March 17th 2009
This week in medicine
The following will appear in the March 21 issue of The Lancet:
Stem-cell research President Barack Obama has reversed the restricted US policy on embryonic stem-cell research. Federal money will now fund research that uses existing embryonic stem-cell lines and those yet to be created. Since medical breakthroughs are far away, the current challenge is how best to coordinate the expansion of stem-cell research.
Public health Dengue fever outbreaks are rising in the Asia-Pacific region, according to WHO. In 2008, 3255 people died of the disease in the organisation’s southeast Asia region, compared with 1202 in 2003. Globally, around 2·5 billion people are at risk for dengue, 1·8 billion of whom live in the Asia-Pacific region. A prevention and control plan developed by WHO is hoped to tackle the increasing threat.
Child safety A report from Lord Laming has warned that action is needed to protect young people in England from abuse. The report concludes that many of the reforms introduced after Victoria Climbié’s death in 2000 have not been properly implemented, and lists 58 points for improvement, including addressing recruitment and retention problems in children’s social work.
Public information The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are to expand a training programme for Chinese health officials to cover communications with the public during disease outbreaks, the director of the CDC announced last week. Chinese officials will receive training to promote transparency and accuracy of information when communicating with the public about outbreaks or public health threats.
Transplant fairness In an effort to bolster public confidence in the transplant allocation system, Health Secretary Alan Johnson has asked former chair of the Organ Donation Taskforce, Elisabeth Buggins, to lead an inquiry into the system’s policy and practice. Findings on referral, transplantation, and funding for non-UK residents of the European Union are to be reported in June, 2009.
Australian aid Following in the footsteps of the USA, Australia has overturned its ban on overseas aid for family-planning groups that offer abortion services. The country’s foreign minister, Stephen Smith, said he had decided to allow aid to be used for terminations since it afforded women overseas the same rights as Australians.
Fake drugs China’s drug safety watchdog has blacklisted, and might shut down, 25 websites for selling fake pharmaceuticals. Offering such miracles as cures for diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases, the fraudulent sites are not among the 11 sites licensed in China to legally sell over-the-counter drugs.
Sharing resources This week, more than 15 000 delegates gathered in Istanbul for the 5th World Water Forum to discuss the topic of bridging divides for water, with issues including creating and reinforcing connections between water and health. Sharing water resources is the focus of World Water Day on March 22-”Whether we live upstream or downstream, we are all in the same boat.”
Food aid Less than 30% of the 166 000 tonnes of winter wheat aid promised by the Afghan Government to people affected by drought, high food prices, and conflict has been delivered across the country so far. The shortfall has been attributed to restricted access in conflict zones and poor communication between government agencies and private companies.
Pharmaceutical merger Merck & Co have announced their acquisition of Schering-Plough for US$41·1 billion, a deal which will create the world’s second largest drug maker by revenue and prescription. Reorganisation of the two companies will cut costs, eliminate 16 000 jobs, and give Merck access to a pipeline of promising new products and several key businesses.
Trafficking campaign The UN has launched a campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking. The Blue Heart campaign, linked to International Women’s Day, hopes to reduce the number of vulnerable people, especially women and children, who are trafficked. Members of the public are encouraged to display the blue heart on websites and social networking pages to highlight the cause.
New female condom The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new cheaper, quieter female condom. The FC2 Female Condom, made from synthetic nitrile, will now be available in the USA and for the US Agency for International Development to procure and distribute through its overseas health programmes.
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