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Gates Foundation blog discusses E.U. budget deal

Writing in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Joe Cerrell, director of the foundation's Europe office, reports on deliberations by the E.U. on Friday on a "budget deal that would show deep cuts to life-saving aid for the world's poorest."

13 Feb 2013

WFP to feed 1.6M people in Somalia this year, agency reports

"The World Food Programme (WFP) reports it plans to feed 1.6 million people in Somalia this year, including more than one million people who are in a state of crisis" because of an ongoing insurgency by the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, VOA News writes.

13 Feb 2013

Tips for menopausal women to better enjoy their sex lives

Menopause can be a real rollercoaster—and that can impact women's sex lives. It can cause women's libidos to climb, suddenly drop, and then climb again due to the combination of estrogen and women's own levels of testosterone powering this wild cycle.

13 Feb 2013

E.U. budget effectively freezes aid budget at current levels

"A promised European Union investment budget to modernize the recession-hit economy is set to be scaled back in a bonfire of competing national demands," Bloomberg reports.

13 Feb 2013

Disease eradication efforts set sights on polio, Guinea worm

"It's not a race, exactly, but there's an intriguing uncertainty about whether a former U.S. president or a software magnate will cause the next deliberate extinction of a species in the wild. Will Jimmy Carter eradicate Guinea worm before Bill Gates eradicates polio?" Wall Street Journal commentator Matt Ridley asks in his "Mind & Matter" column.

13 Feb 2013

Chagas disease costs $7B annually worldwide, according to study

Chagas disease, transmitted by a bloodsucking insect that bites the face and lips, "costs the world about $7 billion annually, says an analysis just published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases," NPR's "Shots" blog reports.

12 Feb 2013

Moving beyond condemnation to actions that protect health workers

"Between December and January, at least 16 polio workers were killed in Pakistan, according to Reuters -- and on Friday, nine female health workers were slain in northern Nigeria, also while working on a polio eradication campaign," Laura Hoemeke, director of communications and knowledge management at IntraHealth, writes in the organization's "Global Health Blog."

12 Feb 2013

State roundup: Calif. doc supply strains under health law

The compelling facts and figures he provided the Senate Finance Committee gave feuding Democrats and Republicans the confidence to unite behind an expedited but cautious roadmap toward a federally prescribed expansion of Medicaid in Virginia.

12 Feb 2013

Around-the-clock labor and delivery coverage decrease odds of cesarean delivery

In a study to be presented on February 16 between 8 a.m., and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in San Francisco, researchers will report findings that suggest around-the-clock labor and delivery coverage decreased the odds of cesarean delivery.

12 Feb 2013

Feds encourage Mississippi to pursue health exchange partnership

Also, cost issues spark disagreement in Minnesota as the state Senate continues to weigh action related to these health insurance marketplaces.

12 Feb 2013

New video features 5 chemistry facts that highlight chocolate’s beneficial properties

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society, released a new Bytesize Science video today featuring five chemistry facts that highlight why chocolate, in moderation, may be good for you.

12 Feb 2013

White House details impact of March 1 sequester on health programs

As these scheduled budget cuts get closer, a poll by the Pew Research Center concluded that young voters are supportive of Medicare and Social Security and hope to see these programs overhauled so they live on into the future.

12 Feb 2013

Study demonstrates effectiveness of laborist' obstetrical care

In a study to be presented on February 16 between 8 a.m., and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in San Francisco, researchers will report findings that suggest shifting from a traditional model of obstetrical care to a laborist model improves pregnancy outcomes.

12 Feb 2013

As feds encourage health IT, analysts forecast big increase in telehealth

In an age of the Web, Wi-Fi and ever-present social media, so-called e-health lags far behind. But federal officials leading the multibillion effort to get doctors and hospitals to use health information technology are now reaching out to patients and families to help them become e-patients.

12 Feb 2013

Former U.N. official criticizes NGO efforts to campaign for aid to Sudanese

"The former head of the U.N. in Sudan has criticized non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for failing to campaign for aid to flow to people trapped in a war zone on the border with South Sudan," the Guardian reports.

12 Feb 2013

Cholera cases confirmed in northern Mozambique after heavy rains, flooding

"In the last 10 days, 22 cases of the waterborne disease cholera have been confirmed by laboratory testing in three areas in and around the northern Mozambique town of Pemba, in Cabo Delgado Province," IRIN reports.

12 Feb 2013

Young adults with depression symptoms may benefit from computerized avatars

Young adults, in a period of transition, are often reluctant to seek treatment for mental health problems because of the stigma, inadequate insurance coverage and difficulty finding a mental health care provider.

12 Feb 2013

Roadblocks continue despite efforts to address causes of hospital readmissions

Hospital readmissions are miserable for patients, and a huge cost -- more than $17 billion a year in avoidable Medicare bills alone -- for a nation struggling with the price of health care. Now, with Medicare fining facilities that don't reduce readmissions enough, the nation is at a crossroads as hospitals begin to take action.

12 Feb 2013

Congressional Republicans focus on Tavenner nomination, doc fix, Medicaid costs

News outlets covered a variety of Medicare and Medicaid news, including prospects for Marilyn Tavenner to be confirmed as head of CMS.

12 Feb 2013

Examining efforts to integrate cervical cancer screening, treatment into HIV services in Zambia

In the Center for Strategic & International Studies' (CSIS) "Smart Global Health" blog, Janet Fleischman and Julia Nagel of CSIS discuss "the opportunities and challenges of integrating cervical cancer screening and treatment into HIV services for women," with a focus on the efforts of Zambia.

12 Feb 2013