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Swine flu in Victoria - alert measures move up a level

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in Australia has now reached 502 - three quarters of which are in Victoria and as a result the state's alert measures have been moved from "contain" to the next level, the "sustain" phase.

3 Jun 2009

Australian food industry told to 'shape up' over fat, sugar and salt

The food industry in Australia has been told in no uncertain terms to shape up when it comes to the fat, sugar and salt content in food products.

3 Jun 2009

Swine flu - a threatening pandemic or media panic?

The latest update from the World Health Organisation (WHO) # 42, reports that as of the 1st June 2009, 62 countries have officially reported 17,410 cases of influenza A H1N1 infection (swine flu), including 115 deaths.

3 Jun 2009

The colourful world of synesthesia

David Eagleman, Ph.D will explore the brilliant scope of the human mind in his forthcoming lecture at the University of Sydney on the perplexing cognitive condition, Synesthesia.

2 Jun 2009

Internet-based programs effective in treating depression – new study

In a discovery that could lead to new treatment approaches for depression, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have shown that internet-based therapy programs are as effective as face-to-face therapies in combating the illness.

2 Jun 2009

U.N. agencies increase request for foreign donations to Zimbabwe

In the midst of Zimbabwe's growing humanitarian crisis, U.N. agencies on Monday released a revised statement of appeal for foreign donations totaling $718 million for "food, clean water, AIDS medicines and other aid – up from an estimate of $550 million in November," the AP/Washington Post reports (Shaw, AP/Washington Post, 6/1).

2 Jun 2009

Report shows Jamaica's progress towards achieving U.N. MDGs

Jamaica has already achieved some U.N. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets and is "on track" to attain five more, according to a report that mapped the country's progress toward the MDGs, the Jamaica Observer reports.

2 Jun 2009

British researchers call for WHO to 'condemn homeopathy' for serious diseases

British researchers on Monday requested the WHO "publicly condemn homeopathy as a treatment for serious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria," amid growing concern that some patients are dying as a result of choosing homeopathy over effective medicines, the Mail & Guardian reports. "The WHO works with national organisations that promote homeopathy and other alternative medicines in their public health programmes," according to the Mail & Guardian.

2 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

Universal access to malaria drugs, prevention by 2013 will lead to eradication, Nigerian Government says

The Nigerian government believes that by 2013 malaria will cease to be a major public health problem in the country because families will have universal access to prevention and treatment, which will ultimately lead to malaria eradication in Nigeria, according to a document prepared by the National Malaria Control Program of the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Xinhua reports.

2 Jun 2009

Arizona jail could be ‘e-health’ test, but slow to take necessary steps

A troubled county jail, where hundreds of lawsuits have stemmed from mistakes in managing the inmates' health information, would be a perfect testing ground for electronic medical records, the Arizona Republic reports.

2 Jun 2009

Health costs, availability hurt U.S. entrepreneurship innovation

Reuters reports that, due to the difficulties in getting or paying for health insurance, "countless workers in the United States are trapped in jobs they would like to leave ... calcifying innovation and mobility in the world's largest economy."

2 Jun 2009

New York City health IT program a national model

A New York City health information technology project could provide a model for the implementation of stimulus-funded electronic health records in hospitals and doctors offices around the country, reports Government Health IT, a publication of an e-health lobbying group.

2 Jun 2009

Sebelius, DeParle ready to tackle health care overhaul

The friendship between "working moms" Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy-Ann DeParle "could pay big dividends for President Obama now," USA Today reports.

2 Jun 2009

Florida: Three years in, Medicaid experiment tough to measure

"Nearly three years into a Medicaid privatization program former [Florida] Gov. Jeb Bush said could be a national model, state officials say they do not have crucial data to measure the program's effectiveness, including how many patients' treatments and prescriptions have been approved or denied," the AP/Miami Herald reports.

2 Jun 2009

Expanding health insurance options for young adults

The Tribune-Review reports on a Pennsylvania legislation passed by the House and the Senate that would "require insurance companies to offer the option of parents keeping their children on insurance policies until age 29."

2 Jun 2009

Major liberal groups will back Obama on health reform

Several of the country's largest liberal groups said they were prepared to spend $82 million to promote President Obama's health care reform agenda, the Boston Globe reports.

2 Jun 2009

White House, Congress, industry taking on health costs

Health care costs soared nearly 50 percent between 2000 and 2006, adding an urgency for reform that may help Democrats pass a major overhaul before the year-end deadline set by the White House, Bloomberg reports.

2 Jun 2009

Dems build reform support as GOP decides strategy

Democrats and Republicans are looking for support in their own parties as health care reform promises to dominate the legislative agenda for the rest of the year, The Hill reports.

2 Jun 2009

Cindy Mann to lead Center for Medicaid and State Operations

CQ HealthBeat reports on reactions to Cindy Mann’s appointment as Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, noting that liberals are hailing her appointment and "saying she'll counter steps taken by the Bush administration to tighten eligibility and alter benefits."

2 Jun 2009