July 1st 2008
This week in medicine
The following will be published in the July 5 issue of The Lancet:
Diabetes deluge The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that 23·6 million Americans—nearly 8% of the population—now have diabetes. This number includes about 5·7 million people who have undiagnosed diabetes. Rates of diabetes are highest in African Americans and other minority groups.
Diagnoses of tuberculosis According to experts at the 13th International Congress on Infectious Diseases in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, countries with a high incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis do not have the laboratories to make fast diagnoses. Rapid diagnosis is especially important for drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis. Almost all patients with very drug-resistant tuberculosis die because they are incorrectly diagnosed.
UK infant mortality rates Death rates in babies from Pakistani and Caribbean communities, who were born in England and Wales in 2005, were twice as high as the rate in white babies, according to the UK Office for National Statistics. These findings suggest that people from some ethnic communities are not accessing health care effectively.
Malaria and trachoma in Ethiopia The Carter Center has allocated US$20 million to prevent malaria and trachoma in Amhara state, in Ethiopia. 63% of children aged between 1 year and 9 years are exposed to trachoma in this region, and 6% of adults need eye surgery. An additional 1 million mosquito nets will be distributed as part of the project.
HIV testing in New York The health department in New York, USA, has launched an ambitious effort to test every adult living in the Bronx for HIV within 3 years. A quarter of the city’s HIV infections and a third of the deaths from AIDS occur in the Bronx every year. The campaign will begin with a push to make voluntary testing routine in emergency rooms and clinics.
Lead poisoning Hundreds of people in and around Senegal’s capital, Dakar, are being exposed to lead from unregulated recycling of batteries. Several children have already died, and many others have signs of neurological damage. WHO has advised the government to urgently decontaminate affected areas and to treat children who have high concentrations of lead in their blood.
Pesticide controls EU agriculture ministers have approved stricter controls on the use of pesticides to prevent harmful effects on human and animal health. Carcinogenic chemicals and those that affect human hormones or reproduction will be banned. Hungary, Ireland, Romania, and the UK abstained from the vote.
Motorbike ambulances Malawi has high maternal mortality rates, and Malawian women are 100 times more likely to die in pregnancy than British women are. The UK has funded about 250 motorbike ambulances in Malawi through its Department for International Development. In the past 3 years, many women have been able to reach hospital quickly and cheaply by motorbike sidecar.
Female genital mutilation According to the French Institute of Demographic Studies, 50 000 immigrant women undergo the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation every year in France. West African immigrant activists have now taken their fight against female genital mutilation to France to raise awareness of its dangers through schools, the media, and health centres.
Daily chicken cull After samples of chicken excrement from four wet markets in Hong Kong tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza virus last month, authorities immediately culled about 2700 chickens. The government has now announced that all unsold chickens will be killed at the end of every day to prevent future outbreaks.
Humanitarian personnel 14 countries have ratified an optional protocol to provide legal protection to staff delivering emergency humanitarian assistance around the world. The UN Legal Counsel has praised their commitment. However, the Optional Protocol is still not in force, since ratifications from eight more member states are needed.
Iran bans sunbeds The Health Ministry of Iran has banned importation and use of sunbed equipment because of health risks. An increasing number of Iranians have been using sunbeds to get their tans, but officials now plan to inspect businesses—such as beauty parlours, hotels, and health clubs—to stop their use.
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