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Washington insurance program may be a national model, Massachusetts may expand autism services

News outlets report on health issues at the state level including a health insurance program in Washington State and a bill to increase coverage for autism services in Massachusetts.

10 Nov 2009

New FDA Food Code published

The Food and Drug Administration today announced the publication of the new FDA Food Code, a model code and reference document that provides a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the food industry. The 2009 FDA Food Code is a key component of the President's overall public-health-focused food safety framework for maintaining a safe food supply.

10 Nov 2009

H1N1 cases increase in China, Japan; Afghanistan attempts to contain virus

The WHO on Friday reported on a rising number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in China and Japan, Reuters/Washington Post reports. "In China, after an earlier wave of mixed influenza activity (seasonal H3N2 and pandemic H1N1), pandemic H1N1 influenza activity now predominates and is increasing," the agency said. "Sharp increases in pandemic flu infections continue to be reported throughout Japan, particularly on the northern island," the news service writes (Nebehay, 11/6).

10 Nov 2009

WHO report calls for improved health care for women, girls

A new WHO report, released Monday, said women tend to "receive poorer quality care throughout their lives, particularly as teenagers and elderly people" even though they live six to eight years longer than men, Reuters reports. The WHO said women worldwide are "'denied a chance to develop their full human potential' because many of their critical medical needs are ignored" (MacInnis, 11/9).

10 Nov 2009

VaxInnate licensed to use 3M Drug Delivery Systems' TLR agonists

3M Drug Delivery Systems has signed an agreement with VaxInnate Corporation under which VaxInnate acquires the use of 3M’s patented toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists for use as vaccine adjuvants. Data suggest that 3M’s TLR agonists could enhance vaccine potency, potentially enabling VaxInnate to develop vaccines that provide faster, more robust protection.

9 Nov 2009

Public health experts urge Congress not to overlook the needs of Americans with "morbid obesity"

As the House of Representatives and the Senate debate companion bills to make health care more affordable and accessible, a coalition of obesity and public health experts today urged Congress not to overlook the needs of the more than 15 million Americans who suffer from severe obesity and are at the greatest risk for chronic disease and death.

9 Nov 2009

Lubricants improve the comfort and pleasure of sexual intercourse, and reduce the risk of injury

An Indiana University study involving 2,453 women ages 18 to 68 found that lubricant use during sexual activity alone or with a partner contributed to higher ratings of pleasurable and satisfying sex.

9 Nov 2009

USAction hails passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act

USAction this evening hailed passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will make health care more affordable for consumers, hold insurance companies accountable and increase access to health care for millions of Americans through a public option.

9 Nov 2009

Prevention and wellness provisions in the health reform bill passed by the House applauded

The American Public Health Association (APHA) applauds the prevention and wellness provisions in the health reform bill passed last night by the House.

9 Nov 2009

Democrats hail historic House health reform bill, turn focus to Senate

News outlets are still digesting the House of Representatives' passage of a landmark health care overhaul and also looking ahead to the Senate, where an effort to meld two health reform bills is stalled.

8 Nov 2009

Transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance established, experts welcome initiative

Experts on both sides of the Atlantic applaud President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, representing the European Union (EU) Presidency, for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance, an urgent and growing problem that threatens patient safety and public health worldwide.

7 Nov 2009

Webinar: Latest updates on percutaneous and transcatheter treatment of liver, kidney and lung tumor ablation

Registration is now open for the Society of Interventional Radiology's "Image-guided Interventional Oncology (IO) Therapies" Webinar, which will provide the latest updates on percutaneous and transcatheter treatment of liver tumors, kidney tumor ablation and lung tumor ablation.

7 Nov 2009

Experts applaud the EU Presidency for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance

7 Nov 2009

Gastroschisis may be associated with infections during pregnancy

Results of an investigation conducted by University of Nevada, Reno researchers, public health officials and area physicians published this week in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, indicate that Washoe County experienced a cluster of a particular birth defect, gastroschisis, during the period April 2007 - April 2008.

7 Nov 2009

Poll examines the American public's response to H1N1 vaccine shortage

A new national poll from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that a majority of adults who tried to get the H1N1 vaccine for themselves or their children have been unable to do so. The poll, which examines the American public's response to the H1N1 vaccine shortage, is the fifth in a series of surveys of public views concerning the H1N1 flu outbreak undertaken by the Harvard Opinion Research Program at HSPH.

7 Nov 2009

NIH awards UAB School of Public Health $11.5M to research new methods of identifying youth with HIV

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health has been awarded a total of $11.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to explore new ways to identify adolescents and young adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and link them to medical care.

7 Nov 2009

ART as part of HIV prevention strategy supported by WHO

"AIDS drugs should be given to all who need them to reduce new infections, the World Health Organization said," following a three-day meeting on the topic of using antiretroviral therapy (ART) to help prevent the spread of HIV, Bloomberg reports. "Providing more antiretroviral drugs 'will achieve a significant transmission benefit,' Teguest Guerma, interim director of the WHO's AIDS department, said … 'In the past, there has been a false dichotomy between prevention and treatment. …'That is really what has been corrected. Prevention and treatment are two faces of the same coin'" (Bennett, 11/5).

6 Nov 2009

CREW urge HHS to investigate CDC's approval to distribute H1NI vaccine to Wall Street firms

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to investigate why the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approved the distribution of the H1NI vaccine to Wall Street firms at a time when the vaccine is unavailable to most Americans.

6 Nov 2009

Journal of Public Health Management presents new ideas for building better public health workforce

A recent special supplement to the Journal of Public Health Management calls attention to the country's pressing need for a larger and fully capable public health workforce. The supplement, written by the leading academic voices in public health and published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), also sheds light on the challenges the U.S. faces in adequately meeting public health needs.

6 Nov 2009

San Francisco and Berkeley miss opportunity to help smokers quit

San Francisco and Berkeley missed an opportunity to help smokers quit when the cities moved all tobacco sales out of pharmacies, according to a new Bay Area health initiative. Instead of having smokers buy cigarettes in convenience stores and at other retailers, smokers should buy cigarettes only at pharmacy counters, says Stuart Skorman, founder of Elephant Pharmacy.

6 Nov 2009

Public Health News and Research

Washington insurance program may be a national model, Massachusetts may expand autism services

New FDA Food Code published

H1N1 cases increase in China, Japan; Afghanistan attempts to contain virus

WHO report calls for improved health care for women, girls

VaxInnate licensed to use 3M Drug Delivery Systems' TLR agonists

Public health experts urge Congress not to overlook the needs of Americans with "morbid obesity"

Lubricants improve the comfort and pleasure of sexual intercourse, and reduce the risk of injury

USAction hails passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act

Prevention and wellness provisions in the health reform bill passed by the House applauded

Democrats hail historic House health reform bill, turn focus to Senate

Transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance established, experts welcome initiative

Webinar: Latest updates on percutaneous and transcatheter treatment of liver, kidney and lung tumor ablation

Experts applaud the EU Presidency for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance

Gastroschisis may be associated with infections during pregnancy

Poll examines the American public's response to H1N1 vaccine shortage

NIH awards UAB School of Public Health $11.5M to research new methods of identifying youth with HIV

ART as part of HIV prevention strategy supported by WHO

CREW urge HHS to investigate CDC's approval to distribute H1NI vaccine to Wall Street firms

Journal of Public Health Management presents new ideas for building better public health workforce

San Francisco and Berkeley miss opportunity to help smokers quit

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