Congress fails on Zika virus
Andrew W. Gurman, M.D., President of the American Medical Association, has expressed disappointment in the failure of Congress to support the US public health response to Zika Virus:
At a time when concerns continue to mount about the nation’s readiness to protect the public from the Zika virus, the AMA is disappointed by Congress’ failure to pass legislation before adjourning for summer recess that would provide the resources necessary for our country to respond to this looming public health crisis.
Without ensuring there are sufficient resources available for research, prevention, control and treatment of illness...
Source: virology blog - July 15, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary Information Congress health funding microcephaly viral virology virus viruses zika virus Source Type: blogs
Proposed Drug and Device Laws Should Be Pushed to 2017
By PAUL BROWN, TRACY RUPP, and STEVEN FINDLAY
Senate leaders now say they won’t consider companion legislation to the House-passed 21st Century Cures Act until September, after months of delay. Lawmakers would then have to reconcile the differing House and Senate versions, presumably by year’s end during a lame-duck Congress.
We believe the summer delay is a good thing, and that Congress should actually extend consideration of the complex legislation into 2017 when must-pass FDA funding through industry user-fees will be on the congressional calendar. That way, lawmakers can debate the implications of the propos...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 14, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized 21st Century Cures Act Consumer's Union FDA User Fees Medical Devices Steven Findlay Source Type: blogs
Zika virus review
(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)
Source: Notes from Dr. RW - July 14, 2016 Category: Internal Medicine Tags: infectious disease Source Type: blogs
FDA Takes Action against Zika Virus
By: Robert M. Califf, M.D., and Luciana Borio, M.D. Zika virus was first identified in 1947 in Uganda and for decades only sporadic cases and a few outbreaks were recognized in a number of locations, including parts of Africa, Asia, … Continue reading → (Source: FDA Voice)
Source: FDA Voice - July 12, 2016 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
Congress Shouldn’t Pass The 21st Century Cures Act In A Summer Rush
The full Senate may in the next few days consider companion legislation to the 21st Century Cures Act that passed the House last year. The legislation—currently 19 separate bills—makes substantial changes to the way the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves drugs and devices. Set to adjourn for an extended election-year summer recess on July 15, the clock is ticking. The congressional calendar in the fall is full and the Senate may simply not have the time to take up the complex legislation, and reconcile it with the House version, before the November elections.
We believe that’s a good thing. The legi...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - July 11, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Paul Brown, Tracy Rupp and Steven Findlay Tags: Drugs and Medical Technology Featured Public Health Quality 21st Century Cures Act Congress FDA NIH regulation Source Type: blogs
Build Your Own Zika Prevention Kit
Do you live in or are traveling to an area that has the mosquito that spreads Zika? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has downloadable posters and handouts in multiple languages. The materials provide guidance for pregnant women and for people who want to build a home Zika prevention kit.
Download materials: http://bit.ly/29HfJAZ (Source: BHIC)
Source: BHIC - July 11, 2016 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kate Flewelling Tags: Emergency Preparedness Multilingual Public Health Regional Information Source Type: blogs
Don’t Let Zika Stop the Olympics
By ASHISH JHA, MD
An expert panel convened by the World Health Organization just declared that there is no scientific basis for canceling, postponing or moving the 28th Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August or the Paralympics in September because of the Zika outbreak. While many of us experts have expressed concerns about how the WHO handled Ebola and other outbreaks, this time the WHO got it right.
There are ample reasons for alarm: The Zika virus continues to spread in Brazil. Zika infection during pregnancy can have devastating effects on developing fetuses, leading to severe brain damage. The risk is so substant...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 10, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Not Your Typical Health Conference: Takeaways From Spotlight Health
For the second year, a small Health Affairs team attended Spotlight Health in beautiful Aspen, Colorado. With life-sized scrabble games and lemonade stands by Jack, Spotlight Health is different from your typical health conference. This year’s topics also went beyond typical — opioids, planetary health, healthy eating, gender, and child development were some of the issues covered in sessions.
Here are a few of the ideas we heard that are worth sharing.
1. Curbing the Opioid Epidemic
The opioid crisis is disproportionately affecting those in rural areas. The US Department of Agriculture (yes, you read that right) i...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - July 7, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Rachel Dolan Tags: Costs and Spending Drugs and Medical Technology Equity and Disparities Featured Global Health Population Health Public Health Access big data Contraception opioid epidemic Pharma Source Type: blogs
Controlling mosquitoes inside and outside your home
The CDC has a helpful web page, http://1.usa.gov/293cVcZ, with tips on how to control mosquitoes inside and outside your home or business. There are specific recommendations on how to limit standing water, spray for mosquitoes, and keep mosquitoes out of the house. (Source: BHIC)
Source: BHIC - June 30, 2016 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Annette Parde-Maass Tags: Public Health Zika Source Type: blogs
Killing Zika Virus Carrying Mosquitoes with Gene Drives?
Genetically engineering out the lives of pests is not a new idea. The idea of leveraging sexual reproduction to pass specific gene changes (mutations or alterations) through entire populations to control pests has been proposed as far back as the 1940s, for example, A Strain of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti Selected for Susceptibility to the […] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM)
Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM - June 27, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jane Tags: Science and Research Source Type: blogs
Killing Zika Virus Carrying Mosquitoes with Gene Drives?
Genetically engineering out the lives of pests is not a new idea. The idea of leveraging sexual reproduction to pass specific gene changes (mutations or alterations) through entire populations to control pests has been proposed as far back as the 1940s, for example, A Strain of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti Selected for Susceptibility to the Avian Malaria Parasite Plasmodium lophurae.
Evolutionary geneticist Austin Burt was credited with the method of cutting DNA to reduce populations of disease-spreading species and the associated idea of “Gene drives”. The central idea behind a gene drive is to ensure that the engineere...
Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM - June 27, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jane Chin Tags: Science and Research Source Type: blogs
Best Post of April 2016: Zika virus isolated from fetal brain tissue
In this report, Dr. Ho and colleagues describe a case of a pregnant woman and her fetus infected with the Zika virus during the eleventh week of gestation. The fetus had a significantly decreased head circumference by the twentieth week of gestation. Given the grave prognosis, the mother elected to terminate the pregnancy at 21-weeks gestation. Postmortem analysis of the fetal brain revealed diffuse cerebral cortical thinning, a high Zika virus RNA load, detection of viral particles, and isolation of the Zika virus from brain tissue. This is the first report of Zika virus isolation from fetal brain tissue. This f...
Source: neuropathology blog - June 27, 2016 Category: Radiology Tags: Best of the Month series infectious disease Source Type: blogs
Zeke Emanuel May Not Be Right This Time: Increasing Costs Will Probably Not Slow Antibiotic Resistance
Ezekiel J. (Zeke) Emanuel,
MD, PhD, is chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the
University of Pennsylvania. On May 30, 2016, the Washington Post published an
opinion piece by Dr. Emanuel titled “Want to Win $2 Billion? Create the Next
Antibiotic.”
In the article,
Dr. Emanuel makes two key points: (1) the low cost of antibiotics may be one of
the principal factors that have led to doctors over-prescribing these drugs;
(2) the low cost of antibiotics with the resulting low rate of return on
investment for pharmaceutical companies dis-incentivizes drug manufacturers
from allocating more...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - June 24, 2016 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Bioethics Today Tags: Health Care antibiotic cost drug safety evidence based medicine prescribing resistance syndicated Source Type: blogs
What Is The Private Sector Doing To Help Fight Zika?
Golfer Rory McIlroy, from Northern Ireland and one of the top golfers in the world, stated this week that he would not be participating in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. According to USA Today, McIlroy explained that “even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low, it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take.”
What is being done by the private sector to help not only Olympic athletes going to Brazil, but numerous other people affected by this virus in Brazil and other countries, including the United States?
According to a June 6 (updated June 8) whitehouse.gov blog p...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - June 24, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Lee-Lee Prina Tags: Global Health GrantWatch Public Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Consumers Health Philanthropy Health Promotion and Disease PreventionGW Medicaid Politics Puerto Rico Zika virus Source Type: blogs
Zika, Flint, And The Uncertainties Of Emergency Preparedness
Ongoing Congressional debates concerning the spreading Zika virus provide the latest reminder about our national uncertainties in preparing for and responding to large-scale health emergencies. Storms, fires, industrial accidents, and infrastructure failures like the recent Flint water crisis add to the constellation of emergencies and “near misses” that threaten health and safety somewhere in the U.S. nearly every day.
These events qualify as emergencies partly because of the uncertainties surrounding their locations, severity, and timing. Adding to the uncertainty, emergency preparedness is a responsibility shared by...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - June 22, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Glen Mays Tags: Costs and Spending Equity and Disparities Featured Organization and Delivery Public Health Quality CDC culture of health emergency funding National Health Security Preparedness Index States Zika Source Type: blogs
