced to move home are:

• Too many expats relying on the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) to cover them, when it is designed for short-term stays.
• Little or no knowledge of the cost of specific treatments or emergency care.
• A lack of awareness of their own mortality when people move abroad before they are elderly or infirm.
• Poor financial planning – particularly among retirees who overestimate how far their pensions will go, or who expect healthcare for over-65s to be state funded.
• Rule changes when governments reassess their social systems and implement new systems for expat healthcare.

While many expats are forced home due to high healthcare costs, it isn’t surprising to think they also move home to be closer to their family and extended support network. Accidents and illnesses do strike without warning, and many expats feel the pull of “home” more keenly when in such a situation.

Sarah Dennis continued, “I can’t stress enough that outside of the UK there is no such thing as free healthcare.By not adequately investigating local healthcare systems, expats are potentially jeopardizing their dream of living happily and healthily aboard.”

Nuts are just as important as milk for building strong bones.

Health advice

• Nuts just as important as milk for bones - For healthy bones in children, nuts and other high-magnesium foods can be just as important as foods rich in calcium says a new study.
• Read before you buy health insurance - Questions to ask yourself before buying international health insurance. Make sure you get the right plan for you.

International health news

• Final push for polio eradication - A new 6-year strategy has been published to finally eradicate polio, focusing on Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• International Midwives Day - UK midwives urged to volunteer in developing countries to help curb high infant and maternal mortality rates and pass on valuable skills.

Country alerts

• Saudi Arabia: SARS-like virus real threat - Five people have died and two are seriously ill after contracting the strain of novel coronavirus.
• US: Suicides in middle-age soar - In a decade the suicide rate among 35-64 year olds has increased 28%. Since 2009 suicide has claimed more lives than vehicle crashes.
• Philippines: Lagging behind SE Asian countries - Healthcare system biased towards managing illness rather than promoting wellness say experts.

Nigeria has pledged to “Save 1 million lives” by 2015.

According to a recent announcement, Nigeria will implement its health system reforms by 2015. The plans aim to extend access to essential primary care services for women and children. Grandly named, “Saving One Million Lives”, the scheme is designed to work at a community level and provide everyone with coverage.

“Saving One Million Lives will be the new yardstick for measuring health sector performance in Nigeria,” promised Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

Described as “a bold step” by the World Health Organisation, the initiative is focused on proven, cost-effective strategies to improve health care across the country. The scheme is comprised of several components:

• Improving maternal, newborn and child health – including access to a skilled healthcare practitioner, and referrals through a network of primary care centres.
• Immunizations - improving coverage and eradicating polio.
• Mother-to-child HIV transmission – working to prevent this through increased access to HIV testing and counselling for mothers.
• Essential medicines – improving access
• Malaria control – increased use of antimalarial drugs and mosquito nets.

The initiative will also target improving child nutrition, and promote the use of technology in healthcare.

Nigeria’s Minister for Economic Coordination and Finance, Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala explained the rationale for this initiative: “Nigeria needs to invest in human development or we will have to deal with an enormous bulge of jobless youth. ‘Saving One Million Lives’ will enhance Nigeria’s chances to grow and become part of the 20 biggest economies in the world.”

World Malaria Day is pushing drug development and prevention of this deadly disease.

Millions of people live in endemic malaria regions, these people still lack access to prevention, diagnostic testing and treatment. The fact many of these people and regions are the world’s poorest is no coincidence. Lacking resources and funding, governments may have the will to fight malaria, but lack the infrastructure.

The theme for this year’s World Malaria Day on 25th April, and continuing until 2015, is “Invest in the Future: Defeat Malaria”. This disease kills 600,000 people a year, 90 percent of them in Africa and most of them children under the age of five, according to UNICEF. World Malaria Day is aiming to encourage investment in malaria prevention.

This year sees the replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which funds 60-70% of all international investment in malaria. Since its establishment in 2002, the Global Fund has supported more than 150 countries, providing 310 million nets treated with insecticide to cover people’s beds.

“The situation with malaria 10-15 years ago was disastrous,” says Brian Greenwood, professor of tropical medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told the Guardian. “We’ve made fairly steady progress since, thanks to steady funding, and the Global Fund has played a key role.”

These efforts have resulted in a rapid reduction in malaria deaths, with global mortality rates falling by 25% since 2000, and by 33% in sub-Saharan Africa (WHO). There is still a way to go however, with recent research showing mosquitoes are genetically adapting, making drug development more difficult.