Blog 10- Katrina Cox, 11-9-12, 10:02pm, Agent Orange

War has ravaged our planet for centuries and some nations are currently at war and experiencing the harsh realities of it. Unfortunately, when a war is over the suffering and destruction left in its wake lasts much longer. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the Vietnam War and even though the war ended long ago its effects still linger. The US and Vietnam have had a strained relationship after the war and most of this is directly related to Agent Orange, which was used heavily by the US during the war. The use of Agent Orange is believed to be the cause of many illnesses in millions of Vietnamese people, such as birth defects and cancer. Many of the soldiers who fought in the war are convinced that they were poisoned by the use of Agent Orange as well. For many years the US has been tight lipped about the subject because they claim there is insufficient scientific evidence to prove that Agent Orange is to blame. However, the US has recently joined forces with Vietnam in a $43 million project to clean up some of the aftermath of Agent Orange. The US has not changed their position on the issue. Help has been provided to people with disabilities in Vietnam by the US Embassy over the years and Congress has given around $63 million in an effort to help with the cleanup of Agent Orange. It seems sort of odd that the US is willing to contribute so much considering that they have taken no responsibility in the issue. If the US believes that Agent Orange is not the cause, why wouldn’t they try to investigate further and actually prove that they are not at fault?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/11/07/agent-orange/1660871/

Blog 9- Katrina Cox, 11-2-12, 9:32 pm, “Atlas of Health and Climate”

It has been known for a long time that the climate has an effect on the health of the world’s population. Certain diseases and common health problems have been recognized to be climate-sensitive, such as malaria and meningitis. Outbreaks can be traced to certain dimensions of climate that make parasites and disease carrying mosquitoes more prevalent.  Out of many, this is only one example of the connection between climate and health. Although the link between the two has been acknowledged, it was just recently compiled into a map like form by Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization and Michel Jarraud of the World Meteorological Organization in the “Atlas of Health and Climate.” This is a great resource for governments to use as a tool to help predict and better manage outbreaks of climate-sensitive diseases. This can be accomplished in various ways such as managing ecosystems and animal habitats in periods of drought, heavy rain fall or seasonal patterns. Benefits of this will be obvious in the environments themselves and in the overall health of the world’s population. With the knowledge that can be gained from the atlas, governments will be better prepared to handle the challenges of rising global climates. The compilation of this data could also be used in numerous ways that might not be apparent as of yet. The correlation may show trends of increasing or decreasing rates of fertility, mortality and poverty in certain areas during certain climatic conditions and help governments act accordingly in preparation or response. The atlas has great potential to help expose many aspects of health and diseases that are currently not understood or for those which very little is understood.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/10/29/un-atlas-climate-health/1665839/

Blog 8- Katrina Cox, 10-27-12, 12:33 pm, mHealth initiative

While there are many things that differ between developed and developing nations, both have tremendous health care expenditures on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These diseases are estimated to cause more than 36 million deaths a year around the globe, which accounts for over half of 57 million deaths that occur. Non-communicable diseases include cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For most of these diseases, knowledge and prevention is the key to combating them. For those who already have these disease, management of them is essential. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have created a partnership and come up with an innovative way to help save lives and reduce health care costs. They will be using existing mobile technology to provide assistance and promote better knowledge through apps and text messaging. The initiative is radical in that it is built on existing mobile technology so it will not be so costly to implement or to expand to poorer nations which already have widespread use of the technology. The initiative is called “mHealth” and is a result of UN Agencies agreeing to devote more attention to and work together in order to “prevent and control NCDs and their risk factors.” In turn, this will enable nations to focus more on economic growth and development and to allocate more resources to it. The initiative will develop operating procedures by working with global partners and to implement the procedures it will work with national governments. The initiative will have a four year trial and will use mobile solutions, such as promoting healthy eating, increased activity, and helping people better manage their diseases, to further develop the initiative. Many people stand to benefit from this initiative and there is no way to measure the benefits as of yet, but it is very promising. There is also a huge potential for it to be used as an example to develop many other programs using existing technology to reach massive numbers of people.

 

 

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2012/mHealth_20121017/en/index.html

Blog 7- Katrina Cox, 10-19-12, 10:33 pm, Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that is made a very strong comeback and effects million across the globe. It is estimated that over 8.7 million new cases were reported in 2011 and over 1.4 million deaths last year were caused by TB, which makes it the second most lethal infectious disease. Of these new, cases a large number are multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Most of the people with the disease are spreading it, because they are unaware that they have it as a result of inaccurate diagnosis and reporting of the cases. Patients who have regular TB and are not properly treated are the cause of the drug-resistant strains of the disease. This is quickly becoming a huge problem worldwide and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported that it is on the verge of being a public health emergency. They also stated that there are current and new tools that are being tested and doing well in clinical trials. So many wonder why TB still poses such a threat. The answer lies in little importance being placed on the disease and a lack of funding. There is a three billion dollar gap that is needed to be met next year to further the fight against TB. Most of those who suffer from the disease live in undeveloped or developing nations that are unable to provide the full funds needed. In addition, these nations are not taking the issue seriously and not devoting enough funds to it. Therefore, most of the funding to cover the gap will have to come from the international community. This has been the case for several years and the USAID organization has been a big supporter of the cause and states that it will continue to do so. This funding is could help to eradicate TB and save millions of lives. The WHO states that this funding has been helpful in the past and has cured 51 million people and saved close to 20 million lives.

 

http://www.globalissues.org/news/2012/10/17/15078

Blog 6-Katrina Cox, 10-12-12, 8:56pm, Global Mental Health Crisis

There are numerous diseases that cause many people around world to suffer. The ones that cause the most pain and disability are mental health disorders and diseases. “Nearly 450 million people have mental health disorders and more than three-quarters live in developing countries.” Unfortunately, most of the people who suffer from them are unable to receive counseling or treatment. In addition to not being able to afford the treatment, in most low income countries, treatment is not even available. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in low income and developing nations there is more than one million people per mental health specialist and most of them get no care at all. Most of those suffering from mental health disorders are the victims and survivors of natural disasters, war, domestic violence and infectious diseases.  For example, those in Afghanistan have been subjected to the horrors war for over thirty years and a disastrous earthquake followed by a cholera outbreak left many suffering in Haiti. The causes and rates of mental illnesses vary from nation to nation around the world, and each has a unique challenge ahead in dealing with this issue. This past spring the World Health Assembly took up this cause and agreed to help improve standards and promote awareness of mental health disorders around the world, which has led to an action plan that is currently being drawn up. Mental health disorders have plagued humans for a very long time. Unfortunately, they tend to be overlooked or not given substantial acknowledgment. Hopefully with increased awareness and the creation of an action plan, those that have suffered from mental illnesses will receive some treatment and eventually relief.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19883226

Katrina Cox, Blog 5, 10-4-12, 4:41pm, Russians Eagerly Participate in Medical Experiments, Despite Risks

Many people around the world participate in clinical drug trials. In Russia, there has been a significant increase in the number of clinical trials and the number of people participating in them. This increase is the result of an effort to make the Russian economy more diversified by welcoming the investments and incentives that are associated with clinical trials. Consequently, the Russian government has made it easier for drug companies to utilize Russian citizens in their trials. A law was passed in 2010 that made clinical trials mandatory before the associated drugs can be marketed and a Russian website, comparable to WebMD, is attempting to assist the drug companies find candidates based on their web searches. Thousands of Russians are eager to participate and there has been over a 100% increase in the last year. Many are so willing to participate in the trials because it is the only way they can have access to healthcare. Some choose to participate even after seeing the side effects or allergic reactions in others. This trend can also be seen in Singapore, South Korea and China. These countries are also offering incentives to obtain the attention of drug companies. Many of these drug companies are eager to move into this new market to combat the “high costs and recruitment difficulties in the United States and Europe. The results of these trials are used to obtain approval of drugs by the United States Food and Drug Administration. This is a very sad situation in that so many are participating in these clinical trials in order to receive some sort of health care. This is putting people who are already at high risk for health problems into an even riskier health situation.  The participants do have a choice whether or not to participate, but the choice of not having any health care seems scarier to them. The drug companies are already performing these trials in countries where many more people have access to health care. Why must they resort to further exploiting the poor in other nations in order to further their own causes? They accomplish this by claiming that the trials will be of benefit to increasing the overall health care around the globe. This may be of benefit at some point, but there is no way to know if these drugs and clinical trials are going to cause more harm than good.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/27/business/global/russians-eagerly-participating-in-medical-experiments-despite-risks.html?pagewanted=2&ref=research

Katrina Cox, 9-28-12, 12:38 am, 'Melt in the body' electronics devised

Recently in the US scientist have developed electronics that are super thin and dissolve inside the body after just a short period. This new device could be used in a variety of medical ways and is already being used to help keep wounds heated so that a bacterial infection cannot set in. This is a relatively new field of science called “transient electronics. “ These new devices are made of silicon and magnesium oxide and then coated with silk. The silicon is extremely thin and known as a nanomembrane. This nanomembrane can dissolve in just a matter of days and the silk controls how quickly it dissolves. The silk is broken down and then reformed, and this process allows altering the silk to dissolve fast or slow. Also, the devices can be left in for longer periods of time to monitor the body or release drugs at a controlled pace. Because the technology is so new there are endless possibilities as to what it can do for modern medicine. This is exciting news for people all around the globe. Due to the small size of the dissolving electronics, they can be created at an affordable cost and transported to just about anywhere easily. Therefore many more people may benefit from them and their potential uses. The devices also have an environmentally friendly component since they completely dissolve. This may be able to directly affect other areas of environmental protection and technology, such as cell phones and computers by decreasing the amount of waste that goes into landfills once they become outdated.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19737125

Blog 3, Katrina Cox, 9-14-12, 4:10pm, Ebola Outbreak/Vaccine

The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus over the past few months. The virus has killed 31 people and as a result, an epidemic has been officially declared because it poses a significant threat to neighboring major towns. In nearby Uganda, 16 people have died from a more deadly strain of the virus, but it is not believed that there is any connection between the two outbreaks. A World Health Organizations official has stated that, “the situation is very serious and not under control.” Ebola is believed to come from fruit bats and enters human and nonhuman hosts after contact with, or consumption of infected animals. It causes internal and external bleeding by attacking white blood cells and blood vessels. Ninety percent of those infected will die from the disease and there is no known treatment or cure. The US Centers for Disease Control categorizes the Ebola virus as a category A bio terrorism agent because it is so deadly.

Sadly, scientist may never find a cure for this terrible and devastating virus. The Pentagon has recently suspended funding for two companies who are working on the vaccine and have leading candidates for the vaccine. Most of the funding for the vaccine has come from the US Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health because they fear the virus could be used as a biological weapon. The funding has been delayed due to funding constraints and will cause a major delay in the development of a vaccine. Some have wondered why big pharmaceutical companies have not shown interest in finding the vaccine. It is believed that they are not interested because there is not a huge demand in the market for the vaccine. With a small market and the lethal and sporadic nature of the virus, a vaccine will not bring big profits for large pharmaceutical companies. But would that still be the case if the outbreak continues to spread or the virus is used as a biological weapon?  

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19591204

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19112510

 

Blog #3- Experts Issue a Warning as Food Prices Shoot Up

A drought over the summer has reduced the amount of agriculture production, according to a recent article in the NY Times. The drought has affected staple crops all over the globe such as corn in the U.S., wheat in Russia and Ukraine, and soybeans in Brazil. As the supply of food decreases the demand will increase and so will the price of food. It is a well known fact that when crop production is low the price of the crop will skyrocket upwards. This is a problem or global challenge that many believe is going to continue due to our changing climate. Agriculture experts have advised for countries to prepare for the rising prices of food so that they may help prevent an increase in global hunger. As a result of the rising food prices, the World Bank and the United Nations food agencies are urging countries to increase the amount of local production and to “invest in safety-net programs for the poor.” If more countries and people were eating and growing more local crops the severity of low crop production and rising food prices would be lessened. The article also discusses how protectionism and panic buying should be avoided because it hurts more people than it helps. This is an issue that will affect every single person on the globe due to globalization and the number of crops that are imported and exported. But it is those who live in developing or poor nations that will suffer the most because they spend the largest percentage of their income on food.
　
　



　

　

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/business/experts-issue-a-warning-as-food-prices-shoot-up.html?ref=nutrition

Katrina Cox 08-31-2012 12:00pm "Factor in Breast Milk May Cut H.I.V. Spread"

Factor in Breast Milk May Cut H.I.V. Spread

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

 

Samples of breast milk were taken from women in Zambia to determine the levels of human milk oligosaccharides they contained. This is a carbohydrate which may reduce the risk of viral transmission of H.I.V., according to growing evidence. The samples were taken from women who are H.I.V. positive and had transmitted the disease to their offspring, women who are H.I.V. positive but had not transmitted the disease to their offspring, and from uninfected women. The study found that women who have higher than average levels of human milk oligosaccharides are less likely to transmit the disease to their offspring while breast feeding. Breast milk provides numerous positive benefits and women are encouraged to breast feed, even in areas of the world with limited resources. The benefits of breast feeding are greater than the risk of transmitting the disease from breast feeding.

 

The choice to breast feed for women who are H.I.V. positive must be a very tough one to make. Knowing that you could pass the disease to your children by breast feeding or not having the resources to feed your children otherwise is scary. This article should have discussed what the transmission rate from mothers to their offspring is. There is no doubt that breast feeding does have many positive benefits and it is good that women are still encouraged to do so. However, there is still a risk of transmission and there are many lifelong health issues related to being H.I.V. positive. There are risks associated with choosing to breast feed or not. Each side must be weighed carefully.

 

 

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/factor-in-breast-milk-may-cut-h-i-v-spread/