Maria João Forjaz

A new study reveals that the proportion of adults with dementia has risen significantly in Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico over the last two decades, rising from one in ten older adults to almost one in six; a trend that runs counter to that seen in the US and other wealthy countries. Rates remained stable in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The authors urge investment in prevention, dementia screening and care infrastructure. The study is published in JAMA Neurology.

The Ministry of Health has announced that Spain will receive the MV Hondius in the Canary Islands “in accordance with international law and the spirit of humanitarianism”. The government is thus responding to a request from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Union for the cruise ship, which is travelling from Argentina and has an outbreak of hantavirus on board, to dock in the Canary Islands, in the port of Granadilla, Tenerife. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has assessed which passengers should be evacuated from the ship to Cape Verde, where it is currently located, and which will continue on to the Canary Islands. Once there, they will be examined and transferred to their home countries in accordance with safety protocols. The cruise ship is expected to arrive in the archipelago in three or four days.