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Report finds countries in Africa face most severe water risks

"African nations led by Somalia, Mauritania and Sudan have the most precarious water supplies in the world while Iceland has the best," according to a report released Thursday, Reuters reports.

25 Jun 2010

Four new EVP grants awarded for interdisciplinary research to tackle environmental challenges

The Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University has awarded four new Environmental Venture Projects grants for interdisciplinary research aimed at finding practical solutions promoting global sustainability.

23 Jun 2010

2010 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases at Atlanta, Georgia

Journalists are invited to attend and cover the 2010 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID), to be held July 11-14, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Georgia. The meeting is being organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Society for Microbiology, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the World Health Organization.

10 Jun 2010

Health Impact Project announces six grants to conduct HIAs at state and local levels

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, today announced more than $1 million in grants to six projects that will conduct health impact assessments at the state and local levels.

8 Jun 2010

G8 final communique draft shows agreement on maternal, child health initiative, funding amounts not yet set

A final communique draft completed last month for the upcoming G8 summit states that leaders will agree on a maternal health initiative that focuses on improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, in the developing world, the Globe and Mail reports. The draft leaves "G8 countries free to decide whether their programs on reproductive health will fund abortions" (Clark, 6/4).

8 Jun 2010

CSTE 2010 Annual Conference to focus on public health challenges

The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists 2010 Annual Conference will be held June 6-10 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. An array of experts representing federal, state, and local health departments will discuss issues ranging from last year's flu pandemic, obesity, food safety, health care reform, information technology, and the global response to disasters such as the Haiti earthquake.

5 Jun 2010

Financial Times examines needs of smallholder farmers in developing countries

Reflecting on USAID's plans to reduce reliance on food aid to fight global hunger by investing in agricultural development through microloans, the Financial Times examines the needs of smallholder farmers throughout the world. The piece looks at the role that lenders and large suppliers can play in assisting smallholder farmers and ways to maximize the relationships between farmers and these groups.

4 Jun 2010

Anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrate efficacy in preliminary cell culture studies

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrated significant efficacy in the recently completed preliminary cell culture studies. The studies were performed in the laboratory of Dr. Eva Harris, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, Berkeley.

2 Jun 2010

Two-day Africa-France business relations summit begins, food security, fighting poverty will be discussed

The 25th Africa-France Summit, a two-day gathering "aimed at developing better business relations between" the regions, began Monday in the French city of Nice, All Headline News reports.

2 Jun 2010

Algal blooms in India threaten access to food, livelihood

The problem of toxic algae is not just confined to the Nordic countries - in India algal blooms are threatening poor people's access to food and their livelihoods, a problem that has been exacerbated by global warming. With funding from the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, researchers from the University of Gothenburg are to attempt to reduce the effects of algal blooms.

31 May 2010

Launch of online video tour showcases the fascinating world of parasites

Who said that learning about bugs was boring? An amazing new journey through the wonderful world of parasites launches on YouTube today. Four exciting videos, inspired by the 'Parasites Life Undercover' exhibition at the Berlin Natural History Museum and developed by Bayer Animal Health, showcase some fascinating highlights from the exhibition and provide useful information about protecting your pets.

29 May 2010

G7 aid delivers 'impressive results,' commitment falls short of 2005 pledge

According to an annual ONE report, which tracks progress on aid commitments made at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, the G7 - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. - is "on track to deliver 61 percent of their combined commitments to sub-Saharan Africa, or $13.7 billion of the $22.6 billion increase they promised," allAfrica.com reports.

26 May 2010

East African examines 10-year research program to address agriculture, food security, climate change in rural areas

The East African examines the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security program, a 10-year research collaboration between the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research and the Earth System Science Partnership that aims to help rural communities address these issues (Butunyi, 5/24).

26 May 2010

Studies identify new chemical compounds that could lead to development of new malaria drugs

Researchers have identified thousands of chemical compounds that could be used to develop new malaria drugs, two studies published in the journal Nature on Wednesday show, the Wall Street Journal reports.

21 May 2010

Modern malaria control efforts counteract effects of rising temperatures: Scientists

Contrary to a widespread assumption, global warming is unlikely to expand the range of malaria because of malaria control, development and other factors that are at work to corral the disease.

20 May 2010

Alternaria fungus produces more spores with increase in CO2 levels and makes life miserable for allergy, asthma sufferers

A new study of the relationship between carbon dioxide levels and plant growth suggests for the first time that not only do plants grow bigger and produce more pollen when exposed to higher levels of the greenhouse gas, CO2, but the common, allergen-producing fungus Alternaria alternate produces three times more spores when feeding on those enriched plants. The spores disperse on the wind, making allergies and asthma symptoms worse.

19 May 2010

Ecological speciation linked to emergence of new fungal diseases in plants

A new commentary on the nature of pathogens is raising startling new questions about the role that fundamental science research on evolution plays in the understanding of emerging disease.

15 May 2010

U.N. Secretary-General discusses G8, G20 commitments during visit to Ottawa

On Wednesday, ahead of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed several topics in a "speech warning that leaders of the G8 and G20 countries should not use global economic and financial difficulties as 'an excuse' to neglect previous pledges of billions of dollars for the world's poor - for doubling aid to Africa, food security, malaria and AIDS programs and maternal and child health care," Canwest News Service/Calgary Herald writes (O'Neill, 5/12).

14 May 2010

Globe and Mail special issue examines Africa, includes look ahead at G20 meeting, interview with Pres. Obama

The Globe and Mail examines Ethiopia and Malawi's role in next month's G20 talks in Toronto, Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has invited both countries to participate in the meeting, which could significantly affect Africa because it has become the "premier forum for confronting global economic problems and for co-ordinating solutions," according to the Globe and Mail.

11 May 2010

Global warming could lead to deadly temperatures for humans in coming centuries: Research

Reasonable worst-case scenarios for global warming could lead to deadly temperatures for humans in coming centuries, according to research findings from Purdue University and the University of New South Wales, Australia.

6 May 2010