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Maryland to reinstate Medicaid program for legal immigrant children, pregnant women

Maryland will reinstate a $7 million Medicaid program that provides health benefits to legal immigrant children and pregnant women, state officials said Thursday, the Washington Post reports (Otto, Washington Post, 10/20).

22 Oct 2006

Estonia's total fertility rate increasing in part because of Government program encouraging women to give birth

Estonia's total fertility rate has increased to an average of 1.5 children per woman from an average of 1.3 children per woman in the late 1990s, which could be the result of a government initiative aimed at sustaining the nation's population by providing women who have children with monthly stipends, the Wall Street Journal reports.

22 Oct 2006

Lower employer health insurance coverage fuels rising number of uninsured

The decline in the number of employers offering health insurance has led to a rise in the percentage of U.S. residents who are uninsured, according to two issue papers released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, CQ HealthBeat reports.

22 Oct 2006

Washington, D.C., to offer caremark Rx discount cards to all residents

Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams on Wednesday announced a program called DC Rx that will provide prescription drug discount cards at no cost to residents, the Washington Post reports (Silverman, Washington Post, 10/19).

22 Oct 2006

Gene mutation explains type of brittle bone disease

A newly identified gene mutation helps explain a subset of cases of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), or brittle bone disease, whose origin had until now remained mysterious.

20 Oct 2006

UT Southwestern looks at promising new medication that reduces the severity and frequency of asthma attacks

UT Southwestern Medical Center is one of a handful of top research institutions evaluating a promising new medication researchers hope can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks in inner-city children, a population known to have a high prevalence of severe asthma.

20 Oct 2006

UN program teaches AIDS orphans farming and life skills

A U.N. program is helping Kenyan children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS-related illnesses learn basic agricultural techniques and other life skills, PlusNews reports.

19 Oct 2006

French policies subsidizing generous maternity leave, child-care allowances fuel rising birth rate

French policies subsidizing generous maternity leave for women, tax credits for large families and other benefits are fueling one of the highest birth rates in Europe, the Washington Post reports (Moore, Washington Post, 10/18).

19 Oct 2006

Japanese Government considers supporting assisted reproductive technologies

The Japanese government will consider potential legislation to support assisted reproductive technologies, including surrogate pregnancies, for infertile couples, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said during a news conference on Monday, the Kyodo News/Yahoo! News reports.

19 Oct 2006

HHS should ensure abstinence education material used by Federal grantees contains accurate information on condoms, STIs

The Government Accountability Office's general council office on Wednesday released a legal opinion saying that under the Public Health Service Act, HHS should ensure abstinence education material prepared and used by groups receiving federal funding includes accurate information on sexually transmitted infections and the effectiveness of condoms, CQ HealthBeat reports.

19 Oct 2006

Yellow fever and Poliomyelitis outbreaks in Africa

Yellow fever in Ivory Coast - On 5 October 2006, the Ministry of Health reported 2 cases of yellow fever in the towns of Korhogo and Ouaragahio in Ivory Coast.

19 Oct 2006

Toxic chemical found in 3 more medicines in Panama

A toxic chemical found in contaminated cough syrup suspected to have caused the deaths of 22 people in Panama, has now been found in three more medications made by a government-run factory in Panama.

19 Oct 2006

Comprehensive review backs health benefits of eating fish

There is ample research advocating the nutritional benefits of eating fish and shellfish because fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

18 Oct 2006

Do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits? Yes or No

Fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. But concerns have been raised in recent years about chemicals found in fish from environmental pollution, including mercury, PCBs and dioxins. That has led to confusion among the public--do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits?

17 Oct 2006

Female survivors of childhood cancer: preterm birth and low birth weight among their children

Female childhood cancer survivors may face pregnancy problems, including early deliveries and low birth weight children, according to a study in the October 19 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

17 Oct 2006

Underlying causes, frequencies, and outcomes of dilated cardiomyopathy

The mystery behind a commonly untreatable and undetected heart muscle disease in children is partially revealed for the first time in today's edition of the scientific journal JAMA.

17 Oct 2006

Researchers step toward therapy for respiratory syncytial virus

When a child under the age of 2 contracts a respiratory tract infection requiring hospitalization, odds are that the cause is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

17 Oct 2006

Tuberculosis fourfold the risk for Celiac sufferers

Swedish researchers are suggesting that people with celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance, have an increased risk of developing tuberculosis (TB).

17 Oct 2006

Researchers find areas in the brain that indicate bilingualism

The finding sheds new light on decades of debate about how the human brain's language centers may actually be enhanced when faced with two or more languages as opposed to only one.

17 Oct 2006

Death sentence given to medical workers accused of infecting Libyan shildren with HIV a 'miscarriage of justice'

The decision to sentence to death five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian physician accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV is a "miscarriage of justice" based on "preposterous charges," a New York Times editorial says (New York Times, 10/14).

17 Oct 2006