Irregular sleep patterns linked to type 2 diabetes; Oregon hospitals face potential exposure to HIV, hepatitis; New malaria vaccine given to children in Ivory Coast – Morning Medical Update

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Irregular sleep patterns linked to type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes currently affects almost half a billion people worldwide and is one of the top 10 leading causes of death and disability. However, new research suggests that getting consistent sleep could help reduce the risk of the condition.

A study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed sleep patterns over the span of seven nights, continuing to follow patients for more than seven years. They discovered that irregular sleep patterns were linked to a higher risk of diabetes, finding that individuals with the greatest irregular patterns have a 34% higher diabetes risk.

“Our study identified a modifiable lifestyle factor that can help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” Sina Kianersi, lead author and a research fellow in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said. “Our findings underscore the importance of consistent sleep patterns as a strategy to reduce type 2 diabetes.”

Oregon hospitals face potential exposure to HIV, hepatitis

About 2,400 patients who were treated at two hospitals in Portland, Oregon, are now being told to get blood tests after an “infection control breach” linked to an anesthesiologist that potentially exposed them to HIV and hepatitis B and C.

Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City released a statement, informing that 2,200 of its patients and two patients at Providence Portland Medical Center have received urgent recommendations to get tested.

The possible exposures were a result of someone working for a third-party contractor, the Oregon Anesthesiology Group. The anesthesiologist is also no longer employed by the contractor, according to the company. Find more information here.

New malaria vaccine given to children in Ivory Coast

On Monday, children in the Ivory Coast were given the first doses of a new, affordable malaria vaccine. The R21 vaccine, developed by the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India (SII), has also been sent to other African countries and was administered in South Sudan yesterday.

The vaccine has high efficacy levels in 75% to 80% of children, according to professor Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute. Now, up to 500,000 child deaths could be prevented every year, with the SII already manufacturing more than 25 million doses and committing to producing 100 million doses a year.

Read more about the implications of the new vaccine in this article.