Tag: Dengue fever.

IH News Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News
  • The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (Gambia) in collaboration with WHO UNICEF, Rotary International and other partners  observe  the week of May 2013 (from 24- 27) as National Immunization (NIDs) days against poliomyelitis.
  • May is skin Cancer Awareness Month.
  • May 19 was observed as National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Politics and Policies:

  • Kenya is the first country to protect girls against cervical cancer with GAVI- supported human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
  • The government of Canada has announced its support in the fight against tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS.
  • India’s health ministry is tying itself in knots over the ban of drugs that are banned in some countries and some cases for some population segments.
  • The Illinois Senate has voted to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Programs:

  • Zambia- Zimbabwe Cross Border Malaria Initiative, a joint co-ordination launched by Zambia and Zimbabwe to control malaria and accelerate reduction of its transmission among the border communities.
  • Merck and Glaxo cut price of Human Papilloma Virus drug in the poorest countries. This cut is more than 95%.
  • Nigeria seeks support on guinea worm eradication.
  • Ghana Health Service has launched the country’s first online based health service which allows patients to engage with doctors online over minor ailments.
  • The Gambia and the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a Comprehensive Tobacco Control formulation in Bakau.
  • India develops cheap vaccine (against Rotavirus) against major cause of diarrhea deaths in children.
  • The Child Division at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) is working to introduce pneumococcal vaccine against pneumonia– major cause of death among children less than five years of age in the country.

 Research:

  • According to Cervical Cancer Crisis card that used data from official reports by the World Health Organization, Africa has the highest cervical cancer deaths.
  • According to the 2011 National HIV Indicator Survey, prevalence rates among the Ugandans between ages of 15 to 19 are rising.
  • The Annual State of the World’s Mothers report states that every year three million babies die within the first month of life.
  • A study published shows that HIV prevalence and late diagnosis of HIV infection is high among young women with sexual risk behavior in Beira, Mozambique.
  • According to a Global Mother’s Wellbeings ranking report, Ghana ranks 146th out of 176 countries.
  • According to the Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Initiative partners, landmark has reached in fight against tetanus. It has been eliminated in over half of 59 priority countries.
  • According to a study, number of Australian parents with mental illness has increased by 3% every year from 1990 to 2005.
  • The findings of a study published in the World Allergy Organization Journal, children dwelling in commercial areas of New Delhi, India are most susceptible as compared to those living in other parts of the capital, to the respiratory ailments followed by industrial and residential areas.
  • A study shows that the paradoxical TB-IRIS frequently complicates HIV-TB therapy in India.
  • A paper published in The Lancet Oncology, say that if current trends in cancer among the people of Latin America and Caribbean continue, the region will see cancer cases soaring by third each year to reach 16.8 million in total by 2020.
  • According to a study health of the immigrants suffer as they live longer in the U.S.
  • According to a study, newer whooping cough vaccine is as protective as was thought to be.

Diseases & Disasters:

  • According to the reports Zambia is facing shortage of HIV medicines.
  • Heavy rains have caused flooding of both Nyamamba and Nyamugasani rivers in Uganda. It has caused heavy flooding which has displaced thousands of people.
  • Two cases of wild polio virus have been recorded in Tafa Local government area of Niger and Fagge in Kano respectively in Nigeria.
  • Reports have indicated that African mineworkers are at significant risk of becoming resistant to tuberculosis treatment.
  • Body of a man who died in an unnamed hospital as having suffered from Creutzfeld –Jakob disease has been identified by the L. Greenberg Forensic Institute at Abu Kabir.  According to the Health Ministry danger of being infected under normal conditions are negligible.
  • A travel alert has been issued for dengue fever in Thailand. About 33 deaths have been reported since April of this year, particularly in northeastern part of the country.
  • According to the reports more than 1200 new cases of measles have been reported this year. Health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing this growing epidemic.

 

 

IH News Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies:

  • Egypt will carry out vaccination campaign in parts of Cairo after polio virus was found in sewer.
  • The United Kingdom’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has rejected calls to ban the herbal stimulant, khat.
  • Minister of Finance of Kyrgystan has announced a Russian grant of $25 million to be directed to health and education in Kyrgyzstan.

Programs:

  • To support veteran’s mental health in Kent and Medway, National Health Service (NHS) invests £150,000.
  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is in a process of stopping its researches involving the chimpanzees.
  • UNESCO has released a booklet that promotes improved links between gender, HIV and education.
  • The First lady opened Sh6 Billion health center– the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Lukaya, Uganda.
  • Two projects in the health and education fields have been funded by British Gas Tunisia. It will provide health services to 20 thousand locals.
  • A HIV gender assessment tool has been designed by the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to assess the cause of women vulnerability to contracting HIV.
  • About N$67,720 donation has been received by the Cancer Association of Nambia (CAN) from Quality Tyres Nambia. This money will be used for the prostate cancer treatment of the people.
  • The United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has called on the international community to contribute nearly $1.4 billion to address to the urgent needs of the children in 45 countries including a need to strengthen the capacity of partners in the field of health and nutrition.
  • The UNICEF, EU and Uzbekistan are together implementing a project to protect health of mother and child.
  • The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Batey Relief Alliance have together launched a food assistance program for people living in extreme poverty in the Dominican Republic.

Research:

  • New researches on bird flu is about to begin.
  • According to a study published in the British Health Journal, women’s views on over diagnosis in breast cancer screening vary. The highest estimates made some women (50%) perceive need for more careful personal decision making about screening. While lower and intermediate estimates had limited impact on attitudes and intentions related to screening.
  • According to a study published in PLoS ONE, scientists in Benin have developed a new technique to detect malaria parasites in mosquito vectors. It could help to estimate malaria transmission intensity in different settings.
  • According to a study published in the Lancet folic acid supplements are unlikely to substantially increase or decrease overall cancer risk.
  • The monitoring data by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) published by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) suggest that number of people facing food insecurity will reduce.
  • According to a meta-analysis published in British Medical Journal, there is no link between consumption of eggs and increased risk of heart disease or stroke.
  • A recently published international study states that the children were most hit by 2009 bird flu. About 47% of those aged between five to 19 developed symptoms as compared to only 11% of people aged 65 or older.
  • A study published in New England Journal of Medicine states that female smokers were 25.7 times more likely to die from lung cancer than those who never smoked.
  • According to a study published in the journal Nutrition Research , a natural extract from the roots of Japanese mushrooms can boost the effectiveness of the flu shot.
  • Micro blogging site Twitter has been used by the researchers and computer scientists of the John Hopkins University to track the cases of influenza across the United States. This system was tested by the researchers at the Baltimore University by comparing these results with the data obtained from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • After five years of studying the workings of the mutant form of the p53 gene, scientists from the National Cancer Center Singapore (NCCS) have discovered the workings of this gene that has been hindering treatment response in cancer patients.
  • According to a study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases people who take immunosuppressive drugs to treat lupus do not necessary increase their cancer risk.
  • A study published in Nutrition Journal, a mixture of B vitamins, fish oils and plant sterols show a promise in boosting heart health by improving the lipid profile of young people with high cholesterol.

Diseases & Disasters:

  • A wave of spiritual human killings has been reported in Camroon.
  • Chinese mine pumps chrome (poisonous chemical) into Ngezi river in Zimbabwe.
  • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a recalled ready-to-eat port product by Houston’s Stallings Head Cheese Co. Inc.
  • Global Virus Network has released a statement on 2012-2013 U.S. Flu epidemic.
  • The World Health Organization said in a joint statement with the Cambodian health ministry that two Cambodians have died from bird flu contracted while preparing infected chicken.
  • According to U.S. health officials a new strain of stomach virus outbreaks has occurred in this flu season.
  • The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control in Brussels has reported an increasing trend of influenza transmission.
  • The Medical Products Agency of Sweden (MPA) opened an inquiry into vaccinations for H1N1 (Pandemrix) made by GlaxoSmithKline, suspected for provoking narcolepsy.
  • The Michigan departments of Community Health and Agriculture and Rural Development are investigating the causes of Salmonella outbreak.
  • Health authorities in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande are fighting a dengue fever epidemic.
  • French authorities fear drug-resistant tuberculosis from Eastern Europe.

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

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 7th 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.