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Water and sanitation, NTD sectors should work together

In a post on the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog, Kerry Gallo of Children Without Worms writes, "Effective control strategies for several NTDs such as soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), trachoma, and schistosomiasis require that communities have access to water and latrines to break the cycle of infection," concluding, "The intertwined nature of water and sanitation issues and NTD control shows that our two sectors should work together in partnership to improve the health of communities and maximize impact".

30 Aug 2011

FAO warns mutant form of H5N1 bird flu poses threat to Asia

"The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Monday warned about a new mutant strain of the deadly bird flu H5N1 virus in China and Vietnam, saying there could be a 'major resurgence' of the disease," Agence France-Presse reports.

30 Aug 2011

Smarter health care spending key, according to Harvard study

Economists take on health care spending issues in presentations before the Fed's August meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

30 Aug 2011

'Super committee' members have demonstrated streaks of independence

Even lawmakers most loyal to their leaders and political party on occasion buck them with a flash of independence or bipartisanship. That includes some of the six Republicans and six Democrats given the task of finding up to another $1.5 trillion deficit savings over the next decade.

30 Aug 2011

Few treatment options for growing population of drug users in Afghanistan

The New York Times examines the "growing drug addiction problem" in Afghanistan, where, in 2010, about 900,000 people, or seven percent of the adult population, were using drugs, according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

30 Aug 2011

World Water Week seminar examined Integrating Water and Health Initiatives

In this "End The Neglect" blog post, Ann Kelly, representative of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation's Global Water Initiative and co-founder of Partner at Global Philanthropy Group, provides an overview of a Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases co-hosted seminar at World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

30 Aug 2011

Vitamin A supplements could save the lives of 600,000 children a year, researchers say

"Giving vitamin A supplements to children under the age of five in developing countries could save 600,000 lives a year, researchers claim" in a paper published Thursday in the British Medical Journal, BBC News reports.

30 Aug 2011

Medicaid news: Texas Medicaid dental spending; Ill. providers hesitant on managed care

For the past six months, News 8 investigations have revealed hundreds of millions of dollars of questionable Medicaid spending on braces for children in Texas. Now federal investigators are auditing the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which controls those funds. Taking the lead in the audit is the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

30 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Spotlight on insurance industry; local health costs rising; obesity debate

The GOP candidate's positions are not a vision of the future for the U.S. but of a discredited past. ... Perry's proposed fixes for the healthcare system - tort reform, individual ownership of health insurance, portability of plans for people who move or change jobs - would do nothing to slow the growth of healthcare costs or reduce the number of uninsured Americans.

30 Aug 2011

Morehouse School of Medicine to receive $1.5M SAMHSA grant for innovative behavioral health

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is awarding up to $1.5 million, over three years, to Morehouse School of Medicine to enhance the effort to network the 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities throughout the United States to promote behavioral health, expand campus service capacity and facilitate workforce development.

30 Aug 2011

New book on Health Informatics

University of Illinois professor Bruce Schatz, a faculty member at the Institute for Genomic Biology, has co-authored a groundbreaking book on Health Informatics, based on his popular computer science course.

30 Aug 2011

Study indicates large gap in use of proven therapies for heart attack or stroke

A global study in 17 countries led by McMaster University researchers has found too few patients are using drugs proven to give significant benefits in warding off a heart attack or stroke.

30 Aug 2011

Roundup: Calif. ruling may extend mental health coverage; Conn. dropping early intervention program; Alaska clinic focuses on Medicare patients

A Northern California woman's treatment for anorexia at a residential facility was medically necessary and must be covered by her healthcare plan, a federal appeals court has ruled in a case that could lead to more extensive benefits for those being treated for mental illnesses.

30 Aug 2011

Money alone cannot fix Russia's 'demographic crisis'

Russia "is in a demographic crisis, shedding 2.2 million people (or 1.6 percent of the population) since 2002, and the government is trying to encourage more women to bring Russian citizens into the world," journalist Natalia Antonova writes in a Foreign Policy opinion piece, in which she describes her experience with the Russian medical system after "unexpectedly" becoming pregnant shortly after receiving her visa to work in Moscow.

29 Aug 2011

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry on health issues

In analyzing Texas Gov. Rick Perry's health record, medical malpractice reform is one of the issues he appears to be most passionate about.

29 Aug 2011

For NAIC, some signals suggest broker bill is losing traction

The Hill reports that a spokeswoman for the chairman of the NAIC's Professional Health Insurance Advisors Task Force said no major action on the issue was planned for the group's conference. In other news, MSNBC reports that, as insurance prices rise, options appear to diminish, creating questions about how much relief the health law will provide. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explores health reform's winners and losers.

29 Aug 2011

CMS: Insurers need to create plans for dual eligibles

Medicare Advantage insurers that cover some of the most expensive patients must develop individualized plans to coordinate care for each one, according to a final CMS rule issued Friday. The agency also formalized language in the Affordable Care Act requiring these so-called Special Needs Plans, which handle the costly population covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, to implement quality improvement programs and be certified in 2012 by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

29 Aug 2011

Kassebaum reflects on HIPAA's impact

[Nancy Landon] Kassebaum [Baker], the name she went by in the Senate as a three-term Republican from Kansas and before her marriage to former Sen. Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), was a co-sponsor along with Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Kassebaum, now 79, is living with her husband in Huntsville, Baker's hometown in the Cumberlands of northeastern Tennessee.

29 Aug 2011

Disappearance of mosquitoes from some parts of Africa puzzles researchers

"Malaria-carrying mosquitoes are disappearing in some parts of Africa, ... indicat[ing] controls such as anti-mosquito bed nets are having a significant impact on the incidence of malaria in some sub-Saharan countries," researchers report in a paper published in Malaria Journal, according to BBC News. But the team of Danish and Tanzanian "researchers say mosquitoes are also disappearing from areas with few controls," and "[t]hey are uncertain if mosquitoes are being eradicated or whether they will return with renewed vigor," the news agency writes.

29 Aug 2011

European infusion therapy device market to reach €533 million by 2017: New report

According to a new report by iData Research, the leading global authority in medical device market research, the European infusion therapy device market, which includes needleless connectors, infusion pumps and intravenous (IV) sets, was valued at an estimated €443 million in 2010.

29 Aug 2011