Tag: tsunami

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

by Vaani, posted in News

Politics and Policies:

  • Canadian government looks to slash $377 million in foreign aid (for food and other services) to twelve of the world’s poorest countries over the next three years.
  • Alaska’s state Rep. Wes Keller will let autism insurance bill pass.
  • Alaska’s senate passes retirement system bill- offering state workers choice of retirement systems.
  • Texas board approves rules on use of stem cells.
  • States seek curb on patient bills for costly drugs.

Programs

  • A United Nations (UN) backed campaign aims to vaccinate more than 111 million children against polio in 20 African countries in just four days.
  • The Sadc HIV and Aids Fund has donated US $5000,000 to coordinate a pilot project that focuses on capacity building for communities to handle issues related to the HIV pandemic in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana.
  • An FDA (Food and Drug Administration) panel has unanimously recommended approval of what would become the first ultrasound devise in the U.S. approved for breast cancer screening. It is called U-Systems’ somo•v® Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) system.
  • The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will devote 60 million US dollars to renovate/ build 65 health centers around Ethiopia. This project supports Ethiopia’s Accelerated Expansion of Primary Health Service Coverage program which aims to increase the number of health centers around the country in order to have one health center for 25,000 people.
  • Horn of Africa Emergency Health and Nutrition Project is delivering emergency health and nutrition services to refugees in the Horn of Africa and is supporting refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. The international development Association (IDA) grant supports this program of health, nutrition, and water and sanitation service delivery.
  • The 12th International Conference about African and Afro-American culture was held on April 16 in Cuba.  Its main attraction was the symposium about medicine and culture
  • The government of the Gambia in collaboration with African Development Bank and Africa Water Facility (AWF) has launched two sister projects of the National Water Sector Reform (NWSR) and Rural Water Supply Sanitation (RWSS) projects respectively, valued at US $10million, at the Coca Ocean Resort and Spar in Bijilo.
  • The Ghana Health Service has introduced two new vaccines for the cure and treatment of pneumonia and diarrhea in children.
  • Nairobi has been selected as the Kenya’s headquarter of the Global Plan for Elimination of HIV among Children and Keeping their Mother Alive.
  • The World Bank Board has approved financing of US$150 million for the Nigeria State Health Investment Project. Nigeria will also receive a US $21.5 million grant from the Health Results Innovation Trust Fund, supported by the UK’s Department for International Development and the Government of Norway.
  • Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Diego has announced that it will give $1.2 million to 19 local breast health organizations.
  • The World Bank has approved, on the behalf of a global trust fund, a grant of $3.6 million to increase access to affordable maternal health services for the low-income families living in the Eastern Visayas region (Philippines).
  • The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a grant of $40million for the development of the Bangladesh health sector.
  • The Tripura Government (in India) has launched an ambitious program to make its capital Agartala a Hepatitis free city, considering northeastern India’s vulnerability to this highly contagious disease.
  • Haiti launches anti-cholera vaccination campaign.

 Research

  • Studies have revealed that aristolochic acid (AA) leads to kidney failure and upper urinary tract cancer (UUC) in individuals exposed to them. AA is found in some plant species that have been used in herbal medicine for centuries.
  • According to recent study dental amalgam is linked to environmental concerns and indirect health risks. About 50 percent of mercury entering local waste treatment plants comes from dental amalgam wastes. Once it gets deposited certain microorganisms can change elemental mercury to methyl mercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish.
  • Austrian scientists at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research have found that overproduction of a growth hormone can cause liver cancer. The signaling molecule known as STAT 5 is involved in development of liver cancer due to the overproduction of growth hormone.
  • According to a study extracts from the spice turmeric, may help to prevent the people from heart attacks who had undergone a recent bypass surgery. This spice is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • A study published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition reported that eating nuts result in higher levels of good cholesterol (HDL, high-density lipoprotein) and lower levels of C-reactive protein which can trigger chronic diseases including heart disease.
  • Researchers have uncovered thirty-two previously unidentified genetic regions associated with osteoporosis and fracture. Variations in the DNA sequences in these regions confer either risk or protection from the bone-weakening disease.
  • Studies reveal that high fat diets like the Atkins diet and the Western diet promote colon cancer growth and metastasis.
  • Study shows dental sealants effective in adults as well in preventing caries.
  • A study concludes that the diets with low carbohydrate prone people towards the risk of developing type-2 diabetes.
  • A research involving X-ray crystallography offers new clues on how cancer or Alzheimer’s disease might develop.
  • SMARTer Prostrate Cancer treatment (bloodless prostrate surgery with no incisions) successful in treating the disease and ensuring quality of life after prostate cancer.
  • A new compound has been reported to prevent the spread of brain cancer in animals.

Diseases & Disasters

  • Tornados in mid-west US.
  • Earthquake with tsunami warning in parts of India (Tamil Nadu).
  • Raw Yellowfin Tuna product associated with Salmonella Bareilly outbreak recalled.

 

Global Health News Last Week

by ihsection, posted in News

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

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.

Waiting for Handouts

by ihsection, posted in Disaster Response, Guest Blog

by Ibrahim Kargbo E-mail LinkedIn Twitter

On a recent trip to Haiti to conduct program monitoring and evaluation, I was taken aback by the statement of a woman who was forced to relocate due to the 2010 earthquake. When asked why she continues to attend HIV/AIDS education programs, her response was “…because I was promised a house and money”. Upon further interaction with the woman, I learned that she was told by a responding aid organization that she would be given a house and money to help her recover. Hearing her comment, I was left to question whether or not the responsibility of post-disaster recovery is made clear and rightly shared.

I very much support the massive global response to environmental disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the recent 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. As a global community, we share the tremendous responsibility of assisting each other with disaster recovery efforts. Regardless of the disaster, we donate money, time, technical assistance, and other resources to countries in need, either because we are expected to do so or because we are emotionally impelled to assist; whichever is the case, we manage to step up to the plate to provide recovery assistance.

But at what point should disaster recovery become more of the effected country’s responsibility than that of assisting countries? As we overwhelmingly respond to disasters, we forget to remind countries that emergency assistance they receive is only temporary and as citizens, it is they and their governments who are ultimately responsible for recovery efforts and long-term reconstruction. Donors and disaster response agencies should refrain from promising and or providing long-term resources for disaster recovery, doing so may potentially create an environment which citizens and country governments do not take initiative and responsibility for long-term recovery efforts, further handicapping the people’s ability to recover from future disasters.

In a perfect world, country citizens and their governments do not wait for handouts from donors and other countries, but instead, respond to disasters with pride for their country and support of one another. We all should work towards a perfect world.

Ibrahim Kargbo is a Master of Public Health student at George Mason University.

Global Health News Last Week

by ihsection, posted in News

From March 28 to April 1, panelists working in Canada, Uganda, the United States, and Zambia will lead a discussion in GHDonline.org on ways to build sustainable partnerships to strengthen surgical and anesthesia capacity in resource-poor settings. More information can be found here.

March 22 was World Water Day. Blogger Tom Murphy has collected some interesting videos on PSI’s blog here.
Elizabeth Taylor, Hollywood icon and longtime advocate for the fight against HIV/AIDS, passed away on March 23 at age 78.
March 24 was World TB Day.

POLICY

  • China, the world’s largest tobacco producer and home to a third of all smokers, has issued a national ban on smoking in hotels, restaurants and other indoor public spaces.
  • Fears are growing among HIV/AIDS sufferers in the Ukraine amid claims from some patients that they have been denied life-saving medicines by authorities during a crackdown on drug substitution therapy.
  • The WHO has announced a list of 30 essential medicines for treating common diseases of mothers and children that can be used as the basis for procurement and supply of medicines and guide local medicine production.

RESEARCH

  • Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Dublin City University and Universidad de Valparaiso (Chile) have developed a self-powered, low-cost chip that can test blood samples and diagnose diseases like tuberculosis and HIV within minutes.
  • Researchers have discovered that capsaicin, the compound that makes jalapeños, red chilies, and the famous habanero pepper spicy, inhibit the production of cholera toxins.
  • Results from a recent study show that people with HIV who change antiretroviral treatment regimens due to side effects are at higher risk for developing drug resistance.
  • The Pakistan Medical Association’s 2011 annual report found that 400,000 infants die in the first year of their life each year and 1 out of 10 children die by the age of five.
  • A study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that child diarrhea deaths could be almost halved if currently available interventions such as breastfeeding, hand washing with soap, and improved household water treatment were widely implemented.
  • Global health and development blogger Amanda Makulec shares seven key ideas that she took home from the Global Health Metrics and Evaluation Conference in Seattle.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

  • Despite setbacks, work continues at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, in addition to radiation-contaminated vegetables, officials are now warning families to not give Tokyo tap water to infants due to elevated levels of radiation found in the water supply. The World Bank estimates that the earthquake and tsunami have caused as much as $235 billion in damage to Japan and that it will take five years for the nation to recover.
  • The crisis in Côte d’Ivoire continues as well, as the country’s healthcare system is strained by the violence.
  • Leprosy, which has been officially “eliminated” in India, still affects hundreds of thousands of people who are shunned by society. There are 130,000 new cases diagnosed in the country each year.
  • Leaders at the 26th Annual Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International challenged the World Health Organization and countries around the world to take action on the dramatic surge in the global incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Global Health News Last Week

by ihsection, posted in News

POLICY

  • Assistant Senate Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) introduced the Water for the World Act of 2011, a bill in the Senate which will make providing safe and clean drinking water around the world a priority for US foreign aid.
  • More than 60 world nutrition experts met at WHO headquarters last week to revise guidelines and to identify solutions to tackle the growing problems of both malnutrition and obesity around the world.
  • Ministers of health and other high-level health officials from throughout the Americas called for a series of actions to reduce the toll of chronic noncommunicable diseases, in a declaration issued last week in Mexico City.
  • The Global Fund announced that former President of Botswana Festus Mogae and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt have agreed to lead a high-level panel of experts that will conduct an independent and thorough review of the Global Fund’s financial safeguards.
  • UN agencies are concerned that reduced donor funding due to the recession, combined with free trade agreements, will reduce the availability of low-cost HIV medications in developing countries.
  • The United Nations General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting in September this year to discuss the financial burden caused by non-communicable diseases (NCD) on countries.

RESEARCH

  • A study done is Malawi by the World Bank attracted attention (and criticism) from Businessweek. Young women were given to stay in school and deter them from accepting money and gifts from “sugar daddies” in exchange for sex. The study found that HIV infection rates were 60% among schoolgirls who received cash compared to those who received nothing.
  • A recent review of malaria treatment clinical trial results, published in the Chochrane Library, shows that artesunate was more effective that quinine at treating severe malaria.
  • A personalized text messaging reminder service significantly boosted antiretroviral (ARV) adherence over a six-week period compared with a standard beeper reminder system, according to a study published in the March issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs.
  • About 600 people gathered at the Global Health Metrics and Evaluation conference in Seattle to discuss issues surrounding the evaluation of effectiveness of health programs.

PROGRAMS

  • Global health blogger Alanna Shaikh discusses how micro-credit and the Green Revolution, two of international development’s biggest successes, are being re-evaluated.
  • The Nepalese government is planning launch a large vaccination campaign against elephantiasis in 40 high-risk districts.
  • Dubai’s Ministry of Health introduced Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine PCV13, a vaccine that protects young children from the worst effects of illnesses including pneumonia, blood infections and meningitis.
  • The National Influenza Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, making China the first developing country to house such an institution.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

  • Europe is concerned by the growing incidence of drug-resistant TB, particularly in children.
  • The world continues to follow the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, including the unfolding situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The WHO has assured that there is no danger to individuals being exposed to radiation in nearby nations (e.g. China).
  • As if Haiti needed any more bad news, a study published in the Lancet says that the UN estimate of 400,000 cholera cases in Haiti this year is nearly half of what the real projection should be for the recovering nation. Meanwhile, health officials in Lagos have called on residents to observe high standards of personal and environmental hygiene and have designated emergency numbers to call in case of suspected cases; the Ghana Health Service has set up cholera centers in Accra to deal with the outbreak there; and the interim federal government of Somalia on Tuesday denied reports of an outbreak of cholera in the country, responding to an Associated Press story over the weekend that Somali doctors had reported that more than 20 people had died from the disease.
  • In the February 2011 issue of PLoS Neglected Tropical Disease Journal, contributing editor Serap Aksoy discussed the triumphs behind the control of human African trypanosomiasis, or African Sleeping Sickness.
  • Although women get diagnosed for tuberculosis (TB) later than men, treatment outcomes among women are better than men with higher TB treatment success rate and lower default (drop-out) rate in the female patients. The finding was announced at a meeting on TB and women in New Delhi, India.
  • While the total number of newly reported HIV positive people and AIDS patients are still low in Japan compared with other countries, the number of newly HIV-infected people in Japan has doubled in the past decade due to public complacency and lower awareness.