Month: March 2013

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies:

  • Swaziland has launched a new national framework to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keep their mothers alive.
  • According to a report Pakistani politicians have pledged for health and education of their people.
  • A Texas Senate bill would revise the state’s end-of-life procedure.
  • Bloomberg’s campaign might close off the remaining means of access to cheap cigarettes and little cigars which make it easier for teenagers to experiment with smoking and progress to smoking regularly.

Programs:

  • World Bank has approved a concessionary loan of US $200 million to Sri Lanka to further enhance the quality of the health sector service.
  • §  Britain is going to launch a £179 million five-year healthcare program in the Democratic Republic of Congo which aims to reach about six million people.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to clamp down on the sale of non-iodized salt.
  • UNICEF has increased its support from four to ten districts in the Upper East region in Ghana to implement a 5 year child survival program known as the Essential Newborn Care (ENC).
  • A regional health agency has been launched in Kigali, Rwanda, East Africa aiming to facilitate and improve regional health sectors.
  • US AIDS agencies have begun their five-year effort with Malawi’s government to improve health care services for HIV/AIDS virus infected people.
  • Irish aids program helping African people suffering from HIV/ AIDS.
  • Niger’s first lady commits to stopping new HIV infections in children.

Research:

  • According to a study done by the scientists at Queen’s University, the risk of getting head and neck cancer can be reduced by 22% by taking a weekly or even monthly dose of over-the counter aspirin.
  • A study shows that climate change can worsen the public health threat of diarrheal disease in Botswana.
  • According to a global health study HIV/ AIDS and tuberculosis are two top killers among the people of Russia.
  • A study on a disease- konzo- indicate that its physical effects on body is accompanied by impairment of children’s memory, problem solving capability and their cognitive functions.
  • Scientists in United Kingdom have been successful in making a vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease. Since it is not made from live virus, its production will require no special containment.
  • United Nations analyst says that Tanzania might achieve millennium goal on maternal health.
  • Kenya Aids Research Coordinating Mechanism chairperson has called for teamwork in HIV/Aids research.
  • According to a study early detection of bowl cancer can help to prevent cancer. They say that those who participated in the screening program were the people who were the most easiest to treat.
  • A study says that a ‘new diagnostic test may be safe and easy screening method that could improve the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer through early detection’.
  • Study shows that obesity makes a person to exercise less.
  • According to a study elderly people who have many social interactions may live longer than those who are more socially isolated.
  • According to a NIH study pregnant women who experienced financial, emotional or other personal stress in the year before their delivery had an increased chance of having stillbirth.
  • A study by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention many mothers in U.S. start infants on solid foods earlier than experts recommend.
  • A study done by the scientists at Boston School of Public Health finds a link between childhood abuse and fibroids.
  • Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine say that improving levels of vitamin D in the blood via supplementation could help to fight disease by affecting gene expression and boosting the immune system.
  • Italian scientists say that people who suffer from migraines are more likely to have brain abnormalities at birth and some develop them over the course of time.

Diseases and Disasters:

  • According to the reports about two people have died due to infection of a new strain of Avian flu in China.
  • UNICEF warns that 2 million children in Central African Republic are without basic supplies.
  • United Nations has been forced to delay desperately-needed food-aid to nearly 300,000 people in Guinea Bissau as it has so far received no donations to support its operation.
  • According to the United Nations reports about 240,000 Pakistani children have missed their UN sponsored polio vaccinations due to the security concerns in the country’s tribal regions.
  • According to the reports, skin lightening is popular among the females in Senegal despite of health concerns over the product.
  • Reports show that the public health centers in Tanzania do not have enough medicine and hospital supplies.
  • Clusters of vancomycin resistant enterococci cases in Kowloon Central Cluster (KCC), in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong have been reported.
  •  Visitors urged to stay away from Beaumount Hospital Dublin due to flu outbreak, according to the reports.
  • The health officials of Australia have become alarmed after the report of first death from XDR-TB- drug resistant tuberculosis.
  • According to the reports, more than 7,000 people might have been exposed to HIV and or hepatitis in Oklahoma dentist’s office.

 

IH News Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies:

  • Somalia signs its new Healthcare Plan. It has moved away from the emergency-level health provision towards more mainstream national health systems.
  • Kenya’s President elect promises much needed free primary healthcare for the citizens and raising the financing from 6-15%
  • Five memorandums of understandings has been signed by Egypt with South Sudan in the healthcare, livestock and agriculture sectors.
  • Tanzania and Japan sign Sh802 million project grant. It will help Tanzania in various sectors including health, education and water supply.
  • Kansas, United States, doctors may be required to tell patients that abortion causes breast cancer.

Programs:

  • The World Bank will help Cameroon to build safety net system aimed at reducing poverty and vulnerability. Households will get training to improve their health.
  • Solar power in Africa helps people to grow nutritional vegetables and improve their basic needs including health.
  • The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) calls for more reproductive health resources.
  • UNAIDS and other health organizations support new TB and HIV initiative in Africa.  It will include a package worth more than US$120 million to be used to expedite this process.
  • South Sudan through its community health workers detect and treat tuberculosis. This strategy is helping to fight tuberculosis draws communities themselves to detect and treat cases of tuberculosis.
  • UC San Francisco receives $2 million from billionaire Li K-shing for transforming its medical care by integrating data from the human genome and disease research with information from patient’s records and environmental data.

 Research:

  • According to a study about 570 United Kingdom children start smoking every day. This has made the UK government to consider whether to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products.
  • According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine physiotherapy results are as good as knee surgery.
  • According to a study, as part of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV virus, antiretroviral therapy has to be initiated before the last trimester of pregnancy to achieve an undetectable RNA plasma viral load before delivery.
  • A report of United Nation states that about four and a half billion people have access to toilet (as compared to six billion people who have access to mobile phones) of the world’s seven billion people.
  • Researchers are working to tackle obstacles to medical aid.
  • According to the World Health Organization and Global Fund Africa and Europe has not yet reached the millennium tuberculosis goal. They say that strains of tuberculosis with resistance to multiple drugs could spread widely.
  • According to a report by the UNICEF, about 66 million Nigerians are without portable water.  It is the leading cause of diseases and deaths especially among under five aged children.
  • Doctors have discovered a women’s mysterious bone condition due to drinking a pitcher of tea every day for past 17 years.
  • Reports indicate that only 28% of Ugandans have access to hand-washing facilities. Statistics from the Uganda Demographic and Household Survey show that 190,000 Ugandan children die every year due to diarrhea.
  • A report publish by the World Health organization (WHO), among South-East Asia Region, Indonesia has achieved an amazing 90% success rate for TB treatment.
  • Scientists from the John Hopkins University have developed a new innovative method known as Predicting Infectious Disease Scalable Model (PRISM) extracts relationships between clinical, meteorological, climatic and socio-political data in Peru and the Philippines.
  • According to a study flu sufferers can spread the virus by sneezing, while talking, breathing by at least 6 feet.
  • A new method to treat blinding cornea diseases in children is now available in Singapore.
  • According to a study breast cancer radiation therapy increases a women’s risk of suffering a heart attack or other heart problems.
  • A study indicates an increase in the number of parents who won’t vaccinate daughters against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
  • A study shows that parents seem to be increasingly worried about the vaccine’s safety.
  • Low-GI protein blends have been designed to be eaten about 30 minutes before meals to reduce satiety is being marketed by a Swedish form Indevex. It increases release of incretin hormone which can provoke insulin release before blood glucose levels due to meal consumption.
  • A research done by Lund University in Sweden shows that we can modify the function of genes through epigenetic changes that can take place over the course of time.
  • United States tuberculosis rates reach all-time low but resistance of bacteria is a continuous threat.
  • Researchers have indicated that menstrual blood cells can be used to treat heart failure patients.
  • Researchers say that females with ovarian cancer too often get insufficient treatment.

Diseases and Disasters:

  • Chinese Public call for tackling water pollution.
  • Reports indicate that about 40 patients have lost their lives in drug trials in Maharashtra, India.
  • According to a report released by the CDC, from early December, 2012 to mid-February 2013, the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to ground beef had sickened a total of 22 people.
  • Natives of United States call for increased HIV testing per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.

Innovation for Food Security and Smallholder Livelihoods: The AgResults Initiative (CGDev Video)

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section

The world faces a huge challenge in providing food security for all in the face of growing populations, increasing demand for resource-intensive foods, and climate change. Leaders from G8 and G20 governments are pursuing a range of policy responses and it is crucial that they recognize the key role of technological innovation to ensure crop yields keep up with demand and available food meets nutritional requirements. But new inventions will do no one any good if they simply sit on the shelf.

IH News Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies:

  • A new healthcare-for-all program in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta is under scrutiny. National officials are monitoring the city’s response and experience ahead of the rollout of a government scheme to provide universal healthcare by 2019.
  • The ministry of Health and Population of Nepal has decided to upgrade all sub-health posts to health posts by 2015.
  • The Pediatric Society of New Zealand has called for funding for infant vaccinations against the disease as an urgent priority.
  • Bill in North Dakota bans abortion after heartbeat is found.

Programs:

  • Solar-powered mobile health center equipped with remarkable range of facilities (- eye clinic, blood clinic and dental surgery) unveiled in Cape Town, South Africa.  Besides proving screening for conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure it will also emphasize on health education.
  • The United States will provide Burundi an additional $3.5 million in aid towards its fight against HIV/AIDS and mother-to-child transmission of disease.
  • The Association of Heath Journalists with a support from the UNAIDS will be trained on tuberculosis, HIV and co-infection.
  • Japan gives N443 million for childhood disease to Nigeria. This grant will partly support facilitation and monitoring of health sector performance in Nigeria.
  • Somaliland to vaccinate 600,000 young children against polio.
  • Scotia bank has announced pledge of $1 million to support the Carribbean –SickKids Paediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Project. These funds will be used to support the projects telemedicine programs in Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas.
  • United Healthcare Awards $5.2 million in grants to California nonprofits-$2.2 million to three Los Angeles-area health organizations.

Research:

  • A team of scientists from the United States have claimed to have treated a child of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.
  • Mozambique is on its way to utilize tests for tuberculosis by the GeneXpert machine which would speed up its diagnosis from two to three months to two hours.
  • A three day campaign launched by the Chaadian government with support of the United Nations agencies to eradicate polio, boost vitamin A and de-warm four million children under the age of five years.
  • According to a study providing life-long antiretroviral treatment to HIV-infected pregnant women not only prevents HIV infections in infants, but also improves the 10 years survival rate in mothers.
  • Mozambique’s first HIV vaccine trial heralds new era in local research.
  • Rwanda Ministry of Health deploys technology to report potential disease outbreaks and help health workers contain the spread of disease.
  • Government of Rwanda is introducing its first combined Rubella-Measles vaccine. A nationwide campaign against these two diseases has been launched in the country.
  • The scientists from University of Toronto and SickKids Research Institute have mapped genome that causes Dutch elm disease.
  • Studies uncover risks and threats to Arctic inhabitant’s health that might be due to contaminants brought by warmer air and sea water currents resulting from climate change.

Diseases and Disasters:

  • Nearly fifteen people have died in Libya after consumption of home-made alcohol and more than 300 people are suffering from alcohol poisoning.
  • Since November 2012 about 389 people have been infected and nearly 10 people are killed because of cholera outbreak in Congo’s second largest city, Pointe-Noire.
  • Measles kills 17 in Niger state.
  • The report of United Nations has raised air safety concerns in India.
  • According to the officials,  hospitals in South Sudan.
  • According to a data posted on the health ministry website in China, from 1971 to 2010, a total of 328.9million abortions were carried out in the country.
  • Cluster of Vancomycin resistant enterococci cases has been reported in United Christian Hospital in Hong Kong.
  • According to a report by WHO, road safety is worst in India.
  • Undocumented children in Indonesia have no access to education and basic healthcare.
  • The swine flu virus isolated from the throat swab samples of six H1N1-infected patients at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) has shown small genetic mutation.
  • According to the reports of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MOH)’s Preventive Health Department, hand-foot-mouth (HFM) disease has affected over 10,000 Vietnamese people.
  • Health officials investigate norovirus outbreak at Andina in Porland.
  • Mexico fireworks blast death toll rises to 14.

 

WHO: Global status report on road safety 2013

by ihsection, posted in Information and Social Media


Around 3400 people lose their lives in road traffic crashes every day. For those who are left behind, road traffic crashes lead to a tremendous amount of pain and suffering and – in many settings around the world – to economic hardship. This video was produced to mark the launch of the Global status report on road safety 2013 on 14 March 2013 which presents information on road safety from 182 countries. The report highlights that worldwide the total number of road traffic deaths remains unacceptably high at 1.24 million per year, legislation and enforcement are still inadequate, and pedestrians and cyclists need to be better protected. Made possible through funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, this is the second in a series of Global status reports.