Uganda's health ministry has been scrambling to stave off a nationwide shortage of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) that could jeopardise the lives of tens of thousands of HIV-positive people.

NanoBioTechnology at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. are conducting a study on the ability of metal oxide nanoparticle to enter lung tissue and to cause inflammatory reactions in the lining of lung airways in the context of the type and extent of exposure faced by workers in nanomaterials manufacturing.

'Joint initiative of health services and community in the city of Sobral supports and trains mothers on breastfeeding.'

NEW YORK, 1 August 2008 – On the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week (1 to 7 August), UNICEF, along with the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), is recommending the provision of increased professional and informal support for breastfeeding mothers. “Breastfeeding is a key tool in improving child survival said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director. “Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life can avert up to 13 per cent more...

The border between South Africa and Zimbabwe is more than an international boundary; it also determines the method of payment for sex workers, because on one side cash is taken, while on the other, goods are bartered. The South African frontier town of Musina is a regional trucking hub that has long been a haunt of sex workers, who use the boredom of truck drivers waiting for their cargo to be cleared by customs as a window of opportunity.

'Women tempt us. They come here in their short skirts more...

Maternal and infant mortality rates in the Republic of Congo have remained worryingly high despite measures to reduce them, a senior government official said. 'The situation is still worrying,' Emilienne Raoul, the minister of health and social affairs, said on 3 August in the capital, Brazzaville. 'We will continue with efforts aimed at reversing this level of maternal mortality.'

Some 510 women out of every 100,000 die during childbirth in the Congo, according to the UN Population Fund (UNF more...

Tuesday, August 5, 2008
2-3:30 pm
Global Health Council
1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 1120
Washington, D.C. 20036

The Global Health Council invites you to join us to discuss the importance of addressing chronic diseases in the developing world. As we continue to make progress in combating communicable diseases, chronic diseases are having increasing impact on the health of people in the developing world. It is vital that the global health community learn more about the devastating impa more...

There have been a number of recent mergers, resulting in a consolidation of the industry producing generic pharmaceuticals. The mergers have veen international, affecting firms headquartered in Israel and India as well as in Europe and the United States. The generic drug market 'enjoyed $72 billion in sales last year, and is growing faster than the conventional drugs business. IMS Health, an industry research firm, reckons that $130 billion of prescription pills will go off patent by 2012, creat more...

The new database by UN-ESCWA's Centre for Women will be regularly updated to reflect new research in the field, and will be expanded to include information on civil society organizations working on gender and women's empowerment as well as experts on gender and women's issues in the Arab world.

'Around 11% of HIV infections in Africa may be due to a genetic variant common in people of African descent that makes them more vulnerable to the virus. The genetic change, which is less prevalent in other ethnic groups, increases the likelihood of infection with the most common strain of the virus (HIV-1) by 40%.'