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Bird flu hits Ghana

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported the first outbreak of bird flu in Ghana.

3 May 2007

Reclast found to cause abnormal heart rhythms

An osteoporosis drug with the potential to cut the risk of spine fractures by 70 percent and the chance of hip fractures by 41 percent, has been found to have an adverse side effect on some women.

3 May 2007

Another cow found with Mad Cow disease in Canada

Canadian officials say another case of Mad Cow disease has been found in a dairy cow in British Columbia.

3 May 2007

To live longer - eat less!

Scientists have known for a long time that animals fed diets which border on starvation live longer, but they are now saying that a particular gene is linked to calorie restriction.

3 May 2007

Just to confuse you even more - HRT now linked to Alzheimer's!

To add to the utter confusion many women are feeling with regard to Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), new research is now suggesting HRT may reduce a woman's risk of Alzheimer's disease.

3 May 2007

Number of uninsured Illinois residents increases

The number of uninsured Illinois residents in 2005 increased by about 2% to 1.8 million, compared with 2004, according to an analysis of U.S. Census information released Friday by the Gilead Outreach and Referral Center, the Chicago Tribune reports.

2 May 2007

Some physicians not purchasing, restricting recipients of Gardasil because of cost, Washington Post reports

Inadequate reimbursement from insurance companies for Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil is leading some physicians to refuse to purchase the vaccine and restricting the recipients to those whose insurers have agreed to pay a "reasonable" fee, the Washington Post reports (Boodman, Washington Post , 5/1).

2 May 2007

Australian Health Minister approves plan to genetically track HIV cases

Australian Health Minister Tony Abbott earlier this month approved a plan to develop a genetic profile of HIV in people living with the virus nationwide, Australia's The Age reports.

2 May 2007

Domestic violence should be treated as public health issue

Domestic violence causes "devastating" psychological and physical damage to women and should be approached as a public health issue, Cesar Chelala -- an international public health consultant and author of the Pan American Health Organization publication "Violence in the Americas" -- writes in a Philadelphia Inquirer opinion piece.

2 May 2007

Justice Scalia defends 'originalist' view of constitution

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Friday in a speech at the University of Delaware said that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that effectively barred state abortion bans, is not a precedent he is willing to accept, the Wilmington News Journal reports.

2 May 2007

CMS should be more open about reasons behind denying States' plans for funding Medicaid

CMS oversight of state Medicaid financing arrangements is "consistent with Medicaid payment principles but needs greater transparency," according to a Government Accountability Office report released on Monday, CQ HealthBeat reports.

2 May 2007

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria aims to triple spending

The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Friday announced that it will need to triple its annual spending to between $6 billion and $8 billion by 2010 to meet the needs of developing countries, Reuters AlertNet reports.

2 May 2007

Biden discusses opposition to Supreme Court opinion in federal abortion ban case

Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, in an interview on Sunday on NBC's " Meet the Press " said that he supports a federal law (S 3) banning so-called "partial-birth" abortion but added that the majority opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision last month to uphold the law is an "intellectually dishonest rationale for an honest justification for upholding the ban".

2 May 2007

U.S. trade rep places Thailand on priority watch list in annual report

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in its annual report released on Monday placed Thailand on its Priority Watch List in part because the country recently issued compulsory licenses for several medicines, including two antiretroviral drugs, CongressDaily reports.

2 May 2007

Some doctors refuse to purchase cervical cancer vaccine because of low reimbursements

Some physicians are refusing to purchase Merck's cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil or are restricting who receives it because they say insurance reimbursements for the vaccine are too low, the Washington Post reports.

2 May 2007

Senate begins debate on prescription drug user fee act reauthorization bill

The Senate on Monday began debate on a bill (S 1082) that would reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which will expire on Sept. 30, with senators expected to propose a number of amendments to the legislation, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports ( AP/Dallas Morning News , 4/30).

2 May 2007

Illinois House considers bill to remove written consent requirement for HIV tests

The Illinois House is considering a bill (HB 980) that would remove a state requirement that people receiving HIV tests provide written consent prior to undergoing the test, the Chicago Tribune reports.

2 May 2007

Use of antithrombotics means more intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke deaths in over 75s

A study suggests that the number of pensioners over 75 dying from intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke has increased in the last 25 years due to use of antithrombotic drugs.

2 May 2007

Strong link between domestic violence and asthma

The link between environmental exposures and asthma has been clearly described, but a new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) finds a strong association between domestic violence and asthma.

2 May 2007

Serious illness among children with sickle cell disease reduced with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

A vaccine introduced in 2000 has reduced by more than 90 percent the rate of a serious bacterial illness among young children with sickle cell disease (SCD), who are particularly susceptible to it, according to a new study that appears in the June 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and currently is available online.

2 May 2007