Health News Roundup: Greece detects African swine fever in a wild boar; Chinese pray for health in Lunar New Year as COVID death toll rises and more

The new European Cancer Imaging Initiative will give clinicians, researchers and innovators "easy access to large amounts of cancer imaging data", the European Commission said in a statement. Brazil declares emergency over deaths of Yanomami children from malnutrition Brazil's ministry of health has declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami territory, the country's largest indigenous reservation bordering Venezuela, following reports of children dying of malnutrition and other diseases caused by illegal gold mining.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Greece detects African swine fever in a wild boar

Greece has detected African swine fever in a wild boar in the north of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday. The disease, harmless to humans but highly contagious among pigs, was found in a dead wild boar in a forest in the Serres region, which borders Bulgaria and North Macedonia, WOAH said, citing a report from the Greek authorities.

Chinese pray for health in Lunar New Year as COVID death toll rises

China rang in the Lunar New Year on Sunday with its people praying for health after three years of stress and financial hardship under the pandemic, as officials reported almost 13,000 new deaths caused by the virus between January 13 and 19. Queues stretched for about one kilometre (a half-mile) outside the iconic Lama temple in Beijing, which had been repeatedly shut before COVID-19 restrictions ended in early December, with thousands of people waiting for their turn to pray for their loved ones.

EU to aggregate cancer imaging data across bloc in new project

The European Union on Monday launched a project to collect and aggregate cancer imaging data in an effort to speed up innovation and early cancer diagnosis using artificial intelligence. The new European Cancer Imaging Initiative will give clinicians, researchers and innovators "easy access to large amounts of cancer imaging data", the European Commission said in a statement.

Brazil declares emergency over deaths of Yanomami children from malnutrition

Brazil's ministry of health has declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami territory, the country's largest indigenous reservation bordering Venezuela, following reports of children dying of malnutrition and other diseases caused by illegal gold mining. A decree published on Friday by the incoming government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the aim of the declaration was to restore health services to the Yanomami people that had been dismantled by his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

(With inputs from agencies.)