February 25th 2009
This week in medicine
The following will appear in the Feb 28 issue of The Lancet:
Racial disparity A report from the American Cancer Society has shown that although differences in cancer death rates between African American and white patients have decreased since 2003, disparities remain high-33% higher for African American men than for white men. Irrespective of type and stage of cancer at diagnosis, African Americans are less likely to reach the 5-year survival mark.
GAS attack The UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) has embarked on an enhanced surveillance programme for severe group A streptococcal (GAS) disease after it received a higher than usual number of notifications of GAS bacteraemia and of scarlet fever from parts of the country last year. 2913 cases of scarlet fever were reported to the HPA in 2008-an increase of almost 1000 from the previous year.
Outbreak over The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has said that the Ebola epidemic in the province of Kasai Occidental has ended. 32 cases, including 15 deaths, were reported during the outbreak. WHO said that no further cases have been seen in the last 42 days-more than double the maximum incubation period for Ebola.
Transplant confusion According to news reports, 17 Japanese patients have received kidney transplants in China. Last year, China banned all transplants for foreigners since 1·5 million Chinese citizens are awaiting organs; the Ministry of Health has said that domestic patients must take priority. The Japanese patients were allegedly registered under Chinese names.
Cancer drugs Oral Off-patent Oncology drugs for Kids (O3K)-a European consortium that aims to develop paediatric formulations of cancer treatments-will begin clinical trials in November, 2009. Coordinated by the Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris, members include the University of Newcastle, London University’s Institute of Cancer Research, and private companies such as Oralance and Keocyt.
Dengue outbreak The Bolivian Ministry of Health has announced that around 7250 cases of dengue fever have been reported in the country since the start of 2009. Health minister, Ramiro Tapia, said that a national cleanliness campaign encouraging people to clean their homes, streets, and public spaces is planned to help fight the outbreak.
New gout drug The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first new treatment for gout in more than 40 years. Uloric (febuxostat) lowers uric acid concentrations, reducing the exacerbations and painful episodes that characterise the disease. It offers hope to many patients in whom the traditional treatments have failed.
Civilian deaths A UN report says that 2118 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in 2008-a 40% increase on the previous year, and the highest number since the fall of the Taliban regime at the end of 2001. 55% of deaths were caused by antigovernment elements, 39% by progovernment forces, and the remaining 6%-caused by cross-fire or unexploded ordnance-could not be attributed to either group.
$8 million step A US state court has turned the legal tide by ordering Phillip Morris International-the country’s largest tobacco company-to pay US$5 million in punitive damages and $3 million in compensation to the widow and son of a smoker who died of lung cancer at 55 years of age. The ruling could set a precedent for more than 8000 similar trials pending in the state of Florida alone.
Mercury clamp-down Environment ministers are being urged by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to agree a new strategy to protect people from mercury poisoning. The new strategy under consideration at the UNEP’s yearly governing council meeting would reduce demand in industrial products and processes and clean-up contaminated sites.
Media initiative Latin America’s top television companies have joined forces to form the first media partnership on HIV/AIDS in the region. Broadcast executives from Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, and Brazil have agreed to host public information campaigns and journalist workshops on the disease to increase knowledge and reduce stigma.
Building leaders Yale University in the USA has launched a Global Health Leadership Institute (GHLI), which aims to strengthen the ability of developing countries to provide equitable quality health care for all. With cornerstones of leadership development, training, and research, the GHLI will hold its first annual conference, Strategic Problem Solving in Global Health, in June, 2009.
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