global health
mmckenna | June 24, 2010There's a troubling item in this afternoon's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report or MMWR: The first report in the United States of a novel resistance mechanism that renders gram-negative bacteria extremely drug-resistant and that has been linked to medical care carried out in India or Pakistan.
The short item describes three isolates (E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae) found in three patients in three states between January and June of this year. All three isolates produced New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1), which has never been recorded in…
revere | February 21, 2010This clip is long -- about 20 minutes -- but fascinating. I was never bored. Not for a moment. It's a talk given at the 2006 TED Conference in Monterey by Professor Hans Rosling of Sweden's Karolinska Institute. It's about . . . well you decide what this is about. It starts out being about international health and global development and winds up being about data, data access and data presentation. A tour de force:
sporte | November 7, 2008Over 55,000 people die each year from rabies, a disease that is 100% preventable, according to Dr. Guy Palmer, who spoke last night at the University of Washington.
Dr. Palmer is from the School for Global Animal Health, a group that works towards improving global health through advancing preventative care for both humans and animals. One of the preventative measures is through rabies vaccination.
Image from the CDC Public Library of Health.
Rabies cases can be prevented by vaccinating dogs and other animals that carry the virus like raccoons, skunks, and foxes. The virus itself has a…
sporte | October 22, 2008Are you interested in global health?
The Washington Global Health Alliance is looking for an education professional, with a life science or science education background (BS or higher) to help train faculty and students at the high school level.
The complete announcement is below, the appointment would be at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute in the BioQuest program.
The Washington Global Health Alliance is pleased to announce the
commencement of the WGHA Ambassadors Program: a collaboration of leading
state global health institutions and four Washington State high schools
to design a…
sciencetolife | April 28, 2008India will account for approximately 60% of heart disease cases worldwide within two years, according to new research published in the journal Lancet.
The study, led by Dr Denis Xavier of St John's National Academy of Health Sciences in Bangalore and other researchers from Canada says one major problem is that Indians are unable to reach hospitals quickly in an emergency. Other risk factors in India were the same as elsewhere including tobacco use, high levels of lipids in the blood due to diets rich in saturated fat, and hypertension.
"As the Indian economy grows, there is a possibility…
sciencetolife | November 19, 2007
I recently attended the Emory University Climate Change Dinner series.
We were first treated to a delicious dinner of "sustainable food" followed by great speakers who touched on different aspects of the public's response, involvement and responsibility towards climate change.
One noted speaker was Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., Director of the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Climate change can influence severe weather patterns and, as a result, the public health of…
sciencetolife | June 6, 2007My recent posts have focused on different aspects of public health: from exploring the scientific advancements that have shaped global health to discussing a new way of acquiring antibiotic resistance in disease causing bacteria.
To continue the public health theme I invite you to check out Christine Gorman's talk given at the Global Health Council conference in Washington DC.
The seasoned health journalist with 20+ years experience at TIME Magazine talks about how the media is covering global health-what they've gotten right and what they're still missing.
Also check out fellow science…
sciencetolife | May 29, 2007Vaccines, indoor plumbing, antibiotics and a better understanding of geography. These are some of the responses I obtained when I posed the following question to a panel of scientists, journalists, authors and public health experts:
What scientific advancements do you think have made the greatest impact on global health and why?
Their responses, I hope, will initiate and engage conversation about the impact of science on human life. Do you agree, disagree, have anything to add? Your opinions are always welcome.
1. Ruth Levine Ph.D.
Vice President for Programs and Operations, Center for…
sciencetolife | January 23, 2007 The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its predictions for global mortality in the future. In an article published in the November 2006 issue of PLoS Medicine WHO researchers predict the things people will be dying of by 2030. The researchers used 3 different models-optimistic, pessimistic and baseline (middle-ground) scenarios-combined with things like income, human capital, tobacco smoking and body mass index to predict the global disease burdens of the future.
Some interesting things they predict are:
1.In general, global life expectancy will increase.
2.Death in children…