Health Highlights: Dec. 15, 2008
Dec. 16 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Zimbabwe Cholera Death Toll 978:UN
The death toll in Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak now stands at 978, a 25 percent increase over three days ago, according to the United Nations. The UN also said there have been 18,413 suspected cholera cases since the outbreak began in August, BBC News reported.
The worst-hit area is the capital Harare, with 208 confirmed deaths and8,454 suspected cases, said the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which estimated that up to 60,000 people in the country may eventually be affected by the disease.
The cholera outbreak has spread quickly in Zimbabwe due to serious problems with the health care and water systems. The South African Red Cross has sent a truckload of medical supplies to treat cholera patients and has issued an urgent appeal to fund supplies to treat a total of 30,000 people, BBC News reported.
Last week, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said the cholera outbreak had been halted.
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Behavioral Therapy Helps Eating Disorder Patients: Study
Specially designed cognitive behavioral therapy can help many people with eating disorders, according to a British study that included 154 patients.
The outpatient counseling sessions strive to help patients understand the links between their emotions and behavior in order to make changes. The patients had one 50-minute session per week for 20 weeks, BBC News reported.
Two-thirds of the patients achieved a "complete and lasting" response to the therapy, while the other third showed substantial improvement. The findings were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"Now, for the first time, we have a single treatment which can be effective at treating the majority of cases, without the need for patients to be admitted into hospital," said study leader Professor Christopher Fairburn, of the University of Oxford, BBC News reported.
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