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At last the culprit in Autism is revealed

An international team of scientists have discovered two new genetic links that may predispose children to develop autism.

19 Feb 2007

Countries should find balance between affordable drugs, development incentives, WHO Director-General says in letter to Thai Health Minister

World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan in a letter to Thai Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said that although the Thai government was fully within its rights to issue a compulsory license for Abbott Laboratories antiretroviral drug Kaletra, countries should find the "right balance" between providing affordable medicines and incentives for drug companies to develop new treatments.

19 Feb 2007

Washington, D.C., distributes 250,000 condoms

Washington, D.C., health officials on Friday distributed 250,000 city-branded condoms as part of the Department of Health's efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the Washington Post reports.

19 Feb 2007

Washington Legislature considers Gov. Gregoire's universal health coverage plan

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) on Monday testified before state Senate and House health committees, urging lawmakers to support two bills (SB 5930 and HB 2098) that aim to offer universal health coverage to all state residents within five years.

19 Feb 2007

Where you live influences risk of heart attack or stroke

Sure you think about diet and exercise as key to heart disease prevention. But what about the neighborhood you live in?

18 Feb 2007

Largest collection of autism DNA

Preliminary findings from the largest genome scan ever completed in the history of autism research are being published in Nature Genetics. University of Pittsburgh researchers with a consortium of scientists from across the world contributed to this landmark research endeavor through the Autism Genome Project.

18 Feb 2007

Novel spray method for delivering tuberculosis vaccine

Bioengineers and public health researchers at Harvard University have developed a novel spraying method for delivering the most common tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, providing a new low-cost and scaleable technique that offers needle-free delivery and greater stability at room temperature than existing methods.

18 Feb 2007

Is too much being spent on HIV?

Billions of pounds are being spent on the fight against AIDS in developing countries. In this week's British Medical Journal, two experts go head to head over whether we are spending too much.

18 Feb 2007

Promising results on avian influenza vaccines

Experts meeting this week at the World Health Organization (WHO) on advances in pandemic influenza vaccine development reported encouraging progress.

18 Feb 2007

New Kaiser Permanente research aims to reveal genetic and environmental causes behind deadly and disabling diseases

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research is launching one of the largest research projects in the United States to examine the genetic and environmental factors that influence common diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, asthma and many others.

15 Feb 2007

New ANS spinal cord stimulation lead for patients with low back pain

St. Jude Medical, Inc. has announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of two spinal cord stimulation tripolar paddle leads for use with the Renew Neurostimulation System.

15 Feb 2007

Drinking coffee does not increase the risk of heart attacks in women

Researchers in the United States have found that drinking coffee does not increase the risk of heart attacks in women.

14 Feb 2007

Absence of health insurance coverage costs $1.47 billion in Maryland

Expenditures for the uninsured in Maryland totaled $1.47 billion in FY2002, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

13 Feb 2007

WHO and Republic of Korea continue support for women and children's health in DPRK

A World Health Organization (WHO) and Republic of Korea project to improve the health of women and children in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) continues into its second year. The US$ 20 million project, funded by the Republic of Korea, will benefit five million people in the DPR Korea.

13 Feb 2007

Texas lawmakers ask Gov. Perry to rescind order mandating HPV vaccination for girls entering sixth grade

Thirty-two Texas lawmakers last Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Rick Perry (R) reiterating their plea for him to rescind an executive order that would mandate vaccination against human papillomavirus for girls entering the sixth grade, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports.

13 Feb 2007

Actions taken on HPV vaccine proposals in Alabama, Louisiana, Utah, Washington

The following highlights recent news of state actions on human papillomavirus vaccine proposals. Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

13 Feb 2007

World Bank to provide Thailand with $750,000 for HIV/AIDS programs

The World Bank plans to provide Thailand with a $750,000, three-year grant aimed at providing HIV-positive people with increased access to antiretroviral drugs, Viroj Tangcharoensathien, program director for international health policy at the country's Ministry of Public Health, said recently.

13 Feb 2007