Politics & Policies
UN estimates that five months after Hurricane Matthew made landfall, nearly 280,000 Haitians are highly food insecure. This is largely due to failed policies and failure to provide much-needed support.
The word health resonates across borders and cultures. That lesson was made clear during a recent trip by Military Health System leaders to three African nations, underscoring the enduring commitment of the MHS to help partners build enhanced capabilities to respond to infectious disease and other public health threats around the world.
Major associations representing physicians, hospitals, insurers and seniors all leveled sharp attacks against the House GOP’s plan to rewrite the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, as some Republicans publicly questioned whether the measure can clear the House of Representatives.
Republicans in the House of Representatives unveiled their long-awaited draft healthcare bill on Monday night, amid hopes this was the first step on a road to keeping a key election promise.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has issued the first official guidance for implementation of the Mexico City Policy, also known as the “global gag rule.”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has agreed in principle to a White House proposal to slash foreign aid and diplomatic spending by 37 percent, but wants to spread it out over three years rather than in one dramatic cut.
China is facing the biggest and deadliest outbreak of H7N9 bird flu in human history. The virus causes pneumonia and death in most of its victims, which is why it tops the list of global flu pandemic threats.
Programs, Grants & Awards
Thirty percent of all freshwater is ground water. National Ground Water Awareness Week, an annual observance sponsored by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), is March 5–11, 2017. This observance highlights how important ground water is to people’s health and the environment.
Research
She was only 21 at the time, but the event helped to inspire the fledgling scientist to crack how the brain is repaired. The discovery reported today could potentially help millions of people with multiple sclerosis who have the opposite problem, a rogue immune system attacking part of the brain.
A 2016 study found the overall rate for stroke was 8% higher in the two days after daylight saving time. Losing an hour of sleep has also been associated with a higher risk of heart attacks and injuries.
A study published in The Lancet Global Health shows that community resource center model for women and children’s health incurred low-cost in informal settlements and is feasible and potentially replicable. This study was conducted in informal settings in Mumbai, India.
Diseases & Disasters
For the first time, doctors have tied infection with the Zika virus to possible new heart problems in adults. The evidence so far is only in eight people in Venezuela, and is not enough to prove a link. It’s also too soon to know how often this might be happening.
Arthritis costs at least $81 billion in direct medical costs annually. The most common types are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, and fibromyalgia. It is a leading cause of disability, and causes pain, aching, stiffness and swelling and is not a normal part of aging.
Top infectious disease experts are warning about a rapidly spreading outbreak of deadly yellow fever in Brazil that could hit parts of the United States. The danger would be most acute if the virus starts spreading by the same mosquito that transmits Zika.
A Save the Children study charts an increase in self-harm and suicides among children as young as 12 and reports that Syrian children are suffering from toxic stress that has the potential to cause long-term damage.
Technology
The pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi sell the most vaccines and earn the most money doing so, while the Serum Institute of India sells the most vaccines at a discount, according to the first Access to Vaccines Index, which was released last week.
Environmental Health
According to two new WHO reports, nearly 1.7 million children under the age of 5 die due to environmental hazards every year.
According to a new study making small changes to our diets can mitigate effects of climate change in addition to impacting the health care system.
Equity & Disparities
Supreme Court of India has called for policies to prevent the epidemic of suicides among Indian farmers rather than providing compensation after the fact.
Maternal, Neonatal & Children’s Health
The pharmaceutical company Cipla cited non-payment of dues by the government and has therefore, stopped manufacturing Lopinavir syrup, life saving drug for children living with HIV/AIDS.
Given the risks posed by shifting global environment to women’s and children’s health, research on why some global health campaigns succeed can help turn this crisis into an opportunity.
IH CONNECT 