http://www.globalhealthtv.com Fri, 16 May 2008 12:32:07 +0000 en-uk /webmedia/logo.jpg http://www.globalhealthtv.com http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/new_chief_executive_for_gates_foundation/
Microsoft executive Jeffrey Raikes will replace Patty Stonesifer, who announced in February that she would be stepping down from her position. Mr Raikes will assume the role in September.

The foundation is organised into the divisions, Global Health, Global Development and the US Program. It has a $37.2 billion (£19 billion) endowment and employs more than 500 people.

Melinda Gates, co-chair of the foundation, said that she and Bill Gates considered many candidates for the position.

"Jeff brings more than 25 years of experience in the private sector and has earned a reputation as a trusted and respected leader," she said.

The Global Health division of the foundation focuses on improving access to existing vaccines and drugs to fight diseases in developing countries such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.

It recently gave 13 new grants, totalling nearly $200 million (£102 million), to help the fight against malaria.

This included $15 million (£7.69 million) for PATH, an international non-profit organisation, to support to its Malaria Control and Evaluation Programme in Africa.
]]> Fri, 16 May 2008 10:10:19 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/indonesia_to_reveal_bird_flu_data/
The country has been withholding virus samples and DNA data from the World Health Organisation for more than a year, which has made it impossible for scientists to see if the virus was mutating to a more serious form which could result in human-to-human transmission.

Indonesian health minister Siti Fadilah Supari had previously said that the database was unfair to developing countries and pharmaceutical companies could use the information to develop vaccines which would be too costly for people in Indonesia.

Ms Supari explained to Associated Press about her decision to reveal the information, saying: "We have always promoted the sharing of influenza data, all we ask for is that it be done in a fair, transparent and equitable manner."

Figures from the World Health Organisation show that there have been 133 cases of bird flu in Indonesia with 108 deaths from the disease.
]]> Fri, 16 May 2008 10:08:54 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/fluvastatin_found_to_lower_hepatitis_c_virus/
Researchers at the OU Health Sciences Centre found that the drug Fluvastatin significantly lowered the viral load of hepatitis C for up to six weeks when used alone.

Fluvastatin has been used since 1993 as treatment for elevated cholesterol and millions of Americans has taken the drug without difficulty.

The study involved 31 veterans at the Administration Medical Centre in Oklahoma City and although Fluvastatin did not completely clear the virus, researchers have started a second phase trial combining the drug with a standard hepatitis treatment of peg-interferon and ribavirin.

Ted Bader, principal investigator on the project, said that additional drugs need to be tested to improve the cure rate.

"When patients are cured, they feel dramatically better, their health care costs plummet, their risk of liver cancer drops dramatically, and if they do not have cirrhosis, they will not need a liver transplant," he explained.

Recently, as many as 40,000 people who used a Las Vegas clinic were urged to be tested for hepatitis C after the centre was found to be responsible for "unsafe injection practises", reports the BBC.
]]> Fri, 16 May 2008 10:07:22 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/climate_change_could_lead_to_rise_in_kidney_stones/
Research from the American Urological Association has predicted that the number of people living in high-risk areas in the US could grow from 40 per cent in 2000 to 50 per cent by 2050. This could lead to an increase of one or two million lifetime cases of kidney stones.

Stone disease is linked to dehydration and global warming will increase the effect, particularly in areas of warmer climate.

The southern states of the US are called the "stone belt" because they experience higher numbers of stone disease due to their higher temperatures. The researchers estimate that climate-related changes in the disease will be distributed across the southern half of the country and the upper Midwest.

Costs associated with treating the disease could climb as high as $1 billion by 2050, which is a 20 per cent increase over present day estimates.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, kidney stones are one of the most painful urologic disorders.

They are a hard mass developed from crystals that separate from the urine within the urinary tract.
]]> Thu, 15 May 2008 09:35:14 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/travellers_warned_about_malaria_risk/
New figures have shown that over 1,500 UK travellers returned home with malaria last year. The Health Protection Agency has revealed that nearly 75 per cent of the cases were the most dangerous strain, plasmodium falciparum.

The Association of British Travel Agents says that as the euro gains strength, more people could ditch European package holidays with trips to popular long-haul destinations such as Africa and south-east Asia.

George Kassianos, member of the UK malaria guidelines committee, said that evidence shows that people who book last-minute trips are much less likely to seek travel health advice before embarking.

He advised that health care appointments should be made six to eight weeks before travel.

"Deaths can occur within 24 hours of the first symptoms of the most dangerous strain of malaria, so all travellers need to recognise the importance of speaking to their GP, practice nurse or travel clinic about malaria prevention before going abroad," he warned.

Plasmodium falciparum is the most deadly of the four distinct species of the malaria parasite that affects humans, according to the Sanger research institute.
]]> Thu, 15 May 2008 09:34:09 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/study_identifies_most_effective_hiv_drug_combination/
The team from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine confirmed that the popular three-drug combination of efavirenz and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) was the most effective at suppressing HIV.

HIV levels in 24 per cent of the participants who were given the efavirenz combination returned to detectable levels during the two year study compared to higher results in two other treatments regimes analysed.

Results of the study, which included 753 patients at 55 centres, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Sharon Riddler, lead author of the study, said that all three regimes were effective but efavirenz and NRTIs should be considered the "gold standard regime for initial HIV treatment".

"This study not only establishes the best initial therapy for HIV infection, it opens the way toward simpler regimens that contain fewer drugs," she added.

Aids charity Avert estimates that over 33 million people worldwide were living with HIV at the end of 2007.
]]> Thu, 15 May 2008 09:33:06 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/hiv_prevention_in_minority_community_'needs_more_money'/
The director of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Julie Gerberding, said that she is calling on the federal government to declare a "national public health emergency", reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

New proposals from the Bush administration have planned to reduce the centre's budget for HIV prevention and surveillance by $1 million (£500,000).

Ms Gerberding was speaking at a forum in West Oakland, and said: "You have to scale the money to the scope of the problem. The pie is only so big right now. What we need is a bigger pie."

50 per cent of people with HIV in the USA are of African American descent and in a recent study newly diagnosed HIV cases between 2001 and 2005 saw 61 per cent of new infections among this group.

During April, Kansas hosted the annual Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of Aids to bring attention of the Aids pandemic within the minority community to the forefront, reported the Kansas City Star.
]]> Wed, 14 May 2008 10:04:49 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/carbon_monoxide_linked_to_tb_infection/
Researchers at the University of Alabama focused on carbon monoxide and found that the gas triggers mycobacterium TB, the bacterial agent of TB, to shift from active infection to a drug-resistant state.

The shifting is called latency and can result in TB escaping detection and treatment. According to the researchers, the results increase existing social and political pressures to clean up air pollution as a means of improving public health.

Adrie Steyn, lead author of the study, said that this is the first explanation of the link between smoking, air pollution, and tuberculosis, which has been believed by medical professionals for some time.

"We're talking about huge socio-economic and public health implications," said Dr Steyn.

It is estimated that one third of the world's population is infected with undetectable forms of TB.

The Journal of the American Medical Association states that a total of 13,293 cases of TB were reported in the US which was the lowest recorded rate since national recording began.
]]> Wed, 14 May 2008 10:01:35 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/pharmaceutical_company_donating_$1_million_to_tb_training/
The firm has launched an interactive online course for physicians, which explains the best ways to diagnose, prevent and treat the infection, reports Reuters.

Figures estimate that nearly a third of the world's population is infected with the bacterium that causes TB and this can be triggered when immunity levels decrease in the patients.

According to the news agency, Eli Lilly said in a joint statement with the World Medical Association: "This will allow more physicians around the world to acquire the basic knowledge on standard TB management at a time when there is a resurgence of the epidemic.

"The knowledge and handling of tuberculosis treatment is still insufficient."

Incomplete treatment of the disease, the company claims, is responsible for the occurrence of extremely resistant TB.

During April, the World Health Organisation issued new measures to strengthen the global response to drug-resistant TB. A new course of treatments was put forward at the second WHO XDR-TB Task Force meeting.
]]> Wed, 14 May 2008 09:58:23 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/new_hiv_drug_treatment_accepted_in_scotland/
The Scottish Medicines Consortium announced that raltegravir has been accepted for restricted use, in combination with other antiretroviral treatments. It is restricted to patients with triple class resistant HIV infections, reports medical news today.

Raltegravir targets the integrase enzyme, which is one of three HIV enzymes required by the virus to replicate in the body.

Studies have shown that a 48 week treatment of raltegravir, together with optimised background therapy, had superior antiretroviral efficiency compared to other commonly used treatments.

Dr Clifford Leen, consultant physician at the Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust, said that the announcement was extremely good news for people affected by HIV in Scotland.

"With HIV infection on the rise in Scotland, it is important that treatment-experienced patients have appropriate access to novel therapies such as raltegravir," added Dr Leen.

The most recent figures from Health Protection Scotland estimates that over 5,400 people in Scotland suffer from HIV.
]]> Tue, 13 May 2008 09:57:05 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/all_poultry_in_seoul_killed_due_to_bird_flu_outbreak/
The latest emergence of the disease brings the total number of outbreaks in the country to 31 and the disease is currently spreading at its fastest rate since it was first reported in 2003.

Quarantine officials have destroyed 15,000 chickens, ducks, pheasants and turkeys in Seoul, according to Associated Press.

Government officials have yet to confirm that the latest outbreak was the deadly H5N1 form of the virus and tests are currently underway to determine the levels of danger to the public.

Scientists are concerned that the disease could mutate into a form which can be transmitted between humans, however infections to date can be traced back to contact with infected birds.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that a South Korean soldier, who was feared to have contracted the virus after taking part in the culling of five million birds, did not catch the virus from the infected poultry.
]]> Tue, 13 May 2008 09:54:55 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/foundation_launches_campaign_for_congress_aids_bill/
It has launched a new YouTube video to urge congress to preserve Aids treatment in the President's Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (PEPFAR) and has outlined key points for a successful bill.

The Foundation wants a 55 per cent treatment floor and a goal to treat ten million people by 2013 to ensure Aids management gets to all those who are sick.

It also outlines clear and ambitious testing requirements because it claims individuals who are aware of their HIV status spread the majority of new infections.

Ensuring congress prioritises its spending on core medical services to meet the treatment of those infected were also proposed by the Foundation.

The new video features Jenny Boyce, a mother living with the disease in Durban, South Africa and explains how, due to her treatment, her children are not orphans and how it saved their lives and families.

PEPFAR was announced by George Bush in 2003 and included a five year $15 billion commitment, making it the largest financial commitment dedicated to a single disease.
]]> Tue, 13 May 2008 09:53:12 +0000 http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/jailed_doctor_receives_support_for_his_release/
The appeal from the Nobel Laureates was sent to the president of India, the prime minister, law minister and the chief minister of Chhattisgarth and has come as Dr Sen is set to complete a year in jail, reports the Times of India.

In the letter it is claimed they expressed "grave concern that Dr Sen appears to be incarcerated solely for peacefully exercising his fundamental right, in contravention of Articles 19 (freedom of opinion and expression) and 22 (freedom of association) of the international covenant on civil and political."

Dr Sen allegedly passed notes from an inmate he was treating in jail to someone outside which led to him being accused of terrorism or conspiracy to wage war against the government.

The Global Health Council recently awarded Dr Sen the Jonathan Mann Award for Health and Human Rights, which he is due to be presented with in Washington on May 29th.

He was awarded for his work improving the health care and living conditions of very poor tribal regions in central India.
]]> Mon, 12 May 2008 09:55:13 +0000 GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERS http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/kenya_launches_new_campaign_for_hiv_and_tb/
The government estimates that half the 1.2 million HIV-positive people in Kenya are also infected with TB and the campaign aims to educate health workers to rest for the two associated diseases, reports Kenya's Nation.

James Nyikal, public health and sanitation permanent secretary, said that health workers detect about 20 per cent of TB cases among people with HIV and told the publication: "That is why we want our health workers to ensure all patients are tested for both diseases in public, private and mission hospitals."

According to Mr Nyikal, Kenya has recently received more than 800,000 doses of vaccine after more than 200,000 infants were at risk of the disease due to a government shortage of vaccines.

Recently, Kenya's ministry of public health admitted it had mismanaged TB for not screening patients who go for HIV testing, reports the East African Standard.
]]> Mon, 12 May 2008 09:53:04 +0000 GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERS HIV/AIDS http://www.globalhealthtv.com/articles/malaria_and_diarrhoea_hit_cyclone_survivors/
UN health officials have indicated that 20 per cent of children in the areas hardest hit by the recent cyclone are suffering from diarrhoea, reports Associated Press.

Malaria kills 3,000 people annually in Burma and tuberculosis, Aids and diarrhoea account for tens of thousands of deaths each year in the country.

Osamu Kunii, Unicef's chief of health in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, told the news agency that the conditions could get worse and water purification tablets are "unlikely to help the situation" because much of the water supply due to the contamination by saltwater.

"Most of the area is covered by dirty water. People have very poor access, sometimes no access, to clean drinking water or food," said Mr Kunii.

Unicef has requested an initial $8.2 million (£4.2 million) for its emergency operation to assist people in Myanmar. There are an estimated one million homeless people across the region's five states and it claims displaced people are lacking drinking water, food and latrines.
]]> Fri, 09 May 2008 09:57:22 +0000 GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERS HIV/AIDS MALARIA