This Week in Global Health

A weekly round- up of selected health news from around the world. Posted each Friday.

(Karen Bleier, AFP/Getty Images)
A new study says tobacco companies knew for decades that cigarette smoke was radioactive and potentially carcinogenic.

WLF discusses China’s smoking habit on CNN.

USA Today reports that tobacco companies knew for decades that cigarette smoke was radioactive and carcinogenic– and kept their information from the public.

The Times of India quotes WLF while discussing the detrimental cosmetic effects of smoking.

Tanzania has the lowest ratio of physicians to patients in the world (one physician per 50,000 patients), says AllAfrica.com. (Next week, WLF’s Field Reports blog will feature a podcast with Dr. Staffan Bergstrom discussing maternal health in Tanzania.)

Smoking rates remain high amongst American miners, food workers, and construction workers, reports Reuters – suggesting an economic trend.

The policy head of Japan’s ruling party calls upon the Japanese government to sell its stake in Japan Tobacco, reports Voice of America.

Underweight patients who have COPD face higher mortality rates, says Medical News Today.

A report released by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health indicates that many low and middle income countries have met financial and political commitment goals to promote maternal and infant health. (Africa Science News)

A drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis is a rising threat in China, reports Bloomberg.

The benefits of smoke-free laws outweigh the lost revenues from cigarette taxes as more smokers quit, opines CBC.

Today in strange headlines: Exposure to Goats May Increase Lung Cancer Risk. (About.com)

India’s national drive to fight non-communicable disease will launch next April, reports the Times of India.

Have a news item that you think should be included in ‘This Week in Global Health’?
E-mail shamill@worldlungfoundation.org.