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admin 12:00 pm on February 6, 2012 | 0 | # |

care Prof:

“At a time when our national-security and foreign-policy priorities have become increasingly dependent on effective development,” political leaders “must act swiftly and put partisan politics aside to be able to enact reforms that will make our foreign-aid programs far more efficient, more effective and therefore far more capable of supporting and advancing our national interests around the globe,” Mark Green – a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin and ambassador to Tanzania, who now directs the Malaria No More Policy Center – writes in a Washington Times opinion piece.

“Despite some initial positive steps by the Obama administration and Congress, a critical constituency is missing from the discussion: congressional conservatives,” Green writes. Although there has been “important progress,” U.S. foreign aid is “not as effective and supportive of our diplomacy and security efforts as it should be.” Although the “Foreign Relations committees in both the House and Senate have introduced reform bills that have gained some Republican support,” there is still “a long way to go,” according to Green. “The same leadership from conservatives that helped deliver millions of people inside the developing world from poverty and disease more than the last decade is needed to keep the foreign-aid reform effort focused on increasing accountability, eliminating waste and maximizing results,” he writes, adding that the Democrats should “run the reform process in an open and bipartisan way and keep it from becoming a debate more than money and divisive social issues.”

He concludes that because “foreign-assistance reform is fundamentally” about generating the U.S. “better at saving lives ?- [and] highlighting our leadership and compassion abroad, we have to get it right — and we have to do it quickly” (Green, 8/20).

This info was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with type permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. It is possible to 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 Household Foundation. All rights reserved.

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admin 12:00 pm on February 5, 2012 | 0 | # |

Healthcare Prof:

3.five (2 votes)

Article Opinions:1 posts
Recent research published by Education for Health and colleagues from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Aberdeen and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine provides evidence that structured allergy training for primary care health professionals improves quality of life in patients with perennial rhinitis(1).

In this randomised, controlled trial, twenty GPs and practice nurses completed the allergy module at Education for Health over a six month period. Patients with perennial rhinitis (blocked, runny nose) from these doctors’ and nurses’ practices were randomly allocated to either receive care from an allergy trained doctor or nurse or from an untrained person (usual care). All patients then completed a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire which looked at the impact of their nasal symptoms on their quality of life at baseline and at 6 months.

Results showed not only that the trained nurses and doctors had been more confident and competent in delivering allergy care, but that their patients’ quality of life was improved compared to those patients who had continued with their usual care. This research is important on two counts, firstly, it supports the NHS agenda of improving primary care allergy services by showing that allergy training is feasible and deliverable in primary care; and secondly, that patients benefit as a result of health professional education.

Monica Fletcher, Chief Executive of Education for Health said “Most mild or moderate allergy symptoms (e.g. hayfever, allergic asthma, urticaria and some food allergy problems), can, and should, be managed successfully in primary care with appropriate training. A recent House of Commons Health Committee report on the provision of allergy services(2) echoed this view. Clinical quality markers for allergy care must be included in the GMS contract in the future. Both publications stress the importance of postgraduate training to improve allergy practice in primary care”.

Allergic diseases, including hayfever (allergic rhinitis), food allergy, drug allergy and allergic asthma affect approximately 20% of the UK population and account for approximately 6% of GP consultations. Hospital admissions for severe allergic disease have increased tenfold in the last 10 years and allergy generally is associated with significant financial cost. Symptoms can be irritating, disruptive and sometimes disabling; allergic rhinitis, often trivialised by sufferers and health professionals alike, has been shown to impair concentration and learning in children.

Mark Levy, GP with interest in Respiratory diseases and Allergy said: “Despite the high prevalence and morbidity due to allergic diseases in the United Kingdom, a small minority of health professionals are trained in provision of allergy care (4, five). Furthermore the lack of facilities for secondary and tertiary care for people with allergic conditions, coupled with the relatively small number of specialists available to teach allergy management in primary care, has resulted in patients being managed by health professionals with little formal training in this discipline (6). This study from Education for Health, offers some hope for patients and information for commissioners of health care by providing good quality evidence of the benefit for allergy sufferers in being treated by health professionals trained in this field.”

Education for Health provides Allergy training at diploma and degree level.

References:

(1)Sheikh A, Khan-Wasti S, Price D, Smeeth L, Fletcher M, Walker S. Standardized training for healthcare professionals and its impact on patients with perennial rhinitis: a multi-centre randomized controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007; 37:90-99

(two)Department of Health. A Review of services for allergy. The epidemiology, demand for, and provision of, treatment and effectiveness of clinical interventions. http://www.dh.gov.uk. 2006

(3)Walker SM & Sheikh A. Self-reported rhinitis is a significant problem for patients with asthma: results from a national (UK) survey. Primary Care Resp J. 2005;14:83-87

(4)Mark L Levy, David Price, Xiaohong Zheng, Colin Simpson, Phil Hannaford and Aziz Sheikh. Inadequacies in UK primary care allergy services: National survey of current provisions and perceptions of need. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 2004; 34(4): 518-519

(five)http://dx.doi.org/10.3132/pcrj.2007.00004

(6)Mark L Levy, Aziz Sheikh, Samantha Walker, Angie Woods. Should UK allergy services focus on primary care? BMJ 2006;332:1347-1348. doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7554.1347 http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/extract/332/7554/1347

Education for Health
The Athenaeum
10 Church Street
Warwick, CV34 4AB
UK
Switchboard Tel: +44(0)1926 493313
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk

Facts about Education for Health:

– Education for Health is a not for profit organisation formed by a dynamic merger in August 2005 between two of the UK’s leading education organisations for health professionals: Heartsave – National Cardiovascular Training Programme, and the National Respiratory Training Centre.

– The two partner organisations have each earned a reputation for excellence in education in their respective areas of expertise and have trained in excess of 40,000 students both nationally and internationally. Prior to the establishment of Education for Health, The National Respiratory Training Centre had been at the frontline of the battle to achieve recognition for people with lung disease since 1986.

– Education for Health aims to provide a consistent, comprehensive and innovative approach to professional health education across the fields of cardiovascular disease, allergy, and respiratory health, with the ultimate objective of transforming lives worldwide

– All education is evidence based and grounded in practice; fully up to date with the General Medical Services Contract; based on key national guidelines; directly linked with the competency frameworks and Knowledge and Skills Framework; and is subject to frequent, rigorous clinical and academic review. In addition, in these days of Health Service change and uncertainty, all students are fully supported throughout their studies by a team of clinical experts.
admin 12:00 am on February 4, 2012 | 0 | # |

4.25 (4 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

A new technique that uses ozone to preserve grapes could help prevent allergies and boost healthy compounds in the same time, reports Jennifer Rohn in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI. The same technique could be used in the wine-making process to produce healthier wines without the added sulphites that can cause asthma and other conditions in some people.

Mass-marketed grapes can remain in storage for months and are usually treated with sulphur dioxide to prevent decay. Although the sulphur dioxide is effective, it is corrosive and can cause severe allergic reactions in some people. Wine-makers have a similar problem in that the sulphites added to wines to prolong their shelf-life and allow them to age can make their wines unpalatable to some drinkers.

Francisco Artes-Hernandez and his team in the Technical University of Cartagena in Spain compared several different preservative methods with a new technique that involves exposing macroperforated packages of grapes at 0 degress C to cycles of 0.1 micro liters per liter of ozone. They found that ozone treatment was 90% as effective as SO2 at preventing decay. In addition, ozone-treated grapes had up to four times much more antioxidants than untreated grapes (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, doi 10.1002/jsfa.2780).

It is not yet known why antioxidant levels increase, but because these compounds are up-regulated in response to environmental stress in plant cells, it could be that the ozone is perceived as a biochemical insult.

Andrew Waterhouse, Chair of the Department of Viticulture at University of California, Davis, said that because wine growers don’t store grapes for prolonged periods, they are unlikely to use ozone in any preservation process. He agreed, however that the ozone process could be tweaked to replace problematic sulphites added to wine during the liquification process, presenting the possibility of healthier a lot more hypoallergenic wines.

Antioxidants, natural compounds found in red wine, chocolate, coffee and many fruits, are believed to help prevent a variety of diseases including cancer and neurodegeneration.

###

Chemistry & Industry

Please acknowledge Chemistry & Industry as the source of these items. If publishing online, please include a hyperlink to http://www.chemind.org/ Please note Chemistry & Industry uses ‘&’ in its title, please do not correct to ‘and’.

About Chemistry & Industry

Chemistry & Industry magazine from SCI delivers news and comment from the interface between science and business. As well as covering industry and science, it focuses on developments that will be of significant commercial interest in five- to ten-years time. Published twice-monthly and free to SCI Members, it also carries authoritative features and reviews. Opinion-formers worldwide respect Chemistry & Industry for its independent insight.

About SCI

SCI is a unique international forum where science meets business on independent, impartial ground. Anyone can join, and the Society offers a chance to share information between sectors as diverse as food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, environmental science and safety. As well as publishing new research and running events, SCI has a growing database of member specialists who can give background information on a wide range of scientific issues. Originally established in 1881, SCI is a registered charity with members in over 70 countries.

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

About the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (JSFA) publishes peer-reviewed original research and critical reviews in these areas, with particular emphasis on interdisciplinary studies at the agriculture/food interface. This international journal covers fundamental and applied research.

JSFA is an SCI journal, published by John Wiley & Sons, on behalf of the Society of Chemical Industry, and is available in print (ISSN: 0022-5142) and online (ISSN: 1097-0010) via Wiley InterScience http://www.interscience.wiley.com/ For further information about the journal go to http://interscience.wiley.com/jsfa

About Wiley

John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., based in Chichester, England, is the largest subsidiary of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. provides must-have content and services to customers worldwide. Their core businesses include scientific, technical, and medical journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional and consumer books and subscription services; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley has publishing, marketing, and distribution centres in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb. Wiley’s recently re-launched Internet site can be accessed at http://www.wileyeurope.com/

Contact: Lisa Richards
Society of Chemical Industry
admin 12:00 am on February 4, 2012 | 0 | # |

care Prof:

“The ongoing conflict in Saada has forced a lot more than 100,000 people to flee their homes at great risks to their lives and well-being. Young children and ladies represent the majority with the displaced.

“The humanitarian circumstance within the camps continues to deteriorate due to the lack of such basic services as safe water, adequate sanitation and nutrition.

“Thousands of much more families remain trapped inside the conflict zone, unable to reach safer areas. They too are in urgent need of humanitarian support.

“UNICEF stands ready to assist the civilian population. It is essential that we gain immediate and secure access to provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance. Young children cannot be the innocent victims of conflict.”

Source
UNICEF
admin 12:00 pm on February 2, 2012 | 0 | # |

4.31 (13 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

1.6 (10 votes)

People with exercise-induced asthma (EIA) may not be able to participate in physical activities if it is not properly controlled, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

About 20 million Americans suffer from asthma. In addition, many non- asthmatic patients, up to 13% of the population, experience asthma symptoms with exercise.

“If someone is experiencing symptoms of EIA, it is important for them to be properly diagnosed by an allergist/immunologist to make sure it is not something far more serious,” said Tim Craig, DO, FAAAAI, Chair of the AAAAI’s Sports Medicine Committee. “The physician will be able to treat the patient’s EIA with proper medications and will also address other issues to ensure the person can participate in sports and exercise to their fullest capacity.”

EIA is caused by airways that are overly sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and humidity, especially when breathing colder, drier air. During physical activity, people tend to breathe through their mouths, allowing the cold, dry air to reach the lower airways without passing through the warming, humidifying effect of the nose.

Symptoms of EIA include wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue. These symptoms can be controlled with proper medication and guidance from an allergist/immunologist.

Inhaled medications taken prior to exercise are helpful in controlling and preventing exercise-induced bronchospasm. The medication of choice in preventing EIA symptoms is a short-acting beta two agonist bronchodilator spray utilized 15 minutes before exercise. These medications are effective in 80 to 90 percent of patients, have a rapid onset of action, and last for up to four to six hours. These drugs can also be used to relieve symptoms associated with EIA after they occur.

In addition to medications, a warm-up period of activity before exercise may lessen the chest tightness that occurs after exertion. A warm-down period, including stretching and jogging after strenuous activity, may prevent air in the lungs from changing rapidly from cold to warm, and may prevent EIA symptoms that occur after exercise.

When to see an allergy/asthma specialist

The AAAAI’s How the Allergist/Immunologist Can Help: Consultation and Referral Guidelines Citing the Evidence provides information to assist patients and health care professionals in determining when a patient may need consultation or ongoing specialty care by the allergist/immunologist. Patients should see an allergist/immunologist if they:

— Have exercise-induced symptoms that are unusual or do not respond well to pre-treatment with albuterol, nedocromil, or cromolyn.

— Have had exercise-induced anaphylaxis or food-dependent exercise- induced anaphylaxis.

— Want to SCUBA dive and have a history of asthma.

If you believe you may have EIA or have been diagnosed with EIA, talk to your allergist/immunologist about a personalized management plan for your EIA and begin exercising again. Many asthmatics have found that with proper medical therapy, they are able to reduce the symptoms of EIA.

To find an allergist/immunologist in your area or to learn a lot more aboutallergies and asthma visit the AAAAI Web site at http://www.aaaai.org.

The AAAAI is the largest professional medical specialty organization in the United States representing allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and therapy of allergic disease. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 6,000 members in the United States, Canada and 60 other countries. The AAAAI serves as an advocate to the public by providing educational information through its Web site at http://www.aaaai.org.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
http://www.aaaai.org
admin 12:00 pm on February 1, 2012 | 0 | # |

care Prof:

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, in her visit to The Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), announced $500,000 in additional support for wellness, nutrition and education programs to help mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis on the most vulnerable.

Congo-Brazzaville, which lies in the heart of the African continent, is recovering from two civil wars that resulted within the displacement of over 1 million folks. Despite progress made since the peace agreement in 2003, much more than half the population now lives below the poverty line.

“Women and young children are the most affected by poverty,” said Veneman. “In Congo-Brazzaville, one in eight young children die before their fifth birthday, largely from preventable causes. The country also has one with the highest rates of maternal mortality inside the region.”

The UNICEF Executive Director visited the ‘Life Savers’ national initiative, which in close cooperation with all the Congolese Government, promotes 12 simple, easy to practice household behaviors, such as exclusive breast feeding for 6 months, sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito bednet, hand washing with soap, and the use of oral rehydration therapy for diarrhea. She also visited the ‘Life Saving Telephone’ center, a 24/7 hotline which provides parents and caregivers an emergency number to call when their child is sick.

The UNICEF Executive Director met with the Prime Minister Isidore Mvouba and several ministers where she commended the government on improving access to social services including health and education. Veneman also raised the issue of treatment of indigenous people (pygmies) especially kids who are marginalized by society and often face discrimination.

Source
UNICEF
admin 12:00 am on February 1, 2012 | 0 | # |

three.88 (8 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

4 (6 votes)

Allergic reactions to hair dye are increasing as more and younger people dye their hair, warn researchers in this week’s BMJ.

This can lead to dermatitis on the face and, in severe cases, facial swelling may occur.

More than two thirds of hair dyes currently contain para-phenylenediamine (PPD) and other related agents. During the 20th century, allergic reactions to PPD became such a serious problem that it was banned from hair dyes in Germany, France, and Sweden.

Current European Union legislation allows PPD to comprise up to 6% of the constituents of hair dyes on the consumer market, but no satisfactory or widely accepted alternatives to these agents are available for use in permanent hair dye.

Dermatologists report anecdotally that the frequency of positive reactions to PPD on patch testing is increasing. This was confirmed in a recent survey in London, which found a doubling in frequency over six years to 7.1% in a clinic for adults with contact dermatitis. This trend has also been observed in other countries.

Market research also indicates that more people are dyeing their hair and are doing so at a younger age. A survey in 1992 by the Japan Soap and Detergent Association found 13% of female high school students, 6% of women in their 20s, and 2% of men in their 20s reported using hair colouring products. By 2001 the proportions had increased in these three groups to 41%, 85%, and 33%, respectively.

Severe hair dye reactions among children have also recently been reported.

Wider debate on the safety and composition of hair dyes is overdue, say the authors. Cultural and commercial pressures to dye hair are putting people at risk and increasing the burden on health services.

It may not be easy to reverse these trends, however, as some patients have continued to use such dyes even when advised that they are allergic to them and risk severe reactions, they conclude.

Click here to view full editorial (p6 of pdf): http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/february/edit0302.pdf.

British Medical Journal
BMA House, Tavistock Sq
London WC1H 9JP
United Kingdom
http://www.bmj.com
admin 12:00 pm on January 30, 2012 | 0 | # |

4.two (five votes)

Healthcare Prof:

4 (3 votes)

New research suggests that different treatments may be needed for chronic asthma, depending on whether it results from allergies or lung infections.

Previous studies have shown that certain lung infections such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae can linger on and contribute to a person later experiencing symptoms of asthma.

Researchers have now identified a particular gene that influences how severe a M. pneumoniae infection may be, which in turn suggests that a different strategy might be needed for treating asthma resulting from this and similar lung infections rather than allergies.

“What this shows is that infectious asthma might have a different mechanism than allergic asthma. Most people think asthma is asthma, but it may be multifaceted,” said Dr. Robert Hardy, an infectious disease specialist at UT Southwestern.

That’s an important implication because the latest statistics show that asthma is on the rise. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, more than 20 million Americans currently have asthma and another 10 million have been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their life. Roughly 6.five million American children, or nearly 9 percent of the nation’s pre-adult population, have asthma, figures released in December show.

Dr. Hardy, an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics, has been using mice to study how certain pneumonia bacteria contribute to chronic asthma and, in this latest study, identified how a particular gene may contribute to far more severe lung infection. The research appears in the January edition of Infection and Immunity.

Pneumonia is a lung infection typically characterized by breathing difficulties and spread by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms often include headache, fever, chills, coughs, chest pains, sore throat and nausea. Dr. Hardy’s research involves pneumonia caused by the bacterium M. pneumoniae, commonly called walking pneumonia, a typically less severe form of the disease that accounts for 20 percent to 30 percent of community-acquired pneumonia.

To investigate the mechanism by which M. pneumoniae causes lung disease and respiratory difficulties, the UT Southwestern researchers inoculated two different types of mice with this bacterium. The study contrasted the reaction of one normal group of mice with another group lacking a particular gene called IL-12, which is involved in immune response. The mice engineered without the gene showed significantly less lung inflammation than the mice that naturally had the gene, with some indicators showing seven times less inflammation.

“M. pneumoniae might be more of a cofactor in developing chronic asthma than a direct cause, similar to how high cholesterol or diabetes makes people a lot more vulnerable to heart attacks,” Dr. Hardy said, pointing to a number of previous studies. “It’s probably not the only thing, but it’s one of them. In some people it might incite asthma or it might exacerbate it.”

Because the M. pneumoniae bacterium is difficult to kill and often remains in the lungs even after antibiotic remedy and the symptoms fade, Dr. Hardy said, it is important to find better treatments to prevent it from lingering.

###

Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the study had been Dr. George McCracken, professor and chief of pediatric infectious diseases; Dr. Ana Gomez, assistant professor of pathology; Drs. Christine Salvatore, Asuncion Mejias and Cynthia Somers, pediatrics postdoctoral trainees; Kathy Katz-Gaynor, pediatrics research associate; and Monica Fonseca-Aten and Susanna Chavez-Bueno, former pediatric postdoctoral trainees.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern Medical Center, one of the premier medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. Its a lot more than 1,400 full-time faculty members – including four active Nobel Prize winners, much more than any other medical school in the world – are responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and are committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to nearly 89,000 hospitalized patients and oversee two.1 million outpatient visits a year.

Dr. Robert Hardyl

Contact: Russell Rian
UT Southwestern Medical Center
admin 12:00 am on January 30, 2012 | 0 | # |

Healthcare Prof:

5 (1 votes)

The WHO’s flu chief Keiji Fukuda on Saturday called upon wealthy nations and vaccine manufacturers to donate H1N1 (swine) flu vaccines to developing countries, the Associated Press reports.

“It is clear that the poorest countries in general are just the most vulnerable to any number of diseases, and so it is a big concern,” Fukuda said during a H1N1 symposium in Beijing. “We’re continually hoping that far more of the companies will step up and agree to donate more of the vaccine” (Wong, 8/22).

“So far two vaccine manufacturers have pledged 150 million doses of swine flu vaccine to poorer countries. But that’s a drop within the bucket compared with all the billions of folks in developing nations at risk of getting the new H1N1 virus,” NPR’s “Health Blog” reports. “The WHO expects two billion infections over the next two years — roughly a third with the planet’s population” (Knox, 8/21).

According to Fukada, the WHO continues to negotiate with vaccine manufacturers about lowering the cost of H1N1 vaccines for poorer nations, the AP reports (8/22).

Also during the H1N1 meeting in Beijing, the WHO encouraged the Chinese government to work on an H1N1 vaccine the country would make available to poorer countries, BERNAMA.com reports (8/21).

U.N. and international aid agencies have signed a Call To Action petition, which aims to beef up the preparations of poor nations to respond to H1N1, VOA News writes. The WHO, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the U.N. Organization for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance and the U.N. Children’s Fund all signed the document, the news service writes (Schlein, 8/21).

Zimbabwe’ s Prime Minister Appeals For Emergency Funds To Help Country Deal With H1N1

“Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday called for emergency funding to help the nation combat swine flu, after five students contracted [H1N1] within the eastern town of Mutare,” during an annual meeting with the Zimbabwe Medical Association, Africasia reports. “We don’t want a repeat of the cholera experience of last year,” that left 100,000 men and women infected and 4,200 dead, Tsvangirai said. VOA News examines how the country’s ability to contain H1N1 is complicated by an ongoing well being worker strike. The confirmation of H1N1 cases within the country “requires all our capacities to respond,” Tsvangirai said (Nyaira, 8/21).

WHO Advises Tamiflu Use By Patients At High Risk, Experience Serious Complications From H1N1

The WHO on Friday advised doctors against prescribing the antiviral Tamiflu to patients with H1N1 who are not experiencing complications from the flu, Reuters reports. “The WHO said doctors should give Tamiflu to patients with severe illness or whose condition deteriorates, or to high-risk groups including pregnant females, but not to healthy men and women with no complications, as most of these recover fully within a week,” the news service writes (Nebehay, 8/21).

“Indiscriminate use of antiviral medications to prevent and treat influenza could ease the way for drug-resistant strains with the novel H1N1 virus, or swine flu, to emerge, public wellness officials warn — producing the fight against a pandemic that much harder,” the Los Angeles Times reports (Roan, 8/24). “The WHO said it has been notified of 12 cases where the H1N1 virus had been resistant to treatment with Tamiflu, as a result of a mutation,” Reuters writes. Nonetheless, “[t]here was no evidence of onward transmission with the virus in these cases, it said” (8/21).

The AP adds: “The advice contradicts some current government policies, such as those in England, whose health agency liberally hands out Tamiflu to healthy individuals with swine flu. Since the British set up a national flu service in July to deal with the surge of swine flu cases, Tamiflu has been available to anyone suspected of having the disease, including healthy people” (Cheng, 8/22).

This data was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with type permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Household Foundation. You are able to view the whole Kaiser Everyday Global Wellness Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for e-mail delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

? Henry J. Kaiser Loved ones Foundation. All rights reserved.

View drug info on Tamiflu capsule.
admin 12:00 am on January 29, 2012 | 0 | # |

3.82 (11 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

3.8 (5 votes)

Article Opinions:1 posts
It seems that the current “allergy epidemic” is due not so much to an increase in allergenic risk factors as to the disappearance of factors protecting people against allergies. The human immune system has not had the time to adapt to the rapid changes in the urban environment and way of life. These are the conclusions of Professor Tari Haahtela and his research team, who have been studying allergies in Finnish and Russian Karelia. Their project is part of the Academy’s Microbes and Man Research Programme, the evaluation of which has just been completed.

The research was concerned with the prevalence of allergic diseases in Finnish and Russian Karelia as well as risk factors in schoolchildren and their mothers. The prevalence of atopic allergy was determined by skin prick tests and by measuring serum antibodies. Other information had been collected by questionnaires.

In Finland, the risk of allergic predisposition in children is four times and in mothers 2.4 times greater than in Russia. There are also marked country differences in the prevalence of allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic eczema). Both in children and mothers their prevalence was significantly higher in Finland than in Russia. In an examination of generational differences it was found that children in Finland had far more allergies than mothers, whereas in Russia the opposite was true. This suggests that the “allergy epidemic” in Finland is still ongoing, whereas in Russian Karelia it has hardly started.

Parental allergic disease was identified as a risk factor for allergies in children in both regions. Protective factors included farming as the family’s main source of livelihood as well as having pets, especially in early childhood. In part these results lend support to earlier observations, in part they contradict them. An environment rich in microbes seems to generate widespread tolerance against various environmental allergens. In Russian Karelia, atopic allergy, an indirect indicator of westernization, has not increased during the past few generations.

About SUOMEN AKATEMIA (ACADEMY OF FINLAND)

Suomen Akatemia on tiederahoituksen asiantuntijaorganisaatio. Akatemian tehtaevaenae on edistaeae korkeatasoista tieteellistae tutkimusta – laatuun perustuvalla pitkaejaenteisellae tutkimusrahoituksella, – tieteen ja tiedepolitiikan asiantuntemuksella sekae – tieteen ja tutkimustyoen aseman vahvistamisella. Vuonna 2001 Akatemia rahoittaa paeaeasiassa yliopistoissa ja tutkimuslaitoksissa tehtaevaeae tutkimusta runsaalla miljardilla markalla (yli 180 miljoonalla eurolla). Se on noin 14 prosenttia Suomen valtion tutkimuspanostuksesta. Akatemian rahoittamissa hankkeissa tehdaeaen vuosittain noin 3000 tutkijatyoevuotta.

SUOMEN AKATEMIA (ACADEMY OF FINLAND)
Vilhonvuorenkatu 6
PO Box 99
00 501 Helsinki
http://www.aka.fi/