Public Health News and Research

RSS

EPIDEMICS³ International Conference on Infectious Disease Dynamics to take place in Boston, in Nov 2011

Following the inaugural Epidemics¹ Conference in Asilomar, USA in 2008, and the second conference Epidemics² in Athens, Greece in 2009, both highly successful meetings with both more than 230 participants, the organizers are pleased to announce that the Third International Conference on Infectious Disease Dynamics - EPIDEMICS³ - will take place in Boston, USA, in November 2011.

1 Apr 2011

New report examines MSIS feasibility to fulfill requirements outlined in CHIPRA

A new report, published in Perspectives in Health Information Management, by The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Health Policy, examines the feasibility of using the Medicaid Statistical Information System, an existing data source, to fulfill some of the requirements outlined in section 401 of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.

31 Mar 2011

Low-level radiation from Japan's damaged nuclear plant detected as far away as U.S.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said U.S. government sensors had detected radiation believed to be from the damaged nuclear plant, Reuters writes.

31 Mar 2011

No amount of added sugar is right

According to a recently released study that traced the eating habits of Minnesota residents for 27 years, the body weight of Americans is rising along with their increased intake of sugars added to processed and home-cooked foods.

31 Mar 2011

Growing stigma against overweight people around the world

Stigma against overweight people is becoming a cultural norm around the world, even in places where larger bodies have traditionally been valued. That's according to a cross-cultural study of attitudes toward obesity to be published in the April issue of Current Anthropology.

31 Mar 2011

Health advocates file petition with U.N. over proposed trade agreement among several countries

Several health advocacy groups have submitted a letter to U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health Anand Grover "outlining their objections" to negotiations over a trans-Pacific partnership agreement being negotiated by the governments of Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam, claiming that the agreement would inhibit access to low-cost medications in developing countries, BMJ News reports.

31 Mar 2011

International experts meet to focus on impact of vaccines on global health at a time of public scepticism and complacency

International experts gather in Prague today for a three day meeting focused on the impact of vaccines on public health, at a time of increasing concern that public scepticism and complacency could undermine the positive impact of current and future vaccine campaigns.

31 Mar 2011

State roundup: Md. Blue Cross probed; Mass. nonprofit hospitals may be sold

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Maryland's largest insurer, confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that it received a civil investigative demand from the Justice Department but declined to comment further.

31 Mar 2011

HIV/AIDS drugs shortage with rise in cases: An update

According to Australia's Ambassador on HIV/AIDS, Murray Proctor, Asia is falling short on HIV/AIDS treatment as almost 400,000 new cases are reported each year. He was attending a regional conference on universal access to treatment for AIDS where he said availability and price of vital anti-retroviral or anti- HIV medications remain a challenge for the region.

31 Mar 2011

New clinical practice guidelines developed for juvenile idiopathic arthritis

The American College of Rheumatology has developed new guidelines for starting and monitoring treatments for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. These are the first JIA guidelines endorsed by the ACR, with the goal of broad acceptance within the rheumatology community.

30 Mar 2011

California's aging LGB more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions

Members of California's aging lesbian, gay and bisexual population are more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions, even as they wrestle with the challenges of living alone in far higher numbers than the heterosexual population, according to new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

30 Mar 2011

SAMHSA publishes strategic initiatives paper on nation's behavioral health care system

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration today published its strategic initiatives paper - an overview of SAMHSA's goals, priorities and action steps for accomplishing its mission of reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.

30 Mar 2011

Insect Shield Repellent Apparel can protect against tick bites

A pilot study shows clothes treated with long-lasting insect repellant appear to offer outdoor workers significant protection against tick bites.

30 Mar 2011

Welsh CJD alert after two years of exposure

Thirty-eight people have been told they may have been put at risk of contracting the fatal brain disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) following surgery. All the patients were operated on between 2007 and 2009 at either Swansea's Morriston or Singleton hospital, Neath Port Talbot or Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.

29 Mar 2011

Bariatric surgery highly cost-effective treatment for obese type 2 diabetics

Bariatric surgery is an especially cost-effective therapy for managing Type 2 diabetes in moderately and severely obese patients. These findings and others were presented today at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes, hosted by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.

29 Mar 2011

Scientist develops new model to understand peoples' behaviors during flu outbreaks

When influenza pandemics arrive, the specter of disease spread through person-to-person contact can mean that schools close, hand sanitizer sales rise, and travellers stay home. But is severing social and business interactions with our neighbors really better than taking a chance on getting sick?

29 Mar 2011

Study links specific cardiovascular risk factors to AF episodes

Reducing cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and being overweight could potentially reduce more than half of all cases of atrial fibrillation, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

29 Mar 2011

Study highlights tobacco smoke exposure among babies

"Passive smoking is the leading preventable cause of childhood death in developed countries", Guadalupe Ortega, lead author of the research study and coordinator of the Atenció Primària Sense Fum programme at the Department of Health of the Generalitat de Cataluña tells SINC.

29 Mar 2011

IDF: Obese people with type 2 diabetes can benefit from bariatric surgery

Bariatric surgery should be considered earlier in the treatment of eligible patients to help stem the serious complications that can result from diabetes, according to an International Diabetes Federation position statement presented by leading experts at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes in New York.

29 Mar 2011

Cardinal Health, APhA partner to prevent prescription medication abuse

During the American Pharmacists Association's Annual Meeting and Exposition in Seattle, the Cardinal Health Foundation and APhA announced a partnership to encourage pharmacists and student pharmacists to take an active role in preventing the abuse and misuse of prescription medications.

29 Mar 2011