Archives: Morning Breakouts

Tjada McKenna, deputy coordinator for development for Feed the Future, and Jonathan Shrier, acting special representative for global food security and deputy coordinator for diplomacy for Feed the Future, examine efforts to end global hunger through a "whole-of-government approach" in this article on the initiative's webpage. McKenna and Shrier highlight efforts in Haiti, Guatemala, Senegal, Uganda, Ghana, and Bangladesh, noting "all are supported through a range of different U.S. Government organizations under Feed the Future, the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative." They continue, "Together -- and with the help of our development partners from universities, the research community, multilaterals, the private sector, and the NGO community -- we are working to break the cycle of poverty and food insecurity that has led millions in the developing world to lives of chronic hunger and undernutrition" (4/26).

A strain of malaria that is resistant to artemether, the main ingredient in Coartem, a widely used drug to treat the disease, may be spreading in Africa, according to a study published Thursday in Malaria Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. "Studies in Cambodia and Thailand have shown that drugs based on artemisinin, the class of remedies to which artemether belongs, are becoming less effective there," the news service writes, adding that study author Sanjeev Krishna of the University of London said, "Drug resistance could eventually become a devastating problem in Africa, and not just in southeast Asia where most of the world is watching for resistance." According to the authors, "[t]he effectiveness of other artemisinin-based drugs, such as artesunate, wasn't significantly affected by the mutations," the news service states (Bennett, 4/26).

Wednesday, April 25, marked World Malaria Day, which this year had the theme "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria." The following opinion pieces address the fight against malaria.

"A lack of awareness of the importance of skilled hospital deliveries in Ethiopia, cultural beliefs, and transport challenges in rural areas are causing a high number of deaths during childbirth," officials say, according to IRIN. "Only 10 percent of deliveries take place within health facilities, according to Ethiopia's latest (April) Demographic Health Survey results," the news service writes, adding, "Nevertheless, the figure is a significant improvement on six percent in the previous 2005 survey."

"Spurred by events surrounding two controversial H5N1 transmission studies, a U.S. Senate committee [on Thursday] questioned federal officials whose agencies have a stake in dual-use research of concern (DURC) about the procedures they use to spot possible bioterror threats," CIDRAP News reports. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs "hearing marked the first time officials have testified before Congress on the issue, and follows concerns raised in recent letters to federal officials by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), who has questioned the Obama administration's safeguards on DURC and has inquired about allegations of bias that arose following an expert group's recommendation that helps clear the way for publication of the two papers," the news service notes (Schnirring, 4/26).

The Supreme Court this week completed the current term's last oral arguments, and now begins a waiting game for what might be its most anticipated decisions in years -- the constitutionality of the health law.

House Republicans are eyeing the fund as a means to offset the costs of extending the current interest rates for student loans, but Democrats have other plans.

As states face tough budget decisions, such programs are increasingly on the chopping block.