The progress made in the House Budget Committee is good news for health reform and the millions of Americans who are victims of the worst abuses of the insurance companies. Across the country, Americans have seen their health insurance premiums skyrocket or been denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Health care costs are crushing business, family, and government budgets...

Public safety should win against personal choice especially when it comes to elderly seniors who shouldn't drive, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Seniors can be the safest drivers but that decreases with age as a growing number of medical conditions can lower a person's ability to drive. By 2025, one in four Canadians will be 65 or older...

An estimated three to four million people - about one in every eight Canadians - drink water from private supplies. Infrequent testing and maintenance puts consumers of these water supplies at greater risk of contamination than public systems, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)...

Many visits by dying cancer patients to the emergency department can be avoided with effective palliative care, states an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). In Ontario, about 40% of cancer patients visit the emergency department in the last 2 weeks of life...

Mammograms, pap smears and early detection tests for prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and other malignancies are critical for catching cancer before it becomes deadly...

Forensic scientists may soon have a valuable new item in their toolkits -- a way to identify individuals using unique, telltale types of hand bacteria left behind on objects like keyboards and computer mice, says a new University of Colorado at Boulder study...

The offer of federal stimulus funds is spurring Indiana health care providers to convert to electronic medical records, The (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Journal Gazette reports. "Parkview Health and Lutheran Health Network have shortened timelines on scheduled conversions to electronic medical records because of the expected federal rebate...

A new tool is now publicly available for health care companies to assess their organizations' approaches to ensuring that communication with patients promotes consumer engagement, and to advance their health literacy programs. Developed by Emory University researcher and highly respected health literacy expert Dr...

African-American, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged patients with brain tumors are significantly less likely to be referred to high-volume hospitals that specialize in neurosurgery than other patients of similar age, the same gender, and with similar comorbidities, according to new research by Johns Hopkins doctors...

Births to minority women in the U.S. soon could surpass births to white women, according to a study published recently in the journal Population and Development Review, the New York Times reports. In the 12 months leading up to July 2008, minorities accounted for 48% of all U.S. births...

The Washington Post: "In the hope of expanding a controversial form of organ donation into emergency rooms around the United States, a federally funded project has begun trying to obtain kidneys, livers and possibly other body parts from car-accident victims, heart-attack fatalities and other urgent-care patients...

New, fairer funding arrangements, a review of the current settlement for older people and reforms to the benefits system are among the proposals put forward in a major new report on the social care system by The King's Fund today. Securing good care for more people updates the review of social care led by Sir Derek Wanless published by the Fund in 2006...

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted an analysis of worldwide use of Haemophilus influenza Type b vaccine (Hib) to determine what factors influenced a nation's adoption of the vaccine...

John B. Buse, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected to receive a Clinical Excellence award at the Castle Connolly National Physician of the Year Awards ceremony. Buse is a professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, chief of the division of endocrinology and metabolism and director of the UNC Diabetes Care Center...

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has opened its consultation on potential new indicators for inclusion in the 2011/12 Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). Stakeholders are invited to email their comments on a set of potential indicators via the NICE website (http://www.nice.org.uk)...

Research published ahead of print in the journal Tobacco Control reports that young Britons see significantly more on-screen smoking in movies than their US peers. The authors comment that the UK film classification system is to blame. It rates more films as suitable for young people than its US counterpart...

The National Minority Quality Forum (The Forum) is launching a new public information campaign aimed to help educate consumers, physicians, and policymakers about the risks associated with prescribing and taking unapproved drugs that have not been subjected to the rigorous Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) review and approval process...

The study, Rising to the challenge: health priorities for the Government and the NHS looks at the scale of the task facing a new administration after this year's General Election. It argues that the demands of a spending squeeze combined with lifestyle factors, the UK's aging population and the increasing cost of healthcare mean the NHS is facing one of the most difficult moments in its history...

Australian driver licensing authorities must take responsibility for determining whether a person's medical condition makes them unfit to drive. This can be difficult, especially for conditions like epilepsy, where the impairment is intermittent and unpredictable...

A longitudinal study has disproved previous research showing access to motor vehicle accident compensation affects recovery outcomes after injury. Conducted by Dr Meaghan O'Donnell, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, and her co-authors, the study included 391 randomly selected patients with moderate-to-severe injuries...

Urban Institute: The Cost Of Uncompensated Care With And Without Health Reform - This report analyzes various health bills. "The cost of uncompensated care will fall from $62.1 billion in 2009 to $46.6 billion in 2019 under the Senate bill, and to $36.5 billion in 2019 with the House bill...

A new mathematical model developed by Indiana University Bloomington and Arizona State University geographers could help communities that are in the midst of passing or reforming sex offender laws. The researchers describe the model and report its first test in an Early View edition of Papers in Regional Science...

The U.S. State Department on Thursday released its annual review on the state of human rights around the world, the Associated Press reports. The 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which includes an assessment of 194 countries, "described abuses in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe," according to the news service (Klug, 3/11)...

The Associated Press: "Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggest that too many Americans -- maybe even President Barack Obama -- are being overtreated...

"The sour economy is producing a bumper crop of cash-strapped consumers, business owners and shady agents who're fueling a wave of insurance fraud that's keeping regulators and law enforcement officials busy from coast to coast," McClatchy reports...

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted an analysis of worldwide use of Haemophilus influenza Type b vaccine (Hib) to determine what factors influenced a nation s adoption of the vaccine. The study found that a nation s eligibility for support from the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) and whether a country s neighbors used the vaccine were major influencing factors in addition to price of the vaccine. The findings appear in the March 16 edition of PLoS Medicine.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed new methods for analyzing health data geographically. Typically, data are plotted spatially through a process known as geocoding in which mailing address information is translated into map coordinates. However, not all addresses can be converted successfully (nongeocodable). Rural postal routes, post office boxes, and addresses with errors or missing information cannot be mapped using geocoding. Health records linked with these type addresses have traditionally been discarded from analysis leading to concerns of bias and underreporting. In a study published February 10 in the journal PLoS ONE, the researchers develop and evaluate strategies for including nongeocoded data in spatial analysis.

Measurements of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) more accurately identify persons at risk for clinical outcomes than the commonly used measurement of fasting glucose, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. HbA1c levels accurately predict future diabetes, and they better predict stroke, heart disease and all-cause mortality as well. The study appeared in the March 4, 2010, issue of New England Journal of Medicine.

The Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health now offers training in all six official United Nations languages. The translated learning course, Global Tobacco Control: Learning from the Experts is available in Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic and Chinese, as well as English. The content is available free of charge at GlobalTobaccoControl.org, a site funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Mosquitoes--not birds as suspected--may have a played a primary role in spreading West Nile virus westward across the United States, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study is among the first to examine the role of mosquitoes in the dispersion of West Nile virus across the U.S. and is published in the March 2 edition of Molecular Ecology.

Approximately 66 percent of respondents to a Maryland telephone survey do not have advance medical directives, according to a new report by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health s Department of Health Policy and Management. Younger adults and blacks were less likely than older adults and whites, respectively, to report having an advance directive, which includes the living will and health care power of attorney. Advance directive is an end-of-life planning tool that provides instructions for types of medical treatment that are desired and/or who can make decisions about medical care should someone be unable to do so for him or herself. The results will be published in an upcoming issue of Health Policy and are available online at the journal s website.

Carl E. Taylor, MD, DrPH, founder of the academic discipline of international health and a man of spiritual conviction who dedicated his life to the well-being of the world's marginalized people, passed away February 4 from prostate cancer. He was 93. The reach of his life was extraordinary, personally working in over 70 countries and having students from more than 100 countries.

The results from two new studies from Mexico and Africa conclude that rotavirus vaccination can significantly reduce deaths from diarrheal disease among young children in developing countries. The studies are published in the January 28 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. In an accompanying editorial, Mathuram Santosham, MD, MPH, a pediatrician and professor of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, writes that the data support the use of rotavirus vaccines in the poorest countries in the world.

The death rate from injuries in rural areas of China is higher than in urban areas, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health s Center for Injury Research and Policy. Rural males of all ages were 47 percent more likely to die from injuries than urban males, and the overall rate in rural females was 33 percent higher than in urban females. For babies under one year of age, unintentional suffocation was the most important source of the total urban-rural disparity, whereas drowning was the great contributor to disparity among children ages 1 to 4 years. At the other end of the age spectrum, suicide accounted for the bulk of the disparity for both men and women. The report is published in the winter 2010 issue of The Journal of Rural Health.

High antiretroviral therapy adherence, which has been shown to be a major predictor of HIV disease progression and survival, is now associated with lower health care costs, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Researchers examined the effect of antiretroviral therapy adherence on direct health care costs and found that antiretroviral therapy improves health outcomes for people infected with HIV, saving a net overall median monthly health care cost of $85 per patient. The results are featured in the January 5, 2010, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The April 2009 H1N1 outbreak at a Queens, New York, high school was widespread but did not cause severe disease, according to an analysis conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Their findings suggest that the transmission and spread of novel H1N1 influenza are similar to those of seasonal influenza strains. The results appear in the December 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Scientists have identified a strain of antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis that thrives in the presence of rifampin, a front-line drug in the treatment of tuberculosis. The bacterium was identified in a patient in China and is described in a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Chongqing Pulmonary Hospital, Lanzhou University and Fudan University. The researchers determined that the bacteria grew poorly in the absence of the antibiotic rifampin and better in the presence of the drug. They also observed that the patient s condition grew worse with treatment regimens containing rifampin, before being cured with rifampin-free regimens. The study, which will appear in the January 2010 issue of The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, is among the first to document the treatment of a patient with rifampin-dependent infection.

Volunteer service, such as tutoring children, can help older adults delay or reverse declining brain function, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers found that seniors participating in a youth mentoring program made gains in key brain regions that support cognitive abilities important to planning and organizing one s daily life. The study is the first of its kind to demonstrate that valuable social service programs, such as Experience Corps--a program designed to both benefit children and older adults health--can have the added benefits of improving the cognitive abilities of older adults, enhancing their quality of life. The study is published in the December issue of the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

There is no safe level for secondhand smoke exposure and we know that exposure to tobacco smoke can lead to serious health consequences, said Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH, dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This report defines the progress that has been made globally towards limiting exposure to harmful secondhand smoke while defining where additional progress is needed.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has established the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) to increase access to lifesaving vaccines by overcoming many of the obstacles that often delay vaccine usage and distribution.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health s International Injury Research Unit (IIRU) and Center for Injury Research and Policy today announced that Adnan A. Hyder, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor with the Bloomberg School s Department of International Health and director of the IIRU, will lead the School s effort on Michael Bloomberg s $125 million Global Road Safety Program. The IIRU will join forces with five partner organizations, including the World Health Organization, to implement and coordinate activities with local governmental and non-governmental organizations in 10 countries to avert injuries and fatalities caused by road traffic crashes.

A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health identified evidence of selective outcome reporting for clinical trials of off-label use of the seizure medication, gabapentin. The analysis compared study protocols for off-label use and the manufacturer s internal research reporting with published reports of study findings. The results are published in the November 12 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Robert S. Lawrence, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health s Center for a Livable Future (CLF), has been presented with the Sedgwick Award Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health, the American Public Health Association s (APHA) oldest and most prestigious award. The award was established to recognize distinguished service to public health. Lawrence was presented with the award at the Public Health Awards Reception & Ceremony on November 11 in Philadelphia, Penn., at the close of APHA s 137th Annual Meeting and Exposition.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health s Center for Communication Programs (CCP) was awarded a Global Media Award for Best Serial Drama by the Population Institute. The annual award honors those who bring greater public awareness to the challenges related to population and reproductive health. CCP was recognized for the radio serial drama, Neighbors, which was produced in Uganda as part of a national campaign to encourage young married men to have smaller families using modern family planning methods with their wives.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health s Center for Communication Programs has been awarded a five year grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to ensure the distribution and proper use of long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs) in malaria endemic countries. The new project, called NetWorks will partner with the Malaria Consortium, Catholic Relief Services and hundreds of local agencies across Africa and parts of Asia. The project will have an estimated cost of up to $100 million.

15 March 2010 -- The world is on track to meet safe drinking-water standards but more work needs to be done to improved sanitation

9 March 2010 -- WHO is releasing new guidelines for the treatment of malaria, and the first ever guidance on procuring safe and efficient anti-malarial medicines.

8 March -- On the occasion of International Women's Day, WHO encourages joining forces to fix the failures in health systems so that girls and women may enjoy equal access to health information and services.

4 March 2010 -- Over 85 million children under five years old will be immunized against polio in 19 countries across West and Central Africa in an example of cross-border cooperation aimed at stopping a year-long polio epidemic.

3 March 2010 -- WHO along with five other UN agencies, have signed a joint statement enhancing the rights of adolescent girls

3 March 2010 -- Governments around the world proclaim 2011-2020 the decade of action for road safety. WHO welcomes the UN General Assembly seeks to halt the increase of world wide traffic accidents through a decade of action.

26 February -- On 25 February, WHO was saddened by the death of Professor Ihsan Dogramaci, who will be remembered for his tireless efforts and accomplishments in public health care. He was the last living signatory of the WHO Constitution, signed in New York in July 1946.

26 February 2010 -- The fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was held today in the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organization.

24 February 2010 -- The first Global Forum of the Noncommunicable Disease Network (NCDnet) marks the first time WHO has convened key stakeholder groups to address the large-scale and increasing global health and development burden posed by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

29 January 2010 -- WHO welcomes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledge of US$ 10 billion over the next ten years to accelerate global vaccine efforts.