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Warning Over Deadly New Diseases
A potentially deadly new disease is emerging somewhere in the world every year - and the international community is ill-equipped to stop it spreading, a parliamentary committee has warned.
In a highly critical new report, the committee said there was an "urgent need" for a better global surveillance system to identify diseases before they infect large numbers of people.
It noted that three-quarters of newly-emerging human infections come from animals - but found many are only detected once they have made humans ill.
Experts estimate a devastating pandemic outbreak of a new disease such as SARS or the H5N1 strain of flu could claim anything between two and 50 million lives.
In evidence to the House of Lords Intergovernmental Organisations Committee inquiry, the Government said there had been no pandemic disease outbreaks since 1968.
However, it warned another pandemic outbreak was "inevitable".
Committee chairman Lord Soley said: "The last 100 years have seen great advances in public health and disease control through the world, but globalisation and changes in lifestyles are giving rise to new infections and providing opportunities for them to spread rapidly throughout the world.
"We have been impressed by the increased international resources and commitment which are now being devoted to controlling infectious diseases, and we hope this will continue and grow.
"However, for that to be effective it is vital that there is sufficient surveillance of disease outbreaks to limit their spread.
"We were particularly concerned about the link with animal health. Three quarters of new human infectious diseases start in animals.
"We urgently need better surveillance systems to deal with this problem."
The committee has called on the World Health Organisation to take a leadership role in improving coordination of the surveillance and response effort.
But it warned the UN agency needed to be "better organised and resourced" to do this. A potentially deadly new disease is emerging somewhere in the world every year - and the international community is ill-equipped to st... more -
'Inevitable' UK disease pandemic: 75,000 could be killed
Britain faces an "inevitable" disease pandemic which will kill up to 75,000 people, says a powerful Lords Committee. Changes in lifestyle are leading to new infections and providing them with opportunities to spread rapidly, the report warns. An outbreak in Britain will cause "massive" disruption, it concludes.
"Estimates are that the next pandemic will kill between two million and 50 million people worldwide and between 50,000 and 75,000 in the UK. Socio-economic disruption will be massive." The committee says that with three quarters of newly emerging human infections originating from animals, more stringent ways of detecting diseases are needed.
Lord Soley, the chairman of the committee, said: "The last 100 years have seen great advances in public health and disease control through the world, but globalisation and changes in lifestyles are giving rise to new infections and providing opportunities for them to spread rapidly. "We are particularly concerned about the link with animal health."
Peers are calling for new international disease surveillance systems in developing countries, so the West is alerted to the threat. The Government should consider "urgently" how it funds aid projects with developing countries so the money is spent most effectively to help "Britain's own defences" against pandemics.
The last two pandemics – in 1958 and 1968 – were caused by relatively mild strains of influenza. But the report warns that the next one could have more serious consequences, especially if it comes from the H5N1 variety, which is found in birds and poultry, and which has already jumped the species barrier to infect some humans. The report says that bird flu "at some point in the near future" could become capable of "human to human transmission".
(Excerpts / Andrew Porter, Telegraph) Britain faces an "inevitable" disease pandemic which will kill up to 75,000 people, says a powerful Lords Committee. Changes in lifest... more -
Dr. Tod's List
International Classification of Diseases 9 - CM 1996 Chronic Conditions Treated With Cannabis Encountered Between 1990-2004
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Singer Natalie Cole Has Hepatitis
Hepatitis C is a liver disease spread through contact with infected blood.
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Deep Brain Pacemaker Offers Hope For Parkinson's Sufferers
The pacemaker consists of two electrodes that are carefully located at the dysregulated parts of the brain. The so-called stimulator provides the electrodes with energy and signals to stimulate the neurons in the brain. This device is implanted below the collarbone under the skin and thin wires also connect it with the electrodes under the skin. The pacemaker consists of two electrodes that are carefully located at the dysregulated parts of the brain. The so-called stimulator p... more
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Coal killing the people of West Virginia
The Center for Disease Control estimates that 12,000 coal miners died from black lung between 1992 and 2002.
Coal plants are the largest source of human-generated mercury pollution in the US.
For more check out: http://www.coal-is-dirty.com
A special thanks to: http://www.burningthefuture.com/
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How can we as Americans sit and watch this happen in our country when there are viable alternate energies to bring jobs to Appalachia and health to its citizens with cleaner water and air? The Center for Disease Control estimates that 12,000 coal miners died from black lung between 1992 and 2002. ... more -
What happened to bird flu?
Though the topic of bird flu may have faded from media attention, the disease can still cause major problems, warns scientists. Even though cases of the disease have dropped somewhat from the peak in 2006, experts are now convinced that the disease has become endemic in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Egypt, making eradication impossible. There is still, furthmore, a continued risk of the disease spreading and fears are that governments are not sufficiently prepared to prevent or contain another major outbreak. Though the topic of bird flu may have faded from media attention, the disease can still cause major problems, warns scientists. Even ... more
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White House Accused of Cover UP
"This cover-up is being directed from the White House and the office of the vice president," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, the California Democrat who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The EPA released in a report last December that "greenhouse gases may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public welfare," according to Jason Burnett, the agency's former associate deputy administrator.Such a finding would be an early step toward government regulation aimed at protecting public health.
Burnett, who resigned on June 9, told Boxer's committee the White House tried pressuring him to retract an e-mail on which he detailed the finding. Burnett said he refused.
Boxer said that unless EPA documents were released, it was likely that within the next two weeks her committee would try to subpoena the material. She did not know whether Republicans on the panel would block the effort.
{source http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN083010...
A CDC official who testified on the condition of Anonymity said that documents were altered by the White House. “It was eviscerated,” said a CDC official, familiar with both versions."
The official said that while it is customary for testimony to be changed in a White House review, these changes were particularly “heavy-handed,” with the document cut from its original 14 pages to four. It was six pages as presented to the Senate committee.
A new letter from former EPA administration official Jason Burnett, however, reveals that the White House was lying. The White House, at the urging of Cheney’s office, “requested that I work with CDC to remove from the testimony any discussion of the human health consequences of climate change,” wrote Burnett.
“CEQ [Council on Environmental Quality] contacted me to argue that I could best keep options open for the (EPA) administrator (on regulating carbon dioxide) if I would convince CDC to delete particular sections of their testimony,” Burnett said in the letter to Boxer.
{source http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/08/burnett-cheney/
"This cover-up is being directed from the White House and the office of the vice president," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, the California D... more -
Mystery of the meat-eaters' molecule
Our inability to produce a chemical present in every other primate may be linked to a series of chronic diseases. Roger Highfield explains more
What does it mean to be human? For most people, it all comes down to that extraordinary object between our ears, and how it blesses us with language, laughter and logic. But not for Ajit Varki, a doctor-cum-scientist who works in California.
For him, being human is also about a single chemical that separates us from our closest relatives, and which could be linked to many of our most debilitating illnesses.
The story began in 1984, when Prof Varki was working at the University of California, San Diego. When treating a woman with bone-marrow failure, he injected her with horse serum. The treatment carried the risk of a side effect called "serum sickness", in which the patient's immune system launches an attack on a molecule present in the serum called Neu5Gc.
Sure enough, her skin erupted with an itchy red rash. Investigating further, Prof Varki found that Neu5Gc was foreign to humans, even though we carry a very similar version of the same molecule - which may be one reason why animal-to-human organ and tissue transplants do not work well.
But in recent years, he has come to believe that the implications of this molecular difference are much wider. He has built up a range of evidence that potentially links Neu5Gc, a so-called sialic acid, to chronic disease.
This is because the animal version is absorbed by humans as a result of eating red meat and milk products, and there is evidence that the body views it as an invader.
Eating these foods could trigger inflammation and, over the long term, heart disease, certain cancers and auto-immune illnesses. Prof Varki stresses, however, that "we have not proven any link to disease, just suggested that it is something to explore".
Our inability to produce a chemical present in every other primate may be linked to a series of chronic diseases. Roger Highfield exp... more -
In India, it pays to use public toilets
- It pays to use a toilet in southern India, as residents are earning close to a dollar a month by using public urinals, a scheme launched by authorities to promote hygiene and research in rural areas.
Dozens of people are queuing up to use toilets in Musiri, a remote town in Tamil Nadu state, where authorities have succeeded in keeping street corners clean with the new scheme, The Times of India newspaper said on Sunday.
"In fact, many of us started using toilets for urination only after the ecosan (ecological sanitation) toilets were constructed in the area," said S. Rajasekaran, a truck cleaner. - It pays to use a toilet in southern India, as residents are earning close to a dollar a month by using public urinals, a scheme laun... more -
Worms, parasites draining US poor
Diseases caused by worms and parasites are draining the health and energy of the poorest Americans, an expert said.And diseases associated with the developing world, such as dengue fever and Chagas disease, may become a bigger problem for the United States as the climate changes, said Dr Peter Hotez of George Washington University and the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington.
"The message is a little tough because they are not killer diseases - they impact on child development, intellectual development, hearing and sometimes even heart disease," Hotez said in a telephone interview.
He said the diseases help to keep people mired in poverty, as infections may last years, decades or even lifetimes.
"Throughout the American South during the early twentieth century, malaria combined with hookworm infection and pellagra (a vitamin deficiency) to produce a generation of anaemic, weak, and unproductive children and adults," Hotez wrote.
The parasitic diseases are having similar effects now.
Diseases caused by worms and parasites are draining the health and energy of the poorest Americans, an expert said.And diseases associ... more -
Monsanto lobbied FDA to change rules regarding disclosure of Posilac use
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today filed a legal complaint against Ohio's Department of Agriculture, challenging as unconstitutional an "emergency" rule seeking to prevent labeling that tells a consumer whether the cows were treated with rBST, the synthetic growth hormone manufactured and sold by Monsanto under the brand Posilac(R). The lawsuit represents a determined effort not only to protect the consumer's rights to receive truthful information about how organic milk and dairy products are produced, but also to protect the rights of organic dairy farmers and processors to communicate truthfully with consumers.
"The Organic Trade Association firmly believes that consumers have a right to know, and want to know, about the products they purchase, and organic farmers and processors have a right to communicate with their consumers regarding federally regulated organic production practices," stated Caren Wilcox, executive director for the OTA. Attorney Randall J. Sunshine, a partner at Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif LLP, is representing the OTA in this matter.
The federally mandated USDA National Organic Standards prohibit the use of hormones to promote growth or increase production, genetically engineered organisms (GMOS), antibiotics and toxic, persistent pesticides and have a rigorous system for inspection, certification and verification which protects consumers from false claims. In issuing its rule prohibiting organic products from being labeled "produced with milk from cows that have not been treated with synthetic growth hormones", the State of Ohio, however, has essentially chosen not to recognize the federal Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA).
In a time of unprecedented food and fuel costs, and following a year in which over 3000 of the nation's dairy farms shut their doors, the State of Ohio has stepped in to further exacerbate small dairy farmers' problems. For those farmers who have chosen to not use rBST on their cows, and who were finding new and growing markets by marketing their milk as no-rBST or organic, Ohio has passed an "emergency" rule which will hurt the farmers' ability to convey to consumers how they produce their milk.
Monsanto was the driving force behind getting FDA approval for rBST and then turned its substantial resources towards lobbying the Ohio Department of Agriculture for this new "emergency" rule.
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Monsanto is even stronger than the Federal government. They can put their lobbying weight behind a government agency to get a rule changed that clearly puts the consumer's right to disclosure and their health at risk. This isn't only unconstitutional, this is criminal. However, all Monsanto cares about is profit.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today filed a legal complaint against Ohio's Department of Agriculture, challenging as unconstitut... more -
Mom Accused of Denying Son Medicine
This Massachusetts mom withholds cancer meds from Jeremy Fraser, her 8-year-old autistic son, after a good prognosis. Now the cancer has returned and there's nothing they can do, his likelihood to overcome dropping from 85-90% to 10%. What drives these parents to do such things, when "in all likelihood, Jeremy Fraser will not see his ninth birthday?" This Massachusetts mom withholds cancer meds from Jeremy Fraser, her 8-year-old autistic son, after a good prognosis. Now the cancer... more
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FDA Widens Salmonella Outbreak Suspect List beyond Tomatoes
July 1, 2008 -- Move over, tomatoes, the FDA now has other produce items on its list of suspects in the salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 869 people -- including 107 who have been hospitalized -- in 36 states and Washington, D.C.
But FDA officials aren't letting tomatoes off the hook -- and they refuse to say what other types of produce they're probing, except that those items are often served with tomatoes.
Tomatoes continue to be the lead suspect in the salmonella investigation, notes David Acheson, MD, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods.
Tomatoes are "our major focus," says Acheson, adding that the FDA has asked labs across the U.S. to help run tests on domestic and imported produce to find the salmonella source.
The CDC is also questioning people with salmonella infection and their healthy friends and relatives to find out if those unnamed produce items might be to blame.
Meanwhile, the government's advice to consumers hasn't changed -- for now.
A recap of that advice: Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold on the vine, and homegrown tomatoes are in the clear, along with red Roma, red plum, and red round tomatoes grown and harvested in certain states and countries listed on the FDA's web site.
July 1, 2008 -- Move over, tomatoes, the FDA now has other produce items on its list of suspects in the salmonella outbreak that has s... more -
Sex diseases rocket in over-45 age group
Sexually transmitted diseases have doubled in people over 45 and are now rising faster than in the young. Men are most likely to be affected, with increases in herpes, syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital warts.
A recent Health Protection Agency (HPA) study shows that the number of sexually transmitted infections is rising in both young and old. However, the increase for older people is significantly higher. The overall rate of infections in the over-45 age group more than doubled between 1996 and 2003. Genital warts and herpes were the most commonly diagnosed diseases.
Tragically, the sexual health of men and women of this age group is largely neglected. Dr Babatunde Olowokure, from the HPA's regional surveillance unit in Birmingham, said: "Sexual health strategies have rightly focused on the under-25s but our results indicate that sexual risk-taking behaviour is not confined to young persons but is also an increasing trend in the over-45s. Services are geared towards young people, campaigns are targeted at the under 25s so over-45s think that sexual health has nothing to do with them and don't even know when they're taking risks."
According to the HPA study, internet dating, erectile dysfunction drugs, overlapping sexual networks and international travel were partly to blame. Dr Olowokure points out that "older people are increasingly likely to be single or undergoing relationship changes and are less likely to consistently use condoms, perhaps because the risk of pregnancy no longer exists." Sexually transmitted diseases have doubled in people over 45 and are now rising faster than in the young. Men are most likely to be af... more -
US to base food inspectors overseas
In a response to the salmonella outbreak caused by Mexican tomatoes, the FDA is stationing inspectors in Asia and Latin America to help prevent the importation of tainted foods to the US. Is the FDA going too far? I don't see other countries stationing officials to check our exports. In a response to the salmonella outbreak caused by Mexican tomatoes, the FDA is stationing inspectors in Asia and Latin America to hel... more
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Depression strikes more Americans than cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease
Depression strikes about 17 million American adults each year--more than cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease--according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). An estimated 15 percent of chronic depression cases end in suicide. Women are twice as likely as men to be affected.
Many people simply don't know what depression is. "A lot of people still believe that depression is a character flaw or caused by bad parenting," says Mary Rappaport, a spokeswoman for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. She explains that depression cannot be overcome by willpower, but requires medical attention.
Fortunately, depression is treatable, says Thomas Laughren, M.D., team leader for psychiatric drug products in FDA's division of neuropharmacological drug products.
In the past 13 years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved several new antidepressants, including Wellbutrin (bupropion), Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), Effexor (venlafaxine), Serzone (nefazodone), and Remeron (mirtazapine).
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 80 to 90 percent of all cases can be treated effectively. However, two-thirds of the people suffering from depression don't get the help they need, according to NIMH. Many fail to identify their symptoms or attribute them to lack of sleep or a poor diet, the APA says, while others are just too fatigued or ashamed to seek help.
Left untreated, depression can result in years of needless pain for both the depressed person and his or her family. And depression costs the United States an estimated $43 billion a year, due in large part to absenteeism from work, lost productivity, and medical costs, according to the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association.
Diagnosing the Disease
Medical professionals generally base a diagnosis of depressive disorder on the presence of certain symptoms listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. The DSM (presently in the fourth edition) lists the following symptoms for depression:
* depressed mood
* loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
* changes in appetite or weight
* disturbed sleep
* slowed or restless movements
* fatigue, loss of energy
* feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
* trouble in thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
* recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.
The diagnosis depends on the number, severity and duration of these symptoms.
Depression strikes about 17 million American adults each year--more than cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease--according to the Nat... more -
Spotting the Hot Zones: Now We Can Monitor Epidemics Hour by Hour
If you want to stop a disease outbreak — or a bioterrorist attack — you have to act fast. But health information typically moves at the pace of the receptionist at your doctor's office. The goal of Essence, the Department of Defense's Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics, is to pick up the tempo. Begun in 1999 to collect health data in the Washington, DC, area, Essence now monitors much of the Military Health System, which includes 400 facilities around the world.
"You don't have to be accurate to detect things," says Jay Mansfield, director of strategic information systems at the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, one of the agencies that developed Essence. "But you do need to be precise." Reports from every clinic, doctor, and pharmacy get broken into broad syndrome categories rather than specific diseases. One doctor might diagnose bronchitis and another pneumonia, but Essence doesn't care. It's just looking for similar illnesses and where and when they occur. "It's like a fire alarm," Mansfield says. "It goes off if there's smoke, so you can get in the kitchen and see what's going on."
Because 100 megabytes of data come in every day — the team stores 18 months' worth, about 2.5 terabytes — there's often more smoke than fire. A pharmacy running out of antidiarrheals could signal an outbreak of E. coli or just a two-for-one sale. Essence expanded to include new sources (like radiology and laboratory tests) this spring, which means the data issues just got even more complicated. The trick is parsing the data as it comes in so that patterns emerge in hours instead of days. "We detected a gastrointestinal outbreak in Korea," Mansfield says. "I called my boss, and he asked me, 'When did it happen?'"
Korea is 13 hours ahead of Washington. So Mansfield simply answered: "Tomorrow." If you want to stop a disease outbreak — or a bioterrorist attack — you have to act fast. But health information typically moves at th... more -
Changing your lifestyle can change your genes
Here's some very good news: your genes are not your destiny. Newsweek reports on new research showing that improved diet, meditation and other non-medical interventions can actually "turn off" the disease-promoting process in men with prostate cancer.
The changes included a plant-based diet (predominant fruits, vegetables, legumes, soy products, and whole grains low in refined carbohydrates), moderate exercise (walking 30 minutes per day), stress management techniques (yoga-based stretching, breathing techniques, meditation, and guided imagery for one hour per day), and participating in a weekly one-hour support group.
Here's some very good news: your genes are not your destiny. Newsweek reports on new research showing that improved diet, meditation a... more -
Child Obesity linked to diabetes and heart problems.
The researchers say the truth may prove to be worse: the recommended screening test for prediabetes may be making many children appear healthier than they really are.
The researchers say the truth may prove to be worse: the recommended screening test for prediabetes may be making many children appear... more
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