This Week in Global Health

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

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

Crisis looms as Global Fund forced to cut back on Aids, malaria and TB grants
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan slams tobacco companies that ‘harass’ governments trying to enact anti-smoking measures. (The Washington Post)

An experimental new text-messaging program helps smokers trying to quit, opening to door to possible text-based campaigns. (The Atlantic)

A ‘crisis looms’ as the Global Fund is forced to cut back on grants to AIDs, malaria, and tuberculosis programs. (The Guardian)

Some good news in the global fight against AIDs; AIDS-related deaths are down 21% since their peak, reports the BBC.

Phillip Morris is suing the Australian government over plain packaging. (Reuters)

The Zimbabwean reports on the importance of child spacing in maternal health.

Vietnam aims to reduce tuberculosis contraction rates by 50% in the next three years. (Bernama)

Many kindergartners may already be on the road to obesity, says US News and World Report.

College students are using social cues as their motivation to smoke, reports Doctors’ Lounge.

Many solutions to child and infant mortality are not complicated or costly, says the Calgary Herald.

New York City goes after ‘roll your own’ cigarette shops that have been skirting tobacco laws. (NY Times)

Namibia tightens its tobacco control laws, reports AllAfrica.

Major League Baseball’s new contract limits smokeless tobacco use, but doesn’t ban it entirely. (AP)

Representatives of the FDA, WHO, and dozens of other agencies met to discuss tobacco control this week at the International Tobacco Regulators’ conference. (CSPnet)

Ahram Online reports on the facts about smoking in Egypt.

The Sun Times details how to triple your chances of quitting smoking successfully.

Your mother was right about chewing your food; a new study shows that eating quickly can lead to obesity. (Times of India)


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


Stephen Hamill
Associate Director, Communications and Advocacy
World Lung Foundation