The Health Ministry announced overnight that nine new Tannourine mineral water samples taken from the Lebanese market have tested free of bacteria.

The Ministry however noted that it is yet to receive the results of tests conducted on water samples taken from the company’s production line.

Nine Tannourine Mineral Water samples sent to the state-run Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute have tested free of bacteria and authorities are awaiting results from the state-run Industrial Research Institute and the American University of Beirut in order to take the appropriate decision, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani said on Thursday.

The Health Ministry had on Monday suspended Tannourine and ordered its products pulled from shelves after samples tested positive for the pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said Wednesday that the Tannourine Mineral Water company has been suspended for “purely technical” reasons, lamenting the politicization of the file.

In remarks to LBCI television, Nassereddine clarified that the Ministry’s Epidemiological Surveillance team had received a complaint alleging the presence of contamination in Tannourine’s bottled water.

The Tannourine Mineral Water company on Tuesday stressed that its bottled water meets the country’s health and safety standards, after the Health Ministry ordered its suspension and the removal of its products from the market over a detected bacteria.

“The sample that was relied on was not collected according to the applicable norms,” Tannourine’s CEO said at a press conference, noting that the sample was taken in the absence of any company representative and that the related test that was conducted makes the results inaccurate and invalid.

The Health Ministry on Monday suspended the operations of the Tannourine Mineral Water company, ordering that its water bottles be pulled from the market due to their contamination with the pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

The UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and the Embassy of Japan, launched the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Program from the Green Demonstration Room at the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) in Jounieh.

The multi-faceted program is designed to support students and teachers affected by multiple crises, addressing the urgent need to ensure a safe learning environment by promoting mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, fostering resilience, and ensuring the continuity of learning in Lebanese schools even at the most difficult times.

The American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) was awarded the Gold Initiative Certificate – Star of Excellence in Patient Experience, receiving a prestigious five-star ranking from the Arab Hospitals Federation. The announcement was made during the official ceremony held at the Conrad Abu Dhabi – Etihad Towers, under the High Patronage and in the presence of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates.

Among all winners, AUBMC stood out as the only hospital to achieve an unprecedented performance of six platinum recognitions and three gold recognitions across the nine categories evaluated, setting it apart as a regional leader in patient-centered excellence.

Chinese authorities have taken measures this week to try to curb the spread of chikungunya, a virus that often causes fever and joint pain. As of Wednesday, the government reported there had been more than 7,000 cases, mostly in the southern manufacturing hub of Foshan.

Here's what to know about chikungunya:

The European Medicines Agency has recommended authorizing a twice-yearly injectable drug aimed at preventing HIV, which scientists say could help end the virus' transmission.

In a statement on Friday, the EU drug regulator said its evaluations of lenacapavir, sold as Yeytuo in Europe by Gilead Sciences, showed the drug is "highly effective" and "considered to be of major public health interest." Once the regulator's guidance is accepted by the European Commission, the authorization is valid in all 27 EU member countries as well as Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

Two university hospitals are pioneering new ways to expand lifesaving heart transplants for adults and babies — advances that could help recover would-be heart donations that too often go unused.

The new research aims to overcome barriers for using organs from someone who dies when their heart stops. Called DCD, or donation after circulatory death, it involves a controversial recovery technique or the use of expensive machines.