You are here

Health

IAEA Expert Remediation Mission to Japan Issues Preliminary Report

                                         

21 October 2013 | Tokyo -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s international expert mission to review remediation efforts in areas affected by the Fukushima Daiichi accident concluded today with the presentation of a Preliminary Summary Report to Japan's Senior Vice-Minister of the Environment, Shinji Inoue.

The Follow-up IAEA International Mission on Remediation of Large Contaminated Areas Off-site the Fukushima Daiichi NPS recognised the huge effort and enormous resources that Japan is devoting to its remediation strategies and activities, with the aim of improving living conditions for people affected by the nuclear accident and enabling evacuees to return home.

The Mission Team highlighted important progress since the first IAEA remediation mission in October 2011, noted that Japan had made good use of advice from that earlier Mission, and offered fresh advice in a number of areas where it is still possible to further improve current practices, taking into account both international standards and the experience of remediation programmes in other countries.

Country / Region Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

WHO - Global Alert and Response (GAR) - October 19, 2013

                                                 

(Click on the links below, then click on the Blue button to the right of each heading.)

CLICK HERE - Report of suspected polio cases in the Syrian Arab Republic - 19 October 2013 

CLICK HERE - Cholera in Mexico - 19 October 2013

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Tackling Antibiotic Resistance for Greater Global Health Security

      

chathamhouse.org - Gemma L. Buckland Merrett, October 2013

DOWNLOAD PAPER HERE (16 page .PDF file)

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Extension of the Haiti Cholera Disaster to Mexico

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.

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Cholera Kills 1, Sickens 9 in Mexico

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)

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Columbia Medical Brigade January 9-15, 2014 Honduras

 

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.

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Smartphone attachment detects viruses and bacteria

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 -

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

CDC Sets Threat Levels for Drug-Resistant Superbugs

      

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

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

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

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.

Country / Region Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

World Bank Issues Regional Health Reports

      

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

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Pages

Subscribe to Health
howdy folks