Global Health

Tuesday March 22, 2005

Analysis

World

Sudan's Crisis, Seen at Close Range

March 22, 2005 • U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has accused Sudan's government of doing little to stop attacks on civilians by militias in Darfur, where millions have become refugees. Former U.S. Marine Capt. Brian Stiedle says he witnessed atrocities first-hand in Sudan -- and he took pictures.

Friday March 11, 2005

Research News

Human Genome Project Update

March 11, 2005 • Scientists announce that they have found a gene for a common age-related eye disease, macular degeneration. In the years since the Human Genome Project began, many announcements of new gene findings have held out the potential of future medical advances. How far does 'finding a gene' go towards actually developing a treatment?

Human Genome Project Update

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Tuesday March 1, 2005

Teams Strive to Immunize Against Polio in Nigeria

March 1, 2005 • The World Health Organization has started a five-nation polio vaccination campaign in an effort to rid the world of the disease. This renewed effort comes after Nigerian officials boycotted the vaccine last year, causing polio resurgences in neighboring countries.

Teams Strive to Immunize Against Polio in Nigeria

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Friday February 25, 2005

Bird Flu Update

February 25, 2005 • The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization are stepping up preparations for a possible avian flu pandemic as early as next year.

Bird Flu Update

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Wednesday February 23, 2005

Watching for the Next Pandemic

Flu Fears Threaten Thai Cockfighting Tradition

February 23, 2005 • In Thailand, strictures put in place to contain avian flu have imperiled the future of cockfighting, a pastime that many consider an integral part of rural life.

Flu Fears Threaten Thai Cockfighting Tradition

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Health Officials Sound Warning on Bird Flu

February 23, 2005 • International health officials meeting in Vietnam Wednesday express concern about the potential for a bird flu pandemic in Asia. The disease has killed some 45 people in the region.

Health Officials Sound Warning on Bird Flu

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Watching for the Next Pandemic

February 23, 2005 • As a deadly strain of bird flu continues to circulate in Asia, public health officials are on the watch for any signs of mutation. Three times in the past century, bird influenzas have spread to people, causing millions of deaths. The next global flu pandemic will probably start with birds as well.

Monday February 21, 2005

Deadly Chagas Infection a Growing U.S. Threat

February 21, 2005 • Chagas disease, a potentially fatal parasitic infection, has recently emerged in the United States, striking tens of thousands. Spread by insects, the disease has plagued Latin America for decades. Reporter Sandy Hausman traveled to Honduras to see what's being done about it.

Deadly Chagas Infection a Growing U.S. Threat

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S. Africa: Rise in AIDS Deaths

February 21, 2005 • In South Africa, mortality rates from AIDS have increased by 57 percent over five years, according to the South African government. While the reporting of AIDS deaths remains a matter of debate, the deaths of young men and women make up most of the increase.

S. Africa: Rise in AIDS Deaths

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Monday February 7, 2005

Rachel Deco, Biking For AIDS -- and Herself

February 7, 2005 • Monday is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. In Los Angeles, one young black woman is going to extraordinary lengths to do her part. Rachel Deco is training for a 600-mile bike ride to raise money to fight the disease -- and get into shape in the process.

Rachel Deco, Biking For AIDS -- and Herself

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Thursday January 27, 2005

Race

AIDS Conspiracy Beliefs Strong Among U.S. Blacks

January 27, 2005 • A recent poll finds that many African-Americans believe the virus that causes AIDS is man-made, and is part of a larger conspiracy to decimate black populations. More than half of those surveyed believed there is a cure for AIDS, but it is being withheld from the poor. NPR's Tony Cox speaks with Laura Bogart, a behavioral scientist for the RAND Corporation research group and a co-author of the study, and with Phill Wilson, director of the Black AIDS Institute, an HIV/AIDS policy center in Los Angeles.

AIDS Conspiracy Beliefs Strong Among U.S. Blacks

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Wednesday January 26, 2005

Business

Canada's Ranchers Skeptical of U.S. Beef Market

January 26, 2005 • The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to reopen the market to Canadian cattle in March. But as NPR's Greg Allen reports, in Canada's cattle country, mad cow disease has sown distrust in an industry where borders once didn't matter.

Canada's Ranchers Skeptical of U.S. Beef Market

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U.N.'s Millennium Report Targets Poverty, Hunger

January 26, 2005 • According to a new report by the United Nations Millennium Project, every 3.6 seconds, someone dies of starvation -- and it's usually a child. Last week, the United Nations unveiled a comprehensive strategy to turn the tide of extreme global poverty. NPR's Tony Cox takes a closer look at the plan with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, director of both the U.N. Millennium Project and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and Bill Fletcher, president of TransAfrica Forum.

U.N.'s Millennium Report Targets Poverty, Hunger

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Wednesday January 19, 2005

Media

Doctors Without Borders Underreported Stories List

January 19, 2005 • The charity group Doctors Without Borders releases its seventh-annual "Top 10 Most Underreported Humanitarian Stories of 2004" list. NPR's Tony Cox runs through the list with the executive director of Doctors Without Borders, Nicolas de Torrenté.

Doctors Without Borders Underreported Stories List

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Friday January 14, 2005

Research News

Gene May Offer Protection Against HIV/AIDs

January 14, 2005 • Researchers say they've found a gene that appears to offer some protection from HIV, and that could also delay the onset of full-blown AIDS in those who do become infected. We look at the genetics of HIV infection and efforts to develop a vaccine.

Gene May Offer Protection Against HIV/AIDs

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