The Nation's Health back issues from November 2007:
Infectious disease fight being waged in bits, bytes: computers increasingly used to track, predict, prevent disease.
Nov 01, 2007; ... For much of the planet, computers are as ubiquitous to modern life as automobiles and telephones. Whether it's a sleek new laptop or the small chip inside a cell phone, the power of computers has truly changed the world, making it bigger and smaller at the same time. Still, it isn't often ...
SCHIP showdown jeopardizes the health of millions of kids: President Bush vetoes congressional bill.
Nov 01, 2007; ... President Bush's veto of legislation that would strengthen the successful State Children's Health Insurance Program plunged the program's funding future--as well as the health of millions of children--into uncertainty in October. As expected, Bush vetoed the Children's Health ...
APHA's 135th annual meeting in Washington, D.C., Nov. 3-7.
Nov 01, 2007 ... While politics and health are common topics on Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill, hundreds of discussions on the issues will take place in a slightly more northwest area of the city this month, when APHA's 135th Annual Meeting kicks off at the Washington Convention Center. With a ...
Animal waste a threat to water, says APHA.(APHA ADVOCATES: Recent actions on public health by APHA)(Brief article)
Nov 01, 2007; ... To maintain access to safe drinking water, animal waste should remain classified as a hazardous substance under federal rules, according to APHA. In an August letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, APHA Executive ...
APHA supports public health work force.(APHA ADVOCATES: Recent actions on public health by APHA)
Nov 01, 2007; ... To keep the nation healthy and help communities prepare for emergencies, more funding must be directed at encouraging a robust and skilled public health work force, APHA urged in September. Writing in support of the federal Public Health Preparedness Workforce Development Act of ...
APHA calls for FDA tobacco regulation.(APHA ADVOCATES: Recent actions on public health by APHA)
Nov 01, 2007; ... As part of national efforts to reduce tobacco-related health problems, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should have the authority to regulate tobacco products, APHA said in September. In letters to every member of the House and Senate, APHA Executive Director Georges ...
Members: take action now for global health.(APHA ADVOCATES: Recent actions on public health by APHA)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
Nov 01, 2007; ... APHA is calling on its members to take action to support health workers in sub-Saharan Africa. Legislation is now under consideration in the Senate that could help strengthen the region's health care infrastructure by taking aim at the shortage of public health workers. The ...
Provide funding to curb TB, APHA urges.(APHA ADVOCATES: Recent actions on public health by APHA)(Report)(Brief article)
Nov 01, 2007; ... With more than 1.5 million people dying each year around the world due to tuberculosis, APHA is calling on U.S. policy-makers to support legislation that would help curb the growing problem. In a September letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., APHA Executive Director Georges ...
Building healthy communities to promote public health: parting words from APHA's president.(VITAL SIGNS: Perspectives of the president of APHA)
Nov 01, 2007; ... My year as APHA president has flown by quickly and has been extremely invigorating and rewarding. I thank all those who have hosted me at their Affiliate annual meetings and other events both inside and outside of the United States. I am continually impressed by the dedication and ...
Health, climate change focus of National Public Health Week.(VITAL SIGNS: Perspectives of the president of APHA)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Public health and climate change will be the focus of next year's National Public Health Week, April 7-13, 2008. Every year, the APHA-led week includes hundreds of events across the country, as public health workers and advocates invite their communities to celebrate public ...
APHA holds first-ever Get Ready Day at D.C. school.(VITAL SIGNS: Perspectives of the president of APHA)
Nov 01, 2007; ... APHA helped spread the word about the importance of handwashing, preparedness and disease prevention during its first-ever Get Ready Day in Washington, D.C., in September. Working with the Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association, APHA sponsored a Get Ready Fun Fest at ...
New grant to fund APHA work on farm, food policies.(VITAL SIGNS: Perspectives of the president of APHA)
Nov 01, 2007 ... APHA will be working with public health and environmental health organizations on farm and food policies under a new W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant. Through the $98,000 grant, received in August, APHA will work to increase understanding and support for healthy farm and food ...
Tulane student named as winner of APHA Get Ready Song Contest: listen to the winning song online now.(American Public Health Association)(VITAL SIGNS: Perspectives of the president of APHA)
Nov 01, 2007; ... A RECENT ALPHA contest allowed the nation's public health workers to show off one of their lesser-known skills: musical talent. The contest, held this summer, called on APHA members and the public to write and record a song in support of the Association's Get Ready campaign. The ...
Governing Council to consider APHA, affiliate joint membership pilot.(VITAL SIGNS: Perspectives of the president of APHA)
Nov 01, 2007; ... APHA members and members of APHA's affiliated state and regional public health associations may someday be able to join both organizations at a reduced rate. The Intersectional Council-Committee on Affiliates Joint Membership Workgroup, which has been studying dual membership ...
APHA members support public health through PHACT campaign: affiliate members meet with legislators.(VITAL SIGNS: Perspectives of the president of APHA)
Nov 01, 2007; ... APHA members helped drive home the importance of adequate public health funding, the State Children's Health Insurance Program and other health issues during a recent legislative advocacy campaign sponsored by the Association. As part of the Association's annual Public Health ...
American Journal of Public Health collaborates to highlight poverty.(VITAL SIGNS: Perspectives of the president of APHA)
Nov 01, 2007 ... APHA's American Journal of Public Health is joining with more than 200 journals from around the world to draw attention to the global issue of poverty and human development. Through the Council of Science Editors, 231 health, science and medical journals simultaneously published ...
Politics, Policy and Public Health.
Nov 01, 2007 ... The APHA Annual Meeting theme "Politics, Policy and Public Health" will explore the critical interactions between the political process and public health policy process, as tools to ensure the public's health. The well known and proven benefits of prevention are not clearly interwoven into ...
APHA in Washington, DC: a capital experience.
Nov 01, 2007 ... The APHA Annual Meeting Registration, Opening General Session, Public Health Expo, Public Health CareerMart, Everything APHA, i-Communicate, Poster Sessions as well as numerous concurrent scientific sessions will take place at the Washington Convention Center. Scientific sessions have also ...
WWW.APHA.ORG/meetings.
Nov 01, 2007 ... OPENING GENERAL SESSION: POLITICS, POLICY AND PUBLIC HEALTH Sunday, November 4 12:00 pm-2:00 pm Laurie Garrett [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Currently the Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations, Laurie Garrett is the ...
Flu season kicks off with call for health workers to be vaccinated.(The NATION: Health news at the national and federal levels)
Nov 01, 2007; ... WITH the flu season now under way, public health officials are making a concerted push for health care workers to get vaccinated against the disease, and another push to encourage people who are at increased risk for pneumococcal infection to talk to their health care providers about ...
Millions of Americans were uninsured for part of year.(The NATION: Health news at the national and federal levels)
Nov 01, 2007 ... THE actual number of uninsured Americans is higher than U.S. Census figures when people who were uninsured for part of the year are factored in, according to a recent Families USA report. The report found that almost 90 million Americans younger than 65 were uninsured at some ...
Youth suicides rising, especially among young, teenage girls.(The NATION: Health news at the national and federal levels)
Nov 01, 2007 ... THE U.S. suicide rate among preteens and teens rose to its highest rate in 15 years in 2004, according to federal health officials, with the biggest jump among girls ages 10-14. From 1990-2003, the total suicide rate for 10- to 24-year-olds declined by 28.5 percent to 6.78 ...
Prescription painkiller abuse going up, SAMHSA reports.(The NATION: Health news at the national and federal levels)
Nov 01, 2007; ... ILLICIT drug use among adolescents has dropped to the lowest point in five years, but the misuse of prescription painkillers is on the rise, especially among young adults, a survey from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds. The percentage of ...
USDA pledges funds for produce research.(NATION IN BRIEF)
Nov 01, 2007; ... In the wake of recent food illness outbreaks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will direct millions of dollars to support research on keeping fresh produce safe from deadly bacteria. USDA Secretary Mike Johanns announced in late August that $5.5 million will support research ...
Carbon emission rate from cars drops.(NATION IN BRIEF)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The rate of carbon dioxide emissions from new cars and light trucks in the United States has dropped for the first time in two decades, but their overall contribution to global warming has continued to grow since 1990, according to a recent report from Environmental Defense. The ...
CDC declares end of canine rabies in U.S.(NATION IN BRIEF)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Federal health officials have formally declared the elimination of the type of rabies previously found in dogs in the United States. "(The elimination of canine-to-canine rabies) represents one of the major public health success stories of the last 50 years," said Charles ...
Families USA offers candidates new forum.(NATION IN BRIEF)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Families USA and the Federation of American Hospitals are organizing a series of hour-long presidential forums designed to foster detailed discussions on health reform. The first forum, featuring Democratic candidate John Edwards, was held Sept. 24, with others planned through ...
U.S. life expectancy up to almost 78 years.(NATION IN BRIEF)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
Nov 01, 2007; ... While a child born in 2005 can expect to live 77.9 years--a new high for U.S. life expectancy--the number of U.S. deaths rose in 2005, a disappointing development after a drop a year earlier. According to preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. life ...
Q&A with public health author Laurie Garrett: 'realize that the real battle is infrastructure'.(Health, science writer to keynote Annual Meeting opening session)(Interview)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Laurie Garrett is the best-selling author of "The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance"and "Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health"--both books that examine issues critical to public health's continued success ...
Healthy San Francisco program aims for universal health access.(STATE & LOCAL: Issues at the state and community levels)(Report)
Nov 01, 2007; ... As national health reform continues to be a hot topic on the presidential campaign trail, one California city has rolled out a program designed to make health care affordable and accessible to all local residents. Healthy San Francisco, which had enrolled more than 1,000 ...
Federal funding for preparedness at health departments suffers cuts.(STATE & LOCAL: Issues at the state and community levels)(Report)(Brief article)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Continued cuts in local health department funding provided through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threaten important, hard-won advances made in recent years in planning for public health threats, according to a report released in September by the National Association of ...
Colorado uses reality contest to promote preparedness.(STATE & LOCAL: Issues at the state and community levels)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Putting a public health twist on reality television, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment chose nine state residents to participate in a preparedness reality show as part of the "What If? Colorado" campaign. The reality competition took place Sept. 20-23 at the ...
New York City menu rule struck down.(STATES IN BRIEF)(Report)(Brief article)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Because it only targeted restaurants that voluntarily provided nutrition information to customers, a federal judge in September struck down New York City's menu labeling rule. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Holwell found that New York City's recent regulation ...
New Jersey kicks off obesity campaign.(STATES IN BRIEF)
Nov 01, 2007; ... New Jersey's departments of Health and Senior Services, Education and Agriculture joined forces in September to launch a three-month awareness campaign addressing childhood obesity and secondhand smoke. Health and Senior Services Secretary Fred M. Jacobs, MD, JD, and ...
Illinois law requires patient MRSA testing.(STATES IN BRIEF)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Two new Illinois laws aimed at infection control will require hospitals to test all intensive-care patients for multi-drug resistant staph infections and to institute policies to cut the risk from so-called "super bugs." Signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in August, one law requires ...
New York launches Sept. 11 health site.(STATES IN BRIEF)
Nov 01, 2007; ... A new World Trade Center health Web site, accessible at www.nyc.gov, was launched in September to offer comprehensive health information, scientific research and services for those affected by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The site includes research findings, ...
Colorado tracks rise in cryptosporidiosis.(STATES IN BRIEF)
Nov 01, 2007; ... About 50 cases of cryptosporidiosis were reported in Colorado during August, almost four times the usual rate for that time of year, state health officials reported. The disease, which is caused by a parasite, can be spread in swimming pools as well as in lakes and streams. It ...
New initiative to bring public health education to undergrads.(Every student can learn from public health)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Every day on the nation's college campuses, undergraduate students move from class to class against a backdrop of complex public health concerns. Drug-resistant diseases, obesity, bioterrorism, pandemic flu, climate change, the soaring cost of health care and tainted food are but a few of ...
Mental health care often lacking, especially in low-income nations.(The GLOBE: Public health news from around the world)
Nov 01, 2007 ... As many as half of all people with severe mental disorders and a vast majority of those with mild to moderate disorders do not receive any treatment, and even those who do receive treatment often face institutionalization or stigma, a recent global survey found. Results from the ...
APHA members visit India for public health exchange.(The GLOBE: Public health news from around the world)
Nov 01, 2007; ... As a group of APHA members recently visited India on a public health exchange and traveled the streets of Delhi in a white bus, they found themselves sharing the road with camels, three-wheeled taxis, donkeys, bicycles and even elephants. Other buses were crammed with passengers sitting in ...
New online tool targets global drinking water crisis.(The GLOBE: Public health news from around the world)
Nov 01, 2007; ... With the launch of a new Web-based resource, a worldwide coalition of public health professionals, scientists and engineers has stepped forward to address the global drinking water crisis. The first-of-its-kind Web tool, "Safe Drinking Water is Essential," at www.drinkingwater ....
Be food safe and avoid food-borne illness.(Healthy You)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Have you ever gobbled a glob of cookie dough when no one was looking? Thawed a frozen steak on the kitchen counter? Eaten an orange without washing it? Chopped veggies on the same unwashed cutting board that you'd just used to cut raw chicken? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...
APHA Executive Board holds telemeeting in September.
Nov 01, 2007 ... Apha's executive Board met via conference call in September to address regular Association business. During the meeting, board members discussed issues such as the upcoming APHA Annual Meeting and advocacy. Board members reviewed a new proposal for an APHA peace award, which was ...
Deadly breast cancer more likely for blacks.(HEALTH FINDINGS: The latest public health studies and research)
Nov 01, 2007; ... New breast cancer research released on the eve of the Sept. 7 Breast Cancer Symposium in California found that black women are more likely than white woman to have a form of aggressive, difficult-to-treat breast cancer and are more likely than white women to die from breast cancer. ...
HIV patients believe doctors stigmatize.(HEALTH FINDINGS: The latest public health studies and research)
Nov 01, 2007; ... A quarter of people living with HIV surveyed in the Los Angeles area for a recent study said they believe their health care providers are stigmatizing them because of their infection. The study, published in the August issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs, was based on ...
High blood pressure undiagnosed in kids.(HEALTH FINDINGS: The latest public health studies and research)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Dramatic rises in childhood obesity have brought increases in pediatric hypertension, yet the condition often goes undiagnosed among children and adolescents. A study in the Aug. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that of 507 children and ...
Throat, neck cancers rising due to HPV.(HEALTH FINDINGS: The latest public health studies and research)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The U.S. rate of head and neck cancers is rising among some populations because of the HPV virus, a study in the Oct. 1 issue of Cancer found. The study found that human papillomavirus infection is linked to a rise in tonsil and tongue cancers, particularly among men younger ...
Antibiotics from swine leaking into water.(HEALTH FINDINGS: The latest public health studies and research)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The routine use of antibiotics in swine production can lead to antibiotic-resistant genes leaking from waste into groundwater. A study in the August issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology tracked the passage of tetracycline-resistant genes from hog waste lagoons into ...
Rates of handwashing on the decline.(HEALTH FINDINGS: The latest public health studies and research)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Despite educational campaigns aimed at informing the public about the importance of handwashing, only 77 percent of men and women washed their hands in public restrooms during a recent observational study, marking a 6 percent decline from 2005. The study, sponsored by the ...
Depression worsens health more than arthritis, asthma or diabetes.(HEALTH FINDINGS: The latest public health studies and research)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Depression takes a worse overall health toll than many chronic diseases, including angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes. A study in the Sept. 8 issue of the Lancet based on data from more than 245,000 people worldwide found that 3.2 percent of people had suffered from ...
Moldy home linked to depression risk.(JOURNAL WATCH: Highlights from the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health)
Nov 01, 2007; ... People living in damp and moldy dwellings face a higher risk of depression, a study in the October issue of APHA's American Journal of Public Health found. Researchers looked at data from a World Health Organization survey on place of residence, housing conditions and health ...
Low-income smokers not deterred by price.(JOURNAL WATCH: Highlights from the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health)(Report)
Nov 01, 2007; ... When cigarette taxes go up, low-income smokers are less likely to kick the habit than smokers in higher income brackets, an October AJPH study found. Researchers analyzed 1984-2004 data drawn from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a large, nationally representative ...
Work force shortages a longstanding issue.(LETTERS: Personal perspective on public health)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The August piece on the Institute of Medicine's report regarding the growing shortage of public health physicians is alarming news to us in the field, but it's not the first time that the alarm bell has rung on this matter. That issue was raised at a March 15, 1982, hearing on Capitol Hill ...