Health Highlights: June 21, 2017

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Duke of Edinburgh Hospitalized With Infection

The Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to hospital for treatment of an infection linked to a pre-existing condition, Buckingham Palace announced.

The duke, 96, was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in London on Tuesday as “a precautionary measure”, according to the palace, BBC News reported.

The palace also said the hospitalization is “not a cause for serious concern” and that the duke was “up and about and in good spirits.”

In May, the duke said he would retire from royal duties this autumn, BBC News reported.

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17 Syrian Children Paralyzed by Polio

Polio has paralyzed at least 17 children in an outbreak affecting eastern Syria, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

All of the children developed paralysis between March 3 and May 23, according to Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesman for the World Health Organization in Geneva, The New York Times reported.

One confirmed case of polio-linked paralysis is considered an outbreak because doctors assume it means up to 200 other people may have been exposed to the polio virus.

The outbreak was confirmed by WHO on June 8 and Jasarevic described it as “very serious.” This is the second polio outbreak in Syria since the start of its civil war more than six years ago, The Times reported.

More than 400,000 children under the age of 5 in the Deir al-Zour area, where the outbreak was first confirmed, urgently require vaccination, according to Jasarevic.


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