CABI Author Focus – Melissa A. Austin
Welcome to the latest CABI Author Focus. This month Melissa A. Austin tells us how her 20 years of teaching experience has informed the recently published textbook, Genetic Epidemiology: Methods and Applications. Genetic Epidemiology: 20 Years On “Does your new book have 10 or 11 chapters?” a colleague of mine at the University of Washington…
CABI joins EU Action against the spread of Ragweed on the continent
In the largest COST Action to date, 34 EU countries have banned together to find a solution to stop Ragweed's spread on the continent. This invasive weed from North America, now one of the most common air-borne allergens in the EU, causes half of all asthma attacks in its regions, and costs the EU economy…
MERS the next pandemic threat?
10 years ago it was SARS, now the new coronavirus worrying pandemic planners is theMERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus, that emerged in Saudi Arabia, last year. The number of cases is gathering momentum and we don’t yet know how it is transmitted or what animal is harbouring it. As Saudi Arabia is the host…
You have a Right to Mental Health
Image: King College London, project Emerald (emerging mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries) One of the key sessions I attended at the second day of “The world in denial: Global mental health matters”( March 26-27, 2013, Royal Society of Medicine, London) highlighted the existing legal tools available to achieve international recognition of the…
Low-level iodine-deficiency produces lower IQ children in UK
IN my March 2013 blog “Eat less salt but make sure it contains iodine!”, I described the problems of addressing iodine–deficiency diseases in Pakistan and the worrying rise in iodine deficiency in the UK, linked to a shift in eating patterns away from dairy and oily fish, our traditional sources of iodine. Whereas, other developed…
April 25th World Malaria Day: affordable medicines & artemisinin-based control
April 25th is World Malaria Day & there’s mixed news concerning the GlaxoSmithKline RTS,S vaccine: 65% of children vaccinated were protected in the 1st year, but protection declined to zero over the next 3 years so booster shots will be essential. Vaccine efficacy also declined faster in children who were more exposed to malaria than in those who had below-average exposure. Effectiveness is at the heart of the problem of malaria control. Oxfam’s report “Salt, Sugar And Malaria Pills” highlighted their concerns on the effectiveness of Global Fund's Affordable Medicines Facility for Malaria (focussed on increasing access to artemisinin-combination drugs).
Reducing hunger and undernutrition – how are we doing?
Hunger and undernutrition are amongst the most persistent global development challenges. Part of Millennium Development Goal 1 is to ‘Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger’ (UN, 2012). With global numbers of undernourished people static at 870 million for the past 5 years and undernutrition contributing to the deaths…
Designers help people to see and medicine to hitch a ride with cola
“Designs of the Year” include two to improve the health of people in developing countries. A pair of spectacles has lenses filled with liquid silicon via mini-syringes hidden in the arms. The wearer simply adjusts a dial to fill the lens (so changing its shape) until the world comes into focus. With optometrists in short supply in these countries, these spectacles eliminate expert fitting and 1 billion people could finally see for the first time. Another design enables lifesaving oral rehydration salts to reach children with diarrhea by hitching a lift in a crate of cola!
Arab world holds first public health conference
CABI is attending the First Arab World Congress on Public Health this week. Opening in Dubai tomorrow, the conference will be a forum for leaders in public health to exchange knowledge and develop best practice in the region. Speakers from Europe, the USA and Australia, will also bring an international perspective to the public health…
Low salt diets could allow iodine-deficiency diseases to re-emerge
Salt has been used for thousands of years to flavor & preserve food BUT reliance on fast food, biscuits and tinned goods, with their hidden salt content, has created for us a high salt diet and with it an alarming rise in cardiovascular disease. Reducing our salt intake, by working with food industry and educating…