HIV/AIDS – Page 6 – IH CONNECT

Global Health Weekly News Round-up

November 30, 2011August 13, 2015 by ihsection, posted in News

Politics and Policies

The US federal government has awarded Iowa $7 million to prepare a computerized system that will help the small businesses and individuals to find affordable coverage. (Source: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/11/29/feds-give-state-7-million-for-insurance-exchange-planning/ )
US federal agency has rejected Indiana’s bid for an exemption from federal health care. (Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57332830/feds-reject-ind-request-for-health-care-exemption/ )
The House of Delegates, at its interim meeting in November, directed the AMA to use screening tools from the National Institute of Drug Abuse and others to identify the patients likely to abuse prescription drugs. (Source: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/11/28/prsd1128.htm )
From December 7-9, 2011, Kenya will hold its first national human resources for health conference which will avail a platform for placing health as a priority in the health strategy and national development towards vision 2030. The theme of the conference will be “Renewing commitment to the health workforce towards achievement of MDGs and vision 2030”. (Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201111291193.html )
AstraZeneca Canada Inc., in partnership with mindyourbody and Physical and Health Educators (PHE) of Canada, together with the active involvement of the youth, has organized a program in Ontario, Canada. It is focused on improving the mental health and emotional well-being of vulnerable adolescents. (Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/505390 )
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be posting no smoke signs within 15 feet of bus stops in Austin, Texas, beginning from February 1^st 2012 to prevent the non-smokers from inhaling the secondhand smoke. (Source: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/opinion/2011/11/28/capmetros-policy-breath-fresh-air )
A recent study done by Dr. Avi Dor, professor in the Department of Health Policy at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services indicates a need to develop policies to encourage medication compliance which will lead to cost savings through healthcare system in the long run. (Source: http://www.newswise.com/articles/higher-patient-adherence-to-disease-modifying-therapies-reduced-costs-for-ms-patients )
An invitation for the bid for consultant on public health authorities’ activities with the aim to protect the environment has been issued by the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan. (Source: http://abc.az/eng/news_29_11_2011_60039.html )

Programs

The first WHO European Conference on the New European Policy for Health – Health 2020, held in Jerusalem, Israel has called for working together across sectors for health and well-being. (Source: http://www.epha.org/spip.php?article4859 )
In the 44^th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Nephrology, it was said that Healthy People 2010 met the goal of lower CVD deaths in CKD patients. (Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/754362 )
The Global Fund will not be able to fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria until the year 2014. (Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57331033/massive-global-health-fund-says-its-broke/ )

Research

A study done by a team at Harvard University involving stem cell transplant in the brain circulatory of mice could pave a way for effective treatment of Parkinson’s disease and autism. (Source: http://www.thehindu.com/health/medicine-and-research/article2659553.ece )
According to a study done by the scientists at Indiana School of Medicine in Indianapolis, playing video games can make you aggressive. The research showed that the areas of the brain most affected were the left inferior frontal lobe and the anterior cingulate cortex. Once the gamers stopped playing, these areas of brain came back to normal. (Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lifestyle/Wellness/Violent-video-games-make-you-aggressive/Article1-775010.aspx )
In a recent study done by scientists at Harvard School of Public Health, a relationship was found between coffee consumption and rate of occurrence of endometrial cancer. They found an inverse relationship and found that the women who drank four or more cups of coffee had significant reduction (25%) in the risk of endometrial cancer than those who limit themselves to one cup of coffee per day. (Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lifestyle/Wellness/Four-cups-of-coffee-can-prevent-womb-cancer/Article1-773052.aspx )
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed a new wet AMD drug known as EYLEA. This drug, when injected into the eye, will prevent the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the eye under retina to prevent their bleeding and preventing an abnormal blood loss. (Source: http://www.ffb.ca/research/research_news/eyelea.html )
A new treatment for severe emphysema has been brought to light by the team of doctors at Thoraxklinik in Heidelberg, Germany. They used first endoscopic lung volume reduction system known as InterVapor that does not leave any foreign materials in the lungs but utilizes the body’s self-healing process for the treatment of this problem. (Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/29/idUS125291+29-Nov-2011+PRN20111129 )

Diseases and Disasters

According to a CDC report, of the 1.2 million Americans who have HIV, 20% are unaware of their status. (Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57333212-10391704/cdc-240000-americans-have-hiv-and-dont-know-it/?tag=pop;stories )
Egyptian scientists prepare an anti-diabetes drug from balsam pear. It has properties similar to bovine insulin and it will be taken orally, which will be a relief for the patients on insulin injections. (Source: http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/29/egyptian-scientists-to-make-diabetes-drug-from-bitter-fruit.html )
The 2010 data indicates that in India, the state of Andhra Pradesh has the highest prevalence of HIV/ AIDS. (Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article2663262.ece )
Nearly 6% of the population of Pakistan (about 10 million people) are infected with hepatitis C (Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C11%5C28%5Cstory_28-11-2011_pg7_4 )
The children in South Sudan are dying of preventable diseases. According to the UN, malaria is a hyper-epidemic in this country. It is said to be one of the biggest causes of miscarriage in pregnancy. (Source: http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/s-sudan-children-dying-of-preventable-diseases-1.1188555 )
The countries in East Africa have been hit by the nanana wilt and the Cassava Brown Streak disease which has affected the household incomes and raised the famine threat. A warning has been issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (Source: http://digitaljournal.com/article/315074 )

These headlines were compiled by Vani Nanda, MPH Candidate at West Chester University PA.

The Business of Benevolence

November 28, 2011August 13, 2015 by ihsection, posted in Guest Blog

by Dr. Sosena Kebede

The Global Fund (an international financing organization that pools resources to fight against the top three leading infectious diseases in the world: AIDS, TB and Malaria, to date has committed $22.4 billion) just announced that, due to the current financial crisis, it is canceling round 11 of grant renewals for recipient countries. Most of the recipient countries are in the sub-Saharan Africa and the United States has been the single largest donor (traditionally about 33% of all donations through the GF come from the US) since the organization’s inception in 2002.

My initial reaction on hearing this news mirrors that of most of my colleagues in global health – let’s do something, anything; this can be catastrophic and may mean winding the clock back to when hundreds with HIV were perishing because they didn’t have access to drugs. Other thoughts that flash through my head include: What does this mean to governments of poor nations, NGOs, other donor agencies, pharmaceutical companies, health care workers in poor nations, business people, rich people with the disease, or poor people with the disease? Will this mean drug rationing? Will this give rise to drug resistance if some treatments are stopped due to lack of funding? Will this mean a lucrative business for someone out there who will stand to gain big when resources shrink, and the rich will find a way to get access? Speculations, speculations.

Some, all or none of the feared may come to pass. However, the more I think about it, the more I am bothered by the commentary this issue makes rather than the potential outcome, however grim it may (or may not) end up being.

It is deeply saddening to face the fact that the very livelihood of millions of poor people can often depend on the benevolence of the rich. Our world is changing fast; emerging economies are flexing their muscles and contending with Western powers for influence in poor countries. Yet, millions of the world’s poor will have no say on how this phenomenon called globalization will affect their lives. Poor nations have also been below the radar detection when debates rage all over the world about the global mess that years of fiscal irresponsibility and corporate greed has brought. For millions of the world’s poor, our new world order and the concept of globalization, the shift in power/wealth etc., whether good or bad, might as well be happening in another planet for all they have any part in it. Unfortunately, their lack of participation in the process does not shield them from the consequences – they stand to lose the most having no means or power for self-determination.

Poverty, health and human rights are inextricably intertwined. We can’t truly advocate for global health equity when the world continues to have millions of voiceless people and people will not have a voice unless they are economically empowered. The business of benevolence, however generous and much needed it may be, is only a temporary measure for the poor that merely affirms to us our implicit sense of moral superiority.

Sosena Kebede, MD, MPH is an assistant professor of medicine in the department of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She is also an associate faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Medicine in the department of International Health. Her work in global health focuses on health systems strengthening works such as directing a hospital management training program in Ethiopia for Yale University as well as doing consultancy work for the World Bank. Her professional memberships include being a section counsilor for APHA’s international health advocacy and policy committee, as well as member of the advisory board for the international Association in Technology, Education and Development.

Global Health News Last Week

October 24, 2011August 13, 2015 by ihsection, posted in News

Note: There will be no news round-up next week, as the IH section will be conducting its usual array of activities during APHA’s Annual Meeting. Please tune in for updates on section sessions and activites at the conference. Meanwhile, you can get your global health news fix from the DAWNS digest, Humanosphere, or the Healthy Dose.

October 16 was World Food Day.
October 17 was International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

POLITICS AND POLICY

Scientists are warning officials negotiating a global treaty on mercury that banning the deadly chemical completely would be dangerous for public health because of the chemical’s use in vaccines.
The Washington Post runs an editorial critical of the GOP presidential candidates’ hostility toward foreign aid.
An influential panel of MPs warned that changes in UK aid policies may make overseas aid more prone to corruption and misuse.
Attendees at the Asia Pacific Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights have called on countries in the region to introduce comprehensive sexuality education in schools.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a report which finds that global HIV/AIDS funding dropped by 10% in 2010.

PROGRAMS

HP Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with USAID to collaborate in the fight against global poverty through initiatives directed at issues such as public health.
GAVI CEO Seth Berkley pens an op-ed in Huffington Post on the economic value of childhood vaccines.
The Pan African Parliament has passed a resolution that urges African nations to prioritize maternal, newborn and child health programs.
USAID is initiating research to find out whether developing world families will adopt a new cooking technology and adapt their cooking methods to save their health.
At an event in Washington, the Aspen Institute’s Global Leaders Council called for increased accessed to contraception worldwide.
Microfinance initiatives to fund development could benefit from reinvigorating their aims and taking on new, integrated approaches, according to experts at the 2011 International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy in Montreal.

RESEARCH

A new study, by researchers from the National Institutes of Health, Gilead Sciences Inc. and universities in Belgium and Italy, suggests that a microbicide gel, which was originally developed to fight AIDS in Africa, could lower the incidence of herpes in many women.
RTS,S a malaria vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is showing great of promise in the early stages of its huge clinical trial. The American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Council Member and Science Director at the PATH Malaria Control Program, Rick Steketee, explores the impact of the new RTS,S clinical trial results and what this breakthrough means for science and neglected tropical disease research. On the other hand, Sarah Boseley wonders where the money will come from once the vaccine has passed its trials, and Karen Grepin is not as excited about the new GSK malaria trial results as many others.
Adults who have fallen behind on mortgage payments exhibited higher rates of depression and are skipping meals and medications because they cannot pay the bills, a study published in the American Journal of Public Health found.
Teenage drivers have fewer crashes after they’ve been driving for a while, but new research in the American Journal of Public Health suggests that a few months behind the wheel do not improve their driving skills much.
A recent study finds that the best way to fight TB in patients with HIV is to treat as early as possible.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

The famine in Somalia isn’t getting much public attention, but not because things are improving. Aid workers predict things will get worse before they get better. Much-needed rain is coming, but the rainfall could deepen the crisis for the four million people there who need help.
Numerous UN agencies are ready to be deployed if Southeast Asian nations ravaged by flooding request for assistance.
A report by Roll Back Malaria Partnership released at the start of the Gates Foundation’s Global Malaria Forum says that the world is making positive steps towards eradicating malaria. Specifically, 29 countries are on track to stop malaria within a decade.
Environmental hazards sicken or kill millions of people — soot or smog in the air, for example, or pollutants in drinking water. But the most dangerous stuff happens where the food is made — in peoples’ kitchens.
World Health Organization officials say the rapid and extensive globalization of food production has increased the incidence of food contamination worldwide.
Speculators in the agricultural commodities markets are forcing grocery prices to rise too quickly and erratically, according to some top economists marking World Food Day Sunday.
Climate change poses an immediate and serious threat to global health and stability, as floods and droughts destroy people’s homes and food supplies and increase mass migration, experts warn.
A survey of 87 countries showed more than half the countries reported more or much more awareness of mental illnesses in the past three years. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of new money behind that awareness.

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