Jon Magnus Haga

Prevention of chemical violence in Syria

Chemical warfare agents are developed purposefully reckless and blind mass violence. Technology and medical science is misused to destroy and terrorize communities. A series of nerve gas attacks in Syria in spring and summer of 2013 demonstrated the capacity and willingness of chemical violence in conflict. In accordance with the decision of the UN Security Council (1) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) (2) supported the military in autumn 2013 and spring 2014 closure of Syrias chemical weapons program. Through the international operation Joint Passage / Removal of Chemical Agents from Syria (RECSYR) led the defense of extracting chemicals from Syria and thus to prevent future chemical violence in the country. In the spring of 2014, I served as a doctor in surgery RECSYR. I built up a naval medical emergency at KV Andenes, escort vessels for shipment of chemicals from Syria. Preparedness was established and designed to meet the special health challenges related to the handling and shipment of hazardous chemicals from a country in civil war. Language: no

Coercion in the service of society

It was night-time, and I was on duty in a small municipality along the E6 motorway. Standing in front of me were two police officers with a tight hold on a man. The man had been brought in for erratic driving, and the officers wanted him to be examined by a doctor. The man was unwilling, but the police had their warrant in order. A quarrel ensued before the patient agreed to be examined. While the police looked on, I drew two small vials of blood and noted how the patient staggered in an uneven line across the floor. In the aftermath, doubt crept into my mind: Was it ethical of me to take part in this?

Hjertestans i toppidrett er vanskelig å forutsi

En registerstudie som nylig er publisert i New England Journal of Medicine, omhandler hjertestans hos kanadiske idrettsutøvere som deltok i organisert konkurranseidrett i årene 2009–14 (1). Det ble registrert 0,76 tilfeller av hjertestans per 100 000 idrettsutøvere per år. Påvisbar strukturell hjertefeil var årsak til hjertestans i kun få av tilfellene. Litt under halvparten av dem som fikk hjertestans overlevde.

Bedre forebygging av diabetisk nyresykdom

I en nylig publisert studie ble om lag 10 000 pasienter med type 2-diabetes randomisert til å motta vanlig diabetesbehandling med tillegg av liraglutid eller placebo og fulgt opp i 3,5–5 år (1). Som mål på nyresviktutvikling hadde forfatterne laget et skåringsverktøy som omfattet makroalbuminuri, serum-kreatininnivå, dialysebehov og nyrerelatert død. Liraglutidbehandling førte til en signifikant reduksjon i nyresviktutvikling (hasardratio 0,78; 95 % KI 0,67–0,92), og reduksjonen var særlig knyttet til lavere forekomst av makroalbuminuri.

The sea route to Europe – a Mediterranean massacre.

In summer 2015 I served as a ship’s doctor on the vessel MS Siem Pilot, assisting in the search and rescue of migrants left helpless in the southern Mediterranean. I have previously shared my experiences of medical work in Afghanistan (1, 2) and Syria (3) in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association. The tragedy now unfolding in the Mediterranean has left an even deeper impression on me than my previous experiences.