Public Health
Britain to double aid to fight killer diseases
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Britain will double its donation to a global fund that fights diseases such as AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and it hopes other donors will follow suit, the government said on Friday.
International Development Secretary Hilary Benn said the government will increase its aid from 51 million pounds ($88.68 million) a year to 100 million pounds for 2006 and 2007.
House approves added veterans medical funds
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Military veterans’ medical facilities would get a $1.5-billion infusion of cash to help treat those wounded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan under legislation approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.
The House voted 410-10 to pass an unrelated spending bill for federal lands and environmental programs that contained the added veterans’ funds.
Indonesia drops mass culling plan to fight bird flu
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Indonesia will not carry out a planned mass culling of farm animals to combat bird flu virus due to a lack of funds, a minister said on Thursday.
Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, would stick to vaccinating healthy animals and only cull those infected by the H5N1 virus.
Senate advances bill to restrict cold medicines
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The Senate judiciary committee on Thursday unanimously approved a bill that would limit access to common cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, an ingredient that can be used to make the highly addictive drug methamphetamine.
The committee sent the “Combat Meth Bill” to the full Senate. A similar bill in the House of Representatives has been referred to a subcommittee for consideration.
UK Appeals Court overturns “right-to-food” verdict
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The body that regulates British doctors won an appeal on Thursday against a ruling that gave a terminally ill patient the right to stop doctors from withdrawing food and drink when he will be close to death.
Leslie Burke, 45, who has a degenerative brain condition, fears artificial nutrition could be stopped against his wishes when he cannot talk anymore.
The Court of Appeal overturned an earlier High Court ruling, which said that any decision over withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from those who are terminally ill should be left in the hands of the patients.
U.S. House OKs small business health plan
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The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation that would allow small businesses to pool together to purchase health insurance for their workers.
Backers said the measure would restrain health costs and help cover some of the millions of uninsured working people, but critics said this approach could provide bare-bones insurance to some workers and leave others facing even higher bills.
S. African donates blood for record 350th time
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An elderly South African broke his own Guinness world record Tuesday when he donated blood for the 350th time, inspired by the enduring memory of a terrible accident he witnessed as a child.
The South African National Blood Service said in a statement that 79-year-old Maurice Creswick had cracked his own record for the fourteenth time and that he donated 480 mL of his blood every 56 days.
Weaker strain may explain nonfatal monkeypox in US
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When a monkeypox outbreak in 2003 affected 72 individuals in the US but not one of them died, scientists were puzzled because the virus’ fatality rate is commonly reported to be 10 percent. A new study, reported in the July issue of Virology, provides a possible answer for this mystery: the monkeypox virus introduced in the US was a different, less virulent strain than the typical strain.
The 2003 US outbreak was blamed on the importation of monkeypox-carrying pets from Africa. As it turns out, not all monkeypox viruses in Africa are the same. The strains from the Congo basin can be deadly, whereas those from West Africa cause a less severe infection.
High DDT levels found in breast milk of HK mothers
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High levels of DDT were found in the breast milk of new mothers in Hong Kong even though the pesticide has long been banned in many places, including Hong Kong and China, a scientist said on Friday.
The findings by researchers from Hong Kong’s Baptist University suggest that DDT is still being illegally used in mainland China, on which Hong Kong depends for most of its food supplies, he said.
Suspected Russia bird flu seen no threat to humans
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A disease discovered in poultry in Russia and suspected to be the country’s first case of bird flu is unlikely to pose a threat to humans, a senior Health Ministry official said on Friday.
“The disease was discovered some 10 days ago and people who have since come into contact with the affected birds have shown no symptoms of illness. And the flu shows itself in one or two days,” said Galina Lazikova, deputy chief epidemiologist.
Study question effectiveness of alcoholism therapy
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An alcoholic’s desire to quit drinking, rather than the effects of therapy, may be what determines success, according to a new report.
The report, based on a reanalysis of a major study of three approaches to alcoholism, concludes that none of the strategies is particularly effective if the patient is not motivated to quit.
French charity airlifts emergency food to Niger
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A French charity airlifted emergency food supplies to Niger on Thursday where aid workers have been calling for months for help to save thousands of children from starving to death, a U.N. agency said.
Relief groups are beginning to expand operations in Niger to help some of the 3.6 million people facing severe food shortages, following increasingly urgent appeals from the few aid workers present since harvests failed in October.
Carbon monoxide poisoning tied to generator use
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In a study of 10 hospitals in Florida, the vast majority of carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings that occurred during the 2004 hurricane season were related to the use of gasoline-powered portable generators. Six of the generator-related poisonings proved fatal.
“To avoid CO poisoning, portable generators need to be operated outside of any building and far away from doors, windows or air conditioners,” study co-author Dr. David Van Sickle, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, told Reuters Health.
U.S. lawmakers renew call for abortion pill ban
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Several conservative lawmakers on Wednesday urged Congress to order a halt to sales of the abortion pill RU-486 and require further safety review after the drug’s maker announced that five women taking it had died from bacterial infections.
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday alerted the public to the deaths and new warning information on the drug’s label. But the lawmakers said that is inadequate.
“Congress needs to act to take this deadly drug off the market and force a serious review of its safety,” said South Carolina Republican Sen.
Portable oxygen OK for airline passengers-FAA
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will soon allow passengers who require medical oxygen to use certain portable oxygen concentrators on board for use during air travel.
Previously, airlines were prohibited from allowing passengers to use oxygen because it is typically provided in metal tanks containing the compressed gas, considered a hazardous material.
