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Opinions: G8 commitments to maternal, child health

A Toronto Star editorial reflects on the pledges of G8 countries to the Muskoka Initiative to improve maternal and child health care, noting, while Canada's $1.1 billion over five years "fell noticeably short of the $1.2 billion the G8 and G20 summits cost to stage, it will lend welcome impetus to a lifeline for Africa and help save lives." However, as the editorial notes, "the recession-battered G8 as a group responded feebly, mustering only $5 billion over five years.

29 Jun 2010

In-school education programs can reduce obesity, other risk factors for type 2 diabetes: HEALTHY

Healthier cafeteria choices, longer and more intense periods of physical activity and robust in-school education programs can lower rates of obesity and other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, according to a national study called HEALTHY.

28 Jun 2010

International child health experts to converge for Excellence in Paediatrics

International child health experts to converge on London for Excellence in Paediatrics. Experts from all over the world will be converging on the Park Plaza Hotel in Westminster, London, from 2 - 4 December 2010 for Excellence in Paediatrics, which promises cutting edge topics by outstanding speakers.

28 Jun 2010

G8 leaders to discuss economic policy, developing world, maternal and child health, Haitian rebuilding

Ahead of the G8 summit, which begins Friday in Canada, "leaders engaged in a series of dueling letters and interviews that exposed their conflicts" in how to foster global economic recovery, the Associated Press reports.

28 Jun 2010

U.N. Secretary-General to ask G20 for additional $60B over 5 years for maternal, child health

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he plans to ask the G20 to follow through on aid promises and to commit an additional $60 billion over five years for lowering maternal and child mortality rates worldwide, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

25 Jun 2010

Opinions: Harper and global health; Health workers in developing countries; Funding commitments; DDT, GMO use

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper "can use the relatively intimate setting of the G8's Muskoka meeting to press for a renewal of the G8's commitment to better health for Africans, and help the developed world be truly accountable for its promises," the Globe and Mail writes in an editorial. "The G8's failure to fully fund the historic aid commitments to Africa it made at the 2005 Gleneagles summit" puts the future success of the developing world at risk, the editorial states.

25 Jun 2010

Researchers say ear tubes are safe for children with cochlear implants

Children who are being treated for hearing loss with cochlear implants can safely have ear tubes installed to help clear up infections, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

25 Jun 2010

ACF, HRSA accept applications for Tribal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration, is accepting applications for fiscal year 2010 for the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program.

25 Jun 2010

MDG targets still attainable despite setbacks from global economic situation, U.N. report says

Efforts to curb poverty worldwide have been slowed by the global economic situation, but the developing world is still on track to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the number of people living on less than $1 per day by 2015 - according to an annual U.N. report (.pdf) on the MDGs, which this year shows a "mixed picture" on reaching all eight targets - the Associated Press reports (Lederer, 6/23).

25 Jun 2010

G8 Summit needs to focus on MDGs to address AIDS crisis: IAS

In 2005 the international community made an historic commitment to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care by 2010 at the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. Despite important progress, the world is not yet on track to achieve this commitment, and there are troubling signs that donors and implementing countries are capping or shrinking funding for the HIV response.

24 Jun 2010

Florida obstetricians collaborate to lower premature and Cesarean birth rates

Much has been published of late, in medical journals as well as in the general media, concerning the national rise in both the Cesarean section and premature birth rates. While not directly connected, the two medical concerns have many interrelated variables. Nationally, the Cesarean section rate has risen to 32 percent of all births, while the rate of premature birth has climbed to just over 12 percent.

24 Jun 2010

Mixed progress on MDGs, additional advancement still possible, report says

Poverty rates in 10 African countries have been halved over the last two decades, while child mortality rates have gone up in six sub-Saharan African countries, according to a report (.pdf) from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the U.N. Millennium Campaign, which emphasized that progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is possible, the Associated Press/St. Petersburg Times reports (Straziuso, 6/22).

24 Jun 2010

Miller-McCune examines debate over redistribution of some foreign aid funds from HIV/AIDS to other diseases

Through the lens of health conditions faced by people in Mbarara, Uganda, Miller-McCune examines the debate over redistributing some foreign aid funds from HIV/AIDS to fight other diseases.

24 Jun 2010

Opinions: Canada's role in global health; Drug licensing agreements promote drug access; Funding for USAID, state; Haiti

After outlining the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Michel Kazatchkine, the organization's executive director, highlights the role Canada can play in determining "whether the world can overcome AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria" in a Toronto Star opinion piece, noting the upcoming G8 and G20 summits, as well as the Millennium Development Goal meeting later this year.

23 Jun 2010

Report says G8 countries short $10B on $50B commitment, reveals mixed progress on health goals

An accountability report, prepared by officials in G8 member countries' foreign affairs departments, acknowledges that G8 "countries are $10 billion behind the five-year, $50-billion commitment they made at their 2005 summit in Scotland," the Canadian Press/CTV News reports (6/20).

22 Jun 2010

Study evaluates association between PBDE flame retardants and thyroid function in pregnant women

Pregnant women with higher blood levels of a common flame retardant had altered thyroid hormone levels, a result that could have implications for fetal health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

21 Jun 2010

U.S. releases statement on Global Health Initiative

The U.S. government continues to lay the groundwork for efforts under the U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI), announcing the first round of "GHI Plus" countries, as well as the program's governance structure. GHI is a six-year, $63 billion initiative to help partner countries improve measurable health outcomes by strengthening health systems and building upon proven results. It places a particular focus on improving the health of women, newborns and children.

19 Jun 2010

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles awarded $2.5M NIH grant to study risk of osteoporosis in spina bifida children

Tishya Wren, PhD, of The Saban Research Institute at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study bone development in children with myelomeningocele, the most severe type of spina bifida .

19 Jun 2010

New partnership established to reduce newborn mortality

The U.S. Agency for International Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding this week with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Laerdal Medical AS, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Save the Children. The objective of this Global Development Alliance is to reduce newborn mortality by expanding access to high-quality, affordable newborn resuscitation training materials and devices, improving the competence of birth attendants to resuscitate newborns, strengthening health systems and promoting global commitment and resources for life-saving newborn care.

19 Jun 2010

Laboratory mouse study shows cold sensing neural circuits develop well after birth

Cold sensing neural circuits in newborn mice take around two weeks to become fully active, according to a new study. The finding adds to understanding of the cold sensing protein TRPM8 (pronounced trip-em-ate), first identified in a Nature paper in 2002 by David McKemy of the University of Southern California.

18 Jun 2010

Child Health News and Research

Opinions: G8 commitments to maternal, child health

In-school education programs can reduce obesity, other risk factors for type 2 diabetes: HEALTHY

International child health experts to converge for Excellence in Paediatrics

G8 leaders to discuss economic policy, developing world, maternal and child health, Haitian rebuilding

U.N. Secretary-General to ask G20 for additional $60B over 5 years for maternal, child health

Opinions: Harper and global health; Health workers in developing countries; Funding commitments; DDT, GMO use

Researchers say ear tubes are safe for children with cochlear implants

ACF, HRSA accept applications for Tribal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program

MDG targets still attainable despite setbacks from global economic situation, U.N. report says

G8 Summit needs to focus on MDGs to address AIDS crisis: IAS

Florida obstetricians collaborate to lower premature and Cesarean birth rates

Mixed progress on MDGs, additional advancement still possible, report says

Miller-McCune examines debate over redistribution of some foreign aid funds from HIV/AIDS to other diseases

Opinions: Canada's role in global health; Drug licensing agreements promote drug access; Funding for USAID, state; Haiti

Report says G8 countries short $10B on $50B commitment, reveals mixed progress on health goals

Study evaluates association between PBDE flame retardants and thyroid function in pregnant women

U.S. releases statement on Global Health Initiative

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles awarded $2.5M NIH grant to study risk of osteoporosis in spina bifida children

New partnership established to reduce newborn mortality

Laboratory mouse study shows cold sensing neural circuits develop well after birth

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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