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H1N1 Confirmed In Three More African Countries; Cambodia, Indonesia Confirm First Cases
The H1N1 (swine flu) virus has reached the sub-Saharan African countries of Cape Verde, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, according to the WHO, the AP/Boston Herald reports. Last week, South Africa became the first country in the region to confirm a 12-year-old, who had returned from the U.S., tested positive for the H1N1 virus.
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Foreign Aid Donors Should Prioritize Maternal Mortality In Developing Countries, NYT Opinion Piece Says
One of the "most lethal forms of sex discrimination" is the "systematic inattention to reproductive health care, from family planning to childbirth" in developing countries, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes. According to Kristof, a woman dies every minute somewhere in the world from pregnancy or childbirth complications, and 20 times that number suffer childbirth injuries. Providers of foreign aid, including the U.S., "have never shown much interest in maternal mortality, and impoverished women are typically the most voiceless, neglected people in their own countries -- so they die at astonishing rates," Kristof writes.Kristof highlights the childbirth experience of a 19-year-old Pakistani woman named Shazia Allahdita whose infant died in childbirth after her relatives refused to take her to the hospital because they did not want to pay for the taxi fare. Kristof writes that "[i]f men had uteruses, "paternity wards" would get res, ambulances would transport pregnant men to hospitals free of charge, deliveries would be free, and the Group of Eight industrialized nations would make paternal mortality a top priority." Kristof notes that there is "the dawn of a global movement against maternal mortality," with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon working with the U.S. and other countries to plan a "landmark global health session" on Sept. 23. The session will focus, in part, on maternal health, which Kristof terms a "milestone." He concludes, "My dream is that Barack and Michelle Obama will leap forward and adopt this cause -- and transform the prospects for so many young women like Shazia" (Kristof, New York Times, 7/29).
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Induction Of Labour After 37 Weeks Recommended For Women With Gestational Hypertension/Mild Pre-Eclampsia (Hypitat Study)
Pregnant women with mild hypertensive disorders such as high blood pressure/mild pre-eclampsia^ should have their labour induced once they complete 37 weeks of their pregnancy. This is the conclusion of the HYPITAT study, published in an Article Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet, written by Dr Corine M Koopmans, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Groningen, Netherlands, and colleagues.
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Alzheimer's Society Response To The Publication Of Revised NICE Guidance On Alzheimer's Treatments, UK

Thousands of people with Alzheimer"s will continue to be denied access to the only drug treatments for the disease following the publication of revised guidance by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The original guidance recommended that only people in the moderate stages of Alzheimer"s disease should have access to drugs in the NHS, denying them to people in the early stages. Amendments were made following a Court of Appeal decision to allow consultees access to the health economic model that NICE used in the development of the guidance and a subsequent review of this model by relevant stakeholders, including Alzheimer"s Society. Despite the concerns raised by the consultees on the flaws in the economic model, the newly published and amended Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) has not altered its original recommendations and people in the early stages of dementia will still be deprived access to effective treatments. Neil Hunt, Chief Executive, Alzheimer"s Society, says, "Alzheimer"s Society has long campaigned for the thousands of people in the early stages of dementia to be given access to the effective treatments that they are currently denied because of cost. It is completely unacceptable to deny people with dementia the only treatments that could improve quality of life for them and their carers. We are extremely disappointed to see that the NICE guidance is essentially unchanged, despite what we feel are fundamental flaws in the economic model they have used to inform their recommendations. The glimmer of hope is that NICE has finally committed to for a full review to address these concerns, as soon as possible. This will be little consolation for the thousands of people who will develop Alzheimer"s disease this year but provides hope for the future that this incomprehensible decision will be changed. We look forward to working with NICE to ensure the problems with the current economic model are overcome and people with dementia are given a fair deal." Notes - Since May 2006 three Alzheimer"s drugs have been denied to people in the early stages of the disease on the NHS. - One 1 May 2008 the Court of Appeal found in favour of Eisai / Pfizer ruling NICE should have allowed public access to the health economic model that it used to make the decision. - On 17 June 2008 NICE sought permission from the House of Lords to appeal the Court of Appeal decision. - The health economic model has since been shared with relevant stakeholders, including Alzheimer"s Society, and comments have been fed back to NICE resulting in the publication of an ammended FAD (Final Appraisal Determination) on Thursday 11 June 2009. - One in three people over 65 will die with dementia. - Alzheimer"s Society research shows that 700,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer"s disease. In less than 20 years nearly a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051. - Alzheimer"s Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and the millions of people who care for them. - Alzheimer"s Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - Alzheimer"s Society needs to raise money to help people live well with dementia today and for research to find a cure for tomorrow. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting http://www.alzheimers.org.uk Alzheimer"s Society


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