Malnutrition News and Research

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Malnutrition is a condition which occurs when there is a deficiency of certain vital nutrients in a person’s diet. The deficiency fails to meet the demands of the body leading to effects on the growth, physical health, mood, behaviour and other functions of the body. Malnutrition commonly affects children and the elderly.

World Vision warns children are vulnerable to various forms of exploitation following Haiti’s quake

As the response to Haiti's devastating earthquake enters its second week, Christian humanitarian agency, World Vision warns that children could endure lasting damage from the unique dangers that particularly target them.

20 Jan 2010

Rescue, relief efforts continue in Haiti, 200,000 people estimated to have perished in quake

Rescue efforts continue in Haiti after a major earthquake hit the country last week, CNN reports (1/18). While teams still search for survivors under the rubble, the priority is shifting to relief for those who survived the quake, according to Nicholas Reader, spokesperson for the U.N. Offices for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, TIME reports (Newton-Small, 1/18).

20 Jan 2010

Abbott to provide critical pharmaceutical and nutritional products for Haiti relief efforts

Working directly with humanitarian partners to help address the growing health care crisis, Abbott is expanding its support for relief efforts in Haiti. The company will provide $2.5 million in grant funding and donations of critical pharmaceutical and nutritional products to humanitarian aid organizations.

19 Jan 2010

Sunlight and vitamin D deficiency linked to 17 varieties of cancer

For humans, sunlight and vitamin D is critically important for the development, growth, and maintenance of a healthy body, from birth until death. "Humans make thousands of units of vitamin D within minutes of whole body exposure to sunlight. From what we know of nature, it is unlikely such a system evolved by chance," states Dr. John Cannell, Executive Director, Vitamin D Council.

18 Jan 2010

AP, IRIN examine lawsuit challenging Plumpy'nut patent

The Associated Press examines the decision by two U.S. nonprofit groups seeking to increase production of the ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), Plumpy'nut, to file a lawsuit against the French organizations that hold the product's U.S. patent.

18 Jan 2010

Obama announces $100M in aid for Haitian earthquake recovery

At the White House on Thursday, President Barack Obama "promised $100 million along with more American troops for the relief effort in Haiti, vowing that the United States would stand with the impoverished nation as it grappled with the devastation of its capital city," the New York Times reports.

18 Jan 2010

Additional birth weight decreases risk of developing tuberculosis later in life

Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at how much protection additional birth weight added against developing the disease years later. They found that every 1.1 pounds of birth weight decreases the risk of developing tuberculosis later by 46 percent among identical twins.

7 Jan 2010

Media examines efforts to treat patients, train doctors in Afghanistan, fight malnutrition

The Los Angeles Times examines the International Medical Corps' work in Afghanistan. "Although less well known than the Nobel-winning Doctors Without Borders, the [International Medical Corps] shares a reputation with its gutsy counterpart for working in places where no one else will go. ... In parts of Afghanistan where government forces have little control, staffers say, they are protected by traditional village councils, known as shuras.

7 Jan 2010

IRIN series examines health, development issues in Kenya

In a special series, IRIN examines health and development in Kenya. "The vast arid lands of northern Kenya are generally drier, less fertile, poorer and rank lower in most humanitarian and development league tables than the rest of the country. ... Preventable and treatable diseases are often neither prevented nor treated for want of adequate healthcare. Attracting qualified doctors and nurses to the hinterland is a major challenge.

24 Dec 2009

Arab states need to address food security, other factors to meet MDGs by 2015, report says

Arab states must develop a plan to increase food security and create more jobs in order to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets by 2015, according to a report published Sunday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Reuters reports.

22 Dec 2009

MSF report names malnutrition, inadequate funds for HIV/AIDS, neglected diseases among top humanitarian crises of 2009

Inadequate international funding for HIV/AIDS and neglected diseases as well as global malnutrition were among the top 10 humanitarian crises outlined in an annual report issued Monday by Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Associated Press reports (Astor, 12/21).

22 Dec 2009

WHO sponsors event at Copenhagen conference to highlight climate change effect on public health

The WHO held a "side event" on Thursday at the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen to highlight climate change's effect on public health, CNN reports. "We're reminding people that climate change is not just an environmental issue or an economic issue - it's a health issue that's actually about people's survival," Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, a scientist in the WHO's Public Health and Environment department, said of the event.

18 Dec 2009

GAIN reduces malnutrition in high-burden countries

GAIN - the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition released today its 2008-2009 Annual Report. The report confirms the effectiveness of GAIN's work in reducing malnutrition in high-burden countries.

18 Dec 2009

Also in Global Health news: Hospital births in Guinea-Bissau; drought in E. Africa; drug-resistant malaria; U.S. response to H1N1

IRIN examines the increase in the number of women giving birth in hospital settings rather than delivery by a traditional birth attendant - a behavior that health officials hope will lead to a drop in the country's maternal mortality rate. "According to UNFPA, 38 percent of women gave birth in a hospital in 2009, up from 29 percent in 2003," the news service writes.

17 Dec 2009

Opinions: HIV prevention; PEPFAR; H1N1 vaccine donation; developing country R&D; climate change

"For nearly 30 years scientists have been trying to break the back of the AIDS epidemic," but the recent microbicide gel study and an AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand "show just how difficult and how distant that goal is," according to a Washington Post editorial. "While scientists continue searching for a vaccine or a cure, prevention remains paramount," the Washington Post concludes (12/16).

16 Dec 2009

Data shows drop in natural disaster-related deaths, growing economic losses; Sen. Murkowski moves to halt EPA greenhouse gas regulation

New data from the WHO and the Belgian Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters Deaths and released at the U.N. climate conference show the number of people dying in climate-related disasters has decreased, and that economic losses from natural disasters are growing, Reuters AlertNet reports.

15 Dec 2009

U.N. weather agency predicts heightened disease spread with rising temps; Globe and Mail examines potential health effects of climate change in Africa

The decade 2000-2009 "is very likely to be the warmest since record-keeping began in 1850, and 2009 could rank among the top-five warmest years," the World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday at the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, the Associated Press reports.

10 Dec 2009

Also in global health news: Illegal drug trade in E. Africa; Somalia humanitarian crisis; alcohol, IV drug use in Russia; HIV/AIDS in China; FBOs engage in HIV fight

"[D]ozens of people" from China's Henan province who contracted HIV/AIDS from blood transfusions "demonstrated in front of the country's health ministry in Beijing" to highlight the challenges facing Chinese AIDS patients, the Irish Times reports.

9 Dec 2009

Doctors around the world join the battle against human trafficking

Doctors At War, a newly formed 501(c)3 organization, is putting out a call-to-action for doctors worldwide to join them in the fight against the global sex trade. The long-term healthcare ramifications of the estimated 27 million victims throughout the world include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks, depression, and a host of other mental health issues along with countless physical health problems including HIV, STD's, malnutrition, sterility, and the effects of repeated physical trauma.

9 Dec 2009

Aid agencies launch $378M 2010 aid request to improve health in Zimbabwe

More than 70 agencies, led by the U.N., launched a request on Monday for $378 million in aid, which will be used to improve health and food security, as well as water and sanitation, Reuters reports. Though Zimbabwe's power-sharing government has improved some "social conditions in the country," the agencies "say more needs to be done" (Banya, 12/7).

8 Dec 2009

Malnutrition News and Research

Further Reading

World Vision warns children are vulnerable to various forms of exploitation following Haiti’s quake

Rescue, relief efforts continue in Haiti, 200,000 people estimated to have perished in quake

Abbott to provide critical pharmaceutical and nutritional products for Haiti relief efforts

Sunlight and vitamin D deficiency linked to 17 varieties of cancer

AP, IRIN examine lawsuit challenging Plumpy'nut patent

Obama announces $100M in aid for Haitian earthquake recovery

Additional birth weight decreases risk of developing tuberculosis later in life

Media examines efforts to treat patients, train doctors in Afghanistan, fight malnutrition

IRIN series examines health, development issues in Kenya

Arab states need to address food security, other factors to meet MDGs by 2015, report says

MSF report names malnutrition, inadequate funds for HIV/AIDS, neglected diseases among top humanitarian crises of 2009

WHO sponsors event at Copenhagen conference to highlight climate change effect on public health

GAIN reduces malnutrition in high-burden countries

Also in Global Health news: Hospital births in Guinea-Bissau; drought in E. Africa; drug-resistant malaria; U.S. response to H1N1

Opinions: HIV prevention; PEPFAR; H1N1 vaccine donation; developing country R&D; climate change

Data shows drop in natural disaster-related deaths, growing economic losses; Sen. Murkowski moves to halt EPA greenhouse gas regulation

U.N. weather agency predicts heightened disease spread with rising temps; Globe and Mail examines potential health effects of climate change in Africa

Also in global health news: Illegal drug trade in E. Africa; Somalia humanitarian crisis; alcohol, IV drug use in Russia; HIV/AIDS in China; FBOs engage in HIV fight

Doctors around the world join the battle against human trafficking

Aid agencies launch $378M 2010 aid request to improve health in Zimbabwe

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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