As the world holds its breath for the outcome of the US elections, what could possibly distract us from this very important day? A report , Monitoring Financial Flows for Health Research 2008, published yesterday by the Global Forum on Health Research deserves to have at least few minutes of our attention. I have outlined the salient points below but please refer to the report if you want to find out more.
Rhona MacDonald

• The Global Forum for Health Research is introducing a regular Report Card as part of Monitoring Financial Flows 2008 - which was launched yesterday at the Wellcome Trust in London -to track progress towards the implementation of global targets, commitments and aspirations relevant to R&D for health.
• The report reveals global expenditure on health research in 2005 was US$ 160.3 billion - the greatest sum ever spent on health research, up from US$ 125.8 billion in 2003. Yet despite the high investment levels research is failing to address the significant health needs of low- and middle-income countries.
• Millions of people are still suffering and dying each year from diseases that disproportionately affect poor populations. As health challenges in the developing world become increasingly diverse and complex it is important that a wide spectrum of health research is conducted to meet disparate challenges.
• The report card approach measures the performance and aspirations of all countries but also includes additional categories for high income countries, low and middle income countries, and Global Health Initiatives and development agencies.

The war of words between the US presidential candidates heated up in the last week before the election with Barack Obama taking aim at John McCain’s health-care plan. “The truth is, John McCain’s health care plan is radical, it’s unaffordable, and it’s not the change we need right now”, Obama said Oct 29 at James Madison University in Virginia.He praised McCain’s top economic advisor, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, for offering “a stunning bit of straight talk–an October surprise” in his assessment of McCain’s plan to CNN. Holtz-Eakin said younger, healthier workers would not abandon their employer sponsored health plans to take up tax credits offered under McCain’s proposal. “Why would they leave?” Holtz-Eakin said “What they are getting from their employer is way better than what they could get with the credit.”

Obama said the remark confirmed that employer coverage would be better than that offered by McCain. “Now this is the point I’ve been making since Senator McCain unveiled his plan”, Obama said.

Holtz-Eakin said the quote was taken out of context and that he was arguing that the tax credit would not undermine employer sponsored care, which provides coverage for more than 60% of Americans under 65 years. Erosion of employer coverage under McCain’s plan is a major concern of some economists and health policy experts. The proposal “has the potential to reduce the incentive for many employers, particularly small employers, to continue providing health coverage to their employees”, argues the Commonwealth Fund, a Washington, DC, based think tank.

McCain is proposing elimination of the current tax exemptions offered to employers who provide coverage, replacing them with a refundable credit of $2500 for individuals and $5000 for families to purchase coverage in a proposed deregulated insurance market. Read the rest of this entry »

The following will appear in the Nov 1 issue of The Lancet:

Childhood allergies The number of children with allergies in the USA has risen 18% over the past 10 years, according to an Oct 22 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 3 million US children are now affected, with increases in asthma, other allergies, and eczema. Overall, 3·8% of boys and 4·1% of girls have allergies.

Hospital crisis Zimbabwe’s two largest health institutions have been forced to turn patients away because of shortages of equipment, drugs, and staff. Doctors and nurses, who are on strike protesting against poor working conditions, are calling for the government and aid agencies to donate adequate funds to prevent the collapse of the country’s health sector.

Mental health The Foresight group, advisers to the UK Government, have released a report on the nation’s mental health, warning of the adverse effect the economic climate and increased global competition will have on workers’ mental states. The report recommends more flexible working arrangements and the provision of public advice to maintain mental wellbeing.

Safe water The provision of safe water and sanitation is key to breaking the cycle of poverty, particularly for women and girls, according to the report Safe Water as the Key to Global Health from the UN International Network on Water, Environment and Health. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation will also soon publish the first ever world map of underground freshwater resources.

Read the rest of this entry »

Since the beginning of July, our intrepid reporters in the USA have been blogging about health-related US-election news. If you haven’t kept up-to-date, read their posts on our special election page and vote in our new polls to let us know who you think will be the best candidate for health in the USA, global health, and US medical research. Why wait until Nov 4 to vote if you are American and why wait at all if you are not!

Udani Samarasekera

The candidates’ health-care plans are still a big issue. But just a week and a half before election day, so is the candidates’ actual health. Just a day after the New York Times ran a story exposing gaps in the candidates publicly-disclosed medical records, Senator Joe Biden responded.The Democratic vice presidential nominee gave reporters a look at his health background. Many have been wondering whether 65-year-old Biden could be at risk for another cerebral aneurism. He had his first one 20 years ago, and had to have emergency surgery to stave off some bleeding from a leaking artery. It’s also though he suffered a second, sub-clinical aneurism later.

But Biden’s physicians recorded little concern of a repeat cerebrovascular event. He’s never had a follow-up study to confirm that his arteries are clear. At the same time, Biden’s blood pressure is a relatively healthy 120/78, and he’s taking statins to control his cholesterol.

The corollary to all of this is that Governor Sarah Palin, who’s 44 and the Republican vice presidential nominee, has never disclosed any medical information to the public. She’s running to be second to a 72-year-old John McCain, who’s had two bouts of malignant melanoma (see Correspondence in the Oct 25 issue of The Lancet for more on McCain’s health). Read the rest of this entry »