Hygiene News and Research

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Women's eNews examines maternal health in Morocco

"Morocco has made great strides in improving maternal health in recent years, decreasing its maternal mortality ratio by over 60 percent since 1990," but "a wide maternal health gap" exists between women in urban and rural areas, where deliveries generally are attended by an experienced yet untrained family member, Women's eNews reports.

26 Sep 2012

Comprehensive prenatal care can decrease rates of low birth weights

Comprehensive prenatal care can decrease the rate of low birth weights, according to a study led by Dr. Yasmin Neggers, a University of Alabama researcher and professor of human nutrition and hospitality management.

25 Sep 2012

Wiley publishes 6th Edition of Patty's Toxicology

The expanded 6th Edition of the cornerstone reference work on occupational health and toxicology is now published by Wiley. Patty's Toxicology, 6th Edition, 6-Volume Set updates its comprehensive coverage and adds chapters to reflect the changing and expanding field of Toxicology.

25 Sep 2012

Global AIDS response provides lessons for fighting NCDs

"If left unaddressed, [non-communicable diseases (NCDs)] will lead to more death, disability and the implosion of already overburdened health systems in developing countries at huge cost to individuals, families, businesses and society," Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and former UNAIDS executive director, writes in the Huffington Post "Impact" blog, adding, "Like AIDS, NCDs are a problem for rich and poor countries alike, but the poor suffer the most."

21 Sep 2012

Countdown to 2015 report shows slight decline in funding for maternal, child health

"Spending on maternal and child health has stalled, according to an expert analysis, raising concerns that efforts to cut deaths in poor countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may falter," the Guardian reports.

21 Sep 2012

Ciprofloxacin use is major contributor to MRSA spread in hospitals

The use of a commonly prescribed antibiotic is a major contributor to the spread of infection in hospitals by the 'superbug' MRSA, according to new research. The study also found that increasing measures to prevent infection - such as improved hygiene and hand washing - appeared to have only a small effect on reducing MRSA infection rates during the period studied.

21 Sep 2012

First phase of Global Fund-managed AMFm shows success in bringing malaria drugs to clinics

The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) -- an innovative financing mechanism that subsidizes the cost of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in order to expand access to the most effective treatment for malaria -- "brought more than 100 million doses of malaria drugs to clinics and pharmacies in 2011" and "also increased access to the top malaria medicines by 26 to 52 percent in six countries."

21 Sep 2012

Research highlights various methods of reporting central line infections in hospitals

A new study has found that some kinds of infection data may not be comparable across hospitals, and may not be suitable for use as a performance measure.

20 Sep 2012

New tools can help track healthcare-associated infections in nursing homes

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have each released new tools and information to help track deadly healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in nursing homes and other long-term care settings.

19 Sep 2012

Congress can help improve WASH, survival for children worldwide

David Winder, chief executive of WaterAid USA, highlights the findings of the recently released UNICEF report on child mortality in this Huffington Post "Impact" blog post, saying the decrease in annual number of child deaths "is great news, but is tempered by sobering statistics, especially for children in sub-Saharan Africa," who continue to face high rates of mortality.

19 Sep 2012

Government regulation of portion sizes can effectively prevent obesity epidemic

Addressing the obesity epidemic by preventing excess calorie consumption with government regulation of portion sizes is justifiable and could be an effective measure to help prevent obesity-related health problems and deaths, according to a Viewpoint in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity.

19 Sep 2012

Tranexamic acid: an interview with Prof Ian Roberts

Tranexamic acid is a medicine that reduces blood clot breakdown. In this way it helps in patients with bleeding.

19 Sep 2012

Tranexamic acid lifesaving across the board

Tranexamic acid confers survival benefits in trauma patients irrespective of their baseline mortality risk, shows a prespecified analysis of CRASH-2.

18 Sep 2012

Bed nets and insecticides could fail to protect people from new malaria-transmitting mosquitoes

A potentially dangerous new malaria-transmitting mosquito has been discovered in Kenya by scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. This species, which has never been implicated in the transmission of malaria before, poses a threat because it bites humans at times when they are not protected by current malaria control techniques.

17 Sep 2012

Some Guinean residents seek cholera vaccine; Outbreak in Sierra Leone winding down

With nearly 6,000 reported cholera cases, including more than 100 deaths, Guinea is facing the worst cholera outbreak since 2007, and "some residents of the capital Conakry are clamoring to be vaccinated," IRIN reports.

15 Sep 2012

Study assesses hand contamination of healthcare workers after disinfection procedures

New research demonstrates that daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces in isolation rooms of patients with Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) significantly reduces the rate of the pathogens on the hands of healthcare personnel.

15 Sep 2012

Comic created to help busy medical staff on the benefits of tranexamic acid

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have created a comic influenced by the Japanese manga style to help busy medical staff who treat patients suffering from bleeding.

12 Sep 2012

HHS Global Health Strategy helps protect Americans, 'all persons worldwide'

"The notion that diseases or contamination somehow recognize geographic or political borders is a dangerous illusion. ... Fortunately, the United States has a broad, diverse, and world-class range of experience and expertise in dealing with all manner of global health issues," Nils Daulaire, director of the Office of Global Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), writes in a perspective piece in the Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

7 Sep 2012

Nutritional benefits of organic foods questioned

Strong evidence to support the supposed nutritional benefits of eating organic over conventional foods is lacking in the scientific literature, show results from a systematic review.

6 Sep 2012

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care develops new educational resource

Soft contact lenses are worn safely and comfortably by millions of people worldwide, and have a long history of providing wearers with a safe and effective form of vision correction when properly worn and cared for. However, research shows that many contact lens wearers are significantly non-compliant in virtually all active steps involved in soft contact lens wear, including hand washing, case hygiene, lens disinfection, and following the recommended lens replacement schedule.

6 Sep 2012