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Mosquitoes show signs of behavior change in response to bed net use, study says

About three years after two villages in Benin began using insecticide-treated bed nets to help prevent malaria, mosquitoes in the area changed their biting habits, so their "hours of 'peak aggression' [went] from 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. to around 5 a.m." and "in one village, the proportion of mosquito bites inflicted outdoors rose," according to a study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Reuters reports.

21 Sep 2012

Study finds nearly 50% decline in child mortality in Niger over the last decade

A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Niger Countdown Case Study Working Group found that child mortality in Niger-one of the world's poorest countries-declined nearly 50 percent over the last decade.

21 Sep 2012

NPR blog examines simple cervical cancer screening technique being adopted by African countries

NPR's "Shots" blog examines efforts to reduce cervical cancer deaths in Botswana, noting that "in Africa and other impoverished regions, few women get pap smears because the countries lack the laboratories and other resources necessary to offer them."

20 Sep 2012

Report: Obesity rates will continue to grow, causing increases in health care costs, disease incidence

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America's Health concluded that, based on current trends, most Americans could be obese by 2030.

20 Sep 2012

Roundup: Ore. insurance CO-OP readies coverage; N.J. Medicaid liabilities hurt state's fiscal outlook; Wis. AG appeals collective bargaining ruling

Independent workers -- artists, journalists, information technology professionals, craftsmen and even those who earn their living buying and selling on eBay -- will soon have the ability to buy health coverage without having to dicker with a privately-run insurance company such as Regence BlueCross BlueShield. ... people can sign up when enrollment opens for the health insurance exchange in October 2013.

20 Sep 2012

RI MUHC, McGill University launch Montreal component of Canada-wide aging study

It's often referred to as the "Silver Tsunami". The aging of the Canadian population will become a public health challenge in the coming decades. By 2025, it is estimated that one in five Canadians will be over 65, and within 30 years Quebec will have one of the most elderly populations in the Western world.

20 Sep 2012

Health interest groups strategize to stop automatic cuts

Industry lobbyists hope the "shock value" of last week's White House report detailing the reach of the cuts will add momentum to efforts to persuade Congress to repeal the legislation before reductions start in January.

20 Sep 2012

IOM report: Military needs to do more to treat, prevent drug and alcohol abuse

The Institute of Medicine found that the military's programs don't keep up with standard medical practices used in civilian life and that health care providers aren't adequately trained at all levels.

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

Children can largely benefit from 40 minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity

Twenty minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity over just three months can reduce a child's risk of diabetes as well as his total body fat - including dangerous, deep abdominal fat - but 40 minutes works even better, researchers report.

19 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 19, 2012

Today's headlines include a series of reports detailing who makes up Romney's so-called "47 percent" who get tax breaks and what federal assistance they receive -- whether it is Medicare, Medicaid or another entitlement program.

19 Sep 2012

Self-harmers are three times as likely to die prematurely

People who have a history of self-harm are more than three times as likely to die prematurely as the general population, and not just from the obvious causes, with deaths due to natural causes at least two times greater than anticipated and the risk also much higher for individuals living in socially deprived areas, according to a UK study published Online First in The Lancet.

18 Sep 2012

No link between low-level electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones and health risks

There is no scientific evidence that low-level electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones and other transmitting devices causes adverse health effects, according to a report presented by a Norwegian Expert Committee. In addition, the Committee provides advice to authorities about risk management and regulatory practice.

18 Sep 2012

No association between XMRV/pMLV and chronic fatigue syndrome

The causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have long eluded scientists. In 2009, a paper in the journal Science linked the syndrome-sometimes called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)-to infection with a mouse retrovirus called XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus).

18 Sep 2012

Pacific Global Health Conference to take place from Oct. 8-10

Over 400 leading health professionals are expected to attend the 5th Pacific Global Health Conference, Transforming Public Health in the Pacific, to be held at the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu, HI from October 8-10.

18 Sep 2012

Improve domestic health care worker recruiting, training in U.S. to improve economy, global health

"Today about 12 percent of the health work force [in the U.S.] is foreign-born and trained, including a quarter of all physicians," Kate Tulenko, senior director of health system innovation at IntraHealth International, writes in a New York Times opinion piece, adding, "That's bad for American workers, but even worse for the foreign workers' home countries, including some of the world's poorest and sickest, which could use these professionals at home."

17 Sep 2012

Drug-resistant tuberculosis: an interview with Sven Hoffner

In contrast to drug-susceptible tuberculosis, which can be cured with available drug therapies, drug-resistant, and especially multi-drug resistant, tuberculosis is much more difficult to cure and it takes a much longer time for patients to become non-infectious.

17 Sep 2012

Results from largest ever health and lifestyle survey of cities and conurbations across Europe

Researchers have announced the results of the largest ever health and lifestyle survey of cities and conurbations across Europe - including five British urban centres.

From The University of Manchester 17 Sep 2012

SLU study: Many U.S. schools not prepared for bioterrorism attacks, outbreaks of pandemics

Many U.S. schools are not prepared for bioterrorism attacks, outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases or pandemics, despite the recent 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic that resulted in more than 18,000 deaths worldwide, Saint Louis University researchers say.

15 Sep 2012

Drinking water fails to meet state quality standards at North Carolina migrant farmworker camps

The drinking water at one-third of migrant farmworker camps in eastern North Carolina failed to meet state quality standards, according to a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

15 Sep 2012

Public Health News and Research

Mosquitoes show signs of behavior change in response to bed net use, study says

Study finds nearly 50% decline in child mortality in Niger over the last decade

NPR blog examines simple cervical cancer screening technique being adopted by African countries

Report: Obesity rates will continue to grow, causing increases in health care costs, disease incidence

Roundup: Ore. insurance CO-OP readies coverage; N.J. Medicaid liabilities hurt state's fiscal outlook; Wis. AG appeals collective bargaining ruling

RI MUHC, McGill University launch Montreal component of Canada-wide aging study

Health interest groups strategize to stop automatic cuts

IOM report: Military needs to do more to treat, prevent drug and alcohol abuse

Government regulation of portion sizes can effectively prevent obesity epidemic

Children can largely benefit from 40 minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity

First Edition: September 19, 2012

Self-harmers are three times as likely to die prematurely

No link between low-level electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones and health risks

No association between XMRV/pMLV and chronic fatigue syndrome

Pacific Global Health Conference to take place from Oct. 8-10

Improve domestic health care worker recruiting, training in U.S. to improve economy, global health

Drug-resistant tuberculosis: an interview with Sven Hoffner

Results from largest ever health and lifestyle survey of cities and conurbations across Europe

SLU study: Many U.S. schools not prepared for bioterrorism attacks, outbreaks of pandemics

Drinking water fails to meet state quality standards at North Carolina migrant farmworker camps

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