January 5th 2008
This week in medicine
Year of sanitation 2·6 billion people worldwide lack access to basic sanitation facilities. That translates as 40% of the world’s population who do not have access to a toilet and so it is not before time that the UN has declared 2008 as the year of sanitation. The activities of 24 UN agencies in this area will be co-ordinated by UN-Water.
US cholesterol levels The average cholesterol level among US adults has dropped to its lowest level in almost half a century, at 5·1 mmol/L, down from a high of 5·7 mmol/L in 1960, according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics.
Human trafficking Nigeria is making strides in combatting forced labour and prostitution of children, through repatriation, awareness, and prosecution. Trafficking is now pun-ishable by up to 14 years in jail, and according to UNICEF, 757 children were rescued between 2004 and 2006. The Global Health Council is due to discuss trafficking as a public-health issue on Jan 8, 2008, in Washington, DC.
Safety pact US residents might feel safer taking food and medicines made in China, after an agreement that will give US officials more involvement in the screening of Chinese exports. However, critics have denounced the pact as a modest step forward since it only applies to a fraction of imports from China.
Veto Expansion of government-funded health cover to 10 million US children stalled again, when, on Dec 12, George W Bush vetoed the redrafted bill a second time, stating that it is essentially unchanged from the previous version. The Senate in the meantime has unanimously approved legislation to extend the existing programme until March, 2009.
HIV in Arab countries An alarming eight of ten women with HIV in the middle east have contracted the virus from their husbands, according to a UN expert. The number of new infections in the region now exceeds that of eastern Europe or North America.
Malaria vaccine Sanaria Inc is working towards a new and unique vaccine derived from the whole malaria parasite, extracted by hand from mos-quito salivary glands and weakened with gamma rays to prevent multiplication.
Bird flu spreads At the end of 2007, Burma was hit with its first human case of H5N1 influenza, while Pakistan reported its first human death. Worldwide, since the beginning of 2003, over 300 people have been infected by the H5N1 virus and more than 200 people have died.
Over-the-counter contraception The oral contraceptive pill is to be made available without a prescription by some pharmacies in England. The pilot study will offer private consultations with pharmacists in an attempt to improve access to contraception and combat unintended pregnancies.
Drug games Beijing officials have announced that during the 2008 Olympics, athletes will not be penal-ised for using some traditional Chinese medicines. The Beijing org-anising committee stressed that all Chinese drugs are subject to strict regulations, and only those not on the World Anti-Doping Agency list of prohibited drugs will be allowed.
Reducing flying risks Fears for health, from risk of DVT, and for safety, from improper adoption of the brace position, have driven the House of Lords Science and Technology Com-mittee to call for a new minimum distance between seats on UK airlines.
Delegating work “Task shifting” is the new buzz term for this year and involves training or delegating tasks to other health workers. This could be useful in counteracting the effects of the brain drain. WHO guidelines will be launched in the first global conference on task shifting on Jan 8-10, 2008.
DFID’s review According to the spin surrounding the UK’s Department for International Development annual performance review (2007), it has superseded, met, or anticipates that it will meet, an impressive number of targets and subtargets. Just one word. Trade. Shame that there has been a massive backsliding on the key development issue of removing trade barriers. Somehow that was left out of the promotional highlights.
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