Also in global health news: Polio in Afghanistan; Goosby interview; water shortages in Mexico City; clean water device

Sep 14 2009

AFP Examines Polio In Afghanistan

Agence France-Presse examines the re-emergence of polio in Afghanistan, which is one of four countries where the disease is endemic. According to AFP, "Health care, or the lack of it, is one of many problems facing Afghanistan, eight years after a war to topple the extremist Taliban regime and the arrival of billions of dollars in international aid." Although UNICEF recently launched a three-day immunization campaign in the country, the "ongoing Taliban insurgency, virulent in the south -- Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces in particular -- has meant many children are not being reached," AFP writes (O'Donnell, 9/14).

IPS Interviews Global AIDS Coordinator Goosby

Inter Press Service (IPS) interviewed Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby during his recent visit to Zimbabwe. In the Q&A, Goosby addresses a variety of topics about Africa, including PEPFAR, male circumcision as an HIV prevention tool, generic ARVs, funding shortfalls and more (Kwenda, 9/12).

Wall Street Journal Examines Water Shortages In Mexico City

The Cutzamala dam system, one of Mexico City's main reservoirs, is "nearly half-empty and continuing to drop. Water shutoffs have become routine in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods," the Wall Street Journal writes in an article examining the city's water shortages. The newspaper writes that scientists blame the current shortage on El Nino, an event that occurs every three to five years and raises rain levels in some regions while drastically reducing precipitation in others (Casey, 9/12).

CNN Examines New Machine To Make Water Drinkable

CNN examines the Slingshot, a portable, low energy invention designed to purify water in remote areas of the developing world. According to the WHO, less than one percent of the Earth's freshwater supply is suitable for people to drink. Dean Kamen, the creator of the Segway personal motorized scooter, and his team at DEKA Research invented the Slingshot. Kamen said one Slingshot can supply about 250 gallons of water per day, which is enough for 100 people (Bergerson, 9/11).