Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Media Looks At County-Level HIV, AIDS Map Data
Major population centers such as those in New York and California have the highest numbers of HIV cases, however, many of the areas that have the highest rates of people with HIV are in the South, according to data from an online mapping tool launched by the National Minority Quality Forum yesterday, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The map, which is the first tool of its kind to look at HIV and AIDS cases on a county level, is based on 2006 data collected from states and cross-checked with CDC data. According to the mapping tool, of the 48 counties with the highest HIV prevalence rates, 25 are in Georgia. In addition, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia have the highest prevalence rates for HIV cases that have progressed to AIDS (Stobbe, AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6/22). In Virginia, Richmond, Petersburg and Norfolk were among the nation"s urban areas hardest hit by HIV/AIDS (Smith, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/23). Three metro counties in Kansas City, Mo., have HIV and AIDS rates that are higher than about 80 percent of counties nationwide, according to the data, NBC Action News reports (Ptacek, NBC Action News, 6/22).

HELP Committee Dems Block Antiabortion Provisions In Health Reform Markup
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Monday rejected several Republican abortion-related amendments to the committee" health overhaul bill but adopted a Democratic amendment allowing health care providers who oppose abortion to contract with health plans, CQ HealthBeat reports. The committee voted mostly along party lines to reject an amendment by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that would have prohibited abortion coverage in a health care exchange for participants who receive government-subsidized coverage. Democrats said that the language could have been used to restrict abortion coverage in private insurance plans. The amendment failed in an 11-12 vote, with Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) crossing party lines to support it. The committee also voted 11-12 to reject an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) that would have specified that federal health reform legislation could not override state laws on parental notification when minors seek abortion services. The committee adopted by voice vote an amendment submitted by Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) on behalf of committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is battling brain cancer. The amendment states that health care providers could not be excluded from contracting with health plans taking part in a health insurance exchange on the basis that the provider performs abortions or refuses to perform abortions except in an emergency if "performing abortions is contrary to the religious or moral beliefs of the provider or entity." Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said that he is concerned the amendment might be unconstitutional because Congress cannot legislate on religious issues. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) expressed concern that the phrase "except in emergency" was not more clearly defined. Dodd declined Enzi"s request to withdraw the amendment until it could be clarified. The committee rejected Coburn"s amendment that was a more sweeping version of "conscience" protections for health care providers with religious or moral objections (Norman [1], CQ HealthBeat, 7/13). Dodd said he expects the committee to complete its work on the bill Tuesday night (Norman [2], CQ HealthBeat, 7/13).According to NPR"s "Morning Edition," abortion is one of the most likely issues to "throw a wrench into the already fragile gears" of health reform legislation. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said, "I take a view that there"s almost anything (that can be compromised) in public affairs except probably the issue of abortion." Nineteen House Democrats recently sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), saying, "We cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan." Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said any new restrictions on abortion coverage in government-subsidized health plans might be unpopular with the public. "Right now most health care plans cover abortion, cover contraception, cover women"s reproductive health," Mellman said. He added, "To some extent what they"re talking about on Capitol Hill is taking away coverage that people already have. Americans want health care reform. But they will oppose health care reform if it takes away the coverage they now have for things like abortion and contraception." Mellman recently conducted a poll for the National Women"s Law Center that found that 75% of respondents would prefer to have an independent commission of medical experts and citizens, rather than lawmakers, decide what should be covered (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/14).
News of the day
New Online Curriculum Educates Physicians About Kidney Disease In Older Patients
The fastest-growing group of patients initiating dialysis is patients 75 years old and older; providing the best care for this group of patients presents significant challenges. The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) introduces the first-ever online curriculum to address aging and the kidney. The curriculum, based on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)"s six core competences of patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice, answers questions about the management of elderly patients.
Diagnostics

Asian Pneumonia Prevention Organization Calls For Required Pneumonia Vaccine In India

The Asian Strategic Alliance for Pneumococcal Disease Prevention (ASAP) is calling for the pneumonia vaccine to become an official part of India"s required list of immunizations, the Times of India reports. According to the newspaper, Nithin Shah, chairman of ASAP India chapter, said there is an "immediate need to take steps to control and prevent pneumonia morbidity and mortality," which is the leading cause of death among children younger than age five in India, according to international child health experts (7/26). At the Mangalore Pneumococcal Disease Conference, hosted by the ASAP India chapter and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), the physician Jeeson Unni said, "India leads the world in under-five mortality, with [2,000,000] children dying every year. Of these, four lakh [400,000] deaths are due to pneumonia," PTI/Hindu reports. Shah said, "Half of all severe cases of pneumonia and pneumonia deaths are caused by pneumococcus and almost 40 percent of these deaths i.e. nearly one lakh [100,000] under-five deaths, are preventable by use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the National Immunisation Programme." In Western trials, the vaccine has proven to be 90 percent effective against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), Shah said, adding, "Even in countries like South Africa the trials have shown 80 percent efficacy of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against IPD." Unni added that the disease "kills more children than any other illness - more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined -according to UNICEF data." Srinivas G Kasi, a physician, said though doctors use antibiotics to treat children with pneumonia, increasing incidence of drug-resistant pneumococcus is a cause for concern (7/26). "A note issued by ASAP stated" the successful childhood national immunisation programme with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine "has shown significant benefits passed on to even unvaccinated people of all ages due to the herd immunity," the Times of India writes. ASAP India and IAP have recommended use of the vaccine on "one-to-one basis as per the IAP immunisation schedule," the newspaper reports (7/26). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009