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Spread of Polio in Pakistan threatening goal of eradication

With 63 cases of polio diagnosed in Pakistan this year, nearly double the number recorded in the same time period 2010, the U.N. "says that these findings suggest Pakistan could be the 'last polio reservoir worldwide' - the country standing in the way of eliminating only the second global epidemic disease after smallpox," the Atlantic Wire reports.

12 Aug 2011

Common barriers and strategies to implement new anti-MRSA practices in ICUs

Researchers from the Indiana University have identified common barriers and strategies for successfully implementing practice changes in Intensive Care Units.

12 Aug 2011

Feeling the budget squeeze, some states reduce kids' access to care

According to the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, a majority of state-level changes to Medicaid this year reduced benefits or reimbursement rates for children's services.

12 Aug 2011

Feed the future helping countries develop agricultural sectors

"Spearheaded by USAID, President Obama's food security initiative - Feed the Future - is helping countries develop their own agricultural sectors so they can feed themselves," USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah writes in a post on the agency's "IMPACTblog."

12 Aug 2011

What will the panelists bring to the 'super committee' negotiations?

News outlets report on the personalities and records of the people who have been named to the deficit panel, and attempt to handicap how their politics could play into the deficit-reduction dynamics.

12 Aug 2011

NPR examines how religious beliefs influence family planning in Pakistan

NPR's "All Things Considered" on Wednesday examined how Islam influences health and family planning decisions in Pakistan, one of Asia's fastest-growing populations.

12 Aug 2011

PBS NewsHour examines use of Twitter to track disease spread

PBS NewsHour's blog "The Rundown" examines "a recent slate of independent studies" that assert "Twitter can accurately track the spread of a virus or disease - and do it much faster than traditional surveillance methods."

12 Aug 2011

U.S Global Malaria Coordinator discusses U.S. investment in global fight against malaria

In a Malaria Policy Center "Malaria Watch TV" video post, U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer "speaks with the Malaria Policy Center about the status of the malaria fight and how the U.S. is leading the way against this preventable and treatable disease," the organization writes.

12 Aug 2011

ICRC campaign addresses humanitarian issue of health care security in conflict situations

"This week the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launches a global campaign - 'It's a matter of life and death' - which aims to improve security and delivery of effective and impartial health care in situations of armed conflict and other contexts of widespread violence," Vivienne Nathanson, director of professional activities at the British Medical Association, writes in a BMJ editorial.

12 Aug 2011

Issa seeks answers about HHS waiver process

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is seeking information about the process used by the Department of Health and Human Services related to granting health law waivers. He also is asking questions about why the waivers will be ending.

12 Aug 2011

AANEM awards accreditation status to four UH Neuromuscular Center EMG labs

The American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) has awarded accreditation status to four electromyography (EMG) laboratories affiliated with the University Hospitals (UH) Neuromuscular Center in Northeast Ohio.

12 Aug 2011

GOP deficit panel Roster set: What are the chances for a deal?

Top Republicans have named their choices from the House and Senate to serve on the 'super committee.' These six lawmakers now join three Senate Democrats on the list — leaving only House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's picks unknown. As the panel takes shape, questions are emerging about whether the group will be able to find the necessary spending cuts.

12 Aug 2011

Survey identifies health behaviors, challenges shared by Muslim community

The perceived role of God in illness and recovery is a primary influence upon the health care beliefs and behaviors of American Muslims, a first-of-its-kind study has discovered. Outreach and education efforts by the health care community can help address Muslim concerns and improve health care quality in this rapidly growing population, the report recommends.

12 Aug 2011

Leading dental and pharmacy organizations to raise awareness on xerostomia

Leading dental and pharmacy organizations are teaming up to promote oral health and raise public awareness of dry mouth, a side effect commonly caused by taking prescription and over-the-counter medications.

12 Aug 2011

GAO: What's behind increase in federal workers' long-term care coverage

A large and unexpected premium increase in federal employees' long-term-care insurance two years ago stemmed from higher-than-expected enrollee coverage retention, longer life expectancies and additional claim submissions, according to the Government Accountability Office.

12 Aug 2011

C. difficile infection more prevalent in Chicago-area acute care hospitals

An outbreak strain of Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that causes diarrhea and sometimes life-threatening inflammation of the colon, is common in Chicago-area acute care hospitals, an investigation published in the September issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology suggests.

12 Aug 2011

Longer looks: A break for sleep-deprived docs; Gruber profile

Last month something extraordinary happened at teaching hospitals around the country: Young interns worked for 16 hours straight — and then they went home to sleep. After decades of debate and over the opposition of nearly every major medical organization and 79 percent of residency-program directors, new rules went into effect that abolished 30-hour overnight shifts for first-year residents.

12 Aug 2011

Rise of NCDs is 'growing but under-addressed challenge' in developed and developing countries

"The rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)" is "a growing but under-addressed challenge in both the developed and developing world," Jean-Luc Butel, executive vice president and group president for Medtronic's international operations, writes in a Muskegon Chronicle opinion piece.

12 Aug 2011

TCHP receives Texas HHSC's managed care renewed contracts

Texas Children's Health Plan (TCHP) has been tentatively awarded managed care renewed contracts by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

12 Aug 2011

State roundup: Debt deal and states; Ariz. judge appoves Medicaid plan

Many expensive programs are exempt from the trigger cuts, including most that are considered "mandatory," which means that some of the largest joint state-federal programs aren't vulnerable. Those include Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare) and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

12 Aug 2011