Archives: Morning Breakouts

Should arguments heard by the high court regarding the health law be televised on C-SPAN? And should certain justices step away from the case? These are among the key questions that continue to buzz around the health law's day in court.

Mitt Romney's campaign is rebutting the Democratic National Committee's claims about his record on health reform and abortion rights.

"China's vaccine makers are gearing up over the next few years to push exports in a move that should lower costs of lifesaving immunizations for the world's poor and provide major new competition for the big Western pharmaceutical companies," the Associated Press reports in a feature examining the entry of Chinese vaccine makers into the international market. "China's entry into this field is important because one child dies every 20 seconds from vaccine-preventable diseases each year," the news agency writes, adding that the country's "vaccine makers, some of whom already export in small amounts, are confident they will soon become big players in the field" (Wong, 11/29).

"Al-Shabab rebels banned some U.N. and international aid agencies from working in Somalia on Monday and began seizing and looting some of their offices in southern and central areas of the country, the Islamist group and aid sources said," Reuters reports (Ahmed et al., 11/28). "Among the agencies al-Shabab banned on Monday were UNICEF, the World Health Organization, UNHCR, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Danish Refugee Council, German Agency For Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Action Contre la Faim, Solidarity, Saacid and Concern," the Associated Press/Washington Post notes (11/28). In a statement, al-Shabab, "[t]he main Islamist insurgent group in Somalia, which is still in the throes of a major food crisis classified as famine in some regions, ... accus[ed] them of 'illicit activities and misconduct,'" IRIN writes (11/28). "The al-Shabab statement accused the groups of exaggerating the scale of the problems in Somalia for political reasons and to raise money," according to BBC News (11/28)

Researchers involved with a multi-armed clinical trial designed to evaluate different antiretroviral (ARV) interventions for HIV prevention on Friday announced the arm testing a vaginal gel had been stopped because it was not working, the New York Times reports. The announcement marks "a major disappointment for AIDS research" because the gel "had seemed to work surprisingly well in a previous" trial, according to the newspaper. That study, called CAPRISA, found that the vaginal gel, which contains the ARV tenofovir, reduced the risk of HIV infection by 39 percent among women overall and by 54 percent among women who used it most consistently, the newspaper notes, adding, "It was hoped that the new trial, nicknamed VOICE (for Vaginal and Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic), would confirm that earlier trial" (McNeil, 11/25).

Inter Press Service profiles the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, writing, "Since it launched in 1997, [it] has distributed more than 78 million dollars to 339 projects around the world, but even these resources fall far short, meeting less than five percent of demand." Noting that the Fund "provides services to women and girl survivors of violence, including legal aid, health care, shelter and psychosocial support," the news service highlights a number of programs supported by the Fund through past grants and writes, "This year alone, more than 2,500 applications requesting about 1.2 billion dollars for programs across 123 countries have been received."

This New York Times editorial responds to the latest UNAIDS report (.pdf), which it says "reveals substantial success by some measures and stagnation by others," writing, "The challenge, in tough times, that must be met is to find enough resources to capitalize on scientific breakthroughs and keep the campaign moving forward."

In this Financial Times opinion piece, journalist Andrew Jack examines how, "[a]fter a period of fast expansion, and strong progress in tackling AIDS, [tuberculosis (TB)] and malaria alike," the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria "has become a target in the era of austerity. With a shift in power between the world's traditional and emerging economies, and donors seeking ways to cut support, billions of dollars and millions of lives are at stake." Jack recaps a brief history of the Fund in the 10 years since its inception; highlights a number of ways in which the Fund has been distinctive from other organizations; and notes several issues that have led to calls for reform within the Fund.

"Children's well-being has improved dramatically thanks to increased global political will and efficient supportive programs and policies, according to a report released [Wednesday] by [UNICEF] and Save the Children U.K., but it also warns that benefits need to reach the most disadvantaged children for gains to be sustainable," the U.N. News Centre reports, adding, "Among the most prominent accomplishments highlighted by the report is the significant decline in child mortality rates." According to the news service, "The authors of the report cite a number of factors for these advancements, but place particular emphasis on the high-level commitment and supportive government policies that have placed children's well-being as a priority" (11/23).

"United Nations aid agencies said Friday more than five million Pakistanis are in need of humanitarian assistance following the floods earlier this year," with nearly half of those being children, the VOA "Breaking News" blog reports (11/26). "UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado said the most urgent risks to children are those related to safe water and malnutrition, with malnutrition rates in the affected areas already found to be high before the floods began," according to the U.N. News Centre (11/25).