Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

Global Malaria Deaths Twice As High As Previously Estimated, IHME Study Suggests

Feb. 3, 2012

"Malaria is killing more people worldwide than previously thought, but the number of deaths has fallen rapidly as efforts to combat the disease have ramped up, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington" published in the Lancet on Thursday, an IHME press release reports. "More than 1.2 million people died from malaria worldwide in 2010, nearly twice the number found in the most recent comprehensive study of the disease," the press release states (2/2). The study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "used new data and new computer modeling to build a historical database for malaria between 1980 and 2010," BBC News notes (Bowdler, 2/2).

U.N. Says Famine Has Ended In Somalia But Emergency Conditions Remain For Millions

Feb. 3, 2012

"Famine conditions have ended in war-torn Somalia six months after they were declared, but the situation remains dire with a third of the population needing emergency aid, the U.N. said on Friday," Agence France-Presse reports (Vincenot, 2/3). "'Long-awaited rains, coupled with substantial agricultural inputs and the humanitarian response deployed in the last six months, are the main reasons for this improvement,' the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da Silva told journalists in Nairobi after visiting southern Somalia," Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C writes (2/3). "'We have three months, let's say, to work to avoid another possible famine from a drought. We cannot avoid the drought … but we can avoid famine from drought,' Graziano da Silva said, stressing the need for long-term measures to strengthen agricultural capacity," the Guardian reports (Chonghaile, 2/3).

Kenyan AIDS Official Says Country Has Sufficient Funding To Support Programs Through 2016

Feb. 3, 2012

Kenya has sufficient funds to support HIV/AIDS treatment programs through 2016, the head of the National AIDS Control Council (NACC) said in a statement on Wednesday after activists protested on Monday in support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Star reports. The Global Fund had to cancel Round 11 grants because "the cash at hand was not in the bank by the time we wanted to disburse," according to the Fund's Deputy Executive Director Debrework Zewdie, a move that sparked fears there would not be sufficient funding to pay for existing treatment programs, the Star notes (Muchangi, 2/2). In his statement, NACC head Alloys Orago said, "Though the available fund cushions beneficiaries from immediate effects of donor withdrawal up to 2016, such a move calls for home grown and innovative ways of locally financing the disease," according to the Daily Nation (2/2).

WHO Finds Very High Levels Of Drug-Resistant TB In Russia, Moldova

Feb. 3, 2012

"[T]he highest levels ever of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) have been found in Russia and Moldova," the WHO reports in research published in the February edition of the WHO Bulletin, but "the agency didn't have data from most of Africa and India, where tuberculosis rates are much higher," the Associated Press/USA Today's "Your Life" reports. According to the AP, the "experts reported that about 29 percent of new TB patients in parts of Russia were drug-resistant" and that "65 percent of previously treated patients in Moldova had resistance problems." The news service notes, "Normally, less than five percent of TB cases are drug-resistant" (2/2).

DRC Facing Decline In Donor Funding, HIV Treatment Shortage

Feb. 3, 2012

"The lives of thousands of HIV-positive people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are at risk as the country faces declining donor funding and a severe shortage of HIV treatment, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)," PlusNews reports. "'The problem is quite old in the DRC; the country has always been minimized by donors who have not seen it as a priority, mainly because HIV prevalence is relatively low at between three and four percent,' Thierry Dethier, advocacy manager for MSF Belgium in the DRC, told IRIN/PlusNews," and he added, "But look at the indicators: more than one million people are living with HIV, 350,000 of whom qualify for [antiretrovirals (ARVs)] but only 44,000 -- or 15 percent -- are on ARVs," the news service writes.

Knowledge, Resources Exist To Reach Maternal, Child Mortality MDGs In Africa With Unified Efforts

Feb. 2, 2012

In this Global Health and Diplomacy opinion piece, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete examines efforts to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets on maternal and child mortality in Africa, noting, "Although Africa has just 12 percent of the global population, it accounts for half of all maternal deaths and half the deaths of children under five." He writes, "Though global maternal deaths are in decline and women's health has at last become a global priority, our goal of reducing maternal mortality by 75 percent in 2015 is still a long way off. ... It is unacceptable to allow mothers and children to die when we have the knowledge and resources to save them."

Faster, Less Expensive Methods Of Circumcision Being Tested, Reviewed, New York Times Reports

Jan. 31, 2012

The New York Times examines developments in circumcision technology, after "three studies have shown that circumcising adult heterosexual men is one of the most effective 'vaccines' against [HIV] -- reducing the chances of infection by 60 percent or more." The newspaper writes, "[P]ublic health experts are struggling to find ways to make the process faster, cheaper, and safer" and "donors are pinning their hopes on several devices now being tested to speed things up." The New York Times reports on several circumcision methods currently being tested, including PrePex, which received FDA approval three weeks ago and "is clearly faster, less painful and more bloodless than any of its current rivals" (McNeil, 1/30).

MSF Closes Two Large Clinics In Mogadishu After Two Staff Members Killed Last Month

Jan. 19, 2012

"Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has shut down two major medical centers in the Somali capital Mogadishu after two of its aid workers were shot dead by a former colleague last month, the international medical aid agency said on Thursday," AlertNet reports. The closure of the two 120-bed centers, the largest of MSF's 13 projects in Somalia, cuts in half the organization's presence in the capital, the news service notes, adding that the centers have treated thousands of malnourished children and provided vaccinations or treatments to tens of thousands more patients since August 2011 (Migiro, 1/19).

Community Health Workers Vital To Improving Health Care In Africa

Jan. 18, 2012

Community health workers (CHWs) "are seen to be a key part of a functioning primary health system," especially in African nations, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, writes in a post on Huffington Post's "Impact" blog. "This system should include a clinic within short walking distance, with supplies, a skilled birth attendant and other staff, electricity, and safe water; an ambulance for emergency transport; an emergency '911' number; a policy of free care at the point of service (so as not to turn away the indigent); and trained and remunerated CHWs, taught also to treat diseases and save lives in the community," he says.

Estimating Number Of Births Without Skilled Birth Attendants In South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa

Jan. 18, 2012

Noting that the "fifth Millennium Development Goal target for 90 percent of births in low- and middle-income countries to have a skilled birth attendant (SBA) by 2015 will not be met," researchers from University College London estimate "that there will be between 130 and 180 million non-SBA births in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa from 2011 to 2015 (90 percent of these in rural areas)" in this BioMed Central Pregnancy & Childbirth article. They conclude, "Efforts to improve access to skilled attendance should be accompanied by interventions to improve the safety of non-attended deliveries" (1/17).

Mexico Sees Spike In Swine Flu After Two Years Of Low Transmission

Feb. 2, 2012

"There have been 1,623 cases of all strains of flu in Mexico recorded so far for January, 90 percent of them H1N1 [swine flu]," compared to "about 1,000 flu cases in Mexico during all of last year," of which roughly 250 cases were swine flu, Health Secretary Salomon Chertorivski Woldenberg told reporters on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. The news service notes, "Despite the spike, the number of cases is well within a normal flu season for Mexico, which can see from 5,000 to 11,000 incidents of all strains," Woldenberg said. "The low appearance of the H1N1 virus the past two years is one reason it's drawing so much media attention in Mexico," the AP writes, adding, "Public nervousness about H1N1 has been high since the first outbreak in spring 2009, when the virus initially appeared to have a high mortality rate and Mexican authorities closed restaurants, schools, museums, libraries, and theaters to stop its spread" (2/1).

Media Outlets Continue To Publish Expert Opinion Regarding H5N1 Bird Flu Research

Jan. 31, 2012

The PBS NewsHour blog "The Rundown" features excerpts from interviews with three experts discussing the recent debate over research conducted on the H5N1 bird flu virus. "What began as a question on whether scientific journals should publish the complete research has grown into an argument on whether to conduct these studies, and others like them, at all," according to the blog, which features quotes from Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers; Vincent Racaniello, a microbiologist at Columbia; and Carl Zimmer, a science journalist and author (Pelcyger, 1/30).

Global Health Frontline News Examines Clean Cookstove Efforts In Tanzania

Jan. 27, 2012

Global Health Frontline News (GHFN) reports on efforts to produce and provide clean cookstoves to people in Tanzania. The WHO estimates that indoor air pollution caused by smoke from cooking fires contributes to two million premature deaths annually, more than are caused by tuberculosis or malaria, according to GHFN. The piece includes comments from Radha Muthiah, executive director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, and Everline Kihulla, who works for the Tanzanian clean cookstove manufacturer TaTedo (Striker, January 2012).

Bird Flu Investigator Says Continuation Of Research Remains 'Urgent' Despite Moratorium

Jan. 26, 2012

Research into transmissible bird flu strains remains "urgent" despite flu investigators' recent declaration of a "60-day moratorium on avian flu transmission because of the current controversy," Yoshihiro Kawaoka of Tokyo University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, "a lead researcher on one of two recent studies showing how H5N1 can be transmitted through airborne droplets" among ferrets, writes in a commentary published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Reuters reports. In December, the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity "asked two leading journals, Nature and Science, to withhold details of both studies for fear it could be used by bioterrorists," the news agency notes.

Debate Over Publication Of Bird Flu Studies Continues In Journal Opinion Pieces

Jan. 20, 2012

"An international debate over whether to censor new research on bird flu may soon prove academic, as other laboratories close in on similar findings showing how one of the most deadly viruses could mutate to be transmitted from one person to another," Reuters reports. Last year, two teams of researchers reported study results "that showed how the H5N1 [bird flu] virus can be transmitted through airborne droplets between ferrets, a model for studying influenza in humans," and the findings prompted the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) in December to advise "two leading journals, Nature and Science, to withhold details of the research for fear it could be used by bioterrorists," the news service writes.

Republican Win In 2012 Election Could Spell End Of International Family Planning Programs

Feb. 3, 2012

"If a Republican becomes president, ... say goodbye to international programs providing birth control to women in desperately poor countries such as Liberia," senior contributing writer Michelle Goldberg writes in this Daily Beast opinion piece. Goldberg notes that birth control has become a "significant issue in the U.S. presidential campaign," writing, "All of the Republican candidates have slammed the administration's refusal to give religious institutions a broad exemption from the mandate that insurance cover family planning."

DRC Facing Decline In Donor Funding, HIV Treatment Shortage

Feb. 3, 2012

"The lives of thousands of HIV-positive people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are at risk as the country faces declining donor funding and a severe shortage of HIV treatment, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)," PlusNews reports. "'The problem is quite old in the DRC; the country has always been minimized by donors who have not seen it as a priority, mainly because HIV prevalence is relatively low at between three and four percent,' Thierry Dethier, advocacy manager for MSF Belgium in the DRC, told IRIN/PlusNews," and he added, "But look at the indicators: more than one million people are living with HIV, 350,000 of whom qualify for [antiretrovirals (ARVs)] but only 44,000 -- or 15 percent -- are on ARVs," the news service writes.

Presentation Highlights Contributions Of FBOs To Global Health

Feb. 2, 2012

This post on the Center for Strategic & International Studies' "Smart Global Health" blog reports on a presentation hosted by the Global Health Policy Center on Monday which "highlight[ed] the contributions faith-based-organizations (FBOs) make to global health, including the fight against HIV/AIDS." The post highlights quotes from several speakers at the event, provides audio footage of the event, and links to podcast interviews with Kay Warren, founder of the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church, and Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services (1/31).

Knowledge, Resources Exist To Reach Maternal, Child Mortality MDGs In Africa With Unified Efforts

Feb. 2, 2012

In this Global Health and Diplomacy opinion piece, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete examines efforts to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets on maternal and child mortality in Africa, noting, "Although Africa has just 12 percent of the global population, it accounts for half of all maternal deaths and half the deaths of children under five." He writes, "Though global maternal deaths are in decline and women's health has at last become a global priority, our goal of reducing maternal mortality by 75 percent in 2015 is still a long way off. ... It is unacceptable to allow mothers and children to die when we have the knowledge and resources to save them."

Ensure Future For Global Fund Or 'Forfeit' Chance At 'AIDS-Free Generation'

Feb. 2, 2012

In this New York Times opinion piece, Paul Farmer, chair of the department of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School and a co-founder of Partners in Health, examines the importance of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as it faces a "serious financial shortfall," writing, "Beyond AIDS, the Global Fund is currently the largest donor in the world for tuberculosis and malaria programs. ... The question is not whether the Global Fund works, but how to ensure it keeps working for years to come."

Low risk of heart incidents found for marathoners

Jan. 12, 2012

It’s dramatic news when a marathon runner collapses with no pulse. Now a big study finds such calamities are rare and usually due to a pre-existing heart problem.

Experts warn of carbon monoxide leaks

Jan. 9, 2012

When Robert Coffman began checking homes for energy efficiency, he discovered some had far more to worry about than drafty windows.

Offbeat Occupations: Yoga teacher a trainer in graceful aging

Jan. 9, 2012

The sounds of a sitar and a pair of hand drums flow from a stereo in the corner of the room. Ten colored yoga mats are splayed across the center of the floor.

As I See Fit: Start new routine by making small changes

Jan. 9, 2012

Do you look forward to your workouts and gym time? Are you “in shape” and enjoying the compliments that accompany a toned body? Are you thinking about amping your program up a notch?

Confront medical realities

Jan. 9, 2012

Deep down inside, we all know it: It’s inevitable, this living, breathing, beautiful, multipart machine, the human body, is - at some point, somewhere - going to break down.

Redskin London Fletcher’s fitness regimen

Jan. 31, 2012

Let’s say your job is to take off at a sprint, get moving about 20 mph and slam yourself full speed into a brick wall — 60 times in a single afternoon. We’d give you a helmet and lots of padding to protect yourself. Because of the toll this would take on your body, we’d make you do it only once a week. And we’d reward you handsomely.

Read full article >>

Keep your New Year’s fitness resolution without hitting the gym

Jan. 18, 2012

This is it. This is the year you finally get in shape, shed those pounds or meet that fitness pledge you made at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31.

But do you have to build the new you in a hot, stuffy gym, cheek by jiggly jowl with a dozen other sweaty resolutionaries awaiting their turn on the elliptical machine?

Read full article >>

My workplace fitness resolution

Jan. 10, 2012

I’m not saying my co-workers are fat. In fact, a fair number of them are toothpick skinny — including, unfairly, the guy who brings in his latest cupcake creation every other day. Many of them are also super-active, always running, biking and yoga-ing in their free time.

Read full article >>

Guys: Stretch now or pay later

Jan. 3, 2012

Listen up, ladies, because it’s confession time, and as you may know, this is not my gender’s forte. So let’s get this over with: Although we are bigger, stronger and faster than you are, we must acknowledge that when it comes to flexibility, most of us are pretty much outclassed. We aren’t built like you, and we don’ t bend like you do.

Read full article >>

Ways to get kids to eat quinoa

Jan. 25, 2012

When people ask me to list my favorite healthy foods, quinoa always tops the list. And not just because the National Restaurant Association named it the hottest trend in side dishes in 2010.

My boys think I like quinoa because when it was first discovered it was named “the mother grain.” Yes, I am proud to be a mother myself, but check out all the real reasons I love quinoa (pronounced “KEEN-wah”).

Read full article >>

Komen Reverses Stance on Planned Parenthood Grants

Feb. 4, 2012

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation apologized for its decision to cut grants to Planned Parenthood for cancer screening and said it would restore the funding.

Well: Today's Teens Better Behaved Than Their Parents

Feb. 2, 2012

In fact, today's teenagers are misbehaving a lot less than their parents did.

Well: What Doctors Can Learn From Musicians

Feb. 3, 2012

Could a coach bring back the intellectual vibrancy from medical-school days for one doctor, the way a music teacher inspires constant growth?

Army Studies Workout Supplements After 2 Deaths

Feb. 3, 2012

The military has removed dietary supplements containing the ingredient dimethylamylamine from stores on its bases, though the products are widely available elsewhere in the country.

Komen Foundation Urged to Restore Planned Parenthood Funds

Feb. 4, 2012

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation was faced with dissension in its own ranks and roiling anger online over its decision to end its long partnership with Planned Parenthood.

Thomson Reuters names top hospitals

Jan. 17, 2012

The top healthcare systems in the United States have lower 30-day mortality rates finds Thomson Reuters’ fourth annual study naming the top 15 health systems in the country. The measures used to score the top systems are underpinned by health information technology.

read more

11 healthcare data trends in 2012

Jan. 6, 2012

Mobile devices, data breaches and patient privacy rights were some of the most talked-about topics in health IT in 2011, and according to expert opinions complied by ID Experts, 2012 won’t be any different. 

In fact, experts continue to predict an upswing in mobile and social media usage, response plans, and even reputation fallout. Eleven industry experts outlined healthcare data trends to look for in 2012.

read more

10 tips for optimal social media use

Jan. 12, 2012

The days of tweeting, Yelp-ing, and checking-in are here to stay, but as social media’s use expands, certain guidelines are needed to ensure its “optimal” practice in the healthcare realm.  

Christina Thielst, hospital and healthcare administrator and author of the blog Christina’s Considerations, offers 10 tips for proper use of social media in healthcare. 

read more

5 ways to make your EMR more user-friendly

Jan. 19, 2012

One of the biggest objections to the adoption of an EMR is its usability (or lack thereof), which is no surprise considering the ease of its predecessor: paper. Thankfully, there are a few ways to make your system not only more bearable, but significantly easier to use.

read more

10 health IT wishes for 2012

Jan. 23, 2012

It’s easy to make predictions about health IT for the year to come, but what if someone asked what your IT wishes were for 2012? What would you like to see happen most in the health IT space? 

We asked Wendy Whittington, MD, a practicing pediatrician and chief medical officer of Anthelio Healthcare Solutions, to list her top 10 IT wishes for 2012. From interoperability to telehealth, Whittington outlined what she, and most of her peers, would hope to see come true during the upcoming year.  

read more

Achieving Equity in the Health System: The Commonwealth Fund's Vulnerable Populations Program

Jan. 31, 2012

Vulnerable populations have more difficulty obtaining health care, receive worse care, and experience poorer health outcomes than other groups. This blog post looks at the new Vulnerable Populations program, which aims to help achieve equity in the U.S. health system.

Incorporating INTERACT II Clinical Decision Support Tools into Nursing Home Health Information Technology

Jan. 23, 2012

This Commonwealth Fund–supported study examined some of the steps necessary to incorporate the the INTERACT clinical transition tools into nursing homes' health information technology systems.

Wellness Incentives, Equity, and the Five Groups Problem

Jan. 20, 2012

This Commonwealth Fund–supported study explores the equity concerns associated with wellness incentives, an increasingly popular way for employers to encourage participation in prevention programs, which can both improve workers' overall health and reduce costs.

Paying for "End-of-Life" Drugs in Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom: Balancing Policy, Pragmatism, and Societal Values

Jan. 19, 2012

This brief analyzes British, Australian,and German policies on coverage of "end-of-life" drugs.

Bending the Health Care Cost Curve: New Era in American Health Care?

Jan. 18, 2012

Health care spending in 2009 and 2010 grew at the slowest rates in 50 years. This startling news was largely attributed to the shrinking economy. In a new blog post, Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis suggests that lower longer-term projections point to a shift in the health system.