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Global Health

Saturday October 31, 2009

An Iraqi schoolgirl wears a protective mask as she is walked to school in the central Iraqi city of Kut, Oct. 19, 2009. Panic over swine flu prompted officials in Iraq to close about 2,000 schools in a bid to combat the virus. Ali al-Alak/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Ali al-Alak/AFP/Getty Images

World

Iraqis Fear New Enemy: H1N1 Virus

October 31, 2009 • Fewer than 500 cases of H1N1 have been reported in Iraq, but it's not uncommon to see schoolchildren walking home wearing surgical masks. Fear of the virus has caused a rash of school closures, and is even preventing some Iraqis from making this year's pilgrimage to Mecca.

Iraqis Fear New Enemy: H1N1 Virus

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Wednesday October 28, 2009

Bill And Melinda Gates: Benefits Of Global Health Aid

October 28, 2009 • Through their foundation, the Gateses support a variety of risky yet innovative projects to curtail diseases like AIDS and malaria. In an interview, they discuss the rewards and challenges of solving health crises, and explain how health aid helps a country get on its feet.

Bill And Melinda Gates: Benefits Of Global Health Aid

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Friday October 23, 2009

Flu Attack! How A Virus Invades Your Body

In this illustration, new viruses emerge from an infected human throat cell. When you get the flu, viruses turn your cells into tiny virus factories that help spread the disease. Courtesy XVIVO/Zirus hide caption

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Courtesy XVIVO/Zirus

Krulwich Wonders...

Flu Attack! How A Virus Invades Your Body

October 23, 2009 • When you get the flu, viruses turn your cells into tiny virus factories that help spread the disease. This animation takes you to the front lines of a viral assault that could be going on inside your body right now.

Wednesday October 14, 2009

Swine Flu: The Second Wave

Government Keeps Close Eye On Swine Flu Vaccine

October 14, 2009 • Public health officials are confident that the new H1N1 vaccine is safe. Still, as with any vaccine, they have systems in place to monitor vaccine recipients in order to spot any potential problems.

Government Keeps Close Eye On Swine Flu Vaccine

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Tuesday October 13, 2009

Opinion

Debate Over H1N1 Vaccine? There Shouldn't Be One

October 13, 2009 • The new vaccine against pandemic H1N1 influenza, commonly known as "swine flu," should soon become widely available across the country. Commentator Douglas Kamerow, a family physician and former assistant surgeon general, has a simple answer for the "immunize or not" question.

Debate Over H1N1 Vaccine? There Shouldn't Be One

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Wednesday September 30, 2009

Health

Progress In Treating HIV; Still A Long Way To Go

September 30, 2009 • More than 4 million people in low- and middle-income countries are currently receiving life-preserving drug treatments for HIV, a 39 percent increase in one year. Still, in many countries in Africa, the number of people infected continues to rise, and funding for treatment is in danger.

Progress In Treating HIV; Still A Long Way To Go

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Thursday September 10, 2009

Swine Flu: The Second Wave

Q&A: Where Did The Swine Flu Come From?

September 10, 2009 • The new H1N1 virus was first identified in April 2009 after a rash of outbreaks in Mexico and the U.S. that quickly spread around the globe. Health officials are worried about this strain because of its rapid spread and the high number of young people sickened, and because few are resistant to the new virus.

Friday September 4, 2009

Swine Flu: The Second Wave

Swine Flu Prevention: Preparing For Another Wave

September 4, 2009 • Public health officials are preparing for the swine flu to make a strong comeback this fall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is emphasizing prevention, stressing the importance of personal hygiene and vaccinating as many people as possible.

Monday August 24, 2009

Courtesty of Jay Scruggs

CDC Tuberculosis Rule Slows International Adoption

August 24, 2009 • The CDC now requires that internationally adopted children with TB be treated in their home countries. For 4-year-old Harper that meant two weeks in a Beijing hotel with her new parents, instead of a flight to her new home in Virginia.

CDC Tuberculosis Rule Slows International Adoption

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Health

Panel Calls H1N1 'Serious Health Threat'

August 24, 2009 • Health officials are pushing to expand their use of the Internet to educate the public about an H1N1 flu epidemic, as they prepare to fight what's been called a "serious health threat" with tweets, blogs and posts on Facebook and MySpace.

Friday August 14, 2009

On Aging

Age Doesn't Mean Heart Disease For Bolivian Tribe

August 14, 2009 • Researchers are studying Bolivia's Tsimane tribe to better understand the effects of aging in the developed world. Gerontologist Eileen Crimmins describes a study that looked for signs of heart disease in the Tsimane, who still live a relatively traditional lifestyle.

Age Doesn't Mean Heart Disease For Bolivian Tribe

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Monday August 10, 2009

Health

Swine Flu Vaccine Trials Begin Testing Volunteers

August 10, 2009 • In effort to prepare for a major outbreak this fall, the government began testing an H1N1 influenza vaccine Monday. Eight centers across the nation are moving quickly to test the vaccine's safety and determine the necessary dosage to build antibodies.

Thursday July 30, 2009

The International Organ Trafficking Market

July 30, 2009 • With tens of thousands of Americans on a waiting list for donations, there is a thriving international black market for organs. Lindy Washburn, senior writer at The Record, and Nancy Scheper-Hughes, director of Organs Watch, explain the exchange of money for human organs.

The International Organ Trafficking Market

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Sunday July 26, 2009

In Africa, Bringing AIDS Treatment Closer To Home

Charles Kibe, right, a volunteer who works with HIV/AIDS-infected people in the Korogocho slum in Nairobi, Kenya, attends a patient at a health clinic in December 2007. Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images

In Africa, Bringing AIDS Treatment Closer To Home

July 26, 2009 • The results of a five-year clinical trial underline problems with forcing rural Africans to travel to cities for routine lab tests. The findings could lead to new protocols that free up money currently used for testing to provide treatment for more African HIV/AIDS patients.

In Africa, Bringing AIDS Treatment Closer To Home

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Monday July 20, 2009

Swine Flu Hits Pandemic Level

Officials Scramble To Prep Swine Flu Vaccine By Fall

July 20, 2009 • For the first time ever, U.S. health officials will vaccinate Americans against two flu strains in one season. They're aiming to have an H1N1 vaccine ready by the fall, but slow growth of the vaccine strain means there likely won't be enough for everyone until December.

Officials Scramble To Prep Swine Flu Vaccine By Fall

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