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CEO Of Black AIDS Institute Discusses HIV/AIDS At Newspaper Conference; Group Releases Report Examining HIV Testing In Black Community
Phill Wilson, CEO of the Black AIDS Institute (BAI), last week addressed the annual convention of the National Newspapers Publishers Association where he discussed the reasons blacks "were so slow to grasp the severity of the threat" of HIV, the NNPA/Seattle Medium reports. According to Wilson, many blacks believed that HIV/AIDS was not directly affecting their communities in the early years of the epidemic. In addition, he said when AIDS reached its peak between 1980 and 1982, blacks also were dealing with unemployment, poverty and welfare reform and, as a result, addressing HIV/AIDS was not a priority. Wilson also noted the reluctance by blacks to deal with the stigma related to the virus. Wilson said, however, "I"m more optimistic now around mobilizing black folks around HIV than [ever] before. I think we"ve made tremendous stride[s] and our institutions across the board are at a different place than they were" (Curry, 7/1).

Life-Saving Cardiac Rehabilitation
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and a major driver of medical and economic costs, especially among older adults. It has long been established that cardiac rehabilitation improves survival, at least in middle-aged, low- and moderate-risk white men. Now a large Brandeis University-led study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports that older cardiac patients benefit as much from cardiac rehab as their younger counterparts.
News of the day
Obama Says He Is 'Absolutely Committed' To Health Reform
During a C-SPAN interview on Saturday, President Obama said he remains "absolutely committed" to overhauling the U.S. health care system despite obstacles that might surface during reform efforts, the Los Angeles Times reports (Dorning, Los Angeles Times, 5/24). He said he would work to keep "this process moving, ... focusing on how we reduce costs, how do we make sure families have some confidence that they can get health care when they need it and they won"t go bankrupt because their child gets sick" (Adams Otis, New York Post, 5/24).Obama said that his health care plan would provide "basic coverage" to all U.S. residents and retain patient choice of physicians and coverage. In addition, he said his plan would "invest more in prevention and wellness programs," as well as increase the use of electronic health records (Rushing, The Hill, 5/23).Obama also said that refusing to address the rising costs of Medicaid and Medicare now means the U.S. will face a bigger financial crisis in the future. He said overhauling health care would reduce costs and free up additional funding over the long term. This would make it easier to pay down the $11 trillion national debt and manage other financial issues, Obama said (New York Post, 5/24).Because such rising costs have shifted the political climate, Obama said that he believes "the stars may be aligned" for reform and that he can succeed where former President Clinton failed. Obama said, "The biggest change politically ... is that businesses now recognize that if we don"t get a handle on this stuff that they are going to continue to be operating at a competitive disadvantage with other countries." He added, "And so they anxiously seek serious reform" (Los Angeles Times, 5/24).
Medical Devices

Vitamin A Supplements Can Reduce Malaria Cases In Children By One-Third, Study Finds

In malaria-endemic areas, vitamin A supplements - which cost about 2 U.S. cents each - can help reduce infections in children by one-third, according to a study published in the Malaria Journal, IRIN reports. The study analyzed results from previous studies conducted in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Papua New Guinea since 1995. It found that vitamin A supplements decreased malaria cases by one-third in Papua New Guinea and Burkina Faso. Peter Olumese of the WHO"s Global Malaria Programme said although the relationship between vitamin A deficiency and malaria requires more research, it is clear that vitamin A supplements help to prevent a range of infectious diseases in children. "We do not need to wait for all the answers," Olumese said. "While waiting on results [of further studies into the link], vitamin A supplements can be used to decrease morbidity and mortality in children, including those at risk of malaria." According to the WHO, children younger than age five in Africa and Southeast Asia had the highest levels of vitamin A deficiency between 1995 and 2005. UNICEF estimates it reaches 70 percent of children worldwide at risk of vitamin A deficiency with supplements twice a year. But that means that one-third of children might not receive the minimum amount, Olumese said. "Vitamin A supplement programming is often run as a donor-funded project and is not tied in with national child health programmes. When donors leave, so do the vitamin A supplements," he said. In addition, government health budgets rarely allocate sufficient funds for nutrients, said Banda Ndiaye of the non-profit Micronutrient Initiative, which helps governments carry out twice-yearly micronutrient campaigns. "Re allocation is very competitive and the basis of allocation may have as much to do with which constituency has more influence [rather] than what is needed most." "At a 2008 malnutrition conference hosted by the Copenhagen Consensus Center, economists calculated that an annual $60-million investment in micronutrients, especially vitamin A and zinc, would yield annual benefits of more than $1 billion, including health care cost savings," IRIN writes (IRIN 6/25). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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