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.
IH CONNECT 