Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

Politics and Policies:

• U.S. task force has issued blood pressure guidelines.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives less-expensive option, approves first generation versions of Plavix (blood thinners).
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered forbidding the state dental board to restrict non-dentists from the teeth whitening services in Richmond, Va. According to AMA this decision might change medical practice regulation.
• U.S. says Medicaid overpaid $ 700 M to New York State.
• Missouri legislators have agreed to compromise on the debate over insurance coverage of contraception, abortion and sterilization.
• The FDA advisory committees have endorsed two new HIV drugs and an arthritis drug.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services has announced a two-year pay boost for the primary care physicians who treat Medicaid patients.
• According to the guidelines released on Wednesday, states should submit  details to the Federal government by November 16^th on how they will run online insurance market places.
• The ESC guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure developed by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in collaboration with the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC was launched at the Heart Failure Congress 2012, 19-22 May, in Belgrade, Serbia. These are published in the European Heart Journal.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CIFA) is warning the public not to consume the Gills Onion brand Fresh Diced Red Onions because the product might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
• As a part of e-health initiatives to improve primary health services in rural and underdeveloped areas, the union health ministry of India has given Rs 18.878 crore to states to facilitate establishment of Telemedicine network.

Programs

• The Parsons Foundation gives $5million to fight HIV/AIDS in Arizona.
• UAE school children to learn the benefits of milk in a month-long nationwide campaign. It will target first-grade students.
• The CMS innovation center awarded 26 grants to a variety of healthcare organizations. The purpose is to improve the healthcare delivery.
• The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) disclosed that its Philippines office has raised $28.5 M funds in the year till date. This money will be used to promote reproductive and maternal health- one of the country’s Millennium Development Goals.

Research

• According to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, people who have bachelor’s degree or higher live about nine years longer than those who don’t graduate from the high school.
• Besides urinary tract health benefits, a new study confirmed Cranberry’s benefits in boosting body’s immunity. The study also showed that consuming its juice significantly increased the levels of an important antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD).
• A study indicates that the artificial sweeteners might cause inflammatory bowel disease.  They contain saccharin and sucralose which decrease the gut bacteria and weaken and destroy the gut barrier.
• A research study found genes which connect football, military and Alzheimer’s disease together.
• Chilean berry (maqui berry) extract might help to fight type-2 diabetes. The study shows that the anthocyanin’s- delphinidin 3-sambobioside-5-glucoside (D3S5G)-demonstrated insulin-like effects in muscles and liver cells in mice.
• A study demonstrates the long-term effectiveness of a classroom-based prevention program targeting teen drug use. This study tracked teens that participated in the Bolvin Life Skills Training (LST) program as 7^th graders and found that their participation in this program produced long lasting reduction in drug use 12 years later.
• A study reveals that the healthcare law would save consumers nearly $300 per year. The research says that the saving will be even greater for the people between ages of 55 and 64.
• According to a new governmental analysis, the foods which come under category of non-healthy food are more costly than the healthy food.
• According to an 18-month long study conducted by the Rand Corp, about 96% of restaurant entrees exceed United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) limits for calories, sodium, fat and saturated fat.
• Healthy dieting in pregnancy may be helpful. Study reveals that up to 40% of women gain more than the recommended weight during pregnancy. This excess weight is associated with a number of problems.
• According to a study, mental distraction can help in relieving pain. The findings show that this isn’t just a mental process, but also physical mechanism that reduces the amount of pain signals travelling from the spinal cord to the brain.
• An analysis done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reveal the rate of current cigarette use among the U.S. teens decreased from nearly 12 percent in 2004 to about 8 percent in 2010.
• A study indicates a possible risk between certain sunscreens use and chances of development of endometriosis. The chemicals known as benzophenone-type UV filters not only protect the skin from UV rays but they are easily absorbed into the blood stream and mimic the effects of the female hormone estrogen.
• A study examining the sleeping behaviors of the parents whose children suffer from epilepsy say that they often lose sleep over child’s epilepsy.
• A new U.S. study finds that government workplace safety inspections reduce on-the-job injuries and related costs without hurting company profits.
• A study done on mice show that though it’s important what we eat but also when we eat. The scientists suggest eating too many hours a day may also contribute to obesity.
• Harvard university researchers say that the bad fat may affect brain memory.

 

Diseases & Disasters

• A moderate earthquake rattled an area in east Texas on May 17^th. It had a magnitude of 4.3.
• A maginitude-6.2 earthquake shook down walls and knocked out electricity in parts of far-northern Chile on Monday, May 14^th, 2012.
• Cluster of Influenza A cases in Castle Peak Hospital in Hong Kong.
• Kenya is facing BCG vaccine shortage.
• The water supply to tens of thousands of households near Tokyo was cut off on Saturday after local checks found it was contaminated with cancer causing chemical- Formaldehyde. A contamination of 0.2000 milligrams of formaldehyde per liter – more than two times the 0.80 milligram national limit- was detected.

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

• World Earth Day was celebrated on April 22^nd.
• World Primary Immunodeficiency week is celebrated from April 22- 29^th, 2012.

Politics and Policies

• The Ministry of Health (Angola) with World Bank and Total E&P Angola has launched a project for the Reinforcement of Municipal Health Services. It aims to contribute to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality rate in the country.
• American Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d’lviore, has sponsored the project launched by the Ministry of Health – HIV/AIDS hotline- to enable the public- especially the youth-to get information about the disease.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new guidelines for couples in which one partner is HIV positive and the other is not. The guidelines for so-called “discordant” couples are being praised by UNAID, Doctors without Borders and others.
• Federal health officials endorsed a decision by their advisor to let publication of two controversial bird flu studies to prepare the world against a possible deadly pandemic.
• Indonesian tobacco companies will be forced by the government to place photos of horrific health problems caused by smoking on ever pack and advisers will be banned from showing cigarettes under a planned governmental regulation.

Programs

• Jeffrey Model Foundation joins 20 countries to Launch World Primary Immunodeficiency Week from April 22- 29. The campaign focuses on early diagnosis and access to appropriate treatment, through public awareness and physician education.
• Eurostat Press Office has released Health in the EU27 in 2010. According to it, at the age of 65, both men and women in the member states are expected to live a further 9 years in a healthy condition.
• Edo (state in Nigeria) receives N1.8 Billion cervical cancer vaccines from an international donor agency. The vaccines will be administered to the girl’s ages between 9 and 13 years in the state.
• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that obesity and diet related illness could emerge as major challenges for Europe and Central Asia while hunger will only be a minor problem.
• Latest findings in Breastfeeding Science presented at Medela’s 7^th international breastfeeding and lactation symposium in Vienna, Austria on April 20-21, 2012. Presentations include insights into the unique properties of human milk, breastfeeding and medication, and stem cells in human milk.

Research

• Scientists of University of Edinburgh have found a key protein which is common to many potentially fatal forms of malaria. It could help to develop vaccines or drugs against life-threatening cases of the infection.
• A study by U.S. National Institute on Aging showed that more daily exercises, even doing housework can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This prospective, observational cohort study involved 716 participants without dementia who participated in the Rush Memory and Aging Project.
• A survey has revealed the misuse of pesticides, some of them banned, in northern Ghana is affecting the health of the farmers, sometimes with fatal consequences, and contaminating the crops.
• A research study shows Ayurvedic cure of HIV/ AIDS might be possible by the Neem tree.
• A study suggests second-generation drug used for hypertension aids heart function independent of blood pressure effect.
• A study done by the Japanese scientists raise hope for treatment of baldness.
• Report shows a link between money, education and life expectancy.
• University of Illinois researchers have shown how soy protein could significantly reduce fat accumulation and triglycerides in the livers of obese patients by partially restoring the function of a key signaling pathway in the organ.
• An Irish medical study confirms swine flu jab caused increased narcolepsy among those with age groups between five to nineteen years. International experts suggest a number of factors might have contributed to this increased risk.
• Discovery of a yeast prion which helps cells to survive.
• A study published in the journal Biofabrication, describes a new method for making medical devices called nerve guidance conduits or NGC’s which may help severely damaged nerves to regrow and restore function.
• Neuroscientists have discovered key protein responsible for controlling nerve cell protection. It is responsible for controlling the chemical process which reduce or enhance protection mechanism for nerve cells in the brain.
• The researchers at Columbia Medical Center have identified a molecular pathway that controls the retention and release of the brain’s stem cells- ‘Housekeeping’ mechanism.
• A team of scientists have shown that the vessels grown from donor cells are good and natural alternative to synthetic vessels. Animal trials have shown promising results.

Diseases and Disasters

• Earthquake in Chile. Two people died of heart attack.
• Mexico’s Popo volcano throws glowing rocks. Residents of the semirural communities near the volcano have reported hearing hours of ‘low-pitched roaring’.
• About 14 students in Bangladesh have been reported suffering from H1N1.
• In Sri Lanka, dengue fever killed 38, infects 10,000 in a few months.
• A mystery skin disease killed 19 in Vietnam. Officials seeking international assistance on this issue.

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

• April is Oral Health Awareness Month.

Politics and Policies:

• Canadian government looks to slash $377 million in foreign aid (for food and other services) to twelve of the world’s poorest countries over the next three years.
• Alaska’s state Rep. Wes Keller will let autism insurance bill pass.
• Alaska’s senate passes retirement system bill- offering state workers choice of retirement systems.
• Texas board approves rules on use of stem cells.
• States seek curb on patient bills for costly drugs.

Programs

• A United Nations (UN) backed campaign aims to vaccinate more than 111 million children against polio in 20 African countries in just four days.
• The Sadc HIV and Aids Fund has donated US $5000,000 to coordinate a pilot project that focuses on capacity building for communities to handle issues related to the HIV pandemic in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana.
• An FDA (Food and Drug Administration) panel has unanimously recommended approval of what would become the first ultrasound devise in the U.S. approved for breast cancer screening. It is called U-Systems’ somo•v® Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) system.
• The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will devote 60 million US dollars to renovate/ build 65 health centers around Ethiopia. This project supports Ethiopia’s Accelerated Expansion of Primary Health Service Coverage program which aims to increase the number of health centers around the country in order to have one health center for 25,000 people.
• Horn of Africa Emergency Health and Nutrition Project is delivering emergency health and nutrition services to refugees in the Horn of Africa and is supporting refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. The international development Association (IDA) grant supports this program of health, nutrition, and water and sanitation service delivery.
• The 12^th International Conference about African and Afro-American culture was held on April 16 in Cuba.  Its main attraction was the symposium about medicine and culture
• The government of the Gambia in collaboration with African Development Bank and Africa Water Facility (AWF) has launched two sister projects of the National Water Sector Reform (NWSR) and Rural Water Supply Sanitation (RWSS) projects respectively, valued at US $10million, at the Coca Ocean Resort and Spar in Bijilo.
• The Ghana Health Service has introduced two new vaccines for the cure and treatment of pneumonia and diarrhea in children.
• Nairobi has been selected as the Kenya’s headquarter of the Global Plan for Elimination of HIV among Children and Keeping their Mother Alive.
• The World Bank Board has approved financing of US$150 million for the Nigeria State Health Investment Project. Nigeria will also receive a US $21.5 million grant from the Health Results Innovation Trust Fund, supported by the UK’s Department for International Development and the Government of Norway.
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Diego has announced that it will give $1.2 million to 19 local breast health organizations.
• The World Bank has approved, on the behalf of a global trust fund, a grant of $3.6 million to increase access to affordable maternal health services for the low-income families living in the Eastern Visayas region (Philippines).
• The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a grant of $40million for the development of the Bangladesh health sector.
• The Tripura Government (in India) has launched an ambitious program to make its capital Agartala a Hepatitis free city, considering northeastern India’s vulnerability to this highly contagious disease.
• Haiti launches anti-cholera vaccination campaign.

 Research

• Studies have revealed that aristolochic acid (AA) leads to kidney failure and upper urinary tract cancer (UUC) in individuals exposed to them. AA is found in some plant species that have been used in herbal medicine for centuries.
• According to recent study dental amalgam is linked to environmental concerns and indirect health risks. About 50 percent of mercury entering local waste treatment plants comes from dental amalgam wastes. Once it gets deposited certain microorganisms can change elemental mercury to methyl mercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish.
• Austrian scientists at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research have found that overproduction of a growth hormone can cause liver cancer. The signaling molecule known as STAT 5 is involved in development of liver cancer due to the overproduction of growth hormone.
• According to a study extracts from the spice turmeric, may help to prevent the people from heart attacks who had undergone a recent bypass surgery. This spice is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• A study published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition reported that eating nuts result in higher levels of good cholesterol (HDL, high-density lipoprotein) and lower levels of C-reactive protein which can trigger chronic diseases including heart disease.
• Researchers have uncovered thirty-two previously unidentified genetic regions associated with osteoporosis and fracture. Variations in the DNA sequences in these regions confer either risk or protection from the bone-weakening disease.
• Studies reveal that high fat diets like the Atkins diet and the Western diet promote colon cancer growth and metastasis.
• Study shows dental sealants effective in adults as well in preventing caries.
• A study concludes that the diets with low carbohydrate prone people towards the risk of developing type-2 diabetes.
• A research involving X-ray crystallography offers new clues on how cancer or Alzheimer’s disease might develop.
• SMARTer Prostrate Cancer treatment (bloodless prostrate surgery with no incisions) successful in treating the disease and ensuring quality of life after prostate cancer.
• A new compound has been reported to prevent the spread of brain cancer in animals.

Diseases & Disasters

• Tornados in mid-west US.
• Earthquake with tsunami warning in parts of India (Tamil Nadu).
• Raw Yellowfin Tuna product associated with Salmonella Bareilly outbreak recalled.

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

Politics and Policies:

• Ban placed on the sale of ‘synthetic marijuana’ in New York (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/30/ban-placed-on-sell-synthetic-marijuana-in-new-york/ ).
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejects petition to ban BPA, a chemical found in food packaging including plastic bottles and canned food (Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57407289-10391704/fda-rejects-petition-to-ban-bpa-in-food-packaging/ ).

Programs

• The United Nations and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPD) agency have partnered together to advance sustainable responses to HIV/ AIDS, health and development across the continent (Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41655&Cr=HIV/AIDS&Cr1=).

Research

• A study indicates that pregnancy and hormonal changes that continue 12 weeks after giving birth increases women’s risk of heart attack (Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-heart-pregnancy-idUSBRE82O0FZ20120325 ).
• The findings of a research presented at American Chemical Society meeting at San Diego shows that the popcorn has antioxidants (Source: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/story/2012-03-25/Popcorn-packed-with-antioxidants-hidden-health-benefits/53777198/1 ).
• A research indicates a risk of the spread of Flu pandemic during the London Olympics (Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/new-research-warns-of-olympics-flu-pandemic-risk-7606577.html )
• According to a team at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) , an antidepressant together with a drug derived from Vitamin A can be used to treat an adult form of leukemia- acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312003050.htm ).
• According to a study there is a link between the genetic variants  in an area of genome and risk of developing Podoconiosis (Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/03/28/podoconiosis-genes-idINDEE82R0I920120328 )
• A research indicates that HIV super infection may help to develop vaccines against this deadly infection (Source: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/03/29/superinfected-patients-give-clues-to-fighting-hiv ).
• Researchers at University of Melbourne have identified a mutation linked to breast cancer attached to the newly identified gene called XRCC2 (Source: http://www.smh.com.au/national/new-breast-cancer-gene-discovered-20120330-1w1xt.html ).
• Finnish researchers have found that the children vaccinated with the pandemic H1N1 swine flu shot were 13 times more likely to develop narcolepsy, a condition characterized  by excessive sleepiness, even during the day time (Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/swine-flu-shot-may-hasten-sleeping-disorder_16290.html ).
• A study shows that those patients, who had surgery to remove a gastrointestinal stromal tumor and have a high risk of cancer recurrence, have improved survival rates when they undergo treatment with anticancer drugs (Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_123476.html ).
• Researchers have found that a commonly used drug Metformin, for treatment of type II Diabetes may help to prevent liver cancer (Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Diabetes-drug-may-help-prevent-liver-cancer/articleshow/12491050.cms ).
• The researchers at Lund University, Sweden are working to make the vaccines available in the market in five years, which will target the build-up of fatty deposits in arteries (plaques) to prevent heart attacks (Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/vaccines-for-heart-attacks-to-be-ready-within-5-years_16333.html ).
• Researchers show how vitamin D slows the growth of prostate cancer. These supplements lower levels of a key protein called Ki67 (Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/researchers-uncover-how-vitamin-d-slows-prostate-cancer ).
• Depression is linked with sleep breathing disorder. Women with sleep apnea have 5.2 times more chances of developing depression (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/30/depression-linked-with-sleep-breathing-problems-study-finds/ ).
• The researchers at University of Sydney through their study indicate that people who sit for a longer time have a shorter life span (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/30/too-much-sitting-linked-to-shortened-lives/ ).
• A survey by the researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore and John Hopkins University, finds 63% of children with autism are bullied (Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57406540/survey-finds-63-of-children-with-autism-bullied/ ).

Diseases & Disasters

• An explosion at Evonik Degussa chemical plant in the west town of Mari (Germany) has killed one person. Residents were asked to stay indoors with their door closed (Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5giWW7i_NwjgXDhsZFMKd0LRjl6dQ?docId=CNG.65605d82f9e8f0788a078c1a4655b4de.171 ).
• An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck central Chile on Sunday night (Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jsZz0L80EJKEWngc0ohu3woJDhPA?docId=97f8310de8f24dd48602b01296ea290b ).
• The deadliest form of malaria on rise in Banke district of Nepal. Fifteen people have already been detected with the plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax (Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Malaria+on+rise+in+Nepalgunj&NewsID=325903 ).
• Fentanyl, a synthetic form of heroin causes overdose boom in Estonia (Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17524945 ).
• Washoe County health officials have reported 30 cases of childhood illness of hand, foot and mouth disease (Source:  http://www.examiner.com/infectious-disease-in-national/washoe-county-health-officials-report-30-cases-of-hfmd ).
• Cholera grips Haiti (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/world/americas/haitis-cholera-outraced-the-experts-and-tainted-the-un.html?ref=todayspaper )

 

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

• World TB day celebrated on 24^th March, 2012 (Source: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_tb_day/en/index.html )
• World Water day was observed on March 22^nd, 2012 (Source: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/03/world_water_day_2012.html ).

Politics and Policies:

• The Governor of Washington has signed a bill into law, setting rules for insurers preparing for the state’s online insurance exchange (Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Governor-signs-insurance-exchange-bill-into-law-3430993.php ).
• The World Health Organization (WHO) designated an office of Singapore’s water agency Public Utilities Board (PUB) as a collaborating center for safe drinking water management and integrated urban water management (Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-03/22/c_131483664.htm ).
• The Republican-controlled House has passed a bill to abolish a Medicare cost control board created by the new health care law (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/us/politics/house-votes-to-kill-a-medicare-cost-control-board.html?ref=policy ).

Programs

• The World Health Organization (WHO) will grant $1 million to Ukraine for the procurement of anti-tuberculosis medicines (Source: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/124752/ ).
• To push for accelerated progress in improving maternal, sexual and reproductive health for girls and women, a three day Women Deliver Regional Consultation will be held from March 27-28 in Kampala, Uganda (Source: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/health/artikel.php?ID=233567 ).

Research

• According to a study breast cancer relapse is more common in obese females (Source: http://www.lfpress.com/life/healthandfitness/2012/03/23/19541656.html ).
• A study indicates that the women recovering from breast cancer have safe and beneficial pregnancy (Source: http://www.lifesite.net/news/new-study-says-pregnancy-is-safe-even-beneficial-for-women-recovering-from ).
• In a study the scientists proved that breast cancer test can predict survival rate and aid in treatment (Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/03/22/breast-cancer-test-predicts-survival-rate-treatment_n_1372186.html ).
• A research shows a link between poor dental hygiene behaviors and risk of developing endocarditis (Source: http://www.banglanews24.com/English/detailsnews.php?nssl=67777aed059b79871ae1be572bcd107c&nttl=2012032236313 ).
• A study done in Finland show that people who lived alone bought more anti-depressants (Source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20120323/9355/depression-living-alone-mental-health-family.htm ).
• Eating more blueberries, apples and pears may be linked to lower risk of diabetes (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/19/blueberries-and-apples-tied-to-lower-diabetes-risk/ ).
• A recent study rejects the previously thought association of prostate cancer risk with variants of geneTP₅₃AIP₁ (Source: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0034128 ).
• Scientists reveal that patients with a greater number of oligomers in the cerebrospinal fluid have a more pronounced Alzheimer’s disease (Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com/11394/scientist-find-link-between-protein-and-alzheimers ).
• Eating cadmium in food might augment the threat for breast cancer (Source: http://www.healblog.net/toxin-in-foods-augment-breast-cancer-likelihood ).
• Scientists have found that ultrasound is a new and better way to remove breast cancer tumors (Source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/health-news/2012/03/24/new-method-to-remove-breast-cancer-tumours-simple-safe-and-effective-86908-23800122/ ).
• In a randomized controlled trial, the scientists have proved that Zymaderm is an effective treatment for Molluscum contagiosum (Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9316545.htm ).
• Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious disease have reported two well-known cancer drugs – Gleevec and Tasigna- that prevented Ebola virus from replicating in a lab colony of human kidney cells (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/health/advances-suggest-possible-cures-for-ebola-and-marburg-virus.html?_r=1&ref=policy ).
• A study finds a different way of removing placenta during the child birth to prevent women from dying due to postpartum hemorrhage (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/health/study-says-umbilical-cord-shouldnt-be-pulled-during-labor.html?ref=policy ).
• In a long-term study, the researchers have found that the rate of cognitive decline in older patients is more than doubled after a hospital stay (Source: http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/after-hospitalization-mental-trouble-for-elderly-patients/?ref=policy ).

 Diseases & Disasters

• Swine Flu hits India, kills 14 people (Source: http://health.india.com/news/india-swine-flu-h1n1-update-14-dead-over-150-cases/ ).
• A 7.4- magnitude earthquake struck Mexico on March 20, between Acapulco and Oaxaca (Source: http://abcnews.go.com/International/magnitude-74-earthquake-shakes-mexico/story?id=15963259 ).
• Lyme disease spreading in Canada (Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=lyme-disease-pushes-northwards ).
• The top 10 list compiled from the Rhode Island Department of Labor indicates asbestos-related occupations are the deadliest jobs here (Source: http://www.asbestos.com/news/2012/03/23/asbestos-occupations-on-rhode-islands-deadliest-jobs/ ).

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

 

Politics and Policies:

 

• Announcement of end of death sentence in Oregon puts lethal injection drugs back on market (http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/oregons-governor-puts-lethal-injection-drugs-back-on-the-market/250835/ ).
• World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the strategy adopted by six Gulf States (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) to prevent and control non communicable diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases responsible for more than 60% deaths in these countries (Source: http://www.who.int/en/ ).
• Medicaid budget deficit of $220 million faced by Maine (Source: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/01/02/gvsd0106.htm ).
• Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues has called for improvements to protect the patients participating in federally funded scientific study to avoid harm and their unethical treatment (Source: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/01/02/prsd0105.htm ).

 

Programs

 

• Vodafone through its World of Difference project is working to      reduce sanitation related diseases among the people of Kaleo community in      Ghana. It is an eight week project aimed to increase the environmental and      personal cleanliness (Source: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/regional/artikel.php?ID=227206).
• A walk was organized by Parkway Cancer Center in Singapore raise      colorectal cancer (most common cancer in Singapore) awareness among the      people (Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1175493/1/.html).
• The Sri Lankan Government currently drafting a national Dengue      Prevention Act which is due to become law in mid-2012. The Health      ministry’s epidemiology unit has announced the action against Dengue      beginning to pay off (Source: http://www.asianscientist.com/features/sri-lanka-national-dengue-prevention-act-2012/).

 

Research

 

• Gene      responsible for lung cancer identified for the first time by the      scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) under the Agency for      Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) and Dr Elaine Lim, medical      oncologist affiliated with Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and National      Cancer Center Singapore (NCCS) (Source: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20120801-22975.html      ).
• First Phase      of clinical trial of fully human monoclonal antibody against VEGF-C,      VGX-100 has been started by Circadian Technologies Limited aimed at      treating cancer (Source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/08/4171873/circadian-commences-first-phase.html      ).
• Study has      been started by the Australian researchers into a drug to manage      withdrawal of Cannabis (Source: http://www.skynews.com.au/health/article.aspx?id=705320&vId=      ).
• Researchers      at University of Nottingham found a link between the growth of an embryo      during early stages of pregnancy and risk of miscarriage. They discovered      that poor growth in first 12 weeks of pregnancy is a good predictor of      miscarriage (Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16441820).
• Trails are      going for a radioactive cream for treatment of benign skin cancer (Source:      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8961988/Radioactive-cream-used-to-treat-skin-cancer.html      ).

 

• Drug abuse highest in richest nations, according to a study published in The Lancet (Source: http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/hsn/global-study-finds-drug-abuse-highest-in-richer-nations ).

 

• Australian      University installs world’s first super resolution microscope to see      infectious disease in super resolution video (Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/Super-Resolution-Microscope-Helps-Australia-Fight-Disease-136801848.html      ).
• Coffee has      more beneficial effects on health as compared to soft drinks and energy      drinks. It reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/124897/effects-of-coffee-on-health  ).
• Chinese      crunch Human Genome with videogame chips. They need just six hours to analyze      data describing human genome (Source: http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/01/genomes-and-gpus/      ).

 

Diseases & Disasters

 

• An earthquake of 7.3-magnitude quake struck 260 miles (420 kilometers) off the coast of Aceh province of Indonesia (Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-01-10/indonesia-earthquake-coast/52482024/1 ).
• Totally drug resistant Tuberculosis (TB) cases detected in India. Of the twelve people detected with this deadly bacterium one person has already died (Sources: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_first-cases-of-totally-drug-resistant-tb-in-india-one-dead_1634439 , http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-deadlier-form-of-TB-hits-India/articleshow/11396410.cms ).
• A 39-year-old man in China died of bird flu. He was tested positive for the H5N1 virus and died of multiple organ failure (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/03/return-bird-flu-chinese-man-dies/ ).
•  Measles on rise in Western Europe (Source: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/health/news/article_1684514.php/Measles-parties-are-a-hazardous-route-to-immunity).
• New vaccine for Hepatitis C has been developed by the scientists from the Oxford University, the University of Birmingham and an Italian biotech company. The professionals at Oxford University reported the efficacy of vaccine was yielded positive during the first clinical trial (Source: http://www.healthjockey.com/2012/01/05/new-vaccine-for-hepatitis-c-underway/#).

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

From December 4 to 10, the US Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) celebrated National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW). It was an effort to spread the message of the importance of continuing flu vaccination through the holiday season and beyond. (Source: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/FightTheFlu/?s_cid=fb1293)

On December 10, 2011, Human Rights Day was observed . (Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/2011/index.shtml)

Politics and Policies

• President Obama approved the decision to limit the morning after pill. His administration overruled the decision to make this pill available over the counter for the girls aged 17 years or younger.  (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/us/obama-backs-aides-stance-on-morning-after-pill.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=policy&adxnnlx=1323604933-CM1yLsRFtM9NYMVPd6JSJA)
• Payroll tax package released by the Republicans would delay for the next two years , 27.4% payment cut for the doctors who accept / are paid via the Medicare plan. (Source: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/198389-house-gop-introduces-payroll-tax-package?page=2#comments  and http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-kbpjjkZz4s9rbfbxxs2LOwTH-w?docId=46892985f4614d5399a9c6540c119fa0)

Programs

• At the 16^th International Conference on HIV/AIDS and STIs, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced  “Rapid Advice” document that presents a guidance on the diagnosis, prevention and management of cryptococcal disease in HIV-infected adults, adolescents and children, with a focus on settings with limited health systems capacity and resources, and a high burden of the disease. It will be officially launched in March 2012. (Source: http://www.panapress.com/WHO-gives-guidelines-on-cryptococcus-disease—15-809357-29-lang2-index.html)
• The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new vaccine “MenAfriVac” for the elimination of a deadly group A meningitis strain. It will be introduced by Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad who are in “Meningitis belt.” (Source: http://www.afriquejet.com/meningitis-vaccine-nigeria-cameroon-chad-to-use-new-meningitis-vaccine-2011121029299.html)
• The United Nations (UN) sanctioned $6 million fund to alleviate the sufferings of people from food shortages in Niger. (Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40645&Cr=+niger+&Cr1=)
• The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced funding of $14.5 million for school based clinics. (Source: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2011/December/09/hhs-school-grants.aspx)
• A five day campaign against polio has been launched by Congolese Minister of Health and Population. (Source: http://www.afriquejet.com/campaign-polio-congo-2011120929262.html)

Research

• Satellite images used to track diseases by the Princeton researchers. (Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-57340232-247/princeton-researchers-use-satellite-images-to-track-disease/)
• Research by University of California, San Diego shows a link between high starch diet and the recurrence of breast cancer. (Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2072000/White-bread-pasta-rich-diet-increases-risk-breast-cancer-returning.html)
• An inherited mutated gene from father can lead to the development of cancer of breast in women. (Source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/national_world/2011/12/10/dads-genes-can-speed-cancer.html)
• Abortion not related to risk of development of mental illness. (Source: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/womenshealth/story/2011-12-09/Study-Abortion-doesnt-raise-mental-illness-risk/51762674/1)
• A research study published in Journal of Sexual Medicine states that women may be able to smell men with sexually transmitted disease (STIs). (Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/men-stds-give-unpleasant-smell-women-study-found-gonorrhea-infected-men-putrid-article-1.989292)
• Gene therapy is the new treatment of patients with various hematological disorders. It involves replacing the defective gene with the intact version. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/health/research/hemophilia-b-gene-therapy-breakthrough.html)
• The MRI scans used to understand the brain damage caused by Cerebral Malaria by a researcher of Michigan State University. (Source: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20111209/MSU-researcher-uses-MRI-to-unlock-how-cerebral-malaria-damages-brain.aspx)

Diseases and Disasters

• An earthquake of intensity 5.8 had hit Ryukyu Islands of Japan on Sunday December 11, 2011 at 10:22:44 AM. (Source: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc000753q.php#details)
• Fire at the Advanced Medical Research Institute hospital in Kolkata, India lead to the death of 92 people. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/10/world/india-hospital-fire-kolkata-west-bengal.html)
• The United Nation (UN) issued a child malnutrition warning for Africa’s Sahel region. (Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40687&Cr=sahel&Cr1=)
• First West Nile Virus case confirmed in the Palm Beach County, Florida. Public asked to take precautions. (Source: http://www.disasternews.net/news/article.php?articleid=4364)
• Brazil develops a new formula for the pediatric patients for Chagas disease treatment. (Source: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20111209/New-pediatric-formula-for-Chagas-disease-treatment-developed-in-Brazil.aspx)
• In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced a new regimen for latent tuberculosis infection. It is an effective treatment which involves just one-third time of the current therapy. (Source: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20111209/Shorter-effective-treatment-for-latent-TB-infection.aspx)

These headlines were compiled by Vani Nanda, MPH Candidate at West Chester University PA.

Global Health News Last Week

September 5 was Labor Day.

POLITICS AND POLICY

• The State Department has announced the official US Delegation to the UN High Level Meeting on NCDs, which will take place September 19-20.
• Access to affordable lifesaving medicines will be threatened where they are needed most—in parts of the developing world—if the U.S.insists on implementing restrictive intellectual property policies in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, says Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).
• Sarah Boseley shares the great news that Kenya has officially made female genital mutilation illegal.
• A federal appeals court in Virginia has dismissed two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
• United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon singled out sustainable development as the top issue facing the planet with the world’s seven billionth person expected to be born next month. Key to this was climate change, and he said time was running out with the population set to explode this century.
• Thousands of proposed cuts in the US Congress could lead to significant cuts to USAID.
• The Philippines reproductive health bill is still making its way through the senate.  Meanwhile, 7 villages in Bataan, the Philippines have banned “artificial contraception” amid national debate over the bill.
• A report co-authored by an Australian academic highlights the need for healthy ecosystems as the basis for sustainable water resources and stable food security for people around the world.

PROGRAMS

• Sometime this fall, the world’s population will reach 7 billion people. Experts now forecast that by 2050, the population could be 10 billion. Some say those numbers should force policy makers to focus more intently on making family planning much more widely available in the developing world.
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has put together a one day conference bringing together innovators and health workers to share ideas about ways to more easily deliver interventions.
• It has been commonly held that insecticide treated bed nets reduce the rate of malaria for people who use them. Now there is hard evidence to back up that assumption.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONS

• A new study shows that less than three doses of the vaccine against cervical cancer can effectively protect women in the developing world where 80% of global deaths due to cervical cancer take place.
• Only three African countries are on track to achieve MGD 5, according to an African Institute for Development Policy study.
• Most efforts in the Western world seeking to find solutions for developing world problems tend to think of inventing new technologies or, at least, using the tools we typically use to fix things — modern drugs for diseases, improved seeds for crops, a better mousetrap. Sometimes, all you need is a newly geared donkey. 
• Scientists may have developed a new TB vaccine after tests showed the elimination of TB from infected tissue in mice.
• A socially active lifestyle can dramatically speed up weight loss through the burning of fat in mice, a study shows. Researchers at Ohio State University in the US identified a link between the amount of social interaction in a mouse’s environment and its weight.
• An easy-to-use diagnostic chip for HIV could “give results in minutes” and be a game changer in the field of cheap diagnostics for remote regions, claim the researchers who developed it.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

• Having to contend with U.S.army drones and the crossfire between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, the residents of Pakistan’s tribal areas find access to treatment for HIV/AIDS harder than in most other parts of the world.
• Three-quarters of a million people are facing death by starvation in Somalia according the United Nations, who declared Monday that famine had spread to a sixth southern region of the beleaguered Horn of Africa state.  Meanwhile, an investigation has revealed that masses of food meant for famine victims in Somalia are being stolen. There have also been reports of rioting and killings during food distribution at camps for famine victims.
• A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 100km southwest of the city of Medan, Sumatra and 110km beneath the earth’s crust.
• A New York Times editorial castigates the international community’s response to the cholera outbreak in Haiti.
• The CEO of insulin manufacturer Novo Nordisk says the WHO should buy low cost diabetes drugs in bulk for the developing world.
• Messages of good health and positive self-esteem for girls aren’t hard to come by in kid lit, so what’s the deal with all the attention for a not-yet-published rhyming picture book about an obese, unhappy 14-year-old named Maggie?

INFOGRAPHICS AND OTHER MEDIA

• Interaction has published an online “Horn of Africa Aid Map” showing 98 aid and development projects working on immediate famine relief as well as long-term development in East Africa.
• There may not be any zombies, vampires or mutant monsters wreaking bloody havoc on innocent people, but the fact that “Contagion” has a premise that experts say is all too plausible may make it the scariest movie of the season.
• A new index from Save the Children establishes the safest – and most dangerous – places in the world for a child to fall sick, which correlate closely with their chances of getting to see a health worker.

Global Health News Last Week

Note: I apologize for the hiatus in the news round-up; I went to a major conference for work in April and was very busy with preparations and then wrap-up afterwards.

April 25 was World Malaria Day. According to the WHO, world malaria deaths have fallen 20% from 2000 to 2009.

The Global Health Hub has developed a really nifty global health timeline. It is interactive and open – meaning it can be edited by anyone.

POLICY

• USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah this week announced the agency has transformed its Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) Women in Development Office into a new Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
• A new report by USAID calls for changes to the nutritional content of the food aid that the U.S. provides to the world’s poor, particularly for children under two and pregnant women.
• WHO delegates are scheduled to discuss the possibility of destroying the world’s last known stockpiles of smallpox during the annual assembly in May.

RESEARCH

• Scientists have isolated the tuberculosis enzyme that destroys lung tissue, MMP-1. The discovery could speed up the search for treatments, as current regimens do not prevent the lung damage caused by TB infection.
• Results from a recent study indicate that advances in antiretroviral therapy over the last 15 years have considerably improved outcomes for children with HIV who are entering adolescence and young adulthood.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

• Aging populations on Japan’s northeast coast are struggling to recover from last month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, and health officials are concerned about increased incidence of pneumonia, influenza, respiratory illenss, and blood clots in the legs of older individuals.
• The first WHO Global Status Report on Non-communicable Diseases found that these diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide.

Global Health News Last Week

From March 28 to April 1, panelists working in Canada, Uganda, the United States, and Zambia will lead a discussion in GHDonline.org on ways to build sustainable partnerships to strengthen surgical and anesthesia capacity in resource-poor settings. More information can be found here.

March 22 was World Water Day. Blogger Tom Murphy has collected some interesting videos on PSI’s blog here.
Elizabeth Taylor, Hollywood icon and longtime advocate for the fight against HIV/AIDS, passed away on March 23 at age 78.
March 24 was World TB Day.

POLICY

• China, the world’s largest tobacco producer and home to a third of all smokers, has issued a national ban on smoking in hotels, restaurants and other indoor public spaces.
• Fears are growing among HIV/AIDS sufferers in the Ukraine amid claims from some patients that they have been denied life-saving medicines by authorities during a crackdown on drug substitution therapy.
• The WHO has announced a list of 30 essential medicines for treating common diseases of mothers and children that can be used as the basis for procurement and supply of medicines and guide local medicine production.

RESEARCH

• Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Dublin City University and Universidad de Valparaiso (Chile) have developed a self-powered, low-cost chip that can test blood samples and diagnose diseases like tuberculosis and HIV within minutes.
• Researchers have discovered that capsaicin, the compound that makes jalapeños, red chilies, and the famous habanero pepper spicy, inhibit the production of cholera toxins.
• Results from a recent study show that people with HIV who change antiretroviral treatment regimens due to side effects are at higher risk for developing drug resistance.
• The Pakistan Medical Association’s 2011 annual report found that 400,000 infants die in the first year of their life each year and 1 out of 10 children die by the age of five.
• A study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that child diarrhea deaths could be almost halved if currently available interventions such as breastfeeding, hand washing with soap, and improved household water treatment were widely implemented.
• Global health and development blogger Amanda Makulec shares seven key ideas that she took home from the Global Health Metrics and Evaluation Conference in Seattle.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

• Despite setbacks, work continues at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, in addition to radiation-contaminated vegetables, officials are now warning families to not give Tokyo tap water to infants due to elevated levels of radiation found in the water supply. The World Bank estimates that the earthquake and tsunami have caused as much as $235 billion in damage to Japan and that it will take five years for the nation to recover.
• The crisis in Côte d’Ivoire continues as well, as the country’s healthcare system is strained by the violence.
• Leprosy, which has been officially “eliminated” in India, still affects hundreds of thousands of people who are shunned by society. There are 130,000 new cases diagnosed in the country each year.
• Leaders at the 26th Annual Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International challenged the World Health Organization and countries around the world to take action on the dramatic surge in the global incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Disasters Emergency Committee Video: Urban Disasters – Lessons from Haiti

Global Health News Last Week

POLICY

• Assistant Senate Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) introduced the Water for the World Act of 2011, a bill in the Senate which will make providing safe and clean drinking water around the world a priority for US foreign aid.
• More than 60 world nutrition experts met at WHO headquarters last week to revise guidelines and to identify solutions to tackle the growing problems of both malnutrition and obesity around the world.
• Ministers of health and other high-level health officials from throughout the Americas called for a series of actions to reduce the toll of chronic noncommunicable diseases, in a declaration issued last week in Mexico City.
• The Global Fund announced that former President of Botswana Festus Mogae and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt have agreed to lead a high-level panel of experts that will conduct an independent and thorough review of the Global Fund’s financial safeguards.
• UN agencies are concerned that reduced donor funding due to the recession, combined with free trade agreements, will reduce the availability of low-cost HIV medications in developing countries.
• The United Nations General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting in September this year to discuss the financial burden caused by non-communicable diseases (NCD) on countries.

RESEARCH

• A study done is Malawi by the World Bank attracted attention (and criticism) from Businessweek. Young women were given to stay in school and deter them from accepting money and gifts from “sugar daddies” in exchange for sex. The study found that HIV infection rates were 60% among schoolgirls who received cash compared to those who received nothing.
• A recent review of malaria treatment clinical trial results, published in the Chochrane Library, shows that artesunate was more effective that quinine at treating severe malaria.
• A personalized text messaging reminder service significantly boosted antiretroviral (ARV) adherence over a six-week period compared with a standard beeper reminder system, according to a study published in the March issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs.
• About 600 people gathered at the Global Health Metrics and Evaluation conference in Seattle to discuss issues surrounding the evaluation of effectiveness of health programs.

PROGRAMS

• Global health blogger Alanna Shaikh discusses how micro-credit and the Green Revolution, two of international development’s biggest successes, are being re-evaluated.
• The Nepalese government is planning launch a large vaccination campaign against elephantiasis in 40 high-risk districts.
• Dubai’s Ministry of Health introduced Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine PCV13, a vaccine that protects young children from the worst effects of illnesses including pneumonia, blood infections and meningitis.
• The National Influenza Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, making China the first developing country to house such an institution.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

• Europe is concerned by the growing incidence of drug-resistant TB, particularly in children.
• The world continues to follow the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, including the unfolding situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The WHO has assured that there is no danger to individuals being exposed to radiation in nearby nations (e.g. China).
• As if Haiti needed any more bad news, a study published in the Lancet says that the UN estimate of 400,000 cholera cases in Haiti this year is nearly half of what the real projection should be for the recovering nation. Meanwhile, health officials in Lagos have called on residents to observe high standards of personal and environmental hygiene and have designated emergency numbers to call in case of suspected cases; the Ghana Health Service has set up cholera centers in Accra to deal with the outbreak there; and the interim federal government of Somalia on Tuesday denied reports of an outbreak of cholera in the country, responding to an Associated Press story over the weekend that Somali doctors had reported that more than 20 people had died from the disease.
• In the February 2011 issue of PLoS Neglected Tropical Disease Journal, contributing editor Serap Aksoy discussed the triumphs behind the control of human African trypanosomiasis, or African Sleeping Sickness.
• Although women get diagnosed for tuberculosis (TB) later than men, treatment outcomes among women are better than men with higher TB treatment success rate and lower default (drop-out) rate in the female patients. The finding was announced at a meeting on TB and women in New Delhi, India.
• While the total number of newly reported HIV positive people and AIDS patients are still low in Japan compared with other countries, the number of newly HIV-infected people in Japan has doubled in the past decade due to public complacency and lower awareness.

Global Health News Last Week

The 13th Triennial World Congress on Public Health, to be hosted by the Ethiopian Public Health Association and held from April 21-29, 2012 in Addis Ababa, will bring together leaders in health from across the globe. The conference, “Towards Global Health Equity: Opportunities and Threats,” is currently accepting abstracts; the deadline is Friday, October 21, at 12 a.m. PT (3 a.m. ET). More information can be found here.

International Women’s Day was March 8.

On March 11, a 9.0 earthquake rocked Japan’s Chiba prefecture, followed by a colossal tsunami that washed entire villages away.

The world, of course, stands ready to help, but it is unlikely that most of the assistance will be needed, as Japan is one of the most disaster-ready countries in the world. Unfortunately, the explosions in several of the country’s nuclear plants means that the threat of radiation poisoning looms heavily.

POLICY

• A panel of independent experts has released a report harshly criticizing the World Health Organization’s handling of the 2009 epidemic of H1N1 swine flu.
• UN officials expressed concern that rising food and energy prices could compromise or even reverse progress toward the MDGs in developing nations.
• UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has instructed senior managers to cut 3%, or US$5.4 billion, from budgets.
• The Kenyan government has moved to strip HIV/AIDS of its special status and begin treating it as a chronic medical condition. It has begun implementing a disease integration model that will do away with emergency response measures and dismantle parallel administrative structures set up to manage the disease.

RESEARCH

• HealthMap, a project that aggregates health and surveillance data from sounces such as the WHO, Google News, and Eurosurveillance, was launched recently to “[bring] together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health.”
• According to a study done by Tuberculosis Research Centre in India, alarming numbers of women with TB become homeless after they are diagnosed. Approximately 100,000 women are abandoned by their husbands due to TB every year in India.
• A group of researchers from EPFL’s Global Health Institute and Inserm (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, the French government agency for biomedical research) has discovered that a class of chemotherapy drugs also kills the parasite that causes malaria.

PROGRAMS

• Oxfam recently released a report criticizing the World Bank for its praise of Ghana’s healthcare system. Amanda Glassman of CGDev disagrees, arguing that Oxfam ignored surveys indicating the system’s success in improving health indicators and beneficiaries’ satisfaction with the quality of service.
• On March 9, Saving Lives At Birth, a global partnership between USAID, the Government of Norway, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and the World Bank, was launched. The partnership “will seek innovative solutions to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in developing countries.”

DISEASES

• Rwanda is on track to completely eliminate malaria, the first country in its region.

A “Short Memory”: Devastating Earthquake in Haiti Brings Long-Standing Problems to Light

Blog contributor: Jessica M. Keralis

Bodies heaped on street corners.  Thousands aimlessly wandering the streets.  A once-busy port city strewn with rubble.  These are just a few of the images crowding the media coverage of the earthquake that leveled Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Last Tuesday, a quake registering 7.0 on the Richter scale hit the Haitian capital with such force that it killed over 100,000 people in 60 seconds.¹ It was the worst the region had seen in 200 years.   This, compounded with the country’s poverty, the poor construction quality and the underdeveloped infrastructure, left the region without power, shelter, or substantial medical response.² Witnesses described mass chaos and mayhem as aftershocks rippled through the area.  The U.N. Headquarters, the National Penitentiary, and the presidential palace had all collapsed.^3,4 As rescue and relief operations began, so did violence: by Thursday, gunfire could be heard in the streets at night.  The Red Cross estimates that one in three Haitians were affected. ⁴

The havoc wreaked by this most recent disaster, however, should draw significant attention to the Haitian government’s neglect of its own people.  Its land and resources have been repeatedly plundered, and its governance revolves largely around the U.N. relief agency.  The Caribbean nation is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere:  80% of its people live below the poverty line, and it has the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality.⁵ Its poverty and political instability have been repeatedly exacerbated by earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes; as such, it has been the recipient of substantial international humanitarian and financial aid. ² Salvano Briceno, the director of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, has pointed out that the government seems to suffer from a short memory.  He said on Wednesday that while neighboring countries cope better with natural disasters, “the Haitian Government, once the relief effort is over, just wants to forget.”⁵ This time, however, there can be no forgetting: with the international relief effort must come a re-evaluation of the political and financial aid needed to best help the country.  The Haitian people deserve more than to go back to the status quo after the world helps them clean up the rubble.