PAHO, WHO Issue Epidemiological Alert On Measles Outbreak In Americas, Call For Strengthened Surveillance February 12, 2015 News Summary CIDRAP: California, Chicago report more measles; PAHO issues alert “Officials in California and Chicago have reported more measles cases, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is warning that the Americas face a ‘major challenge’ in keeping measles at bay…” (2/10). U.N. News Centre: U.N. health agency urges stepped-up surveillance…
Despite Rising Measles Vaccination Rates Worldwide, Eradication Goal Remains Elusive February 12, 2015 News Summary Nature: Measles by the numbers: A race to eradication “…Measles debate has reached fever pitch in the United States after an outbreak that began in December at Disneyland in southern California. … However, the bigger problem lies elsewhere. The United States was declared free of measles in 2000, and all…
Rapidly Rising NCD Rates Threaten Development Gains In Pacific Islands, Health Ministers Say February 12, 2015 News Summary Inter Press Service: Diabetes Epidemic Threatens Development Gains in Pacific Islands “The rapid rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Pacific Islands, which now cause 75 percent of all deaths, is one of the greatest impediments to post-2015 development, health ministers in the region claim…” (Wilson, 2/11).
Aid Agencies Urge Donors To Step Up Humanitarian Response In Yemen February 12, 2015 News Summary The Guardian: Yemen facing ‘forgotten crisis’ as humanitarian disaster looms “As Yemen teeters towards political collapse and foreign embassies close their doors and evacuate staff, aid agencies are warning that more than half the country’s nearly 26 million people risk a humanitarian disaster. Describing Yemen’s humanitarian situation as a ‘forgotten…
Madagascar Plague Outbreak Slows; 71 Dead From Disease, WHO Says February 12, 2015 News Summary Reuters: Spread of plague slows in Madagascar, death toll at 71: WHO “An outbreak of plague in Madagascar has slowed but 71 people among the 263 known to have caught the disease since last September have died, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday…” (Miles, 2/11).
Religious Ideology Should Not Restrict Women’s Access To Modern Contraceptives February 12, 2015 News Summary Project Syndicate: Population and the Pope Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University and laureate professor at the University of Melbourne “…Providing [women worldwide] with access to contraception would help them plan their lives as they wish, weaken demand for abortion, reduce maternal deaths, give children a better start…
As Obesity Rates Rise, China Must Address Nutrition Through Policy Decisions February 12, 2015 News Summary The Guardian: Fat China: how are policymakers tackling rising obesity? Paul French, author “…By 2012, China’s Ministry of Health estimated that as many as 300 million Chinese people are obese in a population of 1.2 billion. This total makes China the second most obese nation after the USA in numbers…
Vaccines Represent ‘Vital Early Weapon’ For Next Ebola Outbreak February 12, 2015 News Summary The Lancet Global Health: Ebola vaccines: an uncertain future? Zoë Mullan, editor of The Lancet Global Health “…The rapid roll-out of these [Ebola vaccine] trials has been tremendously impressive. … Vaccines are not a magic bullet. Nothing can replace the basic tenets of public health epidemiology and community mobilization. But…
Blog Post Summarizes Obama’s Remarks On U.S. Ebola Response February 12, 2015 News Summary U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: Progress in the Fight Against Ebola The blog post summarizes President Barack Obama’s remarks regarding the U.S. Ebola response in West Africa made on Wednesday during a White House event (2/11).
U.K., International Community’s Response To Ebola Was Inadequate, U.K. Parliamentary Committee Says February 12, 2015 News Summary U.K. Parliament: U.K.’s response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa The U.K. Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee issued comments on the response to the Ebola epidemic, saying, “[DfID] was far too slow to react to the developing situation, missing an opportunity to contain quickly the outbreak of Ebola in at…