Tag: Glaucoma

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies

  • The United States and representatives from 16 African nations gathered on August 27-31 at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center in Accra, Ghana for the pandemic planning conference.
  • Ban on smoking in Public areas went into effect in Lebanon on 3rd September.
  • The German firm that produced thalidomide (taken by pregnant women to reduce morning sickness in 1950’s and early 1960’s) issued an apology to the thousands born disabled as a result of the drug use.
  • U.S. court halts some cuts for Medicaid home care.
  • Justice officials in Berlin (Germany) have laid out guidelines on Wednesday on circumcision.
  • Japan is moving towards relaxing restrictions on American beef imports which was limited because of fears about mad cow disease.

Programs

  • The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project has supported a $60-million initiative to improve health and nutrition status of people in Ghana especially women of child-bearing age and children less than five years.
  • The Health for All Coalition (HFAC) has launched its ‘Kick Cholera Komot Na Salone’ campaign at Tombo Park, Waterloo to eradicate cholera in Sierra Leone.
  • To improve reproductive health rights of females in Ghana, a project funded by SIMAVI, has been launched by Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) with four local non-governmental organizations (NGO’s)

Research

  • Study published in Journal of Pediatrics states that the expectant mothers who learn from prenatal diagnosis that they are carrying a fetus with a congenital heart defect commonly suffer post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety.
  • A study funded by the National Institutes of Health states that blood sugar control does not help infants and children undergoing heart surgery.
  • The researchers at North Carolina State University have shown that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) early in life results in High levels of anxiety. This is due to significant gene expression changes in a specific region of brain called the amygdala.
  • A study found that fathers who sleep in close proximity to their children have their testosterone low as compared to those who sleep alone.
  • A study found that heath care spending in last five years of life exceeds total assets for one quarter of U.S. Medicare population.
  • In a study done at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia it was found that coping skills and marital satisfaction help pregnant moms to manage stress when fetus has heart defect.
  • In a study done by the Centers of Disease Control and prevention (the CDC) it found that NFL players are at higher risk of degenerative brain disorders.
  • According to a study adding a few minutes’ attempts to resuscitate patients who suffer a heart attack in hospitalization can significantly boost their chances of survival.
  • According to a study water pipe smoking is as harmful as smoking cigarettes.
  • A study states that more than half the tumors from the cancer have mutations that might be treated by new drugs that are already in pipeline or that could be easily developed.
  • A recent study stated that more young adults have insurance after health care law.
  • A recent study showed that green tea boosts brain power. It also pointed out that it can help to fight cancer, gum disease and glaucoma.
  • According to a recent study on Swedish about women half of the women may have sleep apnea.
  • In a recent study it was found that behavioral sleep training of infants might not have long term benefits.
  • A group researchers say that people can be obese but yet physically healthy and fit. They might not be at a greater risk of any heart disease or cancer than any normal weight people.
  • A study says that sunshine Vitamin D speeds tuberculosis recovery. It states that this vitamin dampen the body’s inflammatory response, reducing damage to the lungs.
  • According to a study intense workouts might be safe for the cardiac disease patients.
  • A long term study showed that the teenagers who smoked cannabis before they reached 18 may have long lasting damage to their intelligence, memory and attention.
  • Group of researchers in their study found that regular exercise might temporarily ease cigarette carvings.
  • According to a new report Australians who smoke cigarettes are declining while the waistlines of people are growing.
  • According to a study, females who are born in South Asian nations and give birth to children in Australia have almost double the rates of still birth as compared to those who were born locally.
  • Australian researchers have found a link between marijuana smoking and testicular cancer.

Diseases and Disasters

  • Earthquake of 5.7 magnitude struck southwestern China on September 7, Friday killing at least 80 people.
  • An earthquake with 7.6 magnitude hit Costa Rica on September 5. Very little damage with only one person is reported of being dead.
  • Costa Rica was hit by an earthquake of 3.4 magnitude on September 7.
  • Tornados hit Washington DC, New York City, Queens and Brooklyn (U.S.A.). No serious injuries reported.
  • In Nigeria flood kills 137 people and displaced more than 30,000 people since the beginning of July 2012.
  • Ebola outbreak killed 15 people in Congo.
  • Three visitors to Yosemite National Park California died due to infection with potentially dangerous Hantavirus.

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-up

by Vaani, posted in News
  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) joins the World Health Organization to recognize the World Hepatitis Day July 27.

Politics and Policies:

  • Obama administration announces ground-breaking public-private partnership to prevent health care fraud. It is designed to share information and best practices in order to improve detection and prevent payment of fraudulent health care billings.
  • Doctors petition for limits on painkillers. They have urged the FDA to curtail the overuse and abuse of prescription painkillers by changing the labeling directions on how and when physicians should prescribe them.
  • African health experts- policy makers, advocates and researchers are meeting in Kampala, Uganda to reaffirm national and regional commitments to achieving Millennium Development Goal (MGD) 5, to ensure the health of girls and women become a regional priority.
  • A number of public health organizations in South Africa have extended their support for the amendments on the Tobacco Products Control Act which is meant to support the non-smokers.
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new inhaled drug for the treatment of the lung disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
  • According to congressional budget office Supreme Court health care law leaves 3 million more uninsured.
  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will award inpatient rehabilitation facilities $140 million increase in Medicaid payments under the IRF prospective payment system in fiscal year 2013.
  • Singapore ratifies ILO (International Labor Organization) framework for occupational health and safety.
  • The Australian Health Department wants to outsource its operational and management responsibilities for the personally controlled e-health record system to a single provider.

Programs

  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded Colorado Health Insurance Cooperative Inc. a $69.4 million loan to launch a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan in Colorado.
  • Hospitals in Iowa provided $1.4 billion community benefits (health screenings, support groups etc.) in 2011.
  • $6.1 Million “Innovation Grant” awarded to test comprehensive care physician model.
  • Bungoma (Kenya) Hospital project hit by row.
  • In Sierra Leone, youth want a review of abortion law.
  • Energy, health care dominates agenda on the eve of Canada’s annual summer summit.

Research

  • A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that adult mortality rates fell after three states (New York, Maine, Arizona) Medicaid expansions.
  • Study finds drop in death rate in states that follow lines of Obama health law.
  • A new technique uses PET/CT imaging with a compound called choline (F-Flourocholine) to help doctors to detect prostate cancer earlier.
  • Trial signals major milestone in hunt for new TB drugs.  The results presented at the 2012 International AIDS Conference reveal progress in the pursuit of an antiretroviral- compatible TB treatment for the patients with TB/HIV co-infection.
  • The results of a study of HIV treatment policies in 23 countries show that governments have made improvements to get better antiretroviral treatment (ART) to more people but implementation of innovative community-based strategies is lagging behind.
  • According to study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, lung function may decline slower in smokers with sufficient vitamin D levels as compared to smokers who are vitamin D deficient.
  • A study shows that people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are 2.6 times more prone to developing cancer.
  • A study shows that inactivity puts 1 in 3 adults at risk for disease.
  • According to a study some people are more physically active may be due to their genetic predisposition while evolutionary factors and the obesity, might also play a role in it.
  • Researchers have identified various successful and promising interventions to improve the opportunities for regular physical activity. Promoting exercise and community events through mass media campaigns as well as decision prompts and signage to motivate people are among the few identified as successful examples.
  • A study shows new way of delivering anti-scarring drug reduces the need for repeat injections by 40 percent. This process reduces post-surgical scarring of glaucoma patients.
  • Study shows that information and communication technologies could be an effective way of encouraging millions of people worldwide to become more physically active.
  • A paper in the Lancet says physical inactivity should be recognized as a pandemic.
  • Researchers have found that the drug resistant HIV is on rise in Africa.
  • Study suggests that short, cumulative exercise sessions are beneficial for health especially for maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

Diseases & Disasters

  • An earthquake of 3.8 magnitude hit Los Angeles on July, 25, 2012.
  • Five infant deaths signal serious whooping cough outbreak in UK.
  • According to the Ugandan health officials, about 14 people in western Uganda have been killed by the infection with the deadly Ebola virus. There is no cure or vaccine for the treatment or prevention from this deadly infection in Uganda. National emergency task force has been set up to prevent the spread of disease.
  • The typhoid outbreak in Zimbabwe is suspected to be caused by the consumption of contaminated water.
  • Mysterious nodding disease afflicts young Ugandans.
  • Whooping Cough epidemic in Washington State.
  • World Health Organization has expressed its concerns over the rise in cholera cases in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo amid clashes between the armed groups and government.

 

 

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

May 8 is World Red Cross Red Crescent Day.

Politics and Policies:

  • US State Department has issued travel warning for Algeria.
  • Marijuana bill passed by Connecticut. The state has legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes (- like cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy), with tight restrictions.
  • Judge rejects law on Planned Parenthood in Texas. It was ruled out by the judge that Texas could not ban Planned Parenthood from receiving state money as there was sufficient evidence that this law of banning Planned Parenthood from participating in the state’s Women’s health program was unconstitutional.
  • More than 100 people are charged by the United States authorities for trying to defraud the federal Medicare health care program for the elderly and disabled of about $452 million.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent warning letters to the marketers of dietary supplements. These  ‘workout boosters’ contain an ingredient called dimethyamylamine or DMAA, which could increase people’s blood pressure, potentially causing shortness of breath or heart attacks.
  • A new rule approved by Texas board allows doctors to perform stem cell procedures as long as they are done for research and receive approval from an institutional review board. This rule also requires patients signed informed consent forms.
  • A settlement meant to guarantee alternatives to segregation for mentally-ill inmates in Massachusetts prisons has been approved by a federal judge. It will prevent placing mentally ill inmates with disciplinary problems in small isolation cells for up to 23 hours a day.

Programs

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has released their May 2012 Bulletin chronicling innovations in global health, under the theme of ‘eHealth’.
  • With World Bank support, Benn expands decentralized basic services for poor people and empower communities. Basic services include education, health and water, roads and market infrastructure.
  • The International Rescue Committee is launching an emergency response in Mali, where the drought spreading across the Sahel region has been compounded by political instability. The conflict meets a worsening food crisis.
  • The UNICEF has received two donations from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) to provide treatment for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Sahel nutrition crisis in West and Central Africa.
  • A new public health project to reduce maternal and infant mortality in 4 African countries has been inaugurated in Woisso, in Ethiopia. It is funded by the Italian Cooperation and launched in January 2012 by the doctor’s organization with African Cuamm.
  • Red Cross youth use power of music to increase access to health care. They have put together the ‘Humanity Band’, a project aiding the developing music talents of young volunteers of the Banju and Kanifing municipality Red Cross (of Gambia Red Cross Society), fund raising for Red Cross programs and increasing public awareness of disease control and prevention.
  • A UAE- based philanthropic organization, Dubai Cares, has launched Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) program in Ghana reaching over 400,000 beneficiaries.
  • Project HOPE sends UCLA nurse to educate medical staff in Ghana hospital.
  • Ouelessebougou Alliance to host 26th annual dinner auction to raise funds for people of Mali.
  • With World Bank support Mozambique extends Crucial Early Childhood Development Services to 84,000 children in 600 rural communities.
  • India offers $50m credit line, $25m in grant to Seychelles.

Research

  • Global Report says U.S. lags behind 130 other nations in preterm birth rate. The report ‘Born too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth’ ranks the U.S. 131st in the world in terms of its preterm birth rate of 12.0 per 100 live births.
  • A study finds that flash-heating breast milk inactivates HIV which reduces transmission of this virus that causes AIDS to their infants. The technique involves expressing breast milk into a glass jar that is placed in a small pot of water and heated until water boils.
  • A six yearlong study in Rwanda found that funding dedicated to HIV/ AIDS does not undermine funding for other diseases.
  • According to a study, a vast majority of HIV- infected persons in Kenya are unaware of their HIV status, posing a major barrier to HIV prevention, care and treatment efforts.
  • A study shows that mobile phones are transforming the way HIV test results are being transmitted to AIDS patients in Africa.
  • A study shows that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening to detect prostate cancer can be beneficial to younger and at-risk men.
  • According to a Australian research team, elderly people with pre-diabetes and type-2 diabetes suffer from an accelerated decline in the brain size and mental capacity in as little as two years.
  • A long term follow-up analysis of participants in the Step-study, an international HIV vaccine trial has confirmed that certain subgroups of male study participants were at higher risk of becoming infected with HIV virus after receiving the experimental vaccine compared to those who received a placebo.
  • A promising result has been reported from a trial of an experimental vaccine that appears to offer complete protection from the most common type of meningococcal disease.
  • An international study led by the University of Sydney and published by the Annals of Neurology has potential to improve the design of clinical trials for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a disorder which affects the peripheral nervous system.
  • A research study shows that an ingredient in curry (curcumin) boosts bowel cancer treatment.
  • Study shows school-based health centers boost vaccination rates.

Diseases & Disasters

  • A tornado has hit the capital city of Japan this Sunday killing one person and injuring atleast 46 other people.
  • Death toll from Kenya flash flood rises to 50. According to a relief agency the number of flash flood fatalities will still continue to rise due to heavy rains that have led to flash floods in several parts of the country.