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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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H7N9 Bird Flu in China Likely Spread Between People, Researchers Find

Tue, 2013-08-06 09:30 — Kathy Gilbeaux

 

submitted by Luis Kun

bmj.com - nbcnews.com - reuters - by Kate Kelland
August 6, 2013

CLICK HERE - BMJ - Research - Probable person to person transmission of novel avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in Eastern China, 2013: epidemiological investigation

LONDON - The first scientific analysis of probable human-to-human transmission of a deadly new strain of bird flu that emerged in China this year gives the strongest evidence yet that the H7N9 virus can pass between people, scientists said on Wednesday.

Research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) analyzing a family cluster of cases of H7N9 infection in eastern China found it was very likely the virus "transmitted directly from the index patient (a 60-year-old man) to his daughter."

Experts commenting on the research said while it did not necessarily mean H7N9 is any closer to becoming the next flu pandemic, "it does provide a timely reminder of the need to remain extremely vigilant."

(NBC - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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The Centre on Global Health Security at Chatham House

Sun, 2013-08-04 23:01 — Maeryn Obley

chathamhouse.org

The Centre on Global Health Security at Chatham House, headed by Professor David L Heymann CBE, examines key global health challenges and how they manifest themselves as foreign policy and international affairs problems. It seeks to help leaders around the world - in government, private foundations, international organizations and business - reach well-informed decisions that improve global health security. It does so by conducting independent research and analysis and facilitating dialogue between the international affairs and public health communities.

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(ABOUT THE CENTRE)

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Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2013

Mon, 2013-07-22 22:01 — Kathy Gilbeaux

globalhumanitarianassistance.org - July 17, 2013

‘Year of perpetual crises’ exposes chronic poverty and vulnerability

Geneva: The Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) report 2013, released today by Development Initiatives at the UN’s ECOSOC meeting, highlights the absence of any ‘mega-disasters’ [1] in 2012 but reveals the perpetual vulnerability of the poorest people in developing countries and their persistent exposure to crises.

The GHA report, the most comprehensive annual review of humanitarian financing, highlights the shocking death toll of the hunger crisis in Somalia, with 257,000 people (or 4.6% of the population) estimated to have died between 2010 and 2012.

Judith Randel, Executive Director of Development Initiatives, said:“The data shows that the response to slow-onset crises such as Somalia is often late, resulting in huge numbers of unnecessary deaths. By intervening earlier, as well as investing in mechanisms that reduce risk, donors could save more lives and protect more livelihoods - probably at lower cost.”

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