Category: Medical

ABU DHABI, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) has announced that Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Infectious Disease Expert and Executive Director of Infectious Diseases and Official UAE Spokesperson for the Health Sector, has joined the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework (PIP Framework) Advisory Group as a Member for the period 2022-2024.

Members of the Advisory Group are appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation and serve, in their personal, expert capacity, for three years.

The key goal of the framework is to improve and strengthen the sharing of information about influenza viruses with human pandemic potential and increase access to vaccines and other pandemic related supplies for developing countries.

Commending the recognition, Matar Saeed Rashed Al Nuaimi, Director-General of ADPHC, said, “This accomplishment celebrates a distinguished career and is a source of pride for us all, given the significant standing that the PIP Framework holds on an international level.

Dr. Farida Al Hosani has been an active participant across global, WHO level activities, and plays an integral role in the UAE’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. She is a pioneering figure and adds to a long list of Emirati females engaged at an international level within their related fields.”

He added, “This would not have been possible without the support of our wise leadership who have provided Emirati women with the tools and resources to succeed, whilst also emphasising the efforts that H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, has provided to Emirati women.”

Dr. Al Hosani said, “I am honoured to be joining the WHO’s PIP Framework Advisory Group and contributing my expertise to addressing global pandemics and advancing pandemic preparedness at a global level.

“As a proud Emirati female, I want to share my deep appreciation for our leadership and thank them for the support they have provided me in enhancing my skills and attaining the highest qualifications in public health and healthcare policy. I am looking forward to working closely with partners and experts from all over the world to support international healthcare efforts and build a healthy future for generations.”

The PIP Framework is focused on sharing information around influenza viruses and promoting access to vaccines and other benefits. It was adopted in May 2011 by the 64th World Health Assembly, which comprises 18 members drawn from three Member States in each WHO Region.

The primary purpose of the Advisory Group is to monitor the implementation of the PIP Framework and provide evidence-based reporting, assessment and recommendations regarding its functioning to the WHO Director-General.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 430,493 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry stressed its aim to continue expanding the nationwide testing scope to facilitate the early detection of coronavirus cases and carry out the necessary treatment. As part of its intensified testing campaign, MoHAP announced 519 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 880,970.

According to the Ministry, the infected individuals are from various nationalities, are stable, and receive the necessary care.

The Ministry added that no COVID-19-related deaths had been recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 2,301.

MoHAP also noted that an additional 1,613 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 837,139.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), the government entity accelerating the UAE’s mission towards a healthy and safe society by bolstering public health initiatives, has initiated its healthy vending machine programme across Abu Dhabi’s healthcare entities.

This initiative is in line with ADPHC’s objective to provide easily accessible and nutritious food options as an effective method to combat chronic diseases.

ADPHC’s Healthy Vending Machine Guidelines were first introduced in 2021 and implemented across healthcare facilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as part of a phased approach, with the objective of providing visitors and employees in healthcare facilities with healthier snack options than those regularly available in vending machines. The food options now sold in vending machines across Abu Dhabi’s healthcare facilities are approved by a specialised team of ADPHC experts. The most recent audit of healthcare organisations in Abu Dhabi, completed in partnership with the Emirates Classification Society (TASNEEF) in 2021, reports a 95 percent adherence and application rate.

Dr. Omniyat Al Hajri, Executive Director – Health Community, ADPHC, said, “Adopting a healthy lifestyle and consuming healthy food options is an integral step towards maintaining the health and safety of community members and combatting chronic diseases. We are committed to supporting the food industry by working hand-in-glove to implement the latest technologies and innovation and confirm adherence to evidence-based research and guidelines, in efforts to ensure that all vending machines across healthcare facilities provide healthy options – for patients, visitors, and employees.”

As part of the initiative, ADPHC is providing technical support and expert consultation to food establishments and suppliers, in addition to training sessions and materials for employees in the food industry, in adherence to its Healthy Vending Machine Guidelines.

Maryam Al-Mansoori, Head of the Nutrition Department, ADPHC, said, “Healthy vending machines include low-calorie drinks such as low-fat and unflavoured dairy drinks, natural water, juices made from natural fruits, unsweetened tea or coffee, and snacks such as natural unflavoured popcorn, baked potato chips, unsalted nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables without additives, and dark chocolate. Soft drinks that contain high sugar, energy drinks, nuts that contain added oils and that are high in salt, fried potato chips, chocolate, candy and other sweets such as toffee and lollipops, are now prohibited from being made available in vending machines.”

To encourage users to choose healthier food options, the display of the food items in vending machines was adjusted to show the healthier options in a prominent manner with the lesser healthy options in lower shelves to persuade visitors and employees to opt for healthier food items. In addition, healthcare facilities across Abu Dhabi are providing patients, visitors, and employees with informative leaflets to help increase awareness and create a shift in consuming habits.

Source: Emirates News Agency

This study may assist doctors, patients, medical practitioners, and other healthcare professionals in early diagnosis and better treat diseases at a time when we are focused on contributing to the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Professor of Computer Science and Information Technology, Dr. Adel Khelifi from the College of Engineering, with a team of international researchers, investigated the potential for fuzzy interference systems (FIS) to improve disease diagnosis by overcoming problems such as inaccurate data, missing data and the complexity of diagnosis when physicians are confronted with multiple interrelated complex variables. The team took an integrated approach to smart disease diagnosis using the Internet of Things (IoT) empowered by FIS to diagnose a range of diseases which was motivated by the ability of FIS to effectively analyze multiple uncertainties associated with disease diagnosis. They find that their proposed approach is capable of smartly and efficiently, via the IoTs, of diagnosing and tracking a range of diseases including COVID-19, Typhoid, Malaria, and Pneumonia.

Prof. Khelifi said “The results of our proposed method show that FIS could be utilized for the diagnosis of multiple diseases. This study may assist doctors, patients, medical practitioners, and other healthcare professionals in early diagnosis and better treat diseases at a time when we are focused on contributing to the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our study contributes to achieving SDG 3, ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all ages, and SDG 9, which promotes innovation given the potential of our novel approach for new medical diagnostic tools”.

Source: Abu Dhabi University