Latest KFF Health News Stories
FDA To Review Bone Drugs; CDC Reports Parasite May Be A Risk To Blood Supply
News outlets examine a variety of public health issues.
Continued Funding From All Countries Needed To Fight HIV/AIDS
“There is no doubt that” a 10 percent reduction in funding from donor governments for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries in 2010 from the previous year’s levels “is linked to economic strain felt by countries across the globe,” a VOA News editorial says. “UNAIDS estimates that an investment of at least $22 billion will be needed by 2015 in order to avert more than seven million deaths,” the editorial states, adding, “It is clear that continued support to HIV prevention and treatment is a necessary investment, even in these difficult times.”
State governments wrestle with Medicaid issues.
DOJ Investigates Miss. Mental Health Care; N.H. Pharmacists Win Permission To Vaccinate
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
International Public Health Spending Ignores Neglected Tropical Diseases, Some Experts Argue
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism examines what some experts are calling a serious inequity in public health spending, writing that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) “together kill more people than maternal mortality and have a higher disease burden than malaria or [tuberculosis (TB)] and nearing that of HIV/AIDS. However, despite the severity of the situation, funding for NTDs is just a fraction of that spent on other diseases.”
Ohio Man Dies From Tooth Infection After He Couldn’t Afford Medicine
Dentists said his tooth needed to be pulled but man deferred because he had no job or insurance.
Washington Woman Spearheading Drive For Suicide Prevention For Service Members
Patricia Bailey says the lack of a firm policy on whether military members could be held back in their careers for seeking counseling is an obstacle to getting care, McClatchy reports.
Mental Health Care Issues Confound Nation’s Jails
More Americans receive mental health treatment in prisons and jails than in hospitals or treatment centers, NPR reports.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe Urges Men To Take Larger Role In HIV Prevention
“Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Monday opened a national HIV and AIDS conference with a call for the nation’s men to take a larger role in the response to the deadly pandemic, not only for their own health but that of women and children,” VOA News reports (Gumbo, 9/5). Speaking at the conference, Mugabe said, “The role of men in society is unquestionable. It is for this reason that men should take their place in the HIV response, both for their own health as well as in support of women and children … and it is not just treatment, but also a fact of discipline,” Zimbabwe’s Herald writes (9/6).
Electronic Monitoring Systems, Medical Records Could Improve Quality, Save Money
The New York Times and Modern Healthcare highilght electronic medical expansions.
Patient Quality, Care Coordination Programs Surface In California
In California, a heart failure program is reducing hospital readmissions while researchers and insurers are trying to create better care coordination for 26,000 public employees.
African Giant Pouched Rat May Be More Effective Than Humans At Detecting TB
The Wall Street Journal examines the use of the African giant pouched rat to detect tuberculosis (TB) in lab samples. A study published online in the Pan African Medical Journal last month found the rats are “better than human lab techs at identifying TB bacteria in a dollop of mucus,” a finding that “holds promise for diagnosing tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa,” according to the newspaper. While “[t]he rats turn up many false-positive findings of TB, so the results need to be confirmed by conventional lab methods, … [a] rat takes seven minutes to work through the same number of samples as a lab technician would assess in a full day,” according to the researchers, the newspaper reports. The rats are being trained in Tanzania by the non-governmental organization Apopo, which “primarily trains African giant pouched rats to sniff land mines for de-mining activities in Mozambique, Thailand and other countries,” the Wall Street Journal notes (Robinson (9/6).
President’s Tough Tasks Before Election: Deficit Plan, Sell Health Reform
President Obama will be crafting his own deficit-reduction plan and will also shape an election strategy for the health law.
‘No Evidence’ Mutant Bird Flu Virus Poses Increased Risk To Humans, WHO And FAO Say
After the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) “last week voiced concern about the appearance in Vietnam and China of” a mutant strain of the H5N1 avian flu virus, the WHO and FAO on Monday “said in a joint statement issued in response to questions from Agence France-Presse” that “[t]here is no evidence to suggest yet that this new virus strain will have any increased risk to human health,” the news agency reports. “‘Nevertheless, poultry producers and the general public should always take simple precautions to reduce exposure to the virus from infected poultry,’ it said,” the news agency writes, noting the “H5N1 virus typically spreads from birds to humans via direct contact” (9/5).
At GOP Presidential Candidate Forum, Focus Is On Romney And Health Reform
At a forum in South Carolina Monday, five GOP presidential candidates debated health care reform, among other issues.
U.N. Declares Famine In Sixth Region Of Somalia, Expresses Concern Over Spread Of Disease
The U.N. “announced Monday that Somalia’s famine had spread to a sixth area within the country, with officials warning that 750,000 people could die in the next few months unless aid efforts were scaled up,” the New York Times reports (Gettleman/Kyama, 9/5).
Settlement In UT Southwestern/Parkland Billing Fraud; CMS Postpones Final Parkland Ruling
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas pays settlement in Medicare and Medicaid billing fraud investigation. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says it will wait for state investigation before ruling continued on Medicare funding for Parkland.
More Than 2M People In Pakistani Province Of Sindh Affected By Flooding From Monsoon Rains
“Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh is facing disaster once more with heavy rains over the past five days, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA),” with at least 85 people reported dead and more than two million people affected, IRIN reports (9/5). Sharjeel Memon, Sindh’s information minister, said mobile health teams carrying malaria vaccinations and food aid have been sent to the affected districts, according to Bloomberg. “Pakistan suffered its deadliest floods last year, in which 1,800 people were killed and an area the size of Italy was devastated,” the news agency notes (Anis, 9/5).
Number Of Malaria Cases In Brazilian Amazon Drop 31% In First Half Of Year Compared With 2010
Brazil’s health ministry on Monday said 115,708 malaria cases had been reported in the first half of this year in the Brazilian Amazon, down 31 percent compared with the same period in 2010, the Latin American Herald Tribune reports. “‘The positive figures are the result of comprehensive action, which includes stepping up the routines for early diagnosis and the opportune treatment of patients,’ Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said,” the newspaper writes.
News outlets report on health insurance issues in the states.
