The following will be published in the July 31 issue of The Lancet:

Death rates A report from the UK Office for National Statistics shows that death rates in England and Wales fell by 3·5% overall between 2008 and 2009, with a decline of 2% for men and nearly 5% for women. There were 509 090 registered deaths in 2008 and 491 348 in 2009. Age-standardised rates are now the lowest ever recorded in England and Wales.

Dengue epidemic Dengue fever is reaching epidemic proportions across the Caribbean. Health officials in Puerto Rico are calling the outbreak the worst in more than a decade, and hospitals across the region are struggling with floods of new patients and overflowing emergency rooms. Officials are blaming the warm weather and early rainy season for the striking increase in numbers of mosquitoes.

Food standards Despite concerns for the future of the UK Food Standards Agency, the government has said it will retain the food safety watchdog, albeit under different divisions of labour. According to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, by handing over some responsibilities to the government, the agency will be able to focus completely on food safety.

Rape in Borneo A report by Malaysian human rights groups has exposed cases of repeated rape and sexual assault of Penan tribeswomen in Borneo by loggers. The Penan women made previous allegations in 2008, which were dismissed by the Chief Minister of Sarawak as “lies”. A government investigation has now confirmed that the claims are true.

Regulation of cosmetics The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 was submitted to the US Congress on July 20. The legislation would give the US Food and Drug Administration the authority to ensure that cosmetics are free from potentially harmful ingredients and that there is transparency in product labelling. It would thus bring cosmetics into regulatory alignment with drugs and medical devices.

Yarl’s Wood closure The UK Government is to close the “family wing” of the Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called the imprisonment of children while they await deportation a “moral outrage”. Asylum seekers’ support groups have welcomed the decision, but lamented the government’s failure to close the facility altogether.

Bushmen’s rights Kalahari bushmen have lost a court case to lift the Government of Botswana’s ban on reopening a vital waterhole in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the bushmen’s traditional home. The tribe was evicted to make way for diamond mines in 2002 and the waterhole sealed. Although the evictions were later declared unconstitutional, the waterhole remains inaccessible.

Australian hospitals As part of the Australian Government’s health reform agenda, a website known as MyHospitals is to be launched next month. The site will enable the public to compare accessibility, performance, quality, and safety of hospitals throughout most of Australia, as well as listing medical services, bed numbers, and whether allied health and dental services are provided.

Iraqi aid A report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that insufficient donor funding has “seriously constrained” implementation of the country’s long-term recovery programme. The report suggests that political uncertainty in Iraq has hindered financial support for the Humanitarian Action Plan launched at the beginning of the year.

Biomarkers for brain injury The US Defense Department is expected to provide US$17 million to fund a first-of-its-kind study to explore whether biomarkers can reliably assess the extent of brain injury and help doctors to decide on treatment. It is hoped that the study, expected to start next year and to involve 1000 patients across 20 hospitals, will revolutionise brain-injury care.

Deadly mushroom A rare mushroom belonging to the genus Trogia has been linked with the deaths of 400 villagers in the past 30 years in Yunnan province, China. Scientists are studying the mushroom’s toxins, which could be the cause of the Yunnan sudden death syndrome, and whether the local water supply, which contains high concentrations of barium, could increase the effect of these toxins.

World Breastfeeding Week Aug 1–7 is World Breastfeeding Week. Organised by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, the event aims to support breastfeeding mothers and encourage adoption of WHO’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration on the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding.

The following will be published in the July 24 issue of The Lancet:

New US HIV strategy The Obama administration has announced a new national strategy to reduce the annual number of HIV infections in the USA by 25% within 5 years. The plan also aims to increase the proportion of newly diagnosed patients who receive care within 3 months of their diagnosis, and to redirect resources to populations that are at the highest risk of HIV infection.

Namibia lifts travel ban Namibia has drawn international praise for its decision earlier this month to remove all travel restrictions on people with HIV or other infectious diseases. Namibia joins the likes of the USA and China, who also removed their restrictions this year; however, 51 countries still refuse entry to travellers if they are HIV-positive.

Diet success Results of two studies from the UK’s Medical Research Council suggest that the com­mercial weight-loss programme WeightWatchers works better than the strategy recom­mended by the National Health Service. The support, education, and motivation offered by WeightWatchers was seen to promote the behavioural and lifestyle changes needed for consistent and long-term weight loss.

HIV levels fall The prevalence of HIV has decreased by at least 25% in people aged 15–24 years in 12 of the world’s most affected countries, according to the UNAIDS Outlook report. The agency believes the dramatic de­crease is due to prevention campaigns warning of the dangers of HIV/AIDS and the need for people to change their sexual behaviour.

Waterborne worry Three preventable water­borne diseases–legionellosis, crypto­sporidi­osis, and giardiasis–cost the US health-care system up to US$539 million every year, according to research presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases. Low-cost inter­ventions such as increased public education campaigns could reduce health-care costs, say the authors.

Teen smoking A survey by lobby group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in New Zealand has shown that smoking in the country’s 14–15-year-olds dropped by two-thirds between 1999 and 2009. The number who had never smoked doubled during this time. ASH say that the decline was largely due to youth-focused anti-tobacco campaigns.

Child mortality Timor-Leste has achieved substantial reductions in fer­tility rates and in infant and child mortality, according to a national Demographic and Health Survey. The infant mortality rate has fallen from 60 deaths per 1000 births in 2003 to 44 now, and the rate in those younger than 5 years decreased from 83 to 64. The fertility rate now stands at 5·7, two children less than in 2003.

Overseas student health A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia suggests that Asian high-school students who lodge with Canadian families are more likely to smoke, use drugs, and binge drink than are similarly aged immigrants and Canadian-born Asians. The region’s “homestay” in­dustry generates CAN$60 million per year, but there are no formal checks on host families.

Sickle-cell anniversary 100 years after the publication of the first description of the characteristically shaped red blood cells symptomatic of sickle-cell anaemia, the First Global Congress on Sickle Cell Disease took place this week in Accra, Ghana. In addition to discussion of key topics such as treatment, workshops provided a chance for international collaboration.

Rosiglitazone reprieve Two advisory committees to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have voted to keep rosiglitazone on the market, but under greater restriction. Panel members at a 2-day hearing last week discussed the drug’s cardiovascular risk profile and the reliability of the studies on which this information is based. The FDA must now decide whether to heed the committees’ advice.

Village health teams The Government of Uganda has launched an Integrated Community Case Management pro­gramme aimed at using village health teams to provide households with basic health services. The teams will comprise four or five people who will promote health education, distribute health kits, advise mothers during pregnancy, and mobilise communities to use health services.

Cold snap hits tropics At least nine people have died in Argentina after a period of extremely cold weather saw temperatures dip to –14°C in some parts of the country. Paraguay, Uruguay, and even Bolivia, which is within the Tropic of Capricorn, have also recorded deaths from the antarctic weather front that has hit the continent.

The following will be published in the July 17 issue of The Lancet:

Drug development The TB Alliance has granted the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) royalty-free rights to develop antituberculosis compounds that have the potential to treat Chagas disease, sleeping sickness, and leishmaniasis. These infectious diseases together kill more than 100 000 people every year. The Gates Foundation is providing a US$1·5 million grant to the DNDi.

Implantable telescope The US Food and Drug Administration has ap­proved an implantable miniature telescope for the treatment of some patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration. The small telescope is implanted into one eye, replacing the natural lens, and magnifying and projecting images onto a healthy part of the retina.

Zero drinks if driving Russia’s lower house of parliament has approved the reinstatement of a complete ban on driving after consumption of alcohol. The ban was previously in force until July, 2008, when it was relaxed. News agency Itar-Tass claims that thousands of Russians are injured in drink-driving-related accidents. How­ever, others contend that most traffic accidents are caused by poor roads.

New at Medicare Donald Berwick was appointed last week to run Medicare and Medicaid, which provide free medical care to 100 million elderly, poor, and disabled Americans. US President Barack Obama bypassed the normal Senate confirmation process to make the appointment, avoiding a potential reopening of last year’s divisive health-care debate.

Abuse in slums Women and girls in Kenyan slums are living in constant fear of rape and sexual abuse, according to Amnesty International. A report found that women are afraid of leaving their homes to wash or go to the toilet, and that the Kenyan Government has been failing to provide adequate sanitation and law enforcement in the slums.

Biobank bounty The UK Biobank, set up 3 years ago, has reached its goal of enrolling half a million adults. The databank collected health data as well as blood, urine, and saliva samples from British adults aged 40–69 years, which will be analysed in the next three decades in the hope of improving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

Haiti remembered July 12 marked the 6-month anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti that killed nearly a quarter of a million people, injured more, and destroyed much of the infrastructure in the capital Port-au-Prince. The situation for Haitians remains grim: billions promised in aid have been slow to arrive, the visas of those displaced to the USA are running out, and land ownership issues have hampered clearing efforts.

Vaccines burned 40 million doses of influenza A H1N1 vaccine produced for the US public last year have expired and will be incinerated. The doses, worth US$260 million, represent a quarter of the H1N1 vaccine produced, with 30 million additional doses set to expire later. Federal officials defend the oversupply as a necessary risk when confronted with the new virus.

Border crossing Thousands of Gazans have crossed the border with Egypt to seek treatment in Cairo hospitals after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak opened the Rafah border in response to Israel’s military action against an aid-carrying flotilla. Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt were blockaded when Islamist movement Hamas came to power in 2007.

Emergency admissions up A 12% rise in emergency hospital admissions in England over the past 5 years has been declared “unsustainable” by the Nuffield Trust. The trends varied greatly between hospital trusts, with some reporting lower admissions and others reporting double. A lowering of the threshold for clinical intervention is thought to be one cause of the rise.

PTSD payouts The US Department of Veterans Affairs is to relax the conditions under which war veterans can claim disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The new rules mean that veterans will no longer have to prove that they have been involved in a traumatic event such as a bomb blast or witnessing a friend being killed, merely that they have served in a war zone.

Beijing smoking ban Beijing is plan­ning a revision to the 1995 Regulation on Banning Smoking in all Public Spaces. The updated ban, starting Jan 1, 2011, will be expanded to all indoor public spaces, including elevators and corridors; there will also no longer be smoking sections in indoor public spaces. Punishments for violation of the ban will be severe.

The following will be published in the July 10 issue of The Lancet:

Meningitis hope A new meningitis A conjugate vaccine approved last week by WHO could be the first to prevent outbreaks in Africa. The existing poly­saccharide vaccine confers only short-term immunity and is not suitable for children younger than 2 years. The vaccine costs US$0·40 per dose and will be delivered first to Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali by WHO and the GAVI Alliance.

HIV drug aid lacking Nearly 1800 US patients with HIV or AIDS have been placed on federal waiting lists for antiretroviral drugs that less than 3 years ago were freely available to anyone who could not afford to buy them. Reduced govern­ment resources and increased demand caused by unemployment have limited access to the US$12 000-per-year drugs.

Organ transplantation In a further attempt to curb the country’s black market in organ transplants, China’s Ministry of Health has mandated that from now on medical centres must report details of every transplantation within 72 h of the operation. Timely reporting will make falsification of patients’ details more difficult, ministers argue. Violators could have their medical licences revoked.

Assisted dying Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has upheld an appeal by a lawyer convicted of attempted manslaughter after he helped a woman to withdraw her terminally ill mother’s feeding tube. The mother had earlier expressed a verbal wish not to be kept alive artificially. The court ruling brings clarity to cases involving such patients who express a clear wish to die, said Germany’s Justice Minister.

Age-friendly cities Last week WHO launched the Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities to encourage cities to promote active lifestyles for their ageing populations. Research in 33 cities identified factors that encourage healthy ageing, including access to public transport, appropriate housing, health services, and con­nections to allow elderly people to take an active part in society.

Condom shortage Uganda is in the throes of another shortage of free condoms owing to reduced stockpiling and irregular deliveries. Condoms are still commercially available, but many Ugandans cannot afford them. The Ministry of Health advises abstinence or faithfulness to one sexual partner for the duration of the shortage or use of a female condom.

Mental abuse outlawed The French Parliament has approved a law that makes psychological violence a criminal offence, punishable by up to 3 years in jail and a €75 000 fine. The law aims to improve protection of victims of domestic abuse and outlaws repeated acts or words that “degrade one’s quality of life and cause a change to one’s mental or physical state.”

Football and HIV On July 2, Brazil’s Ministry of Health launched a 2-week campaign in South Africa named Score a Goal—Brazil and South Africa in the Field Against AIDS. The Brazilian Government wants to share its experience in AIDS prevention with the South Africans by distributing condoms around towns and educating the local population about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

Banned trailers return Trailer homes that were banned from use as long-term housing owing to high levels of formaldehyde after US Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are being used as living quarters for some workers involved in the cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Formaldehyde aggravates respiratory problems, can cause nasal cancer, and can be linked to leukaemia.

Switching to saliva Salivary sampling is being adopted as a convenient and non-invasive method of tissue-type assessment for bone-marrow donation. The Anthony Nolan Trust, which finds stem-cell matches for leukaemia patients, hopes to double the number of donors registered by replacing conventional blood testing with the new kits.

Eyeglasses app Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, have developed a smart phone application that allows users to align a cheap lens with patterns on the screen to produce accurate eyeglasses prescriptions. Although not a substitute for optometrists, the scientists say that the app could provide cheaper prescriptions to millions worldwide.

Sleeping sickness success For the first time in 50 years, the annual number of new cases of human African trypanosomiasis has fallen below 10 000. According to Pere Simarro, of WHO’s Human African Trypano­somiasis Programme, the drop is due to improved screening and partner­ships with drug companies. Scientists say rapid testing and safe drugs are needed to eliminate the disease.

The following will be published in the July 3 issue of The Lancet:

Disastrous disaster response Haitian rebuilding efforts after the January earthquake are being hampered by disorganisation and lax leadership, a US Senate report declared last week. The report came as the US Congress was set to debate investment of US$2 billion in Haitian relief. It also criticised the Haitian Government for not effectively convincing citizens that it was in control of the situation.

Allergic reaction Allergy sufferers in the UK are not receiving the specialist care that they require, according to a report by the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Pathologists. This follow-up report suggests that services have not improved in the past 3 years and are under increasing pressure. One suggestion to alleviate the shortage of specialist allergy doctors has been to retrain surplus anaesthetists.

Lab network The World Bank has approved nearly US$64 million to create a network of 25 public health laboratories across Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda. According to Obiageli Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice President for Africa, this regional integration is essential for economic growth and attainment of the Millen­nium Development Goals.

FDA criticism A US Department of Health and Human Services report released last week found that, in 2008, the Food and Drug Administration inspected only 0·7% of non-US clinical trial sites, despite the fact that 80% of drugs approved were tested via such trials. Industry watchdogs worry that this lack of regulatory oversight could result in cost efficiency being valued above patients’ safety.

Syphilis control In China, the Ministry of Health has issued a 10-year working plan to curb the spread of syphilis over the next 5 years and eliminate congenital syphilis within 10 years. Anti-syphilis drugs are to be covered by medical insurance, and community-based methadone maintenance centres and HIV clinics will provide free counselling and testing for syphilis.

Stem-cell report The European Science Foundation issued a report last week on the ethical and legal implications of stem-cell research in the specialty of regenerative medicine. The report argues for equal research into both embryonic and pluripotent stem cells, and calls for public funding for stem-cell research at both the national and European levels.

African genetics The US National Institutes of Health and the Wellcome Trust have announced a 5-year effort to identify genetic variants linked to a wide range of diseases in Africa. The series of population-based studies, to be done by African researchers, will use genetic, clinical, and epidemiological screening techniques to search for hereditary and non-hereditary risks of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Bioethics commission July 8–9 will see the first convention of US President Obama’s new Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. Amy Gutmann, a political scientist and ethical policy academic, will chair the 13-member committee. Made up of members of the public, government officials, and medical and legal experts, the panel will provide the President with guidance on controversial scientific topics.

Discriminatory treatment A survey by intellectual disability charity Mencap suggests that the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is ill-equipped to care for patients with learning difficulties. The poll of more than 1000 health-care professionals, part of Mencap’s Getting it right campaign, revealed that 39% of doctors believed that people with a learning disability are discriminated against in the NHS.

Shifting drug use The UN Office on Drugs and Crime released its World Drug Report 2010 last week, highlighting a shift towards new drugs and new markets. The world’s supply of opiates and cocaine is decreasing, but there is growing misuse of amphetamine-type stimulants and prescription drugs. Also, drug use in developed countries has stabilised but is increasing in developing countries.

Pharma funds out The University of Michigan has become the first US medical school to stop receiving money from drug and medical device makers to pay for continuing medical education coursework. The practice of accepting commercial financing for postgraduate medical education has come under scrutiny owing to the potential bias of promoting products over patients’ interests.

Anti-rape condom South African doctor Sonnet Ehlers has developed a female condom with sharp “teeth” on the inside in an effort to deter rapists. The device’s barbs attach to the man’s penis and can only be removed by a doctor. Ehlers plans to distribute up to 30 000 of the condoms in various South African cities during the World Cup football tournament.