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Global food prices rise 10% in July; World Bank President says increase threatens health of millions

"The World Bank said Thursday that drought in the U.S. and Eastern Europe crop centers sent global food prices soaring by 10 percent last month, raising a food security threat to the world's poorest people," Agence France-Presse reports.

1 Sep 2012

Roundup: Flurry of health bills as Calif. legislature winds down; Kansas City health data exchange opens up

The window to save the Healthy Families program is narrowing to a small slit, with just a single day left to pass bills. ... Today -- until midnight tonight -- is the last day for legislation to be passed this year. The governor has until the end of September to veto or approve bills.

1 Sep 2012

Romney's sister says he won't ban abortions

Jane Romney, speaking at an event in conjunction with the Republican convention, says that abortion shouldn't be used as "football in political arena."

31 Aug 2012

Research roundup: Readmission risks after surgery; Assessing Medicaid applicants' eligibility; Satisfaction among health plan types

General Surgeons Identify Postoperative Complications Posing Strongest Readmission Risks -- Researchers found that about 11 percent of patients in a study of 1,442 individuals who underwent general surgery were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days.

31 Aug 2012

MDR-TB, XDR-TB more widespread than previously believed, study shows

In a study published on Wednesday in the Lancet, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that "[a]mong 1,278 patients who were resistant to two or more first-line tuberculosis drugs in Estonia, Latvia, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Thailand, 43.7 percent showed resistance to at least one second-line drug," which "suggest[s] the deadly disease may become 'virtually untreatable,'" according to the study, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

31 Aug 2012

Mauritian official warns of counterfeit medicine dangers

Speaking Wednesday at a seminar titled "Campaign Against Counterfeit Medicines," Mauritian Health and Quality of Life Minister Lormus Bundhoo "cautioned against the dangers posed by counterfeit drugs and their impact on human life" and "said that the authorities are determined to raise awareness on the dangers of the manufacture of and trade in counterfeit medicines, and the importance of combating counterfeit medicines in Mauritius," PANA/Afriquejet reports.

31 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 31, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations examine Mitt Romney's speech last night and the messages on health care at the Republican convention.

31 Aug 2012

Medicare issue reverberates during convention

As both parties press their views about revamping the program, a National Journal poll says both sides think they can win on the issue. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that even as the Romney-Ryan ticket seems to be holding its own against Democratic attacks on the issue, some Republicans down the ballot are concerned.

31 Aug 2012

CSIS report examines reform in Liberia's health system

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on Tuesday released a report titled "Road to Recovery: Rebuilding Liberia's Health System," the center's "Smart Global Health" blog reports.

31 Aug 2012

Blog examines study looking at role of stigma in HIV PMTCT

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog examines a recent study that found only slightly more than 44 percent of women in the Nyanza province of Kenya deliver their infants in a health care facility, with many women citing fear of stigma and discrimination as a reason for not attending clinics for prenatal care.

31 Aug 2012

New cholera cases after tropical storm do not amount to outbreak, Haitian officials say

Haiti has "reported new cases of cholera as aftermath of the tropical storm Isaac, but Public Health Ministry General Director Guirlene Raymond said that "so far the numbers do not match outbreak ratings," Prensa Latina reports.

31 Aug 2012

Ryan says GOP will protect Medicare

In speech to the Republican convention, the vice presidential candidate parried Democratic attacks on his Medicare proposals, saying, "The usual posturing on the Left isn't going to work. Mitt Romney and I know the difference between protecting a program and raiding it."

31 Aug 2012

Blog examines 3 maternal health programs in sub-Saharan Africa

"In developing countries where access to health care during pregnancy can be scarce or grossly underused due to lack of education, financial costs, and proximity to health centers, women die unnecessarily from pregnancy and birth complications," Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, writes in this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

31 Aug 2012

Census Bureau releases new data on local uninsurance rates

Some local news outlets report on their rankings in a new federal report. In the meantime, Minnesota researchers examine the insurance status of children.

31 Aug 2012

U.S. behind France, Germany, U.K. in stopping preventable deaths

The study, published in Health Affairs, pointed the finger at the lack of health insurance -- as well as conditions such as hypertension and medical errors -- in the U.S. as part of the problem.

31 Aug 2012

Ga. Gov. signals willingness to discuss Medicaid expansion compromise

After the Georgia governor seemed to rule out Medicaid expansion in a convention speech, a spokesman qualified that it might change if the state had options not now on the table.

31 Aug 2012

Addressing growing challenge of counterfeit drugs in developing world

"Many innovative solutions are being proposed to help tackle the spread of counterfeit drugs in developing countries," GlobalVoices reports. The blog includes highlights from several news articles and blog posts on the topic, including a number of solutions used to identify such drugs.

31 Aug 2012

Blog reflects on London Summit on Family Planning

Noting that a "thin place" is "a place or situation that Celtic Mystics believed to be a coming together of heaven and earth," Gary Darmstadt, head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Family Health Division, and Wendy Prosser, a research analyst with the Family Health Division, write in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, "The London Summit on Family Planning was a 'thin place' for the global health community and for millions of women around the world who want to plan their families. It was transformational for so many reasons."

31 Aug 2012

Surveying Romney's health advisers; The pressures he faces if he wins

News outlets examine the role Micheal Leavitt and his followers will have on Romney's health policy and the expectation that a new president can change the health law quickly.

31 Aug 2012