HIV :: HIV prevalence trends in South Africa
The findings of a South Africa survey show evidence of a decline in HIV prevalence in South Africa after several years of relative stability, reported by Department of Health, South Africa.
Epidemic
Tuberculosis :: $2 billion response plan to contain TB launched
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership launched a $2.15 billion two-year programme to save over 100,000 lives.
HIV :: UN to ensure patient confidentiality in HIV data collection
Aiming to protect the almost 40 million men, women and children living with HIV from potential stigma and discrimination, the main United Nations agency dealing with AIDS released new guidelines to ensure that patient confidentiality is not compromised in the process of collecting and storing information on the virus.
Tuberculosis :: New plan to contain drug-resistant TB
Hundreds of thousands of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) can be prevented and as many as 134 000 lives saved through the implementation of a two-year response plan, published/launched today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership.
Obesity :: Overweight children not being managed
Children with weight problems are rarely managed by their family doctors, and doctors are missing a vital opportunity to redress the obesity epidemic, new research from the NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity has found.
SARS :: Restricting hospital-based services during SARS outbreak had modest impact
In this study, Dr. Michael J. Schull and colleagues determined that restrictions on the non-urgent use of hospital-based services at 32 hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area imposed when a provincial health emergency was declared during the 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto, Ontario, resulted in a 12 percent decrease in admissions.
Dental :: Columbia dentists to improve oral health in sub-Saharan Africa
A new initiative from Columbia University Medical Center will be the first to target chronic oral health problems in sub-Saharan Africa, where the vast majority of chronic diseases are left undetected and untreated. The initiative is the result of an anonymous $1.5 million gift to support the Millennium Villages, which aims to fight extreme poverty and related challenges such as disease, hunger and lack of access to water and sanitation though scientifically sound and sustainable interventions. A third of the gift will be devoted to supporting the oral health program.
Weight Loss :: GSK’s Alli safe weight loss OTC pill, does not affect heart or brain
Alli is the only FDA-approved weight-loss product available to overweight adults, 18 years or older, without a prescription. It combines a clinically-proven product with a comprehensive individualized action plan.
Rheumatoid Arthritis :: Obesity adds to the quality of life burden of rheumatoid arthritis
The global obesity epidemic was issued with a further health warning today — that obesity exacerbates the quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. New data presented at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain, shows that RA in obese patients is associated with worse quality of life outcomes on four key levels: pain, fatigue, physical function and overall utility scores.
Psychology :: Prenatal cocaine exposure affects attention in early school years
Adding to the evidence that maternal drug use can have lasting effects, a new study finds that young schoolchildren of cocaine-using moms scored more poorly on attention tests.