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Also in Global Health news: PEPFAR in Swaziland; GSK HIV patent pool; Pediatric ARVs in Uganda; PNG declares health emergency; Israeli, ECOWAS agreement; Somali children

PEPFAR on Wednesday donated eight computers to Swaziland's Ministry of Health to aid in the country's ability to track the progress of the nation's HIV/AIDS programs, the Swazi Observer reports. According to the newspaper, the computers will be distributed to regional clinics across the country (Masilela, 9/10).

10 Sep 2009

Democrats praise president's speech

The Hill reports: "Despite months on intraparty bickering -- for one night at least -- Obama allowed nearly all congressional Democrats to believe he was speaking directly to them. Whether that solves one of the biggest problems Obama came before Congress to fix -- a Democratic Caucus in the House split passionately between those who believe that no healthcare bill is worth the trouble without a public plan and those who believe that such a public option is bad policy and worse politics -- remains to be seen."

10 Sep 2009

Analysis: Marketing research sheds light low vaccination rates in some developing countries

Despite progress in raising the vaccination rates in the world's poorest countries, some countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Nigeria continue to have vaccination rates "below 50% in certain regions, compared with the 80% or more needed to achieve a low risk of the disease spreading," Douglas Holt, Oxford University professor of marketing, and Jacob McKnight, also of Oxford University, write in a Livemint.com analysis piece.

10 Sep 2009

Drought, food shortages lead Guatemala to declare 'state of public calamity'

"Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom declared 'a state of public calamity' late Tuesday to help mobilize funds and resources to confront a food shortage that will affect thousands of families," the Associated Press reports (9/9).

10 Sep 2009

"You lie," GOP lawmaker shouts during president's speech

Partisan tensions at President Obama's address to Congress on Wednesday "went beyond the usual theatrics," with one Republican congressman shouting, "You lie," in the midst of the speech when the president promised his reform proposal would not pay for insurance for illegal immigrants, the Wall Street Journal reports.

10 Sep 2009

Some insurers still back Obama after speech

"President Obama had few nice things to say about insurance companies in his speech on health care last night, but leaders of two of this region's largest private insurers -- Independence Blue Cross and Aetna Inc. -- gave him generally high marks anyway," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He did draw one line in the sand that insurers hoped for: a mandate for all Americans to have health insurance.

10 Sep 2009

Retail clinics offer more treatments for chronic diseases

Retail health clinics are reevaluating their offerings. The Wall Street Journal reports: "Retail health clinics are adding treatments for chronic diseases such as asthma to their repertoire, hoping to find steadier revenue, but putting the clinics into greater competition with doctors' groups and hospitals."

10 Sep 2009

Number of uninsured may jump to 50 million

"The number of people in the U.S. lacking health insurance may have grown as much as 9 percent to 50 million people last year, adding fuel to President Barack Obama's push for overhauling the system," Bloomberg reports. "The likely increase was driven by a jump in U.S. unemployment, said Ana Gupte, a Sanford Bernstein & Co. Inc. analyst in New York who follows UnitedHealth Group Inc. and WellPoint Inc., the top two U.S. health insurers.

10 Sep 2009

Harkin moves to Health Committee chair after Dodd opts against it

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., wrestled hard with the question of whether to take the Senate Health Committee chair once held by his good friend, the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. But when he passed on it, Sen. Tom Harkin got the job in an arrangement that gives the Iowa Democrat a huge say in government health policy.

10 Sep 2009

U.S. public health officials recommend early flu vaccination

With increased influenza activity anticipated this fall, U.S. public health officials and other leading medical experts today urged Americans to be vigilant and get immunized early for protection against seasonal influenza - a threat to Americans' health each and every year.

10 Sep 2009

Electronic health records: A focus for big tech companies

"On one proposal for health care reform at least, there is a rare bipartisan consensus: the push to computerize patient records," The New York Times reports. The federal recovery package sets aside $19 billion "to encourage doctors and hospitals to install and use electronic health records. So even as the Obama administration and Congress struggle with broad health policy legislation, the technology industry is pursuing the opportunity in digital health records as never before." The money will not be available until next year, but General Electric, I.B.M. and Verizon are all "hoping to get their share."

10 Sep 2009

Baucus readies reform move, with or without Republicans

Sen. Max Baucus is readying his Senate Finance Committee to move a health care reform bill to the full Senate, with or without the support of Republicans negotiating their position.

10 Sep 2009

Comparative effectiveness may not produce hoped-for savings, Study finds

One component of Democrats' health reform plan, comparative effectiveness research, would seek to improve quality and lower medical costs by identifying the most clinically and cost-effective treatments available, but a new study by the Rand Corp. finds the impact of the research may be slow to arrive, BusinessWeek reports.

10 Sep 2009

Speaker Pelosi comments on President Obama's health reform address

"Tonight, President Obama made a forceful case to the Congress and the country for long-overdue health insurance reform. We are closer than ever before in history to real progress on this issue that touches the lives of every American and impacts our economy: ensuring stability and security for Americans with health insurance, and affordable coverage for those currently without.

10 Sep 2009

Research on the impact of anti-smoking law in public places reveals that 5% of waiters have stopped smoking

Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology have studied the impact of the law banning smoking in public places such as bars and restaurants on those working in these places. The results are positive - 5% of waiters have stopped smoking, and the number of cigarettes smoked by those who still smoke has fallen by almost 9%.

10 Sep 2009

First edition: September 10, 2009

In response to President Obama's joint address to Congress last night, the headlines are chock full of news, analysis, fact-checkers and inventories of cheers and jeers.

10 Sep 2009

Amedisys in negotiations with Hackensack University Medical Center to acquire its home health operations

Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED), one of America's leading home health and hospice nursing companies, today announced that it is in discussions to acquire the home health operations of Hackensack University Medical Center.

10 Sep 2009

Health care reform should tackle food safety

Linda Rivera’s excruciating case of food poisoning (Severe Case Gives Context to Issue of Food Safety Washington Post 9/1/09) should shine some light on a crucial reality that is missing from most health care reform plans: you can’t fix America’s health care unless you provide Americans with a safe food supply.

10 Sep 2009

CBO reports cash shortfall for Social Security; seniors could face benefit cuts

Social Security will face a cash shortfall for the first time in decades next year, according to a little noticed report released late last month by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

10 Sep 2009

The Center for Justice & Democracy opposes President Obama's medical malpractice proposal

The Center for Justice & Democracy strongly opposes President Obama's plan to implement Bush Administration measures to limit the legal rights of severely injured patients, which has become part of the health care discussion apparently as a bargaining chip to reduce Republican opposition to much needed health care reform.

10 Sep 2009