Countries

Pharmaceutical giant offers AIDS related antifungal drug free to 50 countries

Diflucan Partnership seems to be the latest mantra of Pfizer. The pharmaceutical giant has announced that it will supply free antifungal drug to 50 countries hardest hit by the AIDS virus. The decision by the Pfizer comes close on the heels of the South African Government winning a landmark case against pharmaceutical companies. In an announcement on Wednesday Pfizer said AIDS related antifunga...

Pharmaceutical giant offers AIDS related antifungal drug free to 50 countries

Diflucan Partnership seems to be the latest mantra of Pfizer. The pharmaceutical giant has announced that it will supply free antifungal drug to 50 countries hardest hit by the AIDS virus. The decision by the Pfizer comes close on the heels of the South African Government winning a landmark case against pharmaceutical companies. In an announcement on Wednesday Pfizer said AIDS related antifunga...

Countries Step up Battle Against Bird Flu

Rich nations have promised to step up the cash flow for fighting bird flu on Friday, and the World Bank estimated that $1.5 billion is needed to fight the pandemic on a global scale.// Most of the funds would be needed in East Asia and the Pacific region, followed by Europe and Central Asia, and then Africa. Latin America is considered low risk and if the disease were to spread to the re...

Diabetes cases could double in developing countries in next 30 years

The number of cases of diabetes in developing countries is likely to increase more than two-fold in the next 30 years, from 115 million in 2000 to 284 //million in 2030. WHO has marked World Diabetes Day, 14 November, 2003, with a commitment to increase its efforts to reduce the impact of diabetes and its complications, particularly among low- and middle-income communities, in collaboration with...

Lung Cancer Deaths Declining In Men But Not Women In European Countries

Researchers have found that death among men from lung cancer is now falling// in most EU countries, however they are still rising among women. Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the world. Researchers this week have reported that lung cancer deaths among men are now falling in most EU countries, including all new member states from central and easte...

HIV Infection Higher In Drug Trafficking Countries

Epidemiological study between drug users and HIV infection was done by Chris Beyrer// of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The results of the study showed that an epidemic of HIV infections is sweeping along the heroin-trafficking countries of Afghanistan to Eastern Europe. “This HIV/AIDS epidemic is just beginning and the virus is, again, ahead of our responses,” says Chris B...

European Countries To Fund $4 Billion For Vaccination For Poor Children’

International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) will be providing life saving vaccines for millions of poor children’s around the world with the project costing $4 billion to be funded by the European countries. // cBritish finance minister Gordon Brown said the scheme, the International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFF), would save the lives of some five million children over t...

Rich countries stock piling anti flu drugs with no stocks available for poor countries

Global concerns of bird flu outbreak is high but critics are more concerned with the availability of the drug is more in rich countries with no drug available to the developing and under developed countries//. Global concerns prevail possible bird flu outbreak that may occur anytime, due to current global conditions, as there are serious concerns over spread of the flu virus. As globa...

Bird Flu Meet called by France for EU Countries

Paris, Oct 11 Recent reports of bird flu from Turkey and Romania have alerted the , French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy to have an urgent meet of European Union ministers to coordinate decisions on fighting the illness.// Douste-Blazy, a physician by profession told France 2 television: “This is an animal epidemic. The bird flu virus is in the process of spreading and has...

Programs for development of health in poor countries not effective

Millennium Development Goals Memorandum signed between 189 countries from Developed and developing countries five years ago for providing better health conditions to people in poor countries have not attained any effective in providing health relief to these people had been reported in the Journal British Medical Journal//. If these countries are to make meaningful progress on the strat...

Pak Ban On Poultry Imports From 17 Countries

Pakistan has extended the ban on poultry and poultry products from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and four other countries, taking the total number of countries banned to 17.//The step has come as a precaution against the threat of avian influenza outbreak, said The News. Last month, Pakistan put a similar ban on 13 countries that include China, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodi...

More Funds required for Asian Countries to fight Bird Flu

World wide fears of bird flu pandemic is high as researchers feel that if mutation of the bird flu virus occurs it may lead to millions // of death world wide as the virus could have the capacity to air borne transmission leading spread in humans. Bird flu infection started in China from spread to poultry of bird flu virus from the river Qinghai and China as reported its seventh death due to bi...

Record Number of Countries Contributed to UNFPA in 2005

More countries contributed to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, in 2005 than in any year since its establishment in 1969, bringing the number of donor nations to 171.// In 2004, 166 nations had contributed to UNFPA. Every nation in Africa pledged funds to UNFPA in 2005. Contributions to the UNFPA regular resources last year were also the highest ever, touching $350 mill...

Home Based HIV counseling in African Countries

Christopher Smith, Member of African Subcommittee, House Committee on International Relations has urged the African countries to implement house to house AIDS testing and counseling as done in Uganda. //Uganda is conducting this program and as been found very effective in early diagnosis of HIV and also helps in avoiding social stigma of violence against HIV positive person due to ignorance about...

Need For Low Cost, Heat Stable HIV Drug in Developing Countries

Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), an International humanitarian group has criticized the practice of marketing new or improved drugs in the developed countries and less adapted drugs in the Asian, African and Latin American countries //, where the need is more felt. More than 60, 000 patients in these regions benefit from the anti-retroviral treatment provided by the concern. The drug k...

Developing Countries Undertake Cataloguing of Human Mutations

Developing countries have undertaken the lead in a global program to catalogue human mutations in their countries and make it available to anyone with internet access//. For a sample of the expected rewards, look at the work of Professor Raj Ramesar, a professor at the division of human genetics at the University of Cape Town. Ramesar studied the genes of a family who suffe...

Poultry Sales In EU Countries Show Recovery

An improvement in the poultry sales has been noted in Europe, following the reduction in number of bird flu cases over the past few weeks. The shift of the media coverage // to other important sections has in a large way contributed to alleviation of consumer fears about bird flu. Although poultry sales in some regions still present a pathetic picture, the overall situation seems p...

Countries Defenceless Against Bird Flu

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and certain Indian officials say that once the virus takes hold in any country developed or not it would become very difficult to eradicate. // Officials admitted that they are facing an uphill battle against bird flu, which they fear could mutate and spread easily from person to person, triggering a pandemic. The officials say that Bird flu is sprea...

EU Countries Pushed To Make All the Preparation to Handle the Bird Flu Pandemic

In order to effectively handle the situation in case of an outbreak of bird flu pandemic European Union (EU) are urged to make all necessary preparation.// They are asked to appoint a bird flu tsar. A top EU official said that European Union would also have to look harder at immediate practical measures and implement it in each of the bloc's 25 countries. He said that their problem is t...

British Psychiatrist At 62 Becomes The Countries Oldest Mother

A 62-year-old child psychiatrist has become Britain’s oldest mother after undergoing IVF treatment//. It was reported that Patti Farrant, professionally known as Patricia Rashbrook, gave birth to a boy, weighing about 3 kg, was born at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, by caesarean on Wednesday. It was reported that she is already a mother to three grown-up children from a...

Rich Countries Need to Curb Genital Surgery Before Criticizing Traditional Practices

Female genital mutilation (FGM), excision of clitoris is practiced as an initiation rite for women in rich countries without the use of anesthetics. A senior doctor sounds// off that instead of blaming the traditional practice that is going on for generations, sorting out the aesthetic procedure seeks prime importance. A report published on bmj.com last month probes that the procedur...

International Conference on The Costs And Benefits of HIV/AIDS Interventions in Developing Countries to be hosted by Harvard

According to UNAIDS, the available funding for 2006 was $8.9 billion against the need of $14.9 billion. The shortfall forces the national governments to find strategies to maximize the treatment and prevention strategies for their citizens. // The conference will attempt to address the issue through cost benefit and cost effectiveness analysis. The conference, which will be held Wedn...

Five Countries Plan Hike in Airfare Tax to Buy Drugs for AIDS Patients

France, Brazil, Britain, Norway and Chile announced a tax on airline tickets to raise $300 million dollars to buy AIDS drugs for patients who cannot afford them//. Representatives from the five nations, including Presidents Jacques Chirac of France and Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, were present for the announcement at the UN. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former US Presid...

Ulcer Drug Could Save Lives of Women in Developing Countries

The drug misoprostol, normally used to treat ulcers, was found to prevent excessive postpartum bleeding, a common cause of death of women in developing countries, according// to a study conducted by researchers at RTI International, the University of Missouri, India's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, and the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in the Oct. 8 issue of L...

India Stands Eighth Among South Asian Countries in Infant Mortality Rates

With 1.1 million infants dying in India in their first month of life itself, the country stands a poor sixth among the eight South Asian countries surveyed in terms of// preventive measures each adopts to protect the young ones. The State of World's Breastfeeding: South Asia Report Card-2006, a report carried out by International Baby Food Action Network Asian Pacific states that apar...

Eight More African Countries Included In US Malaria Program

Eight more African countries will be included in the $1.2 billion U.S. malaria program. The number of African countries benefiting from this program has risen to 23. // This five-year program is called the Malaria Initiative and its primary aim is eradication of malaria. More than a million people die due to malaria every year and 90% of them are from Africa, most of them being children...

TB Risk For HCWs High in Developing Countries

A Research published in PLoS Medicine shows that Health Care Workers (HCWs) in developing countries are particularly at high risk and over half were found //to have latent infection with tuberculosis, which is active. The infected HCWs can pass their infection on to patients and others. One third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that...

Developing Countries- Still The Least Likely To Use Contraception

A recent Analysis of the survey data from 55 developing countries has shown that, a ‘contraceptive gap’ separates the very poor from the rest of society.// It was already well known that rates of use of modern contraceptives have risen over several decades, but it was not clear whether this was true for all socio-economic groups. In this research published in the latest issu...

WHO Urges Asian Countries To Improve Infrastructure To Tackle Dengue

Asian countries need to improve their infrastructure to prevent and manage outbreaks of dengue. So Singapore's National Environment Agency is hosting// a World Health Organisation (WHO) meeting to chart a roadmap to improve their ability to tackle the disease. Dengue is a prevailing disease for the past two to three decades in Southeast Asia and in the Western Pacific. The...

Singapore to Offer Dengue Prevention Training to WHO Member Countries

Singapore's method of dealing with dengue is being held up as an example of what other countries should do to tackle the// problem. Following a three-day meeting of a group of World Health Organisation members, an international framework was formalised. A roadmap for 2007 was laid out to help countries build capacity in controlling the disease. Singapore's d...

Merck Cuts Price of Efavirenz for Developing Countries Again

Merck & Co has cut the price of efavirenz 600mg tablets (Stocrin) for developing countries that qualify for its access programme//, the company announced yesterday. It is the second price cut in a year, and crucially, it will make the branded version of efavirenz cheaper than a generic import in Thailand, where a compulsory license was recently issued to allow importation of efaviren...

Developing Countries may Fail MDG Sanitation Targets

Developing countries may fail to meet the sanitation target of the UN Millennium Development Goals because they lack civil engineering capacity, warned a civil engineering// professor. Jennifer Davis of Stanford University said international aid projects too often focus on new constructions that are not sustainable. Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Ad...

Health Workers in Developing Countries Undermines Essential Services

A chronic shortage of health workers in developing nations is undermining essential health services, including treatments for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria// , World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said on Tuesday in Singapore ahead of World Health Day on April 7. Thousands of health care professionals have left their homes in developing nations in search of higher...

U.N. Officials Call on Countries To Strengthen HIV/AIDS Prevention Efforts

Governments and health workers should focus their efforts on strengthening HIV/AIDS prevention efforts because increased access to antiretroviral drugs// will not overcome the pandemic, Kevin De Cock, director of the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS Department, and Michel Sidibe, deputy director of UNAIDS, said on Tuesday during a press conference in London. The officials' commen...

U.K. Backs Program To Improve Drug Access in Developing Countries

United Kingdom International Development Secretary Hilary Benn on Wednesday announced that the country will support the Medicines// Transparency Alliance -- an initiative that aims to improve access to quality medical care, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria treatment, in developing countries -- the Financial Times reports. MeTA aims to improve access to quality medicine by...

West Wants Developing Countries to Cut Down on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The "developed West" has called upon the developing rest to get down to the task of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases// instead of "constantly blaming the rich countries" for global warming. But as it happened Los Angeles, a showpiece of American capitalism, has been branded the most polluted city in the US. On the other hand studies have shown that China has succe...

Family Planning Initiatives Central To Reducing Child Mortality in Developing Countries

Focusing on family planning was a key aspect for countries that recently have made progress in reducing child mortality, according to a report released on Monday by Save the Children, the New York Times reports. The report, titled "State of the World's Mothers: Saving the Lives of Children Under 5," ranked the best and worst places to be a mother and child in 60 developing countries where 94% of...

Back to Basics in Health in Advanced Countries Now

Clearly a new wind is blowing across in three key advanced countries, UK, Australia and USA. People are sick, literally and metaphorically, one might say. The market-oriented policies pursued by the respective governments seem to have failed the people in a big way, nearly sparking off a major healthcare crisis. The powers-that-be are forced to reorient their strategies. In...

Non Communicable Diseases to Be the Cause of Deaths in Poor Countries by 2115-World Bank

The World Bank said that Cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, chronic illnesses in wealthy nations, will be the leading causes of death in poor countries by 2015. These diseases will replace the present major killers which include malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis. In its report the Bank emphasized the need for the government the counties to recognize the impending...

Doctor Migration Has Limited Impact on Health Care in Poor Countries: OECD

The migration of doctors and nurses from the developing to the developed world has only a limited impact on the crisis in health care in poor countries, the OECD said in a report Monday. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development noted that increased immigration of medical personnel to the 30 industrialised economies in the OECD had sparked fears of a "brain drain" t...