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Congress clears tobacco bill for President's signature

The House of Representatives today voted by a 3-to-1 margin to pass a bill approved by the Senate yesterday. The measure gives the federal government sweeping new powers to regulate tobacco, reports the Washington Post. "President Obama hailed the bipartisan votes in Congress on the bill, which he said 'truly defines change in Washington.' He said he looks forward to signing it into law."

13 Jun 2009

Cargo-screening ferret to detect hidden drugs and weapons

A new type of robot being developed will make it easier to detect drugs, weapons, explosives and illegal immigrants concealed in cargo containers.

13 Jun 2009

Tobacco giants in the USA facing far stricter control

A bill which would give the government of the United States far more power and control over the tobacco industry has received the support of the Senate.

12 Jun 2009

G8 off track on aid commitments to Africa; France, Italy responsible for 80% of shortfall, report says

The Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations are "collectively off course in delivering on a 2005 pact to more than double aid to Africa through 2010," according to an annual report released Thursday by the One Campaign, Reuters/Washington Post reports (Wroughton, Reuters/Washington Post, 6/11).

11 Jun 2009

Indian Government delays implementation of ruling for graphic images to appear on tobacco products

Despite a recent ruling by India's Supreme Court that all tobacco products must have pictorial warnings by May 31, one week after the ruling was to go into effect, the warning labels have yet to appear on packaging, the National reports.

9 Jun 2009

St. Petersburg Times examines work of Paul Farmer, potential candidate for USAID, State Department position

The St. Petersburg Times examines the work of Paul Farmer – "the Harvard-educated doctor who, starting in Haiti, built a multinational organization on the radical idea that poor patients deserve the same care as rich ones" and is reportedly being considered for a high-level job with USAID or the State Department.

9 Jun 2009

Ongoing refugee crisis in Pakistan overwhelms health system

The AP/Washington Post examines how the millions of Pakistani refugees fleeing from the army's offensive against the Taliban in the northwest of the country are overwhelming the country's health care system. "The crisis has exhausted doctors, used up limited supplies of medicines and buried hospitals in a mountain of red tape as they try to get money and medicine for the crisis" pushing the entire health system to the brink of collapse, the AP/Washington Post writes.

9 Jun 2009

Washington Independent examines U.S. food aid

The Washington Independent examines a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, which found that a federal law requiring most international food aid to come from U.S. farmers could be "hobbling efforts to feed the world's hungry." Currently, Food for Peace – the nation’s largest food aid program – "requires that the crops be purchased from U.S. growers, processed through U.S. companies, and shipped using U.S.-flagged vessels," according to the article.

9 Jun 2009

New report on obesity calls for better designed urban areas

A new report from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing on obesity in Australia has called for some major changes in the way Australians live today.

8 Jun 2009

Greater oversight needed in sharing of genetic information online

With just $399 and a bit of saliva in a cup, consumers can learn about their genetic risk for diseases from breast cancer to diabetes. Now, thanks to social networking sites set up by personal genomics companies, they can also share that information with family, friends and even strangers on the Internet.

5 Jun 2009

Report examines Zimbabwean refugees In South Africa

According to a report released Tuesday by Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF), "Zimbabweans continue to cross the border [into South Africa] every day, legally and illegally, in massive numbers as a matter of survival," AFP/Google.com reports (AFP/Google.com, 6/2).

4 Jun 2009

EU authorizes $11 million in humanitarian aid for Zimbabwe; Prime Minister to meet with members of Congress next week

The E.U. on Tuesday authorized $11 million in humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe, VOA News reports (VOA News, 6/2). The E.U.'s actions come one day after U.N. agencies expressed the need for $718 million in foreign donations to help meet the urgent needs of the people of Zimbabwe (Kaiser Daily Global Health Report, 6/2).

3 Jun 2009

Advocates say Nigeria should consider photo health warnings on cigarettes; WHO honors Malaysia for tobacco regulation

In honor of 2009 World No Tobacco Day Nigerian Heart Foundation President Oluyomi Adeyemi-Wilson spoke at an event in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday where he called for members of the National Assembly to pass a new bill requiring that cigarette manufacturers print pictorial and graphical health warnings on the packages of cigarettes - an effort supported by the WHO, Vanguard/allAfrica.com reports.

2 Jun 2009

Doctors warn about dangers of caffeine chewing gum

Doctors in Italy have issued a warning about chewing gum containing caffeine and say it can be dangerous for children and teenagers.

1 Jun 2009

WHO urges all governments to require pictorial warnings on tobacco packs

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged governments to require that all tobacco packages include pictorial warnings to show the sickness and suffering caused by tobacco use.

31 May 2009

Cancer drug capecitabine causes patient to lose fingerprints and be detained by U.S. immigration

Immigration officials held a cancer patient for four hours before they allowed him to enter the USA because one of his cancer drugs caused his fingerprints to disappear. His oncologist is now advising all cancer patients who are being treated with the commonly used drug, capecitabine, to carry a doctor's letter with them if they want to travel to the USA.

26 May 2009

Doctors explore myths, half-truths, and outright lies about health

Fact or fiction? Chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years. Cold weather makes you sick. You should never wake a sleepwalker. A dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's.

26 May 2009

Global Health Council names Jeffrey Sturchio as next leader

Jeffrey L. Sturchio, a longtime leader at Merck & Co. whose quiet diplomacy helped build programs treating more than 100,000 AIDS patients in Botswana as well as protecting millions of Africans from river blindness, has been named President and CEO of the Global Health Council, the Council's board of directors announced today.

26 May 2009

The effect of divorce laws on divorce rates in Europe

Researchers from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona and the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom say that divorces have risen throughout Europe by an average of 30% since national divorce laws dropped the so-called 'fault requirement'.

22 May 2009

Number of black organ donors increases in Michigan, many blacks still reluctant to donate organs

Although the number of blacks who are registered as organ donors in Michigan has increased in the last 15 years, many are still reluctant to be organ donors, the Detroit News reports.

22 May 2009