Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
online puzzle games
Popular Articles
Natural Remedies

'Complacency,' 'Stigma' Hindering Efforts To Reduce HIV/AIDS In Black Communities, Opinion Piece Says
"Nearly 30 years after the discovery of HIV and AIDS, the epidemic is still ravaging black neighborhoods in Baltimore and across the nation," Kevin Fenton -- director of CDC"s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention -- writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece. Fenton writes that "complacency about HIV and the continued stigma associated with the disease are hindering progress by preventing too many African-Americans from seeking either HIV testing and treatment or support from their friends and family," adding that "this is a challenge that can be overcome."According to Fenton, the Obama administration last month "took an important step in confronting the United States" HIV epidemic" when CDC and White House officials announced a five-year campaign called Act Against AIDS, which is "designed to refocus the nation"s attention on the HIV crisis here at home." Fenton notes that 14 black civic organizations -- including the NAACP, the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the National Council of Negro Women -- are "joining the CDC to increase knowledge, awareness and action within black communities across the country." He adds that the campaign "will harness the strength and reach of these organizations by enhancing their ability to make HIV prevention a core component of their daily activities." "By raising the visibility of HIV and AIDS, the new campaign also aims to confront and overcome the fear and stigma that help keep HIV alive in black communities," Fenton says. He adds that he has "been encouraged in recent years to see black leaders, including black faith leaders, speak out more openly across the nation about the need to confront HIV and the stigma that persists surrounding this disease." Fenton writes that "[e]nding this epidemic will require not only frank and difficult discussions about HIV but also a shared sense of responsibility and commitment," concluding, "All of us can and must be part of the solution" (Fenton, Baltimore Sun, 5/27).
generic viagra online
The First Harmonised Standard For Organic Health And Beauty, UK
The Soil Association is pleased to announce a new EU-wide, harmonised standard for organic health and beauty products.
News of the day
Tamiflu-Resistant H1N1 Identified Along Texas-Mexico Border
PAHO on Monday announced it had found Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 (swine) flu along the Texas-Mexico border, Agence-France Press reports. The discovery of several cases in El Paso and McAllen, Texas, adds the U.S. to a growing list of countries with antiviral-resistant H1N1, such as Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong and Japan. "Experts had gathered in La Jolla on Monday to discuss the response to the outbreak, and warned that resistant strains were likely emerging because of overuse of antivirals like Tamiflu," the news service writes (8/3).
Mental Health

Withdrawal Of Co-proxamol Linked To Reduction In Suicides And Accidental Poisonings, UK

Withdrawal of the painkiller co-proxamol from the UK market has led to a major reduction in suicides and accidental poisonings involving the drug, without an increase in deaths from other painkillers, finds research published on bmj.com today. Co-proxamol was the most commonly prescribed drug used in suicides and was responsible for 766 deaths between 1997 and 1999 in England and Wales. Concerns about large numbers of fatal poisonings led the Committee on Safety in Medicines to announce in 2005 the phasing out of co-proxamol from use in the UK by the end of 2007. Whether this initiative has been effective and reduced poisoning deaths has not been assessed. So Keith Hawton from the University of Oxford and colleagues used national records to compare the impact of the announcement of co-proxamol withdrawal on prescribing practices and deaths from co-proxamol with other painkillers mostly likely to be used instead of co-proxamol (cocodamol, codeine, codydramol, dihydrocodeine, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs) in England and Wales between 1998 and 2007. Findings showed a steep fall (59%), in the prescribing of co-proxamol following the announcement in 2005, accompanied by significant increases in the prescribing of other painkillers including cocodamol (up by more than 20%), paracetamol (up by more than 13%), and codeine (up by more than 8%). These changes in prescribing practices were accompanied by a 62% reduction in, or 295 fewer suicides, and 349 fewer deaths when accidental poisonings were included, without an increase in deaths involving other painkillers and prescribed drugs. This, say the authors, shows that concerns about the possible substitution of suicide method involving other painkillers were unfounded. These findings suggest that the UK initiative has been an effective measure and highlights how regulatory authorities "can have an important public health function, as has been found for measures restricting pack sizes of analgesics sold over the counter," they conclude. British Medical Journal


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009