Latest KFF Health News Stories
Multinational Drug Companies’ Scam
In an Al Jazeera opinion piece, the first in a two-part series, Khadija Sharife, a journalist and visiting scholar at the Center for Civil Society, examines how multinational drug companies control markets.
Thai Health Authorities Plan To Screen Residents Of Northeast Region For Deadly Fluke Worms
Health officials in northeast Thailand plan to screen residents over the age of 30 for fluke worms, which can be cured with one tablet of praziquantel or lead to fatal bile duct cancer in 10 to 20 years if left untreated, Reuters reports.
Using American Diplomacy To Fight NTDs
In a PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases editorial, Peter Hotez of the Sabin Vaccine Institute outlines the diplomatic benefits of fighting NTDs in developing countries. He discusses why the State Department and USAID should be involved and outlines how they could work to expand NTD control.
The Women, Girls, and Gender Equality of the GHI: Assessment of the GHI Plus Country Strategies
This report from the Kaiser Family Foundation assesses how countries are responding to a GHI principle to address women, girls and gender equality.
U.N. Somalia Coordinator Warns About Increasing Rates Of Malnutrition
Mark Bowden, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, highlighted the “rapidly deteriorating” situation there resulting from drought and high food prices, Agence France-Presse reports.
WFP Head Issues Statement About Humanitarian Need In Horn Of Africa
World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director Josette Sheeran on Wednesday voiced concern about nine million people in the Horn of Africa who urgently need humanitarian aid, Bloomberg reports.
NPR Examines Controversial Drug Being Used To Save Women’s Lives
In another installment in NPR’s summer-long series “Beginnings,” NPR’s All Things Considered aired a story on Wednesday examining how the controversial drug misoprostol is being used worldwide to save women’s lives.
‘Exact Correlation’ Between Peacekeeper Arrival And Cholera Outbreak In Haiti, Study Says
“Evidence ‘strongly suggests’ that a United Nations peacekeeping mission brought a cholera strain to Haiti that has killed thousands of people,” according to a study conducted by a team of epidemiologists and physicians and published in the July issue of the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Associated Press reports. The Haitian government has recorded more than 363,000 cases of cholera more than 5,500 deaths since the outbreak began in October.
Nature News Examines African Nations’ Progress In Science
Nature News examines African countries’ scientific capacity and efforts in a series of articles. “The forecast for science in Africa has brightened over the past decade. After enduring civil wars and economic crises, many countries have entered a period of rapid growth and leaders are starting to see science and technology as the keys to progress.
Minnesota Nears Government Shutdown
A judge rules that some health services should be continued.
State Roundup: Calif. Braces For Budget Cuts; Mass. Weighs Premium Freeze
News outlets examine a variety of state health policy issues.
Bloomberg: Ryan Medicare Vouchers Save Little
In the background, political ads are heating up related to the debate over Medicare cost savings and plans to revamp the health insurance program for seniors.
Viewpoints: Abortion Law Debates; Medicare Cost Examinations; State Reform Building Blocks
A selection of today’s opinions and editorials from around America.
Panel Advises FDA To Reject Avastin As Breast Cancer Drug
The unanimous recommendation by this committee of cancer experts increases the likelihood that the drug will no longer be widely available for the treatment of breast cancer. Avastin, however, will continue to have the Food and Drug Adminstration’s approval for use in treating certain other cancers.
USA Today: New Study Shows Wide Variation In Health Costs
The findings indicate that patients can pay widely different amounts for the same medical procedures – even in the same town.
IOM Report Highlights Need For Changes In Pain Management
Defining pain as “a major public health problem,” the Institute of Medicine offered recommendations to make systemic and cultural changes in how pain could either be prevented or managed better.
