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Extension of the Haiti Cholera Disaster to Mexico

Tue, 2013-10-01 11:50 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Operational Biosurveillance - biosurveillance.typepad.com - October 1, 2013

Mexico is reporting upwards of 44 cases of cholera now with one fatality involving Hidalgo State and Mexico City.  The appearance of cholera in Mexico City is deeply concerning from the standpoint of the "tip of the iceberg": we only know of the recognized cases.  There are likely others out there.

 

A couple of points about this:

1. Totally expected to see expansion of the Nepalese cholera from Haiti to the DR, to Cuba, and now to Mexico. It is likely to include many other countries in that region before all is said and done.

2. It is likely to spread in Mexico in 'fits and starts' due to lack of indigenous immunity and will cause disruption.

3. It will likely spread along trade and migrant labor routes to the US and other countries doing business with Mexico.

4. Communities in the US may be caught unawareness due to basic expectation of border communities in Texas serving as "canaries in a coal mine" for the rest of the country. We propose the migrant labor routes penetrate deep into the US and far from these border communities.

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Cholera Kills 1, Sickens 9 in Mexico

Tue, 2013-10-01 11:45 — Kathy Gilbeaux

ap.org - September 27, 2013

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's health authorities say cholera has killed one person and sickened at least another nine in central Mexico.

Mexico's Health Department says two cases were detected in Mexico City and the rest in the nearby state of Hidalgo, where one person died.

The department on Friday declared a health emergency for Hidalgo.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Columbia Medical Brigade January 9-15, 2014 Honduras

Mon, 2013-09-23 22:01 — admin

 

From January 9-15, 2014, a group of student volunteers from Columbia University will travel to Honduras to work closely with medical professionals as they offer healthcare to communities that have limited access to health care.

[Learn more and support the cause]

 

Medical Brigades is a discipline of Global Brigades, the world's largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. The Columbia chapter systematically works with more than 300 other university groups around the world to deliver and implement one of nine skill-based programs that benefit more than 130,000 Honduran and Panamanian community members annually.

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Smartphone attachment detects viruses and bacteria

Mon, 2013-09-23 18:10 — gl

theengineer.co.uk - The Engineer - September 18, 2013

Researchers at UCLA have developed a portable smartphone attachment that can be used to perform field testing to detect viruses and bacteria.

This cellphone-based imaging platform could be used for specific and sensitive detection of sub-wavelength objects, including bacteria and viruses and therefore could enable the practice of nanotechnology and biomedical testing in field settings and even in remote and resource-limited environments,’ Aydogan Ozcan, professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, said in a statement.

Using this device, which attaches directly to the camera module on a smartphone, Ozcan’s team was able to detect single human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) particles.

- Read Full Article -

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CDC Sets Threat Levels for Drug-Resistant Superbugs

Wed, 2013-09-18 17:17 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

CDC - cnn.com - by Miriam Falco - September 17, 2013

(CNN) -- Health officials have been warning us about antibiotic overuse and drug-resistant "superbugs" for a long time. But today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sounding the alarm in a new way.

For the first time, the CDC is categorizing drug-resistant superbugs by threat level.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Press Release - Centers for Disease Control - Untreatable: Today’s Drug-Resistant Health Threats
http://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/2013/dpk-untreatable.html

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The World Bank Report about Childhood Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa

Fri, 2013-09-13 22:10 — Elhadj Drame

World Bank Group recently reported major decrease in childhood diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Loss of health due to diarrheal diseases dropped 34% between 1990 and 2010, lower respiratory infections (LRIs) such as pneumonia dropped 22%, and protein-energy malnutrition was down 17%. Several countries documented striking progress, with Malawi reducing diarrheal diseases by 65%, Burundi decreasing LRIs by 44%, and Benin reducing measles by 84% during this time. Despite this progress, childhood diseases remain major threat in that region. Please click here for more information.

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World Bank Issues Regional Health Reports

Fri, 2013-09-13 18:21 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Hassana Ousmane rests her head against the bed where her 21-month-old daughter, Zeinab, suffering from malaria, rests at the Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital in Accra, Ghana, April 25, 2012.

CLICK HERE - World Bank - Global Burden of Disease: Generating Evidence, Guiding Policy

voanews.com - by Joe DeCapua - September 12, 2013

The World Bank has released new reports outlining the health challenges facing six major regions. Those challenges include not only many types of disease, but road accidents as well. The bank says the reports will help policymakers develop evidence-based health programs after the Millennium Development Goals expire.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

World Bank - Global Burden of Disease: Generating Evidence, Guiding Policy
http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/publication/global-burden-of-disease-generating-evidence-guiding-policy

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2.5 Billion People Don't Have Access To A Toilet. Here's Why You Should Care. (INFOGRAPHIC)

Fri, 2013-09-13 17:30 — Kathy Gilbeaux

            

A woman and her child walk between shacks, past a communal toilet in Khayelitsha township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. South African President Jacob Zuma says mayors need to clean up corruption and stop political squabbling in the face of sometimes violent protests over lack of city services. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

huffingtonpost.com - by Jessica Prois - September 12, 2013

The infographic below highlights the fact that 2.5 billion people have to seek out other options in lieu of a loo -- and it's just not OK.

Funny euphemisms aside, the World Bank created this illustration to detail the fact that lack of access to sanitation costs the world $260 billion yearly in health and productivity.

Health costs include $51 million spent on medication, transportation and hospitalization.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Eli Beer: The fastest ambulance? A motorcycle

Thu, 2013-09-12 22:00 — Maeryn Obley
cit

ted.com - July 2013

As a young EMT on a Jerusalem ambulance, Eli Beer realized that, stuck in brutal urban traffic, they often arrived too late to help. So he organized a group of volunteer EMTs -- many on foot -- ready to drop everything and dash to save lives in their neighborhood. Today, United Hatzlah uses a smartphone app and a fleet of “ambucycles” to help nearby patients until an ambulance arrives.

(VIEW CLIP ON TED)

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Antibiotic Resistance: The Last Resort

Wed, 2013-09-04 23:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Tim Siftar

                                                  (TO ENLARGE - CLICK ON MAP IMAGE BELOW)

       

Health officials are watching in horror as bacteria become resistant to powerful carbapenem antibiotics — one of the last drugs on the shelf.

nature.com - by Maryn McKenna - July 24, 2013

As a rule, high-ranking public-health officials try to avoid apocalyptic descriptors. So it was worrying to hear Thomas Frieden and Sally Davies warn of a coming health “nightmare” and a “catastrophic threat” within a few days of each other in March.

The agency heads were talking about the soaring increase in a little-known class of antibiotic-resistant bacteria: carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs).

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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