The global life expectancy at birth recovered the two-year decline in 2022, but is yet to hit the record high of 2019. The World Bank has released the most recent figures that indicates average life expectancy at birth to be 72 years in 2022, almost the same mark in 2020, while ticking up from 71.3 in 2021. Whereas the year before COVID-19 pandemic, the world life expectancy at birth was at 73 years.

In 2022, it was Europe that had the highest life expectancy among the regions listed in the World Bank Data. The age was recorded at 81.7 years in 20 European Union counties. Whereas, regions like western and central Africa recorded 57.6 years as the average, the lowest average life expectancy of all.

The highest countries to record the expectancy rate was however in Asia and Europe, with Liechtenstein and Japan topping the list at 84 years.

What is average life expectancy?

It is the average number of years a person can expect to live, based on the current mortality rates for a specific population in a specific area. Life expectancy at birth is the average lifespan calculated of a newborn, which also assumes that the mortality rates remain constant.

It is calculated for different age groups, and is one of the most common health status indicators. There are factors like lifestyle, better education, greater access to quality health services and rising live standards that influence the life expectancy age.

Countries With The Highest Life Expectancy

• Liechtenstein at 84.3 years
• Japan at 84.0 years
• Switzerland at 83.5 years
• Australia at 83.2 years
• Sweden at 83.1 years
• Spain at 83.1 years
• Ireland at 83.1 years
• Luxembourg at 83.0 years
• Italy at 82.9 years
• Singapore at 82.9 years

African nations of Chad and Lesotho had the lowest average life expectancy measurements among all countries at approximately 53 years.

ALSO READ: Lancet Study Reveals 'Two Factors' That Decide The Life Expectancy Of People in US

Countries With The Lowest Life Expectancy

• Chad at 53.0 years
• Lesotho at 53.0 years
• Nigeria at 53.6 years
• Central African Republic at 55.6 years
• South Sudan at 56.1 years
• Eswatini at 56.4 years
• Namibia at 58.1 years
• Côte d'Ivoire at 58.9 years
• Guinea at 59.0 years

Where Does the US Stand In The Ranking?

US life expectancy was at 77.4 in 2022, as per the World Bank Data, which ranked it at No. 49 in the world, even behind countries like Cuba, Estonia, and Saudi Arabia.

Among the 38 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the US ranked 30th for life expectancy. The rates sharply declined because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and fell by 1.6 years worldwide between 2019 and 2021. This is as per The Lancet study, published on May 18, 2024. The study provides as estimate of demographic metrics which are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. It also emphasizes on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic period.

Another analysis by KFF and the Peterson Center on Healthcare found that the pandemic had a greater impact on life expectancy in the US than in other high-income nations. Whereas another March analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that US life expectancy had rebounded after two years of decline and it rose from 76.4 years in 2021 to 77.5 years in 2022.

Flu A, or the new version of the flu virus called H3N2 is spreading quickly, the worst part is that fewer people are getting the flu shots. Doctors and scientists say that this year's influenza season could be tougher than the usual. Dr. Amanda Kravitz, a pediatrician at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York in an interview to CBS Mornings, said, "This flu season is no joke. We are seeing more cases than we would expect for this time of year. We are seeing influenza A, and within influenza A we are seeing a subtype or variant called H3N2."

Scientist Jesse Bloom, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center who studies viral evolution said that "it is pretty likely to be an H3N2-dominated flu season. I don't see any reason to think that this is an unprecedentedly bad one, but current indicators are that it may be substantially more severe than the typical winter flu season," as reported by CBS News.

Not just the UK, but as per the journal of the British Medical Association, even the United Kingdom is suffering from an early and severe fly season, all thanks to the influenza A H3N2 called subclade K. Neil Maniar, director of the master of public health program at Northeastern University said, "The United Kingdom got hit pretty hard by this," as well as Europe and Australia. "I think that's a pretty good harbinger of what we are likely to see here. This is going to be a very difficult flu season."

Experts are pointing out that while the vaccine may not be a good match for the updated flu virus circulating, it is still the best line of defense. Flu vaccines have an efficacy rate of 40% to 60%, however, as per as early report by Eurosurveillance, the efficacy of the current vaccine rate was between 32% to 39% in adults, and 72% to 75% in children. However, it is still important to get the vaccine to avoid any severe illness from the flu virus, point out experts.

"If you haven’t done so, get (the vaccine)," Maniar pointed out. “Definitely get it as we go into the holidays, as we go into new year’s and the new school year." It takes about two weeks to build up a solid immune response, however, within several days of getting the vaccine, people start to develop some immunity.

Read: Flu Cases In US Reach 5 Million Mark, Reveals CDC Data

The Virus Is Changing

Dr Helen Chu, a flu expert at the University of Washington told the CBS News that based on the UK and Japan data, there will be more cases of hospitalization by this flu. The flu activity is "starting everywhere right now" and would be overlapping with RSV, before the winter COVID-19 wave.

Trevor Bedford, who also studies viral evolution at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, said H3N2 tends to evolve faster than other influenza strains. "I expect more H3 incidence than the typical year and poorer vaccine effectiveness," he said.

"Total season effectiveness is probably going to actually be much, much lower," Chu warned, because immunity fades over time.

However, despite the mismatch in the vaccine, experts stress the fact that the flu vaccine is still helping preventing severe illness, especially in children. They also help in preventing severe diseases, hospitalization and deaths.

Barry Manilow, singer, has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will be undergoing a surgery for the same. He announced this update on his social media post on Monday. Currently 82, he said he had been fighting bronchitis for more than two months, and it was when his doctor ordered an MRI that the test "discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed. It is pure luck (and a great doctor) that it was found so early."

He said that doctors do not think that the cancer had spread and that he will have additional tests to confirm the diagnosis.

“No chemo, No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns,” he wrote.

However, Manilow did not mention when he would be having the surgery, however, he is expected to rest for a month to fully recover from it. This means the nine concert dates that are scheduled for January could be postponed. “Just like you, we were all looking forward to the January shows and hate having to move everything around,” he wrote. However, no other information on the rescheduled concert dates were provided.

What Is Lung Cancer?

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lung cancer begins in the lungs and may spread to lymph nodes or other organs in the body, including brain too, if not caught early. Cancer cells from other organs too could spread to the lungs, this process is called metastases.

In lung cancer, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lung tissues, usually in the lining of air passages, forms tumors that disrupt normal breathing and can spread to other parts of the body. This is also the leading cause of cancer death.

There are several types of cancer, and in lung cancer, there are two main types called:

• Small cell Cancer
• Non-small Cell cancers: including adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma

These types of cancer grow differently and are treated differently. Non-small cell lung cancer is more common than small cell lung cancer. Manilow, however, did not specify the type of lung cancer he has been diagnosed with, neither did he mention the stage of lung cancer he has been diagnosed with. However, he did note that the cancerous spots were found early on.

Read: Did Scientists Just Come Up With A New Blood Test That Detects And Monitors Lung Cancers In Real Time?

What Are The Common Symptoms Of Lung Cancer?

No cancer journey is the same, so people too ca have different symptoms for lung cancers. Some people may have symptoms related to lung cancer, whereas others won't feel a thing until it has spread to other parts of the body. Some people just have general symptoms of not feeling well. However, there are certain common symptoms that some people may experience, they include:

• Coughing that gets worse or doesn't go away.
• Chest pain.
• Shortness of breath.
• Wheezing.
• Coughing up blood.
• Feeling very tired all the time.
• Weight loss with no known cause.

Other changes that can sometimes occur with lung cancer may include repeated bouts of pneumonia and swollen or enlarged lymph nodes (glands) inside the chest in the area between the lungs.

If you experience any of these signs, it is best that you speak to your doctor and get your tests done.

Wegovy pill is now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Monday, the FDA approved a daily pill version of Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Wegovy, which is now introducing a new option for patients, that is said to revolutionize weight loss medicine and obesity treatment.

The weight loss pill uses the same active ingredient. semaglutide. The same active ingredient powers the original Wegovy and sister drug for diabetes, Ozempic. Rival company Eli Lilly is also in the process of getting its weight loss drug approved, which will be out in the market by 2026, the CEO had said. Eli Lilly is known for drugs like Zepbound and Mounjaro. In the US, notes health policy research group KFF, at least 1 in 8 Americans are currently taking one of these medicines.

Wegovy Pill's Benefits And When Can People Buy It?

The Wegovy pill showed similar weight loss results as well as the side effects as in the Wegovy shot. The drug will be available by prescription in the US by January, said Novo Nordisk. Dr Jason Brett, who is the principal US medical head for Novo Nordisk told CNN in an interview, "We believe it will expand access and options for patients. We know there are some patients who just won’t take an injectable medication.”

The starting dose of the weight loss Wegovy pill will cost $149 for patients who will be paying out of the pocket. This is under the November agreement announced by the Trump administration. The drug will become pricier via self-pay as doses increase, though Novo Nordisk has not disclosed its prices yet. Patients whose insurance covers the medicines will be paying a lower copay.

The Wegovy weight loss pill is one of the two GLP-1 pill which will hit the market, along with Eli Lilly's orforglipron.

Read: Oral Weight Loss Pill Comes Next Year, Says Eli Lily As It Announces A Third Manufacturing Facility In US

Whose Weight Loss Pill Is More Effective?

While the pills have not been compared head to head in an clinical trial, there have been separate studies done on them. The Wegovy pill showed an average weight loss of 14% over 64 weeks, when compared for a placebo, which showed 2% weight loss. Whereas, orforglipron showed 11% weight loss over 72 weeks on its highest dose, as compared to 2% with placebo.

Wegovy injection on the other hand showed a weight loss of 15%, whereas, Zepbound showed 21% on his highest dose. Placebo remained at 2% and 3%, respectively in comparison with both the drugs.

What Changes And What Remains The Same On Weight Loss Drug?

Side effects, including gastrointestinal issues like nausea and vomiting remain the most common ones with GLP-1 drugs, which was also seen in the studies of the pill as well. The clinical studies showed that 7% of participants on Wegovy pill stopped the treatment because of side effects, verss 6% on placebo. In orforglipron's study, up to 10% of patients stopped treatment, as compared with 3% on placebo.

The key difference with the pill is that it must be taken on an empty stomach with a small amount of water, and patients are not directed to eat, drink, or take any other medicines for the next 30 minutes after taking it.

Doctors have pointed out that a pill version of semgalutide approved for diabetes called Rybelus has not been used as widely as Ozempic in part because of these restrictions. Eli Lilly however says that in clinical trials, orforglipron was taken once a day at any time, without restrictions on food or water.