Archives: Morning Breakouts

"Many interesting research questions now lie ahead. But most urgent will be the assessment of the practical impact of these findings and their public health importance in generalised epidemics," according to a Lancet editorial about last week's release of study results showing early HIV treatment dramatically reduces transmission risk. "Another immediate issue will be to reflect these findings in ongoing and future prevention trials," the Lancet adds.

Advocates at a meeting in Paris about women, population and development, held ahead of next week's G8 summit, said that HIV prevention methods can also be used to further family planning goals, Deutsche Welle reports.

Hoping to draw attention to other disaster preparedness, a normally stoic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines this week on how to cope with an invasion of brain-munching zombies.

Inter Press Service reports on the possibility that the World Health Assembly "could adopt landmark resolutions asking governments to improve water and sanitation to eradicate cholera and guinea worm," the latter of which exists in only four countries

Sixteen countries have announced new commitments aimed at significantly reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality, by "focus[ing] on measures proven effective in preventing deaths, such as increased contraceptive use, attended childbirth, improved access to emergency obstetric care, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, and childhood immunizations," ANI/Sify News reports (5/20).

Two studies have found that unplanned pregnancies cost taxpayers up to $11 billion per year. The figure is sure to generate discussion on Capitol Hill as lawmakers grapple with funding for Planned Parenthood.

The GAVI Alliance on Thursday said an investigation conducted by a GAVI transparency and accountability team and auditors from the Malian government "has found that $563,000 was misused in two of its cash-based projects in Mali, and Malian authorities have agreed to pay it back," Reuters reports.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Thursday in Paris released a report (.pdf) noting that while it disbursed a record $3 billion in 2010, the $1.3 billion shortfall if faces for 2011-2013, "threaten[s] goals to roll back diseases that together claim more than four million lives a year," Agence France-Presse reports.

A committee of WHO member governments this week at the World Health Assembly in Geneva "adopted a resolution on the future financing of the organisation and a broad set of reforms, as well as a resolution on the WHO's management of [the H1N1] influenza pandemic showing no evidence of wrongdoing," Intellectual Property Watch reports (Saez, 5/20).

House Republicans plan another vote on a bill to roll back a spending provision of the health law. Plus some question whether Senate candidate Tommy Thompson is out of step with other Republicans on health care reform, and what OMB's role was in the latest ACO regs.