Tag: Salmonella

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News
  •  April 25, 2013 was World Malaria Day.
  • The International Labor Organization celebrates the World day for Safety and Health at Work on the 28th of April, 2013.

Politics and Policies:

  • The State House of Representatives voted to allow physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients with specific terminal illnesses or debilitating medical conditions.
  • Health officials in Australia have recommended a heavy government subsidy for the abortifacient drug RU-486.

Programs:

  • First online mapping tool was launched in Kenya to tackle the burden of malaria by tracking insecticide resistance in malaria causing mosquitoes.
  • Healthcare workers expanding their vaccination programs in Somalia. The country is among the first few African Nations to receive new vaccines against five deadly diseases- diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and influenza.
  • Peace Corps volunteers on the occasion of World Malaria day participated in malaria eradication activities worldwide.
  • In their sixth ordinary session at the African Union the African Union Commission has called for more domestic investment in health to fight the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and tropical diseases.
  • The Ministry of Heath of Ghana receives mobile clinic facilitates to boost health delivery and improving health care access to people.
  • Health groups at the United Nations –backed Global Vaccine Summit announced that they will get rid of polio by 2018 with $5.5 billion vaccination and monitoring plan to stop this disease.
  • The U.S Food and Drug Administration has announced the development of a new hand held device called C-3 capable of detecting substandard or counterfeit anti-malaria medicines.
  • World athletics governing body IAAF will open a blood test center (BTC) in Kenya’s rift Valley town of Eldoret for Kenyan and Ethiopian runners.
  • A donation of US $2.3 million has been announced by the Government of Japan to the United Nations World Food Program to assist people of Lesotho to help to boost food security.
  • Japan donates US$1.5 million to Nambia for its rapid reduction of child mortality, malaria related deaths and mother-to-child HIV transmission rates.
  • The Federal government of Canada will allocate $250 million between 2013 and 2018 to support eradication of polio in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.
  • European Union has pledged more than 14.5 million euros to support Sudan health-related programs.

 Research:

  • The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung disease has issued guidelines for multidrug resistant tuberculosis bacteria management – appropriate treatment.
  • According to an analysis of previous studies published in the British Medical Journal, smokers with HIV were at double risk of contracting bacteria pneumonia compared to HIV-positive non-smokers.
  • According to the data obtained from a recently published study, childhood malaria admission rates in three out of four hospital chosen for the purpose of study in Malawi has increased between 2000- 2010. An increase from 41 to 100% was noted.
  • According to a survey more men die due to HIV related deaths as compared to women. It was due their living in denial and failed access to treatment.
  • A study published in American College of Nutrition suggests that intake of minerals zinc and chromium or taking zinc and or chromium supplements helps people suffering from type 2 diabetes.
  • According to a survey in done in the U.K., parents risk children’s future health by failing to understand sun protection.
  • In a study done by the Chinese scientists there is no evidence that new bid flu passes between people.
  • Haiti launches its vaccination campaign against fatal childhood diseases.

Diseases & Disasters:

  • The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel warning to the people who are planning to travel to Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a nationwide shortage of products used in Tuberculosis skin testing.
  • The reports state that the outbreak of meningitis has killed at least 40 people in Guinea since the beginning of 2013. About 379 cases of this disease have been reported.
  • According to the reports communities in Northern Mali – Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal- are affected by food crises.
  • The bird flu H7N9 cases are rising in China. A total of 120 cases have been reported till now of which 23 deaths have been confirmed.
  • Air pollution rising in China. The level of air pollutants has risen to more than 40 times the recommended exposure limits.
  • According to the press release, two more human cases of avian influenza virus A – H7N9 has been verified by the Centre for Health protection (CHP) of the Department of Health of Hong Kong.
  • Reports have confirmed H7N9 bird flu in Taiwan.
  • According to the CDC, salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers grown in Mexico.

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 White House has ruled that young immigrants who will be allowed to stay in the United States as a part of a new federal policy will not be eligible for health insurance coverage under President Obama’s health care overhaul.
  • Japan is preparing for an increase in tobacco prices to seventy five percent more than the present.
  • China is planning to cut the prices of 95 cancer, immunology and blood related drugs by about 17 percent to reduce the growing number of chronic, age-related diseases in the country and make health care affordable.

Programs:

  • The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announces 2013 Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Premium rates.
  • The Red Cross calls for funds to halt cholera epidemic in Sierra Leone.
  • Cuba launches its first nanopharmacetical drug- a tweaked variety of cyclosporine to help to prevent transplant rejection.

Research:

  • According to the Australian researchers more pregnant women are being diagnosed with some form of cancer. They said that this could either me due to increased mother’s age which increased the possibility of cancer or due to increased interaction with health services during the pregnancy.
  • A study has warned that the U.S. obesity rates will be soared by the year 2030. This will increase the burden of illness and also their health care cost and decrease the productivity.
  • According to a study there is a link between obese pregnant women with sleep apnea and chances of their neonates having this problem.
  • A paper published in the journal Genetics says that compiling large amount of data into useful information for the patients and doctors will help to make them better decisions by knowing the possibility or likelihood of developing / passing along a hereditary  disease. It will make a better sense of genome data using informatics approach.
  • According to the scientist the females who undergo radiation therapy for the cure of cancer have their DNA‘s damaged. This causes two proteins PUMA and NOXA, to trigger the death of cells causing early menopause. Blocking the action of these two proteins will help to prevent infertility in the females undergoing chemotherapy.
  • The scientists at the Harvard School of public health say that the people who consume two or more sugary drink per day have increased chances of developing obesity.
  • According to a study published in the journal Science, newly formed memories can be erased from the human brain.
  • According to the recommendations by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants should be given to the sexually active adolescents as a reliable method of birth control.
  • According to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine, females who are on high antioxidant diet like fruits and vegetables have reduced risk of developing a heart attack.
  • The scientists at UCLA AIDS institute have discovered that variation in progression of speed of HIV in people vary due to the killer T-immune response that occur early on during this infection. It targets an epitope called IW9 on HIV protein.
  • A study done by the Mayo Clinic Arizona has showed that the spilt-dose preparation technique for colonoscopy has improved the polyp detection rates, precancerous rates, overall quality of preparation and colonoscopy completion rates.
  • A recent study has shown that the efficacy of drugs for treatment of cancer, Alzheimer’s and obesity can be boosted by the nanoparticles to target the mitochondria- the power house of the cell.
  • According to a study published in the journal Lancet, the child mortality rates in Niger (one of the world’s poorest countries) have declined nearly fifty percent over the last decade.
  • DNA barcoding will help to authenticate the natural products. It allows the scientists to use short standardized regions of genetic material to identify the species and compare them to reference genetic sequences.
  • According to a report published in Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, the increasing demand to move personalized medicine research forward is fueling the growth of biobanking market.
  • In Botswana vinegar swab is being used to prevent cervical cancer. Pap smear method to diagnose the disease is not possible at times due to lack of laboratories and other facilities.
  • According to a study done by a group of British and Australian researchers the toxic venom of snake can be modified to provide benefit to an organism. The scientists are trying to explore if this discovery can help to find cure for cancer and diabetes.
  • A microscopically thin film made up of hydroxyapatite can prevent caries and will make the teeth look brighter.
  • A study done by the researchers show that the patients and their relative abuse doctors.
  • According to a consumer group, children should avoid consuming too much of canned tuna fish to avoid mercury poisoning.
  • According to a study children exposed to high levels of mercury increase their chances of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  • According to Spanish study kid’s score higher in developmental tests if their mothers get enough vitamin D during pregnancy.

Diseases and Disasters:

  • According to the Consumer Reports, the FDA, and the attorney General for the state of Illinois, arsenic levels are reported high in rice.
  • Hundreds of children in North India have been infected with Japanese Encephalitis.
  • Flood situation has deteriorated in North Eastern India.
  • Flood in Cameroon have killed 30 people and affected at least 26,000.
  • Kane County Health Department (Illinois) is conducting a food-borne illness investigation into six cases of Salmonella that are linked to Aliano’s Ristorante in downtown Batavia.
  • Singapore sees more haze, air quality reduced.
  • Kroger (US) has recalled spinach in 15 states to avoid the selling of Listeria-tainted product.
  • A public health alert have been issued by Department of agriculture’s Food Safety and inspection Service (FSIS) for boneless beef trim products imported from Canada that might be contaminated with E.coli O157:H7.

Global Health Weekly News Round-up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies

  • Australia’s cigarette plain packaging law upheld by the government. The World Health Organization hails this decision. This ruling might be followed by other countries too.
  • New policy launched by South Africa government to restructure the current national health insurance policy faces criticisms by the citizens.
  • A new national body to lead the network of Medicare Locals has been launched in Australia.
  • The federal government of Australia has revealed its plans to remove all the asbestos from its government and federal buildings by 2030.
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) baby boomers must be tested for hepatitis C.

Programs

  • Johnson & Johnson plans to remove potentially cancer-causing and other dangerous chemicals from nearly all its adult toiletries and cosmetic products within three and half years.
  • Zachary Kimotho raises Sh73 million for paraplegic center in Kenya.
  • Kenya National Hospital goes hi-tech to improve efficiency.
  • The Treatment Action Campaign in Gauteng says it will take health Department to the court to force them to deliver quality health care to citizens.
  • Drug major Cipla launched HIV/AIDS treatment kit in India at Rs 158. It consists of two tablets in one strip which represents a single day’s treatment.

Research

  • A new ranking released by Bloomberg, Singapore has the healthiest population in the world.
  • According to the researchers eating walnuts help to improve sperm count. They contain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins as folic acid and minerals like zinc and selenium which are important for the development of sperm.
  • A team of researchers from Italy say that coca contain flavanols which might reduce the level of dementia and help to improve cognitive functions in elderly.
  • According to a latest research chemotherapy during pregnancy is safe for the baby though baby might have low birth weight.
  • According to report male contraceptive pill might be available very soon in the near future.
  • The Australian researchers have brought before 3-D images to reveal secret life of Legionella bacteria. They have shown how this bacterium does not require a host to survive.
  • A group of U.S. researchers have used different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to scan the brain of people to understand the changes in brain with age. This research can be useful for studying the changes in brain related to autism and ADHD.
  • According to a study treatment involving exposure to traumatic memories help people with post-traumatic stress-disorder and substance abuse issues.
  • A study shows that the Americans living in the south of the United States are fatter than those living in the north of the country. The fired southern U.S. cuisine might be responsible for this.
  • A study done by a group of Australian researchers might bring forward treatment of heroin and morphine addiction.  They have shown that by blocking the immune receptor called TLR4 opioid carving stop.
  • Researchers from Queensland are working on the spider venom as a treatment of breast cancer.
  • A group of researchers from Melbourne and Finland’s Murdoch Childrens Research Institute say that those children who eat vegetables during their children don’t have adult diseases like diabetes and increased cholesterol levels when they grow up.
  • According to the American Cancer Society researchers aspirin helps to prevent the risk of cancer.
  • According to a study vitamin C might help to reduce harmful the effect of air pollution for the people suffering from chronic lung disease.
  • According to a study done by the National Institutes of Health, older American though having a longer life span might not be enjoying better quality of life. They study should that the older people are obese and are facing higher housing costs.
  • A study reveals that children with more self-control might help them to remain thin. It might reduce their chances to gain weight later in life.
  • According to a study the workers at or nearby the Japanese nuclear plant are suffering from high rates of stress and depression.
  • According to a recent study about 206 million Indians use smokeless tobacco.

Diseases and Disasters

  • Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo. About ten suspected cases and six deaths have been reported so far.
  • Pickles contaminated with E.coli kills six people in Japan. At least 100 people have been reported getting sick after consumption of this contaminated product.
  • Emergency has been declared with the worst seasonal outbreak of West Nile virus in Dallas, Texas has been reported by the officials.
  • Warning has been issued by the state and federal officials after an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning in southwestern Indiana.
  • An emergency has been declared in Sierra Leone after the outbreak of cholera in the capital. Eight out of twelve districts have been affected by this disease.
  • A report released by ‘The Times of India’ newspaper reveal that about 121 people have died during clinical trials in India in past six months.

Global Health News Last Week

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, News

SECTION NEWS
Attention IH section members! We are still in need of moderators for the scientific sessions at this year’s annual meeting. According to our program committee, the following sessions are still available:

Monday, October 31
10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: International Health Programs & Policy 1

2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Act Global, Think Local: Domestic applications of international health lessons; Child Survival & Child Health 1

Tuesday, November 1
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: Builidng Partnerships and Coalitions for better International Programs; Emerging, Re-emerging & Neglected Tropical Diseases

10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: International Health Communication/ Behavior Change Communication

12:30 p.m. 2:00 p.m.: HIV/AIDS 2

Wednesday, November 2
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: HIV/AIDS 3; Innovations in International Health 2

Please contact Omar Khan (ih.apha@gmail.com) for more information, or to volunteer!

USAID celebrated its 50-year anniversary this week.

The benefits of breastfeeding are being showcased around the world
for Breast Feeding Week.

POLITICS AND POLICY

  • US organizations will find it easier to deliver aid to parts of Somalia controlled by a pro-Al Qaeda group – the threat of prosecution if it ends up in the wrong hands has been reduced  after an announcement by the State Department.
  • Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez was sworn in as the new Assistant Administrator for the Global Health Bureau at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
  • Although Congress resolved the debt ceiling debate, the way the budget package is being shaped — particularly by combining International Affairs with defense in a single “security” category, global poverty spending is getting severely handicapped.
  • Blood tests for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis may be putting patients’ lives at risk through providing misleading results, and should not be used, according to a WHO policy statement.

PROGRAMS

  • The inaugural charter of the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders was signed at Temple University yesterday.
  • Tom Paulson of Humanosphere breaks down the 2010 Gates Foundation annual report, with some interesting commentary.
  • Jaclyn Schiff of UN Dispatch says we can look for more global health leadership coming from the city of Houston (my hometown!), as Dr. Peter Hotez, whom Schiff calls “an international health force of nature,” and an arm of the Sabin Vaccine Institute move there.
  • The Measles Initiative today announced it has helped vaccinate one billion children in more than 60 developing countries since 2001, making significant gains in the global effort to stop measles.
  • India’s health minister announced Tuesday a new initiative underway to boost the country’s rate of immunizing newborns by collecting mobile phone numbers of all pregnant mothers to monitor their babies’ vaccinations.

RESEARCH

  • A multi-resistant strain of Salmonella Kentucky could be spreading globally, suggests a study by Institut Pasteur. Case numbers have risen in Europe and the US, and infections have also been acquired in various parts of Africa and the Middle East. The strain has also been found in food animals in Africa.
  • Pharmaceutical manufacturer iBio, Inc announced the successful animal testing of a malaria vaccine candidate in trials sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • A new study in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene shows a relationship between a kind of river flow and cholera outbreaks.
  • A new study in the Lancet shows that text messaging can be an effective tool in malaria treatment and prevention.
  • PLoS Medicine published a new study on HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa. Among its key findings was the startling fact that sex between men (MSM) accounts for nearly one quarter of all new HIV infections across the region.
  • According to a new study, children of depressed mothers in developing countries are 40 percent more likely to be underweight or stunted than those with mothers in good mental health.
  • A cheap and portable blood test could provide a breakthrough for diagnosing infections in remote areas of the world, a scientific study says.
  • Using WHO data, researchers found that children who experience abuse and develop mental health disorders are at increased risk for chronic physical problems later in life.
  • A new study in the journal Nature Medicine finds that a credit card shaped device used for testing HIV, known as “Lab-on-a-Chip,” has had a successful trial run in Rwanda.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

  • Mass treatment of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis with ivermectin has been hampered by severe reactions if the patient also has Loa loa. A new map developed by WHO’s African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control will help communities identify low risk areas for Loa loa and distribute ivermectin for lymphatic filariasis control safely.
  • The CDC reports that the annual number of HIV infections in the USA is holding steady at about 50,000, and that African American MSM are at particular risk.
  • AIDS remains a metaphor for inequality, argues Michel Sidibe in the LA Times. In the world’s wealthier nations, where access to medicine is widespread, AIDS is becoming a chronic disease rather than a death sentence. But in the eveloping world, 1.8 million people die of AIDS each year.
  • Global cholera incidence has increased since 2000, with Haiti’s large outbreak tipping the largest burden away from Africa for the first time since 1995, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Sunday.
  • Tens of thousands of Somalis have died and more than half-a-million children are on the brink of starvation. Western aid isn’t flowing to where the worst of the famine is — partly due to the “war on terror.”
  • The head of World Food Program in Ethiopia says the country’s emergency food stocks are almost gone, the latest trouble caused by the drought in the Horn of Africa.

TOTALLY UNRELATED TO ANYTHING – Apparently Hollywood has discovered its next Greg Mortenson: Sam Childers, the “Machine Gun Preacher,” is the subject of much hubbub and an upcoming movie starring Gerard Butler.  This man claims to have been a gangbanger and drug dealer who found Jesus and then took up arms to rescue child soldiers from the LRA.  Global health blogger Brett Keller offers some commentary into Childers’ outlandish (and, frankly, dubious) story, while anonymous aid blogger “J” at Tales from the Hood has a few choice words.