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Also in Global Health: Child sexual abuse in Zimbabwe; dengue outbreak in Cape Verde; program reduces waste in Kenya slums

The Mail & Guardian examines how the "economic collapse" in Zimbabwe has contributed to rising numbers of children falling victims to sexual abuse. "A single clinic in the capital, Harare, says it has treated nearly 30,000 girls and boys who were abused in the past four years - an average of 20 per day." The article examines other contributing factors to the sexual abuse of children in Zimbabwe and a recent program that aims to make schools safe places for Zimbabwe's children (11/10).

11 Nov 2009

African leaders meet to discuss ways to increase access to water in Africa

In tandem with Africa Water Week, the African Minister's Council on Water (AMCOW) Summit kicked off in Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, where discussions will center on ways to increase the water supply in Africa, BuaNews/allAfrica.com reports (11/9).

10 Nov 2009

CSPI urges Congress to support FDA's efforts in protecting consumers from contaminated oysters

The Center for Science in the Public Interest was joined today by victims, consumer advocacy, and public health organizations in urging Congress to support the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) efforts to protect consumers from contaminated oysters that each year cause scores of serious illnesses and deaths. The blood infection caused by Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in oysters is one of the most deadly foodborne illnesses, killing half of the people infected. Those who survive can have painful lesions and fluid-filled blisters all over their bodies, sometimes requiring limbs to be amputated. Four methods of post-harvest processing have proven effective at destroying the bacteria without harming the texture or flavor of the oysters.

10 Nov 2009

Climate change is the biggest health threat to children in the 21st century, says new report

Climate change is the biggest health threat to children in the 21st century and represents an immediate global emergency, according to a new report, "Feeling the Heat," released today by Save the Children, at the Barcelona United Nations Climate Change talks.

6 Nov 2009

Climate change is biggest global health threat to children, report says

According to a report (.pdf) by Save the Children, climate change is the biggest global health threat to children in the 21st century, the Hindu reports. Save the Children says that climate change will "exacerbate the leading causes of death among children, including diarrhoea, malnutrition and malaria. Diarrhoea, which kills one million children every year, is set to increase by 10 percent by 2020.

5 Nov 2009

Contaminated public restrooms on cruise ships may predict AGE outbreaks

A team of researchers from Boston University School (BUSM), Carney Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance and Tufts University School of Medicine, have found that widespread poor compliance with regular cleaning of public restrooms on cruise ships may predict subsequent norovirus infection outbreaks (NoVOs).

4 Nov 2009

WHO identifies five major causes of premature death

Targeting the five major causes of premature death could increase global life expectancy by almost five years, the WHO said Tuesday, Reuters reports. According to a WHO's Global Health Risks report, which looked at 24 major health risks, "[p]oor childhood nutrition, unsafe sex, alcohol, bad sanitation and hygiene, and high blood pressure are to blame for around a quarter of the 60 million premature deaths around the world each year," the news service writes.

28 Oct 2009

FDA files complaint against sandwich manufacturer; company allegedly failed to correct violations

The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has filed a complaint for permanent injunction against Rel's Foods Inc. (Rel's), of Oakland, Calif., seeking to stop the company from manufacturing, producing, and selling adulterated food products.

27 Oct 2009

Opinions: Africa Food Aid; International Violence Against Women Act; brain drain

While the drought and starvation in the Horn of Africa are "ghastly to be sure," when "you see children on TV with distended bellies keening over their dying parents ... do them a favour. Sit on your hands," Sam Kiley, a former Africa bureau chief with the London Times, writes in a newspaper opinion piece.

27 Oct 2009

Post-storm conditions in Philippines continue to threaten health

Filipinos are "struggling to live in flooded suburbs or crowded shelters one month after devastating rains began pounding the Philippines, and officials warn no quick fix is in sight," Agence France-Presse reports. According to the WHO, 1.43 million people, "mostly in and around Manila, continue to endure a dangerous existence living in flooded districts" (Morella, 10/26).

26 Oct 2009

Also in global health news: Somali IDPS; MDR-TB elimination; Chagas; Zimbabwe disease, hunger

At the conclusion of a week-long visit to the region, Walter Kalin, a top U.N. human-rights official "says the international community is failing in its duty to internally displaced persons in Somalia. More than 1.5 million people in Somalia are believed to be IDPs," VOA News reports (Boswell, 10/21).

23 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health News: Cholera in Zimbabwe; personal computers; medical 'outliers'; rain in Kenya; generic drugs

A cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has infected more than 100, resulting in five deaths, state media said Tuesday, Reuters reports, "raising fears of a repeat of last year's epidemic that claimed more than 4,000 lives.

21 Oct 2009

Philippines at risk for rapid spread of disease after typhoons

"Survivors of two powerful storms that caused widespread destruction in the Philippines in recent weeks are threatened by outbreaks of potentially life-threatening diseases, as the country braces for another super-typhoon," named Lupit, that is expected to make landfall on Thursday, the Guardian reports.

19 Oct 2009

First high-throughput analysis of Salmonella Typhi gene

For the first time, researchers are able to look at the need for every gene in a bacterial cell in a single experiment. The new method will transform the study of gene activity and the search for weaknesses in bacterial armouries.

19 Oct 2009

Antibiotic resistance to be undesirable consequence of antibiotic abuse is inaccurate, reveals report

The perception that antibiotic resistance is primarily the undesirable consequence of antibiotic abuse or misuse is a view that is simplistic and inaccurate, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Microbiology. The reasons behind the spread of resistance are much more complex, including appropriate antibiotic use, lack of proper sanitation and hygiene, and even the environment.

19 Oct 2009

Legislation only modestly addresses medical errors

Health care legislation largely fails to address the issue of medical errors that were detailed in a 10-year old landmark federal study, "To Err Is Human," which proposed several key solutions.

19 Oct 2009

WHO, UNICEF publish plan to reduce childhood diarrhea deaths

The WHO and UNICEF have released a seven-point treatment and prevention plan to reduce the number of children around the world who die from diarrhea, the BBC reports (10/14). BMJ News writes, "Every year 1.5 million children aged under 5 years die from diarrhoea, more than 80% of them in Africa and south Asia" (Zarocostas, 10/14).

19 Oct 2009

UNICEF and WHO call for an urgent plan to control diarrheal disease

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO) released a joint report today demonstrating the urgent need to focus attention on diarrheal disease, a neglected illness responsible for the deaths of about 1.5 million children under 5 each year. This unacceptable loss of life can be stopped.

15 Oct 2009

News outlets examine East African drought

Sky News examines the drought in East Africa, focusing on its impact in Kenya. In "[o]ne of the worst-affected areas," 70 percent of the "herds of cattle and goats have died in the past year, threatening the survival of entire communities who depend on them for their food and income," according to Sky News (Hurd, 10/12).

14 Oct 2009

Used hotel soaps help prevent disease in developing countries

The Associated Press/Washington Post profiled the efforts of Atlanta-based Derreck Kayongo, a Ugandan "anti-poverty advocate." Kayongo has launched "the Global Soap Project, an effort to help his country's poorest - one used bar of hotel soap at a time," the AP/Washington Post writes.

14 Oct 2009

Sanitization News and Research

Also in Global Health: Child sexual abuse in Zimbabwe; dengue outbreak in Cape Verde; program reduces waste in Kenya slums

African leaders meet to discuss ways to increase access to water in Africa

CSPI urges Congress to support FDA's efforts in protecting consumers from contaminated oysters

Climate change is the biggest health threat to children in the 21st century, says new report

Climate change is biggest global health threat to children, report says

Contaminated public restrooms on cruise ships may predict AGE outbreaks

WHO identifies five major causes of premature death

FDA files complaint against sandwich manufacturer; company allegedly failed to correct violations

Opinions: Africa Food Aid; International Violence Against Women Act; brain drain

Post-storm conditions in Philippines continue to threaten health

Also in global health news: Somali IDPS; MDR-TB elimination; Chagas; Zimbabwe disease, hunger

Also in Global Health News: Cholera in Zimbabwe; personal computers; medical 'outliers'; rain in Kenya; generic drugs

Philippines at risk for rapid spread of disease after typhoons

First high-throughput analysis of Salmonella Typhi gene

Antibiotic resistance to be undesirable consequence of antibiotic abuse is inaccurate, reveals report

Legislation only modestly addresses medical errors

WHO, UNICEF publish plan to reduce childhood diarrhea deaths

UNICEF and WHO call for an urgent plan to control diarrheal disease

News outlets examine East African drought

Used hotel soaps help prevent disease in developing countries

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