Latest KFF Health News Stories
Pharmaceutical Industry Should Invest More In NTDs
In this Forbes opinion piece, contributor Sarika Bansal examines “[w]hat needs to happen for the pharmaceutical industry, academic researchers, and other key players [to] begin investing more seriously in” efforts to address neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). She writes, “Since the term [NTD] was coined [in 2005], there has been considerable activity in the neglected disease space from governments, donors, pharmaceutical companies, and nonprofits alike,” but the status quo “has not yet changed nearly enough, and there is ample room for the pharmaceutical industry to invest more in NTDs.”
Translating Science Into Service Delivery To Achieve Clinton’s Vision Of An AIDS-Free Generation
In this post in the Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby responds to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s speech on HIV/AIDS given at the NIH on Wednesday, in which she called for an “AIDS-free generation,” writing that “her vision was an affirmation of the progress made over the past decade, and a mandate to redouble our efforts with global partners to bring the latest scientific advances to bear in order to save lives.”
“A notable feature of Secretary [of State Hillary Rodham] Clinton’s ‘AIDS-free generation’ initiative is to strengthen health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa, … a view echoed by many eminent voices in the global health community,” Anand Reddi of the University of Colorado Medical School writes in a post on Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog. “To address the African health care workforce shortage, I encourage Secretary Clinton to adopt the principles of the” Global Health Service Corps (GHSC), which would be composed of U.S. health professionals who could “provide medical education and technical assistance to enhance the health care workforces in low-income countries,” Reddi says. In addition, the GHSC would focus on “infrastructure development, knowledge transfer, and capacity building,” Reddi writes.
An End To AIDS Is Possible In Our Generation
In this post in the Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog, Sheila Nix, U.S. executive director of ONE, summarizes progress in the global fight against HIV/AIDS in the 30 years since the first cases were documented and writes that “as budgets constrict and leaders turn their attention inward, it’s easy to see why a renewed push on global AIDS doesn’t seem possible. Yet 2011 marks a critical inflection point in our fight against AIDS.”
Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the U.K. have “made a critical discovery about the way the most deadly species of malaria parasite invades human red blood cells,” Reuters reports. They “pinpointed a single receptor for a protein that is critical for the parasite to gain entry into red blood cells before multiplying and spreading,” according to a study published in Nature on Wednesday (Kelland, 11/9). “The researchers hope the finding will help them design a new malaria vaccine,” which “has been ‘a difficult nut to crack,’ Gavin Wright of the [Sanger Institute] said at a press briefing about the study in London on Monday,” ScienceNOW notes (Reardon, 11/9).
China Considers Ban On Infant Formula Ads To Encourage Breastfeeding
“China may ban sales promotions and advertising for milk formula designed for babies younger than six months in an effort to encourage breastfeeding, the Ministry of Health” said Wednesday in a statement, Bloomberg reports, adding that “the government is canvassing public opinion on a draft plan.” UNICEF “said it supported measures to curb the use of infant formula, whose sales in China more than doubled in four years,” Bloomberg writes.
Global Press Institute Examines HIV/AIDS Among Women In Zambia
“With the HIV prevalence rate higher among women than men in Zambia, experts say the epidemic now has a women’s face here and, therefore, requires more specialized intervention programs,” and “[w]omen living with HIV say that women must be taught how to live positively with it,” the Global Press Institute reports in a story examining the epidemic among women in Zambia. The article looks at factors influencing higher HIV rates among women and government efforts to provide treatment and prevention programs, and includes comments from Nkandu Luo, a Zambian HIV/AIDS advocate and researcher; Viola Morgan, U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) country director; and Clementine Mumba, executive secretary for the Network of ARV Users, a support and advocacy group for people living with HIV/AIDS (Katongo, 11/10).
Action On Climate Change Required To Prevent Harm To Health, Development, Reports Say
“[A] lack of action on climate change and habitat destruction will threaten the progress of developing countries,” because environmental sustainability affects “a wide range of social issues,” including “health, education, income, gender disparities and energy production, combined with protection of the ecosystem,” according to the U.N. Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report 2011, titled, “Sustainability and Equity: a Better Future for All,” VOA News reports. The report “argues that if you invest in people’s health and schooling, the population will be a better keeper of its environmental resources over the long term,” according to the news service (Lewis, 11/8).
Expert Panel Discusses Global Health Outcomes Of G20 Summit At Kaiser Family Foundation Webcast
As part of its U.S. Global Health Policy: In Focus webcast series, the Kaiser Family Foundation on Wednesday hosted a panel of experts to discuss outcomes of the Cannes G20 Summit meetings on infrastructure development, food security and innovative financing options for development and the implications for global health. Panelists also discussed the current state of global health funding from donor countries, including the United States and European community, as well as a range of new financing mechanisms under consideration to supplement funding from traditional channels.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about what’s new with the super committee, continuing coverage of Wal-Mart’s thoughts about adding clinics and more analysis of this week’s election results.
Clinton Expresses U.S. Commitment To Creating ‘AIDS-Free Generation,’ Calls On World To Help
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking at the NIH on Tuesday, “called on the world to create the first ‘AIDS-free generation’ by using antiviral drugs, condoms, circumcision and other approaches to stem the spread of HIV,” the Washington Post reports. “Taken together, mathematical models show that these strategies could significantly reduce the spread of the virus by another 40 percent to 60 percent, she said,” the newspaper writes (Stein, 11/8).
PlusNews Examines Difficulties In Diagnosing, Treating MDR-TB In Children
PlusNews examines the difficulties in diagnosing and treating multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in children, writing, “With weaker immune systems, children who contract TB — most often from parents — progress to active disease in about a year. But just how many children are affected is not known as there is almost no research into children and MDR-TB — and very little useful guidance on how to treat them.”
Too Much At Stake To Scale Back U.S. Global Engagement
Frank Carlucci, former national security adviser and secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan; Lee Hamilton, a retired Democratic congressman and former vice chair of the 9/11 Commission; and Tom Ridge, former homeland security secretary under President George W. Bush — all members of the Advisory Council for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition — write in this Washington Times editorial, “At a time of economic distress and huge deficits that demand tough choices, it is tempting for elected officials to scale back this country’s engagement around the globe, in particular by making cuts to programs that support diplomacy and international development. Yet too much is at stake to diminish America’s leadership and competitiveness in a world that is growing more interconnected and interdependent — as well as more turbulent — virtually every day.”
D.C. Court Of Appeals Upholds Health Law’s Individual Mandate
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court weighs hearing arguments on the measure’s constitutionality.
Super Committee: GOP Offers Tax Deal, Democrats Dismiss It
Republicans said Tuesday that they might allow $250 billion to $300 billion of additional tax revenue as part of a deal to shave $1.2 trillion from federal deficits over the next 10 years. Democrats, though, did not seem to view the plan as a major concession. It includes non-tax revenue primarily from the sale of government assets and leases for revenue as well as $700 billion in cuts to Medicare and other government programs.
Natasha Bilimoria, president of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, writes about a report (.pdf) issued in September by an independent high-level panel commissioned by the Global Fund in a post in the Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog, saying the report “focuses on the Global Fund’s transition from a highly effective emergency response to the three pandemics, to a long-term sustainable mechanism for ensuring that its lifesaving work can continue in times of limited resources.” She continues, “As it heads toward its 10-year anniversary, the Global Fund is embracing the panel’s recommendations, strengthening its commitment to best practices and ‘turning the page’ in its fight against the three diseases.”
A Range Of Studies Highlight Health Care Shortcomings
The New York Times reports that a $20 million government-supported study regarding an operation to prevent strokes was cut short when it found the surgery was not helping patients. Also, a Commonwealth Fund study concluded that the U.S. ranks near the bottom when compared to other countries on how it cares for the sickest patients. Lastly, the Health and Human Services inspector general finds a quarter of hospitalized Medicare patients received improper treatment.
States Cope With Health Law’s MLR, Insurance Exchange Requirements
Georgia was granted some delay in the law’s MLR requirements, and in Tennessee and Minnesota, insurance exchange decisions are slowly being made.
Miss. Voters Reject Abortion Measure; Ohio Restores Pubic Employees’ Rights
Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment to block implementation of the individual mandate, but that measure could easily become moot if the Supreme Court rules on the issue.
Viewpoints: Romney’s Critical Missing Information On Medicare; Anti-Smoking Messages Too Graphic
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the country.
