Archives: Morning Breakouts

A new quick test to determine the CD4 levels of individuals who test positive for HIV "resulted in a substantial increase" in the percentage of people returning to a clinic get those results, according to a study conducted in Mozambique and published last week in the Lancet, the New York Times reports. "Before quick testing was available, 42 percent of infected patients returned to learn their CD4 count at a subsequent visit. After point-of-care testing began, 78 percent of infected patients were evaluated -- that is, almost twice as many infected people took this important first step toward drug treatment," the newspaper writes (Bakalar, 10/3).

"Congress has ... blocked $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority [PA] since August, in a move a PA official described as 'collective punishment' for its United Nations bid" for statehood, GlobalPost reports (10/1). "The economic package is separate from security aid, which the U.S. lawmakers say would be counterproductive to block," Agence France-Presse writes (10/2).

"Colombian scientists are using a global network of personal and institutional computers to search for potential drugs against leishmaniasis, a disease that affects 12 million people worldwide," SciDev.Net reports. The researchers at the University of Antioquia "will harness the calculation potential of the almost two million computers that make up the World Community Grid, funded by the IBM Corporation," the news service writes.

Haitian health authorities on Friday said the death toll from cholera has risen to 6,435 since October and that "the number of people infected with cholera almost reached half a million, although the ministry repeated the epidemic was decreasing," Xinhua reports (9/30). U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos wrapped up a three-day visit to Haiti on Friday, saying the "number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) still in camps in Haiti after their homes were destroyed by last year's catastrophic earthquake has declined from 1.5 million to 600,000, but hardship in the settlements has not eased," the U.N. News Centre reports. "Limited funding has led to a decline in the number of humanitarian agencies working in key sectors, such as water and sanitation and camp management. Hundreds of latrines are now unusable and overflow, especially during the current rainy season, posing significant health risks, even as efforts to keep the cholera epidemic at bay continue," the news service writes (9/30).

"More than 12,000 have been infected and 125 people have died over the past two months in Pakistan after coming down with dengue fever, a health department spokesman said Friday," CNN reports (Habib, 10/1). Citing the same numbers, WHO spokesperson Tarek Jasarevic said the agency is providing support for "case management, community mobilization, vector control and public awareness campaigns," according to the U.N. News Centre. "Last year, 11,024 confirmed cases of dengue fever and 40 deaths were reported in Pakistan, but this year the number of cases has climbed to 12,466," the news service writes (9/30).

Though a number of reasons have created the shortfalls, everyone agrees that the proliferation of "gray markets" is one of the biggest factors.