Leaders pledge 10% drop in superbug deaths by 2030, and other top health stories

World leaders have pledged a 10% reduction in deaths from drug-resistant infections by 2030, following a key United Nations (UN) General Assembly meeting on 26 September in New York, The Guardian reports.

The declaration, signed by 193 nations, highlights the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which currently causes 4.7 million deaths annually.

This news comes after a landmark study, released ahead of the meeting, warned that annual deaths directly from, or associated with, AMR could reach 1.9 million and 8.2 million respectively by 2050 - an increase of 68% and 75%.

Barbados Prime Minister and chair of the Global Leaders on AMR Group, Mia Mottley, called the meeting a "landmark event", adding, "This is a press conference not for us with grey hair, but for the young people of the world," as AMR threatens to reverse a century of medical progress.

Researchers from the University of Chicago claim to have made "a conceptual breakthrough" that could help unravel cancer mutations, potentially paving the way for more effective treatments, according to Science Daily.

Their research, published in Nature, reveals how RNA - molecules that help make proteins - plays a vital role in packaging and storing DNA within our cells through a gene known as TET2.

The team, led by Professors Chuan He and Mingjiang Xu, found that TET2 regulates a specific RNA modification called m5C, which attracts the protein MBD6 to control chromatin packaging.

This mechanism helps explain why TET2 mutations are linked to various cancers, particularly those affecting blood and brain development, and suggests new therapeutic targets for treatment.

"What we hope we can get from this is a silver bullet to selectively get rid of just cancer cells," said He.

Their findings also point to potential therapies for other conditions linked to TET2 mutations, including heart disease and diabetes, the study explains.

Rwanda is to start vaccine trials for the deadly Marburg virus, which has killed at least 12 people in the country, mostly health workers, the BBC reports. The 700 vaccine doses from the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute will be administered to high-risk groups in initial trials. Marburg, a similar virus to Ebola, has a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This is the first detection of Marburg in Rwanda, with 46 reported cases to date.

UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been urged to accelerate reforms to the country's adult care system following patient deaths linked to insufficient care beds. In September, two coroners submitted prevention of future deaths reports to the Department of Health, The Guardian reports, noting that delays in discharging patients contributed to these fatalities, including one case attributed to excessive ambulance delays due to systemic failures.

A new light and sound therapy, developed by MIT scientists, could be effective in slowing cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients, according to Nature. Joan, a 78-year-old woman with early-stage Alzheimer's, has experienced stable brain volume with no further cognitive decline after a year of using the device. Researchers are now testing the treatment in a large trial with over 600 participants.

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for discovering how microRNAs control gene expression, influencing how different tissues form.

A new first-of-its-kind mpox diagnostic test for emergency use has been approved by the WHO to help boost testing in outbreak areas, reports the BBC. Abbott Laboratories' real-time PCR test detects mpox virus DNA from human skin lesion swabs and is designed for use by trained lab personnel.

The WHO and TikTok have announced a year-long partnership to provide reliable, science-based health information. This collaboration aims to enhance health literacy and combat misinformation, particularly among young adults, as one in four actively seeks news content on social media platforms.

Drones are revolutionizing healthcare in India, delivering over 10,000 medical products to remote regions. The Forum's Medicine from the Sky initiative has completed nearly 1,000 flights, transforming access to essential medicines in hard-to-reach areas. Read how this innovative project is bridging the healthcare gap.

Myopia is rising globally, with nearly 3.4 billion people expected to be short-sighted by 2030 and a third of children already affected, warns the WHO. This article outlines the behavioural shifts, including spending more time indoors, and other changes in how we live that could be contributing to this.

This year's World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2024, is focused on 'Mental Health at Work'. With depression and anxiety costing the global economy $1 trillion in lost productivity each year, leaders at the World Economic Forum’s recent Sustainable Development Impact Meetings in New York explored how to prioritize mental well-being in the workplace.