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VOA News reports on pilot program against lymphatic filariasis in Nigeria

VOA News reports on "a new public health strategy, tested in Nigeria," which is "raising hopes" that the tropical disease known as lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, can be eliminated.

9 Apr 2013

UNICEF running out of money for humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees

"The United Nations Children's Fund [on Friday] warned that it may be forced to stop humanitarian assistance to more than 100,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan due to insufficient funds," the U.N. News Centre reports.

9 Apr 2013

New ACMG statement on Noninvasive Prenatal Screening for Fetal Aneuploidy

The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics has just released an important new Policy Statement on "Noninvasive Prenatal Screening for Fetal Aneuploidy."

9 Apr 2013

WHO considers sending experts to China as death toll from H7N9 virus hits 7

The WHO "is talking with the Chinese government about sending international experts to China to help investigate a new bird flu strain that has sickened at least 24 people, killing seven of them," the Associated Press reports.

9 Apr 2013

Blog summarizes discussion on HIV treatment for children under PEPFAR

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog describes "a public discussion [last] week of the Institute of Medicine's report" on PEPFAR, during which some experts raised the issue of HIV treatment for children.

9 Apr 2013

Good spinal posture important to maintain independent lives

The shape of an individual's spinal column may predict his or her risk for nursing home admission or need of home assistance in old age, according to a new article published online in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

9 Apr 2013

Sequestration: Scientists protest automatic budget cuts

To the ranks of civil rights and anti-war activists who've marched on Washington, get ready to add white-frocked scientists.

9 Apr 2013

Tavenner may gain bipartisan support

President Barack Obama's nominee to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will go before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday with potential for bipartisan support for her confirmation.

9 Apr 2013

Plan B ruling raises political, practical questions about next move

A federal judge's ruling on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration has to lift age restrictions on emergency contraception has set up choices for pharmacists, consumers and the Obama administration about whether this is the end of the controversy.

9 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: Drugging soldiers; GOP opposition to Medicaid expansion strays from party legacy; Health law distorts market

Last year, more active-duty soldiers committed suicide than died in battle. ... Worse, according to data not reported on until now, the military evidently responded to stress that afflicts soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan primarily by drugging soldiers on the front lines.

9 Apr 2013

Military health care: Shallow candidate pool could hamper mental health efforts

The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to hire 1,600 mental health professionals, but some say a shallow pool of candidates could hamper efforts, while Congress continues to resist making military health care beneficiaries pay more for their care.

9 Apr 2013

Older people satisfied with healthcare, new research finds

New research on patients' experiences of health services and how these relate to their expectations and satisfaction, published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, reveals that older people have higher expectations of their care and that they believe that their expectations are being met.

9 Apr 2013

Hospital-based quality improvement programs reduce early elective deliveries of babies

A study published today in Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that multistate, hospital-based quality improvement programs can be remarkably effective at reducing early elective deliveries of babies.

9 Apr 2013

Roundup: Abortion restriction measure goes to Kan. governor's desk

Kansas legislators gave final passage to a sweeping anti-abortion measure Friday night, sending Gov. Sam Brownback a bill that declares life begins "at fertilization" while blocking tax breaks for abortion providers and banning abortions performed solely because of the baby's sex.

9 Apr 2013

Studies reveal sustained stress can lead to miscarriage, premature birth

Several studies have examined the impact of stress on a pregnancy - both chronic stress, such as workload, and acute stress associated with traumatic events like the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

9 Apr 2013

New medical schools aim at doubling number of primary care doctors

New medical schools are trying to double the number of primary care doctors in America, while MedPAC considers better pay for advanced-practice nurses and physicians assistants under Medicare.

9 Apr 2013

Daily exercise can help teenagers quit smoking

Teenagers who increased the days on which they got just 20 minutes of exercise were able to cut down on their smoking habit. And teenage smokers were more likely to quit altogether if they participated in a smoking cessation/fitness program-and they ramped up the days on which they got at least 30 minutes of physical activity, according to a study published online April 9.

9 Apr 2013

Obama's budget expected to call for Medicare cuts

n advance of the release of President Barack Obama's fiscal blueprint on Wednesday, an adviser warned friends and foes that the plan includes things neither will like. The budget plan is expected to kick off new discussions about trimming entitlements and revamping the nation's safety net.

9 Apr 2013

Health exchange development, enrollment issues trigger concerns

Politico and Kaiser Health News provide progress reports related to the development of the health law's new online insurance marketplaces.

9 Apr 2013

Study examines relationship between elder abuse, health services utilization

Older adults who are subject to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation face a greater risk of being hospitalized than other seniors, according to the results of a study published in the April 8 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.

9 Apr 2013