Latest KFF Health News Stories
“Over the past year, 13.3 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia were thrown into crisis as a result of drought in the Horn of Africa, the worst in 60 years,” USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah writes in this Devex opinion piece. “Droughts cannot be prevented, but they can be predicted and mitigated thanks to investments in early warning systems, satellite technology and on-the-ground analysis,” he writes, adding, “By identifying those communities facing the gravest risks and strategically focusing our efforts, we can help them withstand crisis.”
New Alliance For Food Security And Nutrition ‘An Important Step’ In Addressing Food Security
In this post in The Hill’s “Congress Blog,” former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and the DuPont Advisory Committee on Agriculture Innovation and Productivity — a group of experts in global agriculture development, science, policy and economics — reflect on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, launched by the Obama Administration last month. “The New Alliance aligns two principles that are critical to global food security — the need for private sector investment and the importance of empowering smallholder farmers,” they write.
WHO Warns Of Drug-Resistant Strains Of Gonorrhea
“Drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea have spread to countries across the world, the U.N. health agency said on Wednesday, and millions of patients may run out of treatment options unless doctors catch and treat cases earlier,” Reuters reports (Kelland, 6/6). “Already several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom are reporting cases of resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics — the last treatment option against gonorrhea,” a WHO press release states (6/6).
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of a new Congressional Budget Office report and a look at how the health insurance mandate is working in Massachusetts.
Leavitt Talks Obesity Prevention, But Not Politics On Bipartisan Panel
The former HHS head avoided talk about his involvement in GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s transition team.
Agence France-Presse Examines Abortion Debate In Morocco
Agence France-Presse examines the abortion debate in Morocco, where “voices calling for a repeal of the [country’s] ban on abortion are growing louder,” according to the news service. “The debate over abortion is just the latest front of an ongoing conflict between conservative supporters of traditional values and more liberal, reform-minded campaigners,” the news service writes. “‘We are going in all directions. It is difficult to move forward with a conservative government,’ [Fauzia Assouli, president of the Federation of the Democratic League of Women’s Rights] told AFP,” the news service notes. “But at the same time, she said, there was a growing sense of awareness, a sense of momentum among activists,” AFP writes. The news service adds, “A national congress will be held on June 12 in Rabat, under the auspices of the Moroccan Association for the Fight against Clandestine Abortion, headed by Professor Chafik Chraibi,” a renowned gynecologist in the country (Mamarbachi, 6/4).
New UNICEF Publications Show Universal Health Coverage Achievable Through Social Protection Measures
“Two newly released UNICEF publications demonstrate that while reaching universal health coverage (UHC) is possible in most countries, this requires a comprehensive social protection system of which health insurance is a crucial component,” according to this post on the UHC Forward blog. A recent UNICEF study “finds that even in middle and low-income countries that have adopted a formal policy of universal health coverage … many socio-economic barriers to access persist,” the blog reports, adding, “It is for this reason that the study has been framed in the broader approach recommended by UNICEF’s first global Social Protection Strategic Framework, which stresses the importance of developing and strengthening integrated social protection systems” (O’Connell, 6/4).
Aidspan Publishes New Issue Of ‘Global Fund Observer’
Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund, on Tuesday published Issue 187 of its “Global Fund Observer.” The issue includes an article on an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report on its audit of eight Global Fund grants in Kenya; an article examining how reprogramming existing grants can improve their impact; and commentary from Bernard Rivers, executive director of Aidspan, about the Round 2 grants in Kenya (6/5).
In this post on the Guardian’s “Poverty Matters Blog,” Bjorn Lomborg, author and director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, examines the issue of foreign aid in this time of austerity, writing, “Targeted financial assistance offers a middle path between the arguments for and against higher development spending.” He adds, “A different way of focusing this spending would be to examine where we could do the most good
Romney’s Choice For Transition Chief Triggers Analysis, Questions
Since GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney chose former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to be his transition chief, news outlets have re-examined Leavitt’s policy positions when he was the Health and Human Services secretary in George W. Bush’s presidential administration, his support for elements of the 2010 federal health law and his work as a health care consultant advising states on the measure’s implementation.
It All Comes Down To This: Wisconsin’s Recall Vote
Today’s recall election in Wisconsin represents the “culmination” of a political firestorm that began when Gov. Scott Walker proposed ending most state workers’ collective bargaining rights and requiring them to pay more for health insurance and pension benefits as a way to address the state’s budget shortfall.
Economist Infographic Depicts Probability Of Dying From NCDs By Country
The Economist’s “Graphic Detail” blog features an infographic depicting the probability of dying from a non-communicable disease, by country. “You are more likely to be killed by a non-communicable disease (NCD), like cancer or heart disease, than anything else,” the blog notes, adding, “In 2008 they accounted for 63 percent of the 56 million deaths worldwide” (6/1).
Growing Obesity In Developing Countries A Sign Of Historic Global Tipping Point
In this Bloomberg Businessweek opinion piece, Charles Kenny, a fellow at the Center for Global Development and the New America Foundation, examines the global obesity epidemic, writing, “It may seem strange to be worried about too much food when the United Nations suggests that, as the planet’s population continues to expand, about one billion people may still be undernourished,” but “[g]rowing obesity in poorer countries is a sign of a historic global tipping point.” He continues, “After millennia when the biggest food-related threat to humanity was the risk of having too little, the 21st century is one where the fear is having too much.”
In this article in “Policy Review,” a publication of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, Mark Dybul, co-director of the Global Health Law Program and the inaugural global health fellow at the George W. Bush Institute; Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and Julio Frenk, dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, discuss the need for “a structural and philosophical shift” in the global health field, writing, “As we approach the post-[Millennium Development Goal] era, now is the time for a new framework to establish an accelerated trajectory to achieve a healthy world.” The authors recount the history of global health work in recent years and outline several “conceptual foundations of a new era in global health and development.” They conclude, “That is an audacious vision, but the recent history of global health and a long history of great human achievements teach us that what seems impossible can be done” (6/1).
Guardian Examines High Incidence Of Drowning Deaths Among Children In Bangladesh
“Bangladesh, a country crisscrossed with rivers and canals, has one of the highest drowning rates in the world,” the Guardian reports. “More than 17,000 Bangladeshi children drown every year — nearly 50 a day, according to the Bangladesh health and injury survey [.pdf], conducted in 2003,” the news service writes. “A report by UNICEF and the Alliance for Safe Children (Tasc) has found that the cause of death in roughly one in four children who die between one and 10 years of age is drowning,” making “drowning the leading killer of children in Bangladesh, overtaking diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia,” the Guardian adds.
Scientists Decode Genome Of Main Chagas Disease Vector
“An international team of scientists has decoded the genome of one of the main vectors of Chagas disease, paving the way for more targeted vector control and new ways to prevent disease transmission,” SciDev.Net reports. “Until now, scientists had only decoded the genome of the Chagas parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, but lacked genome information about the insect vectors,” the news service notes, adding, “[K]nowing the insect vector genomes should, in theory, improve control strategies through the development of traps, inhibitors of the Chagas parasite growth, and detection of insecticide resistance, among others.”
Al Jazeera Examines Afghanistan’s Health Care System Since Fall Of Taliban
Al Jazeera examines Afghanistan’s health care system since the fall of the Taliban, writing, “Standards of health care in Afghanistan have improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban, but security continues to play a large role in determining access to and quality of care provided.” According to the video report, Afghanistan’s constitution mandates that health services be provided free of charge, which “leaves many small clinics reliant on foreign aid.” The news service notes, “There’s a big difference in the type of care you can get [in] rural areas and in urban areas,” adding, “Many procedures still require patients to travel to city hospitals, putting them at risk from violence and grueling journeys on poorly maintained roads” (Smith, 6/3).
Study: Hospital At Home Program Offers Good Outcomes, Patient Satisfaction
The program in Albuquerque also lowered costs while providing some patients acute care at home.
