Poverty News and Research

RSS

U.S. should establish initiative to mobilize health workers to countries affected by HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is "essentially the black death of the 21st century, killing on a massive scale and threatening to cripple economies and topple governments," Fitzhugh Mullan of George Washington University's Department of Health Policy writes in a commentary in the Feb. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

21 Feb 2007

Lawmakers announces proposal to extend health insurance to more children

A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) on Friday announced a proposal that would extend health insurance to an additional nine million U.S. children, the Chicago Tribune reports

21 Feb 2007

Rwanda plans legislation that would limit couples to no more than three children

Rwandan lawmakers are drafting legislation that would limit couples to no more than three children to control the country's population growth and prevent poverty levels from increasing, Francois Sekamondo of Rwanda's Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning said on Wednesday, Reuters South Africa reports.

19 Feb 2007

Is too much being spent on HIV?

Billions of pounds are being spent on the fight against AIDS in developing countries. In this week's British Medical Journal, two experts go head to head over whether we are spending too much.

18 Feb 2007

Response to "The HIV/AIDS Crisis in Papua New Guinea"

The report titled The HIV/AIDS Crisis in Papua New Guinea by Miranda Darling Tobias which was released on 8 February by The Centre for Independent Studies is conceptually and methodologically problematic in its analysis of the impact of the HIV epidemic in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

14 Feb 2007

Groups call on G8 to deliver on 2005 promises made for Africa

Some HIV/AIDS advocacy groups last week called on finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations, meeting on Friday in Germany, to fulfill commitments made by the Group of Eight industrialized nations at its 2005 summit regarding aid to Africa, including HIV/AIDS funding, South Africa's Star reports.

13 Feb 2007

Obama presents system of universal health care coverage

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Saturday officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination during a speech in Illinois, the Washington Post reports.

13 Feb 2007

Maryland lawmakers propose cigarette tax increase to fund health care programs

Maryland House leaders on Wednesday proposed a $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase to extend health insurance coverage to at least 250,000 uninsured state residents, the Washington Post reports.

12 Feb 2007

Most of Medicare and Medicaid savings in Bush's budget proposal come from reducing growth in Medicare provider payments

The "lion's share" of the Medicare and Medicaid savings over five years proposed in President Bush's fiscal year 2008 budget proposal comes from limits on annual inflation adjustments for reimbursements to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers for Medicare, amounting to $39.5 billion, CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 Feb 2007

Fighting hunger in Africa

852 million people worldwide are suffering from hunger or malnutrition, 18 million more than in 1995-1997 (FAO, 2004).

6 Feb 2007

Severely mentally ill have increased risk of death from coronary heart disease and stroke

A large British study indicates that individuals with severe mental illnesses are significantly more likely to die from coronary heart disease and stroke, but not cancer, than those without mental illnesses, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

6 Feb 2007

Money cannot buy you happiness

The most important sources of happiness are good health and freedom from financial worries, Professor Vani Borooah found.

29 Jan 2007

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization urges delay in penalties against uninsured

The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization on Wednesday asked state officials to delay for one year a provision of the Massachusetts health insurance law that will penalize residents who do not obtain insurance by July 1, the Boston Globe reports.

29 Jan 2007

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