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Poverty, gender inequality contributing to spread of HIV in Caribbean

Poverty, gender inequality and discrimination are hampering efforts to curb the spread of HIV in the Caribbean, speakers at the Caribbean Summit on HIV/AIDS in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, said on Sunday, the Caribbean Net News reports.

28 Jan 2007

HIV prevention and education initiatives are not reaching girls in Africa

According to Bruce, young African girls often have low school attendance and few friends, making them hard to reach. Impoverished girls are more likely to engage in commercial sex work, which increases their risk of contracting HIV, Bruce said.

28 Jan 2007

One-fifth of women in India experience menopause by age 41

About one in five women residing in India are likely to experience menopause by the age of 41, according to a study conducted by Bangalore, India-based Institute for Social and Economic Change, London's Times reports.

28 Jan 2007

Washington State Health Committee recommends coverage of undocumented immigrants' children

The Washington state House Health Care and Wellness Committee on Wednesday recommended approval of a bill (HB 1071) that would expand a state health insurance program to include undocumented immigrant children, the Spokane Spokesman-Review reports.

28 Jan 2007

Tuberculosis intervention program in Senegal improves patient outcomes

Patients with tuberculosis in the West African country of Senegal who participated in an intervention program that included improved communication with health personnel and community involvement had higher cure and treatment completion rates, according to a study in the January 24/31 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

23 Jan 2007

EDMA welcomes 7 new members

EDMA, the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association, enlarges its membership with six new companies: BioSystems SA, Diagnostica Stago, Innogenetics, Luminex Corporation, Orion Diagnostica and Tecan, and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND).

9 Jan 2007

Less than 1% of eligible Arkansas residents pre-enroll in prescription drug discount program

Less than 1% of an estimated 400,000 Arkansas residents eligible for a state prescription drug discount program participated in the pre-enrollment period, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

7 Jan 2007

U.S. residents slightly healthier than in 2005

U.S. residents overall are slightly healthier than they were last year, but the rate of improvement has leveled off since 2000, according to a report released on Tuesday by the UnitedHealth Foundation, the Washington Times reports.

5 Dec 2006

Traditionally low status of girls fueling child sexual abuse in sub-Saharan Africa

The problem of child sexual abuse in sub-Saharan Africa remains "stubbornly resistant to change" in part because of the traditionally low status of girls, a "lingering view" that sexual abuse should be dealt with privately and justice systems that "constitute obstacle courses" for women, some child advocates have said, the New York Times reports.

2 Dec 2006

Incoming Congress should enact legislation to reduce abortion rate

Although "[t]aking substantial steps to reduce the abortion rate will not settle the larger ethical argument over the practice," the "election of a new congressional majority" for the 110th Congress should "open the way for a better approach to the abortion question," Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne writes in a Post opinion piece.

23 Nov 2006

Africa's health problems are getting worse says the WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says regardless of promises of better healthcare by governments and donor countries, millions of mothers, newborn babies and children continue to die each year in Africa from preventable diseases.

20 Nov 2006

Starvation, malnutrition threatening fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic

Starvation and malnutrition are "fast becoming the twin perils" in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and the need for food soon might surpass the need for antiretroviral drugs among many HIV-positive people in the developing world, the AP/ABC2 News reports.

13 Nov 2006

Westerners may be more promiscuous but monogamy still rules!

According to a new study which collected data from people in 59 countries, westerners are more promiscuous than those in the developing world.

1 Nov 2006

HIV/AIDS and poverty in Zambia threatens economic growth

HIV/AIDS and poverty in Zambia "are threatening" economic growth the country has achieved since gaining its independence in 1964, President Levy Mwanawasa said last week in a speech on the eve of Zambia's 42nd anniversary of independence, Reuters reports.

30 Oct 2006

Massachusetts Attorney General sues low-cost health insurer alleging unfair practices

Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly (D) on Monday filed a lawsuit against Texas-based HealthMarkets, which sells low-cost health insurance to small businesses and students in the state, accusing the company of deceptive marketing practices and improper denials of patient claims, the Boston Globe reports.

26 Oct 2006

Pennsylvania House approves bill to expand SCHIP program

The Pennsylvania House on Tuesday voted 176-19 to approve a compromise bill that would expand eligibility for the state's SCHIP program to thousands more children, the AP/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

26 Oct 2006

Diagnostics for tuberculosis: Global demand and market potential

A significant and largely untapped global market exists for more effective and affordable tests to diagnose tuberculosis in low and middle income countries, where most TB cases today occur.

26 Oct 2006

India cops criticism over alarming rise in polio cases

Health officials in India are concerned over the increasing number of polio cases in the country; 119 new cases have been reported in the past month, and the total number of infections is now 416.

26 Oct 2006

More than 600,000 Medicare prescription drug benefit beneficiaries must apply for low-income subsidy

More than 600,000 low-income Medicare beneficiaries who were automatically enrolled in the Medicare prescription drug benefit and received a subsidy toward premium costs this year will have to apply to receive the subsidy for 2007 because their eligibility status has changed, CMS officials said on Thursday, the Washington Post reports.

22 Oct 2006

People living in highly Black concentrated neighborhoods more likely to report their health as poor

In a study examining the relationship between racial/ethnic neighborhood concentration and self-reported health, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that individuals living in neighborhoods with a high concentration of Blacks were twice as likely to report poor health when compared to their counterparts living in neighborhoods with a lower concentration of Blacks.

20 Oct 2006