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Understanding the African mindset may help promote health education in rural areas

Seen through western eyes, beliefs in supernatural forces are common in Ghana and other African countries. Death, suffering and diseases are often attributed to witchcraft. Over thirty per cent of its inhabitants believe such evil forces could be responsible for the spread of HIV/AIDS.

22 Mar 2010

Tricking TB into suicidal self-poisoning

Scientists have identified a new class of drug target that tricks tuberculosis bacteria into suicidal self-poisoning. New therapies are urgently required to control the tuberculosis pandemic. Even in the UK cases are on the rise.

22 Mar 2010

Global malaria investments saving lives, more funds needed

A new study linking funding increases in the global fight against malaria to a drop in deaths from the disease also shows that resources from donor governments still fall short of those needed for maximum impact against the world's fourth-biggest killer of children, according to a global health policy analyst at international aid agency World Vision.

20 Mar 2010

Report highlights gains in malaria fight, documents need for more funding

Global funding for efforts to fight malaria, which stood at $2 billion at the end of 2009, have "helped to contain the disease," but is "far short of the estimated $6 billion required annually to expand" efforts to fight it, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership said on Thursday, Reuters reports. The statements came as the partnership released a report (.pdf) that examined a decade's worth of global funding for malaria and its impact on fighting the disease (Hardach, 3/18).

20 Mar 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet study performed a systematic review of HIV prevention and treatment services targeting injecting drug users (IDUs) globally based on the availability of "core interventions for IDUs: needle and syringe programmes (NSPs), opioid substitution therapy (OST) and other drug treatment, HIV testing and counselling, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and condom programmes." The authors conclude, "although the number of countries with core HIV prevention services is growing … worldwide, there are few countries in which the level of intervention coverage is sufficient to prevent HIV transmission" (Mathers et al., 3/20).

20 Mar 2010

Global initiative for reducing time taken to introduce new combination TB treatments

Ahead of World TB Day, US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg helped public and private sector partners launch a new collaboration to significantly accelerate the development of combination treatments for tuberculosis — and replace an almost 50-year-old drug regimen. Created by the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, the Critical Path Institute, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the initiative could potentially reduce the time it takes to introduce new combination TB treatments from as much as a quarter century to as few as six years.

19 Mar 2010

Opinions: U.S. foreign aid effectiveness; Faith-based groups' work abroad

Although "foreign assistance is a very small proportion of the overall budget, its effectiveness is both measurable and priceless," Sheila Nix, the executive director of ONE, writes in a Roll Call opinion piece.

19 Mar 2010

Media outlets interview Shah during life sciences conference in Seattle

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah was in Seattle on Tuesday to speak at the annual Life Science Innovation Northwest conference, the Seattle Times' blog, "The Business of Giving," reports. The blog outlines the Obama administration's global health and development goals, including the six-year $63 billion Global Health Initiative (GHI), as well as some of the challenges facing Shah at USAID.

19 Mar 2010

Mars supports new national school nutrition standard

Mars, Incorporated today announced its support for improved school food nutrition standards so that more nutritious products are available to students nationwide. A key component of a comprehensive health and wellness campaign, the announcement was made in partnership with other industry leaders and public health organizations.

19 Mar 2010

FDA drafts new rules for testing, approving drug cocktails; Public-private partnership for TB treatment development launched

The FDA is drafting new guidelines for testing and approving multidrug cocktails for life-threatening diseases, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Many diseases, such as AIDS, tuberculosis and cancer, require multidrug combinations. Such drug cocktails can prevent the development of drug resistance, because the microbe or cancer cell needs to undergo more mutations to escape several drugs than to escape just one. By attacking the disease in different ways, drug combinations also improve the chances of therapeutic benefit," the newspaper reports (Schoofs, 3/18).

19 Mar 2010

Nature News examines GAVI Alliance's budget gap

Nature News examines GAVI Alliance's multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall ahead of a donors meeting in The Hague on March 25-26.

18 Mar 2010

SC Johnson announces collaboration with BMGF on global efforts to combat malaria

SC Johnson, A Family Company, today announced a collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on global efforts to combat malaria. The organizations will jointly support research programs conducted by Cornell University Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and a consortium of Indonesian research institutions to advance the development and use of consumer products in the fight against the spread of the disease.

18 Mar 2010

CIGNA International expands Global Access Health Network

CIGNA International, a world leader in expatriate benefits, has added 47,000 health care facilities to its network in Africa as part of its launch of CIGNALinks® Africa in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, and Morocco.

18 Mar 2010

MDS reports revenues of $46M for first-quarter fiscal 2010

MDS Inc., a leading provider of products and services to the global health science markets, today reported financial results and filed its unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and related Management Discussion & Analysis for the three months ended January 31, 2010. In order to simplify our disclosures, we have discontinued the use of non-GAAP measures such as adjusted EBITDA.

16 Mar 2010

International symposium to feature latest findings on vector-borne diseases in humans and plants

Leading insect vector biologists from around the world will gather at the University of California, Riverside for two days this month to discuss their latest research on vector-borne diseases in humans and plants.

16 Mar 2010

Study confirms blood-stage infection is due to population mixing and disease evolution

In a paradigm changing discovery, Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria has been identified in a population historically thought to be resistant to the disease, those who do not express the Duffy blood group protein on their red blood cells, according to researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Pasteur Institute, and the Madagascar Ministry of Health.

16 Mar 2010

Clinton delivers speech at U.N. women's meeting as conference closes

"Calling the subjugation of women a threat to American security, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary [Rodham] Clinton made a vibrant plea to give equal rights to women around the world," during a speech a the U.N. on Friday, Agence France-Presse reports.

16 Mar 2010

Experts discuss PEPFAR funding in congressional hearing

At a recent hearing of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, "[i]nternational health organisations working to help check the spread of AIDS in Africa said meagre increases in funds from the U.S. government this year would be a step backwards. Some experts also emphasised that prevention must get appropriate attention in any fight against the disease," Inter Press Service reports.

15 Mar 2010

Also in Global Health News: East Africa food security; Issues with humanitarian aid; Texting to fight counterfeit drugs

The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) meeting this week in Kigali, Rwanda "will provide a forum for experts, government ministers, regional economic communities and other stakeholders to discuss how best to handle the food security issue in" East Africa, New Times/allAfrica.com reports. The U.N. Economic Commission for Africa's Sub-Regional Office, East Africa (SRO-EA) will host the meeting. "East Africa is the sub-region most affected by food insecurity," according to an SRO-EA report, New Times/allAfrica.com writes (3/13).

15 Mar 2010

Valsartan delays progression to type 2 diabetes in IGT patients: NAVIGATOR study

Results from a landmark study involving more than 9,000 people showed that the high blood pressure medicine valsartan delayed progression to type 2 diabetes in patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a common pre-diabetic condition.

15 Mar 2010

Global Health News and Research

Understanding the African mindset may help promote health education in rural areas

Tricking TB into suicidal self-poisoning

Global malaria investments saving lives, more funds needed

Report highlights gains in malaria fight, documents need for more funding

Recent releases in Global Health

Global initiative for reducing time taken to introduce new combination TB treatments

Opinions: U.S. foreign aid effectiveness; Faith-based groups' work abroad

Media outlets interview Shah during life sciences conference in Seattle

Mars supports new national school nutrition standard

FDA drafts new rules for testing, approving drug cocktails; Public-private partnership for TB treatment development launched

Nature News examines GAVI Alliance's budget gap

SC Johnson announces collaboration with BMGF on global efforts to combat malaria

CIGNA International expands Global Access Health Network

MDS reports revenues of $46M for first-quarter fiscal 2010

International symposium to feature latest findings on vector-borne diseases in humans and plants

Study confirms blood-stage infection is due to population mixing and disease evolution

Clinton delivers speech at U.N. women's meeting as conference closes

Experts discuss PEPFAR funding in congressional hearing

Also in Global Health News: East Africa food security; Issues with humanitarian aid; Texting to fight counterfeit drugs

Valsartan delays progression to type 2 diabetes in IGT patients: NAVIGATOR study

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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