Archive for category: Health

Information and stories on health topics.

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Hand Washing Can Save Millions of Lives

A mother’s typical question to a child, “did you wash your hands?” may have seemed like a pesky reminder when growing up, but research shows that hand-washing is one of the most important and live-saving habits that can be instilled in a society. Hand-washing with soap has been shown to reduce the incidence of diarrhea by almost one half and of acute respiratory infections by roughly one third.

Since hand-washing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce deaths of children under five from diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia – possibly by up to 70% -, the global health soap brand Lifebuoy is teaming up with USAID to create a neonatal program designed to raise awareness of the link between newborn survival and hand washing with soap.

The program targets new mothers and birth attendants through antenatal clinics and health workers. The campaign also uses innovative videos to appeal to the mother’s maternal instinct by communicating the message “hand-washing helps your child survive.” Persuasive advocates such as the Indian actress Kajol also support the cause and help generate awareness of the importance of hand-washing, especially after having used the toilet or before preparing food.

Another initiative which aims to modify everyday behavior is the Global Scaling Up Hand-washing Project, supported by the World Bank in countries such as Peru, Senegal, Tanzania, and Vietnam. These interventions found that while will and motivation to change habits might be present, hand-washing is also dependent on the ease of access to both water and soap. In this way, the program has aimed to make changes in the way soap and water are accessed in households.

The initiative has also found that in countries such as Senegal, men can also play a critical part in the behavior-changing process. Since they are seen as the role-models or leaders of their households, future interventions will also incorporate campaigns that include or are aimed at men.

– Nayomi Chibana
Feature Writer 

Sources: USAID, World Bank
Photo: Old Picture of the Day

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Malaria Deaths are Decreasing in Africa

Malaria Decline Africa Mosquito Bed Nets
Africa faces the world’s most dramatic public health crisis. Although polio is close to eradication, and more than half of African children have received the measles immunization, key public health issues continue throughout Africa.

Malaria is preventable and curable, yet it kills about 655,000 people worldwide every year. Malaria is transmitted through mosquitos infected with parasites, and it can also be passed to a growing fetus from an infected mother. Malaria causes fever, chills, muscle pain, and if not treated can result in death.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 91 percent of malaria-caused deaths occur in Africa. Moreover, 86 percent of malaria deaths globally are children. Malaria is a disease of poverty. The most vulnerable are children under five and pregnant women living in rural areas.

Malaria deaths decreased by 25 percent globally from 2000 to 2010. How was this achieved?

 

1. World Health Organization (WHO)

According to the WHO, 33 African countries have adopted artemisinin-based combination therapy as malaria treatment, which is the most effective antimalarial medicine. Other treatments include insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy. In the WHO African region, malaria cases decreased by 50 percent between 2000 and 2008 due to these measures.

 

2. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

From 2000 to 2012, UNICEF provided over 120 million Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs). During this time, children sleeping under ITNs increased from 2 percent to 39 percent. As malaria-infected mosquitos bite at night, the regular use of ITNs can reduce child mortality by 20 percent.

 

3. The Global Fund

Through funding from the Global Fund, 310 million mosquito nets and 181 million cutting-edge antimalarial treatments have been distributed.

 

4.  The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)

PMI is led by USAID under a U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator and jointly implemented with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). PMI is one of the largest donors for malaria. Its goal is to half malaria for 70 percent of the at risk sub-Saharan population. PMI has chosen 19 focus countries. In Tanzania, PMI efforts, through the malaria control scale-up, have reduced all-cause child mortality (ACCM) by 10 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Through all these efforts over a million lives have been saved. Still a child dies every minute from malaria.

Widespread malaria is an obstacle to the development and growth of affected African countries and communities. For every $1 invested in malaria commodities, a $40 return can be expected in the form of productivity from healthier, better educated more productive working communities.

 – Caressa Kruth

Sources: WHO, CDC About, WebMD, UNICEF, Forbes John Lechleiter, Forbes, CDC Resources
Photo: 

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Centipede Venom: The New Morphine

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According to Medicaldaily.com, centipedes are now known to treat medical pain more effectively than morphine. Although the number of opioid painkillers has increased during recent decades, doctors have been trying to find a less complicated alternative to treat pain.

Recently, doctors have discovered that centipedes might provide that alternative. Researchers have found that some components of centipedes’ venom can act as a potent painkiller. Although it is not classified as an opiate, the centipede’s venom is just as potent as morphine but has no side effects.

The morphine used in this type of alternative medicine comes from the Chinese redheaded centipede. The Chinese redheaded centipede “paralyzes its prey by injecting venom that blocks a voltage-gated sodium channel protein.” These proteins are responsible for having an imperative role in pain transmission. The venom thus blocks pain from the body.

During the testing process, researchers injected mice with massive amounts of the centipede’s venom. After the mice were infected with the venom, they were subjected to a series of tests. The tests touched upon different areas such as thermal, chemical, and acid testing.

The results showed that the venom was most similar during the thermal and acid testing, it acted better than morphine during chemical tests. In addition, the mice showed no side effects.

As a result, the venom is undergoing a series of trials with humans. These subjects either suffer from chronic ailments or pain. According to Medicaldaily.com venom immunotherapy was better at treating a person allergic to stings than EpiPens.

Other research has shown that this type of venom can help block the proteins responsible for inflammation, thus reducing pain for sufferers of arthritis. Conclusively, centipede venom can soon be considered an alternative to morphine or other opiates.

– Stephanie Olaya

Sources: Medical Daily, Medical News Today
Photo: Open Cage

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Jamii Bora Bank and its Fight Against Poverty

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What is the Jamii Bora Bank? Originally known as the Jamii Bora Trust, the Jamii Bora Bank (JBB) was founded in 1999 by a group of Kenyan families in order to serve the needs of citizens looking to escape poverty.

Beginning as a charitable trust, the organization currently specializes in micro finance services for an estimated 300,000 Kenyans with 150,000 new customers acquired in 2013 alone. JBB is not simply a bank; the institution has become an established resource in fighting Kenya’s poverty level over the last decade. The poverty gap around the world has grown dramatically worldwide and Kenya is no exception.

In the past 2 years, JBB has raised its capital by over 1 billion Kenyan shillings and shifted the focus on poverty aid. Initiatives include affordable housing, vast infrastructure improvement, and increased employment. Available banking methods have evolved to provide individuals with the financial tools necessary to gain middle income living through personal, mortgage, small and medium enterprise and agricultural banking.

Bank members are allowed to borrow over twice the amount of funds within their saving accounts which can then be applied to a variety of debts including school bills, healthcare costs, housing payments, and business startups.

Technology has played an important role in the bank’s growth within the last year. Newly implemented programs suggest that lack of access to technology directly correlates to poverty levels, as well. In response, the first ATM debit cards were released to customers by JBB earlier this year. Mobile banking has also become available within the last few months and the addition of Western Union services have enabled Kenyans to connect to the outside world with ease.

The institution has designed an innovative reward program for its citizens. Similar to referral programs favored by U.S. banks, employees, and customers are financially rewarded for successfully referring a friend to enroll in banking services. However, JBB offers rewards for the duration of the new account. In theory, if Customer A convinces Customer B to enroll in services, and Customer B maintains an account for 10 years, Customer A will receive monetary rewards for 10 years.

Jamii Bora also contains a component solely devoted to public health with special focus on issues such as HIV/AIDS, maternal health, child and newborn wellness, and primary/secondary care. Health insurance is available to members and includes maternal care, HIV/AIDS patient inclusion, and inpatient care without any form of co-payment.

The plan is needed in a country where nearly 34,000 children die from malaria annually and an estimated 360,000 are prescribed antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS treatment, according to USAID.

The bank continues to strive to reach its goal of 6 million members by 2018. It hopes to expand its current network across the continent, essentially allowing many developing African nations to gain a foothold in the current technology-centric world. Its innovative programs may one day allow millions of Kenyans and their neighbors to escape their current state of poverty.

– Jasmine D. Smith

Sources: Jamii Bora Bank, Health Market Innovations, USAID
Photo: West fm

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Is McGill University Doing “Asbestos” it Can?

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Asbestos, which has been mined for more than 4,000 years, was not largely distributed until the end of the 19th century. Today, armed with the knowledge about the dangers to human health that asbestos poses, production in the modern world has been brought to a halt. However, in many developing countries, particularly in Asia, many are surprised to hear that the use of asbestos has been increasing.

The world’s largest asbestos mine was the Jeffrey mine in the town of Asbestos, Quebec. Because of the preciousness of asbestos to the Quebecois economy, when results began to show the toxicity of asbestos, the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association (QAC) needed to find a solution preventing the stoppage of asbestos use. They turned to McGill University.

Professor J.C. McDonald, working for McGill’s Department of Epidemiology, was funded by a front organization set up by the QAC to research the effects of asbestos. His findings, using outdated and inaccurate techniques, demonstrated that exposure to chrysotile asbestos could give protection against cancer.

Despite the fact that no other scientist has been able to replicate McDonald’s data – even McDonald himself refuting his own findings, going so far as to admit that some of the data taken was thrown away until specific results were found – many companies continue to use his research to support the use of asbestos.

As such, every year, two million tons of asbestos are being put into homes and schools, ultimately causing a public health catastrophe to come.

Kathleen Ruff, founder of the human rights website RightonCanada.ca, and senior advisor on Human Rights of Rideau Institute was joined by Professor David Egilman of Brown University, who is the President of Global Health through Education, Training and Service (GHETS), a NGO dedicated to improving health in under-served communities around the world, at a conference on October 1st at McGill.

Here, Egilman and Ruff addressed McGill’s “internal review” on McDonald’s study, which Abraham Fuks, McGill’s research integrity officer, concluded Professor McDonald to be “a pioneer in the demonstration of health hazards of asbestos.”

Fuks states that while it is true that McDonald’s project was funded by the asbestos industry, there was no collusion between the university and the asbestos industry.

Egilman contends noting, “[McDonald’s team] threw data out because it gave them wrong results.” And when they finally had data that matched up to what they wanted to prove, Ruff points out that “the industry [then] went on a mission to developing countries to get them to use chrysotile asbestos.”

The problems associated with asbestos-related risks are manifold. The previous installation and further dismantling of asbestos abroad lacks proper regulation and legislation, with many companies not respecting safety and proper execution. Consequently, exposure increases the risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and nonmalignant lung and pleural disorders.

Countries with economic ties to asbestos, such as Russia, India and Brazil continue to use McDonald’s information to lobby for increased use. Without an independent review of the research conducted and a final nay-say of McDonald’s results, it will prove difficult to put a stop to these organizations.

What started as a good PR strategy back in the 1960s has now exploded into one of the main justifications of continued global asbestos use.

GHETS, founded in 2002, places emphasis on “grassroot partnerships, sustainability and the development of primary healthcare infrastructure.” In association with many major institutions, GHETS funds training of local doctors and distribution of seed grants to for local business start-ups.

RightonCanada, an advocacy campaign to put human rights back on Canada’s political agenda, believes that Canada, when refusing to recognize the human right to water, aid in sabotaging a U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and block action to control export to developing countries of asbestos, among other things, has consequently become “a human rights saboteur.”

– Chloe Nevitt
Feature Writer

Sources: Rabble, McGill Daily,McGill Daily, Global Labour University, CDC, Right on Canada, GHETS
Photo: Wikimedia

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“The Space Between” Documents Kenyan Healthcare

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“The Space Between,” a documentary co-directed by Travis North and Kimberly Nunez-North, traces the lives of four perilously ill individuals in Kenya, shedding light on broader issues of poverty and healthcare along the way.

In “The Space Between,” the audience is introduced to four Kenyans currently being treated at the Living Room Hospice, an organization founded by nurse and HIV volunteer, Juli McGowan Boit. Working to improve medical conditions across the country, the hospice treats those living in extreme poverty, who do not have the means to afford adequate healthcare.

The first, Maggie, is a young mother with cancer. As she deals with her deteriorating health, she worries about her four children. With Maggie’s husband working 12 hours a day and earning around $7 a week, the children have no caretaker other than Maggie.

The second individual, Jacob, is a teacher who was paralyzed by a gunshot wound inflicted during a robbery. While receiving treatment in a Kenyan hospital, he developed four bedsores. The wounds are so deep that they are unable to heal, a condition that causes pain, fever and potentially fatal infections.

The third interviewee is Barnabas, an older gentleman who is in the final stages of throat cancer. He is living his last days in an impoverished hospital that lacks morphine or any other painkillers. His greatest hope is to return home, where he can die in comfort, surrounded by family and friends.

The last Kenyan is James, a young man who has contracted HIV, but is afraid to seek treatment because of the subsequent social stigmatization. He has been largely incapacitated by the illness, and thus, is under the care of a hospice.

Describing the process of filming, Nunez-North said: “During our 16 day shoot in Kenya, we received unprecedented access to HIV clinics and hospitals.  We engaged in-depth conversations with physicians whose primary focus is on relieving and preventing patients’ suffering, an area of healthcare referred to as Palliative care.” As “The Space Between” unfolds, the intimate nature of the crew’s interactions with patients and doctors reveals itself clearly and magnificently.

“The Space Between” narrates an important struggle between life and death, illness and health, in a healthcare system that lack supplies, funding and trained personnel. However, telling a story can be the first step toward transformation and reform. By documenting the lives of these four individuals, “The Space Between” creates a space for change.

– Anna Purcell

Sources: Indiegogo, Ezra Winton

10 Facts about HIV/AIDS in Africa

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Human immunodeficiency virus, and its later, more severe stage, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a virus that affects people all over the world. HIV/AIDS is especially prominent in Africa, where many people are not educated on how to prevent spreading  the illness, and even more do not have access to treatment. Here are 10 facts about HIV/AIDS in Africa:

1. 1,000 children are infected with HIV every day.

2. 23 percent of children infected with HIV/AIDS are being treated.

3. 17 million Africans have died of AIDS since the virus was discovered.

4. There are 25 million Africans living with with the HIV virus.

5. 13 million African children are orphans because of HIV/AIDS.

6. 67 percent of people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa

7. 90 percent of children with HIV (about 2 million) live in sub-Saharan Africa.

8. Only 11 percent of pregnant HIV-positive women in sub-Saharan Africa receive treatment to prevent spreading the virus to their child.

9. HIV/AIDS is the cause of about 1 million deaths in Africa every year.

10. HIV/AIDS has caused the life-expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa to drop to 54.4 years and, in some countries, less than 49 years.

Although these statistics seem disheartening, there has been vast progress in treating and preventing the virus in Africa. More and more people are gaining access to contraceptives and antiviral drugs due to international aid. The end of HIV/AIDS may be a difficult goal to achieve, but every year the number of people dying from the HIV/AIDS decreases, leading the world one step closer to completely eradicating the virus.

– Mary Penn

Sources: Compassion, UNICEF, Just Like My Child
Photo: United Nations Association of Norway

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World Hunger is Biggest Threat to Global Health

Though it is rarely featured in the daily headlines, world hunger has become the greatest problem facing the world today. Every day, 1 in 8 people go hungry worldwide. The situation has become so severe that experts now recognize hunger as the largest risk to health – surpassing AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

Hunger is the worst in developing nations, where nearly 98 percent of the world’s hungry reside. Africa has the greatest number of countries with the highest categories of hunger – in at least 19 of its nations more than 25 percent of the population goes hungry. These issues are exacerbated by war and crisis. For people forced from their homes by violence and for other refugees, food is scarce.

The United Nations spends about $30 million weekly to keep food aid flowing to these problem areas. The efforts of the UN alone are not enough, however. In order to combat this global health risk, the hunger problem needs to be addressed on a global scale.

“It’s getting to a point where if the international community doesn’t wake up and realize that they have to, they must make efforts to find a political solution, otherwise we are not going to be able to sustain this level of response,” said Mathew Hollingworth of the World Food Program. Without the help of the international community, world hunger will continue to endanger people around the world.

– Sonia Aviv

Sources: ENCA, World Food Programme, 15 Min. News
Photo: The Inspiration Room

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The Side Effects of Not Knowing

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Everyone in the United States knows to expect a long, rambling list of side effects at the end of a TV commercial for medication. We have also learned that taking medication as directed by a physician is an important part of being a responsible patient and consumer, and to notify our doctor immediately if symptoms worsen. But in the absence of television, many people living in rural communities of developing nations don’t know what to make of their medication and its side effects. And without consistent access to doctors or nurses who might be able to explain these side effects, patients’ lack of information often prevents them from benefiting from medication meant to help their quality of life.

This lack of consumer information has dramatic consequences. For example, the World Health Organization estimates that there are more than 222 million women worldwide who would like to use family planning methods to delay or prevent pregnancies, but are unable to do so. Coincidentally, for those women who do make it through social and financial barriers to obtain birth control pills, experiencing adverse symptoms to birth control is one of the main reasons women stop using the method. When women get unexplained bleeding outside of regular menstruation, cramps, headaches, and back pain, they assume the medication is hurting their bodies. This breeds rumors that birth control damages the body, further ingraining social stigma against family planning.

Similar issues surround the drug Coartam, used in many rural health centers as the first-line treatment for malaria. Because Coartam relieves the fever and chills of a malarial infection, some patients will ask for Coartam any time they have a fever, whether it is caused by the malaria parasite or not.

Most public health organizations focusing on HIV/AIDS have realized the critical importance of education alongside medication and healthcare. The famous ABC campaign, first created by the health ministry of Botswana in the 1990s and adjusted in 2003, has educated millions of people about how the HIV virus is transmitted, and how abstinence, being tested regularly, and using condoms can prevent HIV infection. The campaign has aimed to leverage the millions of dollars invested in condom distribution. Because gender dynamics and other social norms play a large role in the acceptance or rejection of condom use, education is a critical step in bringing about behavior change.

Now, health education needs to expand to include drug information any U.S. consumer would want to know. Public health and international development projects need to have the foresight and funding to include patient education if they want to truly impact healthcare and quality of life.

– Shelly Grimaldi

Sources: World Health Organization
Photo: EmaxHealth

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Could 2030 See the End of AIDS?

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According to UN officials, the global AIDS epidemic could be over by 2030. Significant progress has been made in treatment and control of the disease. Louis Loures, a deputy executive director of UNAIDS has confidently stated, “I think that 2030 is a viable target to say that we have reached the end of the epidemic.” In addition, Loures believes that the disease’s epidemic level will decrease by that time.

Unfortunately, HIV infections still continue to be a constant problem for this society. According to Inquirer News, “three million new HIV infections are reported each year, and the disease which attacks the immune system kills 1.7 people per year.” However, Loures believes that the end of this epidemic is near. He says “we can get to the end of the epidemic because we have treatments and ways to control the infection.”

Costs for the antiretroviral treatment against HIV/AIDS have also decreased. According to medical reports, the average annual cost of treatment per person in the early 1990s was $19,000. Today, prices have decreased to $150 per treatment. Thanks to new medical developments, antiretroviral drugs have become widely available to the public. The once untreatable disease can be diagnosed early and treated with a variety of drugs.

The advancements have been so great that UNAID reports state that “the annual incidence of new infections has fallen to under 20 percent in the past decade, and in 25 countries it has fallen to over 50 percent.” These trends show a consistent and credible path to Loures’ 2030 prediction. In addition, the number of people who have received treatment has decreased to 60 percent.

On the other hand, however, vulnerable groups such as sex workers and drug users often don’t know they carry the disease or have challenges seeking treatment. According to Loures, the groups who don’t get treated will risk the health and safety of the entire population. His assumption is that if people don’t get HIV/AIDS treated and under control then “the disease will stay with us.”

Most recently, new medical advances have shown signs of a possible cure. This new drug has passed the first round of experimental testing and medical experts are confident that this might be the cure to the fatal disease.

Moreover, it is recommended that people take the necessary measures to prevent the disease. New protection campaigns by HIV/AIDS groups have arisen.  More kids are being educated about the disease earlier on.

Based on all of this information, there is reasonable hope that 2030 could signal the end of AIDS. While there are still important obstacles to surmount, new medical advances, more focus on prevention and detection as well as advocacy have substantially increased the possibility of eradicating the disease.

– Stephanie Olaya

Sources: Courier Mail, Inquirer News, UNAIDS
Photo: Times Live