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Increase in public health spending linked with reduction of pandemic influenza mortality

Pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 mortality rates exhibited wide diversion between countries. Based on data from a total of 30 European countries, a study published in the journal PLoS ONE found that the greater the state financial "generosity" to health sector the lower the pandemic influenza mortality.

13 May 2011

PBS' NewsHour reports on Ukraine's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS

PBS' NewsHour on Wednesday featured a story on HIV/AIDS in the Ukraine, which has Europe's highest HIV/AIDS rate, increasing fears that the epidemic could spread to neighboring countries. The story focuses on attempts to implement drug substitution therapy programs for injecting drug users and prevent the virus from moving into the general population.

13 May 2011

Federal health law pushes insurers to retool

Major U.S. health insurers, including Aetna Inc., Humana Inc. and WellPoint Inc., are retooling to become more than just health plans, in the wake of the federal health-care overhaul that is changing the rules for the industry's core business.

13 May 2011

Spouse caregivers may have high risk of cognitive impairment or dementia

An older individual who cares for a spouse with dementia may be at an increased risk of developing cognitive problems because of the lifestyle that was shared with the spouse and because of the stress of caring for a loved one who is ill.

13 May 2011

Opinion: Ending female genital mutilation

"Is it cultural imperialism for Westerners to oppose [female] genital mutilation? Yes, perhaps, but it's also justified. But it is clear that the most effective efforts against genital mutilation are grass-roots initiatives by local women working for change from within a culture".

13 May 2011

Romney uses speech to take on his political vulnerability: Health reform

Mitt Romney, GOP presidential hopeful, delivered a speech today detailing what was right about the Massachusetts health reform plan that became law while he was governor, what is wrong with the federal health law that was enacted last year and what he would do to bring change to the health system. He spoke at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

13 May 2011

Opinion: Three-pronged approach needed to fight malaria

A closer look provides a valuable reminder that sustained gains against malaria must be built upon a three-legged 'stool'.

13 May 2011

People with sudden cardiac arrest at District libraries now have access to Automatic External Defibrillators

People who suffer sudden cardiac arrest at District libraries now have access to Automatic External Defibrillators at all locations thanks to a partnership between the Federation of Friends of DC Public Library, Mended Hearts, Inc. and The George Washington University Cheney Cardiovascular Institute.

13 May 2011

AHRQ: Rural Americans more likely to be treated in emergency departments for eye injury

Rural Americans were five times more likely than urban residents to be treated in emergency departments for eye injuries in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

13 May 2011

Opinion: Haiti's cholera epidemic endures

"The United Nations' overall appeal to respond to the [Haiti cholera] epidemic, for $175 million, is 48 percent financed. Haiti's continuing health emergency may have been overlooked in a crush of world events, but while the sick and dying are waiting for the world to respond, the disease is not".

13 May 2011

Leading public health experts agree: Menthol ban could save thousands of lives

Today, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to weigh a potential menthol ban, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, Center for American Progress and Legacy called for menthol cigarettes to be taken off the market, citing key findings published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

13 May 2011

Republicans feel heat over Medicare budget votes, seek to craft new message

GOP lawmakers hope to get back on the offensive in the Medicare debate. Ads will begin airing later this week that target a Democrat from Northern California, but some say the party needs to focus on a long-term strategy to regain its footing in this debate. Meanwhile, some House Democrats are pointing to a special congressional election in New York as proof that House Republican's Medicare vote is backfiring.

13 May 2011

Tips for fighting drug-resistant superbugs

Superbug CRKP is just the latest in emerging strains of drug-resistant bacteria. While new drugs to combat these stealthy microbes like MRSA and CRKP remain in development what can we do to prevent catching and spreading these dangerous bugs?.

13 May 2011

Boehner's support for budget cuts to Medicare, Medicaid draws criticism from Catholic U. faculty

The letter writers criticize Mr. Boehner's support for a budget that cut financing for Medicare, Medicaid and the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, while granting tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations. They call such policies "anti-life," a particularly biting reference because the phrase is usually applied to politicians and others who support the right to abortion.

13 May 2011

Rethink praises Ontario's decision to provide breast cancer patients with access to Herceptin

Today, Rethink Breast Cancer (Rethink) applauds the Ontario government's decision to provide breast cancer patients with tumours less than or equal to 1 cm access to the revolutionary drug Herceptin under the new Evidence Building Program.

13 May 2011

Washington Governor signs health exchange bill; Texas House debates bills opposing federal overhaul

Gov. Chris Gregoire approved several proposals Wednesday to prepare the state for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, even as Washington's attorney general challenges the law in court. The new bills include a plan to create a state health insurance exchange, making Washington the fourth in the nation to prepare such a system.

13 May 2011