Latest KFF Health News Stories
New Pediatric Formula For Chagas Disease Treatment Developed In Brazil
“A new pediatric formulation developed in Brazil holds out hope for a cure for over 90 percent of newborn babies infected with Chagas disease, a parasitic infection endemic in 21 Latin American countries, where it kills more people every year than malaria,” Inter Press Service reports. “The new pediatric dosage form of benznidazole, which has just been approved for registration by Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), was developed by the Pernambuco State Pharmaceutical Laboratory (LAFEPE) with the support of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi),” according to IPS.
Berwick Blasts Republicans In Speech
The former CMS administrator, at a speech in Orlando Wednesday, singled out those who generated “groundless fear” over “death panels.”
Inter Press Service Features Interview With Incoming FAO Director General
Inter Press Service features excerpts from an interview with Jose Graziano da Silva, former Brazilian minister of food security, “who takes over as the new director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Jan. 1.” Graziano da Silva “believes it is possible to eradicate hunger in the world” and “says that what is needed is an increase in political commitment, the mobilization of even modest resources, and the adoption of absolute rather than relative targets,” according to IPS (Frayssinet, 12/8).
Global Fund Official Delivers Speech At ICASA Closing Plenary Session
The 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) ended on Thursday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where “the final plenary session … left the audience with a notion of hope and urgency that despite the Global Fund’s cancellation of Round 11 disbursements, the organization will continue to campaign, raise funds and place pressure on governments in both the donor and recipient arenas,” an ICASA news article reports (12/8). Speaking at the session, “Global Fund Deputy Executive Director Debrework Zewdie felt compelled to reassure those benefiting from the fund,” saying, “‘Everyone who is on treatment funded by the Global Fund will stay on treatment,'” according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C (Frentzen/Waswa, 12/8).
FAO Food Price Index Remains Virtually Stable; Some Improvements Seen In Somalia
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its latest Food Price Index on Thursday, saying the Index “in November was virtually unchanged from its October level,” an FAO press release reports, adding, “At the new level of 215 points, the Index was 23 points, or 10 percent, below its peak in February 2011 but remained two points, or one percent, above its level in November 2010” (12/8). The report “also pointed out that, despite some improvements in Somalia thanks to substantial humanitarian assistance and favorable rains, food insecurity is expected to remain ‘critical’ in drought-affected areas until the harvest of short-season crops in early 2012,” the U.N. News Centre writes, adding, “In the Horn of Africa as a whole, food insecurity remained critical for some 18 million people” (12/8).
Obama Defends Limits On Morning-After Pill
The New York Times, Washington Post and others analyze the president’s support of his health secretary’s decision to limit access to the Plan B pill.
Research Roundup: Depression And Medicaid Spending; Chronic Care Costs
This week’s studies come from the Journal Of Community Health, Archives Of General Psychiatry, the Urban Institute, the Government Accountability Office and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
First Edition: December 9, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations include artilces about a new GOP tax plan that includes a Medicare pay fix for doctors and President Obama’s support of a decision to keep the “Morning After Pill” from minors.
Holder Rebuffs GOP Efforts To Probe Kagan’s Role
The attorney general declined to turn over more information about Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s role in the formulation of the health care law when she was President Obama’s solicitor general.
The Latest On The Payroll Tax Break Extension And ‘Doc Fix’
Lawmakers are floating plans to complete work on key pieces of legislation that will otherwise expire at the end of the year.
Spreading The Word About The Health Law
The Washington Post offers a compelling example of the challenges the White House faces in its efforts to get its message out about the benefits of the health law. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe offers insights from former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick about what the administration needs to do in order to have more success with this message.
Children In Yemen At Increased Risk As Rebel Group Restricts Aid Access
IRIN examines how a ban on aid by an armed rebel group in northern Yemen is putting children’s health at risk, writing, “Thousands of people under ‘siege’ by armed rebels in northern Yemen lack food and health care, which has already resulted in deaths and risks killing many more, local leaders and aid workers say.” The news service discusses the ongoing sectarian conflicts and describes efforts by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide medical care and supplies (12/6).
Innovative Taxes Can Be Used To Fill AIDS Funding Gap, UNAIDS Head Says
UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that donors looking to fund the fight against AIDS “could raise funds through taxes,” according to the news agency. Speaking on the sidelines of the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sidibe said, “If we have a global financial transaction tax, say of 0.5 percent, we will have $226 billion. Ten percent of that resource is enough for financing the fight against HIV/AIDS, stopping the epidemic, because we can reduce by 96 percent the number of new infections by putting people early on treatment. We can have taxation on cigarettes and alcohol. We can find different ways to mobilize new resources,” according to Reuters (Maasho, 12/7).
State Health Spending Gap Widens
A federal report details the spending by states.
The Challenges Of Controlling Health Care’s Wasteful Spending
California Healthline examines why it is such a difficult task to rein in the health system’s bad habits.
Longer Looks: Romney And Abortion Politics
Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reads from around the Web.
Perry Makes Brief GOP Health Care Caucus Visit
In other campaign trail news, media outlets examine who is supporting and opposing GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s run, and how health policies are playing into their decisions.
Conn. Wants Insurers To Pay More Of Children’s Mental Health Costs
Officials in Connecticut say insurers and families should pick up more bills for mental and developmental health services. In other news, California officials release details for new department of state hospitals and Colorado gets a new assessment of mental health services.
