Health Systems News and Research

RSS

Liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver and other diseases related to hepatitis B infection will continue to increase

Liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver and other diseases related to hepatitis B infection will continue to kill people in the prime of life and burden health systems with chronically sick people unless childhood immunization against hepatitis B is stepped up

20 Sep 2004

WHO urges Member States to act now to avoid a major HIV/AIDS epidemic

Dr Shigeru Omi, World Health Organization Regional Director for the Western Pacific, has warned of the danger of HIV "bridging" into the general population from infected individuals with high-risk behaviour unless countries and areas in the Region act now to avoid a major HIV/AIDS epidemic.

16 Sep 2004

Experts discuss antibiotic resistance, tuberculosis, malaria, vaccines, maternal mortality, childhood diseases and health sector reform

New challenges ahead and the unfinished agenda in public health in the Americas" will be the focus of joint efforts by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

14 Sep 2004

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose at about five times the rate of inflation

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums increased an average of 11.2% in 2004 -- less than last year’s 13.9% increase, but still the fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, according to the 2004 Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET).

12 Sep 2004

More than one billion people will be over 60 years old by 2025

To help tackle the public health implications of ageing, the World Health Organization today launched Towards Age-Friendly Primary Health Care, new general principles that will serve as guidelines for community-based Primary Health Care (PHC) centres.

6 Sep 2004

Many low-income countries are unlikely to reach the health targets set for 2015

Many low-income countries are unlikely to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) health targets set for 2015; the main reasons for this are fragile health systems and insufficient investments in understanding how to strengthen them, suggest authors of a Public Health article in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.

2 Sep 2004

Doctors have a horrible track record in their profession of recognizing physicians with difficult personalities and dealing with them effectively

Some doctors yell and scream. Some throw surgical instruments. They berate nurses, other health care workers and even patients with snide remarks and insults.

2 Sep 2004

New cooperation along the United States-Mexico Border

The United States-Mexico Border Field Office of the Pan American Health Organization and the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Association are beginning a new stage of cooperation.

1 Sep 2004

Are Latin America and the Caribbean ready to meet the health challenges of the coming senior boom?

Advances in medicine and public health have dramatically increased life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean.But is the region ready to meet the challenges of the coming "senior boom"?

31 Aug 2004

African-Americans and Asians more pessimistic about the health systems ability to cope with a bioterrorist event

While nearly three-quarters of Americans believe that the public health system would respond fairly in a bioterrorist event, African-Americans and Asians adhere to this view in smaller proportions, perhaps because of past discriminatory policies put in place by health officials, according to a new UCLA study.

30 Aug 2004

Contract for the production of an investigational vaccine based on an H9N2 strain of avian influenza virus

In 1999 and 2003, an H9N2 influenza strain caused illness in three people in Hong Kong. Scientists are concerned about H9N2 and other emerging types of avian influenza viruses because as they spread—most commonly through poultry—they continually mutate, increasing chances that they may infect humans, evade the body’s immune response and become more lethal.

17 Aug 2004

New initiative aimed at reducing the excessively high rates of stroke

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has announced approximately $2 million in grant awards to support a new initiative aimed at reducing the excessively high rates of stroke, stroke disabilities and stroke deaths that disproportionately occur in the southeastern region of the United States.

5 Aug 2004

Current estimates have cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounting for 17 million deaths annually

Renowned public health specialist, Professor Stephen Leeder, will present the central findings of a report highlighting the disturbing trend towards a growth in cardiovascular disease in developing countries, at a special colloquium to be held at The University of Sydney.

5 Aug 2004

$19 million in grants to help 66 of the nation’s health centers expand capacity

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced more than $19 million in grants to help 66 of the nation’s health centers expand capacity to serve 270,000 more rural and inner-city Americans, including many without health insurance.

3 Aug 2004

Injuries kill more Washingtonians under the age of 45 than all diseases combined

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for younger people in Washington and are largely preventable. During the summer months, there are more deaths and hospitalizations due to injury.

2 Aug 2004

Continuous glucose sensor technology has the potential to revolutionize diabetes management

Findings published in the August 2004 issue of Diabetes Care indicate that a new analytical tool -- the Continuous Glucose Error-Grid Analysis (CG-EGA) -- which was created to evaluate the clinical accuracy of continuous glucose monitoring in people with diabetes, shows that continuous monitoring can provide highly accurate test results.

2 Aug 2004

Diseases are being neglected in wake of HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria

Millions of the world's poorest people are suffering needlessly from diseases that are being neglected because of the emphasis given to the "big 3" killers, HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, says Professor David Molyneux of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

29 Jul 2004