Global Health News and Research

RSS

12-member medical team from CHOP returns from Port-au-Prince, Haiti

A 12-member medical team from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) returned yesterday after 10 days in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, treating victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake.

15 Feb 2010

Researchers describe the structure of ToxT that controls virulent nature of Vibrio cholerae

In a new study, Dartmouth researchers describe the structure of a protein called ToxT that controls the virulent nature of Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria that causes cholera. Buried within ToxT, the researchers were surprised to find a fatty acid that appears to inhibit ToxT, which prevents the bacteria from causing cholera.

14 Feb 2010

Global health and public health are indistinguishable: Lancet

Global health and public health are indistinguishable, according to a commentary published by a working group of the Association of Schools of Public Health's Global Health Committee in the February 13, 2010 issue of Lancet.

12 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

The Los Angeles Times examines China's transition to "Western-style privatized medicine" through the government's "$124-billion overhaul, chiefly to improve service in rural areas." The article details the efforts of a woman from Inner Mongolia to get care in Beijing for her ailing father and looks at climbing health care costs and the growing "black market for medical care" (Pierson, 2/11).

12 Feb 2010

FDA grants approval for Abbott's antiretroviral medication Norvir

Abbott announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval of a new tablet formulation of the company's antiretroviral medication Norvir ® (ritonavir). The new Norvir tablets can be stored at room temperature and do not require refrigeration, making it more convenient for patients.

11 Feb 2010

Also in global health news: N. Korea harvest; Zimbabwe’s health system; malaria parasite; training India's rural health workers; Myanmar recovery; health in Uganda

ZimOnline examines Zimbabwe's health system, which the country's health minister, Henry Madzorera, says has improved, but is still in need of additional progress.

11 Feb 2010

IDF grants $2 million for new diabetes research projects

Nine new diabetes research projects will be funded for a total of US$2 million over the next three years as part of the International Diabetes Federation's (IDF) translational research grant programme, BRIDGES.

11 Feb 2010

CQ examines concerns over Obama's FY2011 global health budget

Congressional Quarterly examines concerns among health advocates and international development experts about what President Obama's FY 2011 budget request might mean to U.S. commitments to particular diseases abroad, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

9 Feb 2010

AMIA members lead authorship of articles on global e-health

Five articles, whose lead or senior authors are nationally known informatics leaders and members of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), appear in the Feb. 2010 issue of Health Affairs and provide a glimpse into the future of health care delivery in an increasingly information-driven era of health care in the developing world.

6 Feb 2010

Local organizations team up to support Haiti's healthcare system

Injured Haitians desperately in need of medical treatment will soon have advanced technology available to the medical professionals providing their care. Through a partnership of Stamford Hospital, FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA (Fujifilm), and AmeriCares, a portable digital x-ray system is being donated to the Haitian relief effort and will be sent to a hospital where currently x-ray capabilities are simply non-existent.

6 Feb 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet study examines childbirth practices and the relationship between these practices and maternal and perinatal outcomes in nine Asian countries, as assessed by a WHO global survey. Based on the analysis of over 107,000 deliveries, the authors conclude, "To improve maternal and perinatal outcomes, caesarean section should be done only when there is a medical indication" (Lumbiganon et al., 2/6). These findings "should help us to prioritise our strategies to reduce unnecessary interventions in childbirth," write the authors of a Lancet comment.

5 Feb 2010

GAA commends Congress for introducing I-VAWA legislation; appeals for swift passage

The Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) commends the bi-partisan congressional leadership that it has taken to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) today. Violence against women has a major impact on the ability of women and girls to access healthcare globally.

5 Feb 2010

U.S. lawmakers introduce resolution condemning Uganda's anti-gay bill

U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a congressional resolution condemning an anti-gay bill before Uganda's parliament, "calling it an attack on human rights and an obstacle to battling HIV/AIDS," Agence France-Presse reports.

5 Feb 2010

NPR examines Obama administration's global family planning policies

NPR's "Morning Edition" examines how global family planning fits into the Obama administration's global health policy. "The administration has already restored funding for the United Nations Population ... Fund, which for eight years received no U.S. support. And in his first week, President Obama lifted an executive order that existed in the Reagan and Bush administrations that prohibited U.S.-funded programs from providing information about abortion services," according to NPR.

4 Feb 2010

Obama's FY 2011 budget gives global health funding boost

President Barack Obama's FY 2011 budget request for global health totals $9.6 billion and includes funding for global health activities within the State Department, USAID and HHS, the Wall Street Journal reports

3 Feb 2010

African leaders discuss ways to achieve universal malaria control measures deadline

The challenges associated with protecting the people of Africa from malaria took center stage Monday during the second day of the African Union (AU) Summit, the New Times/allAfrica.com reports (2/2).

2 Feb 2010

HHS appoints new members to Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today the appointment of 24 new members to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). The PACHA’s chair, Dr. Helene Gayle, was appointed in August 2009.

2 Feb 2010

Global AIDS Alliance calls for Congress to fully fund the Global Health Initiative

President Obama's budget, transmitted to Congress this morning, includes $8.5 billion for a Global Health Initiative. Based on projections to continue supporting robust U.S. programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria and implement GHI priorities -- $16.4 billion is required in FY2011.

2 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: Retrovirus enzyme; audit of USAID program; Africa's agriculture

A study published on Sunday in the journal Nature has shed light on the enzyme integrase, "which is found in retroviruses like HIV and is a target for some of the newest HIV medicines," Reuters reports. Scientists at the Imperial College London and Harvard University grew a crystal of integrase in the lab allowing them to see the enzyme's structure. According to the news service, the scientists "said that having the integrase structure means researchers can begin fully to understand how integrase inhibitor drugs work, how they might be improved, and how to stop HIV developing resistance to them," according to the news service (Kelland, 2/1).

2 Feb 2010

Obama's budget to boost Medicaid funding, broaden global health approach

President Obama's budget proposal tops $3.8 trillion, and would draw a $1.3 trillion shortfall in 2011 despite efforts to freeze and cut spending and channel an extra $100 billion to immediately attack the high unemployment rate, The Washington Post reports.

2 Feb 2010