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News articles on health

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Mongabay.com news articles on health in blog format. Updated regularly.

Environmental damage linked to new diseases says WHO

(12/09/2005) The rise of deadly new diseases such as SARS, Nipah virus and bird flu could be linked to the degradation and destruction of the environment says a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).


Dancing monkeys could be a risk to your health

(12/08/2005) Some urban performing monkeys in Indonesia are carrying several retroviruses that are capable of infecting people, according to a new study led by University of Washington researchers. The results indicate that contact with performing monkeys, which is common in many Asian countries, could represent a little-known path for viruses to jump the species barrier from monkeys to humans and eventually cause human disease. Performing monkeys are animals that are trained to produce tricks in public.


Congo rainforest - 600,000 sq km slated for logging

(12/05/2005) The World Bank will meet Thursday to decide whether it will fund large-scale logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo's rainforests. The country, home to the second largest rainforest in the world after Brazil, is emerging from years of civil strife which resulted in the deaths of some 3.8 million people from violence and disease.


Biosensor Could Help People with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's Disease

(12/01/2005) An engineering researcher at the University of Arkansas has developed a wireless, implantable biosensor that may one day help physicians treat patients with neurological brain disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and epilepsy. Made of carbon nanotubes, the sensor monitors and controls chemicals in the brain and communicates with other sensors to control tremors or direct the movement of prosthetic limbs.


Young women smokers have higher risk of breast cancer

(11/30/2005) Researchers outline in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings their study of postmenopausal women, which supports the hypothesis that women who smoke cigarettes before first full-term pregnancy have a 20 percent increased risk of breast cancer compared with women who began smoking after the birth of their first child or were never smokers.


Rise in deer ticks put East Coast hikers at risk says Penn State entomologist

(11/30/2005) Every year it seems the tick identification laboratory in Penn State's entomology department receives more submissions from residents around the state than the year before. But Steven Jacobs, the extension entomologist who oversees the lab, said this year is different.


Vaccination can prevent bird flu epidemic

(11/28/2005) Vaccinating chickens against avian flu can prevent a major outbreak of the disease by preventing birds from passing on the virus, according to research published by Dutch scientists on Monday.


"Health" beer could help prevent cancer

(11/26/2005) A compound found only in hops and the main product they are used in - beer - has rapidly gained interest as a micronutrient that might help prevent many types of cancer.


Children spread malaria most says new study

(11/24/2005) Children should be the focus malaria control efforts as they are ones most likely to be bitten by mosquitoes carrying the parasite, according to new research published in Nature.


Developing countries to suffer worst global warming impacts

(11/18/2005) In a recent chilling assessment, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that human-induced changes in the Earth's climate now lead to at least 5 million cases of illness and more than 150,000 deaths every year.


Genetic defenders protect crops from fungal disease

(11/17/2005) Like waves of soldiers guarding a castle gate, multiple genetic defenders cooperate to protect plant cells against powdery mildew disease, according to a new study. Powdery mildew is a common fungal infection in plants that attacks more than 9,000 species, including many crops such as barley and wheat, and horticultural plants such as roses and cucumbers. The researchers, including Shauna Somerville and Monica Stein of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology, are the first to document how these defense genes team up in plants. The discovery could help combat fungal parasites that devastate crops and cost growers billions of dollars in pesticides every year.


People Eat More Stale Popcorn If Served In A Big Bucket

(11/14/2005) A new Cornell University study found that large portions push people to overeat -- even to when they don't even like a food. The finding comes a month after the National Institutes of Health reported that 90% of American men were overweight or became overweight during the course of a 30-year study.


Plague could worsen with global warming

(11/14/2005) Warmer, wetter weather brought on by global warming could increase outbreaks of the plague, which has killed millions down the ages and wiped out one third of Europe's population in the 14th century, academics said.


Demise of passenger pigeon linked to Lyme disease

(11/14/2005) Traditionally, the passenger pigeon has been held as one of the more beloved animal species to fall prey to humankind's often relentless expansion into and disregard for the natural world and its creatures. Once abundant, the bird experienced a rapid decline in the late 1800s, due almost entirely to rampant hunting, and the last passenger pigeon died in 1914. In light of new findings however, this image of a naturally plentiful species laid to waste by man is now being tested. Evidence collected over the past few years from a significant number of Native American archeological sites is beginning to upset long-accepted beliefs about one of the most famous extinct species in modern history.


Vampires kill 23 in Brazil, deforestation blamed

(11/07/2005) Rabid vampire bats killed 23 people and attacked more than 1,000 Brazilian officials confirmed last week. The bats have been displaced from their normal rain forest environment by worsening deforestation in the region. In an attempt to slow deaths, health agencies have treated 1,350 people with anti-rabies medication in the past two months.


Flu pandemic "inevitable" and to cost $800 billion say World Bank, WHO

(11/07/2005) The potential economic cost of a pandemic of human influenza -- which the World Health Organization (WHO) now says is "inevitable" -- would top $800 billion according to a World Bank report released today.


Learning and memory can become toxic with neurodegenerative diseases

(11/07/2005) Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have targeted a new culprit and method of attack on neurologic functions in diseases such as HIV-1-associated dementia and Alzheimer's.


Aspirin Found to Reduce Skin Cancer Risk

(11/07/2005) Epidemiologists have found that aspirin may assist in reducing the risk of developing skin cancer, reveals a recent scientific publication, following research undertaken at the Suncorp Skin Cancer Laboratories at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).


Avian flu vaccine under development with help of WCS

(11/03/2005) Avian influenza virus samples collected from wild birds in Mongolia by field veterinarians from the New York City-based Wildlife conservation Society (WCS) have been selected by the World Health Organization to be part of a new human pandemic influenza vaccine currently in development. The samples, collected in the midst of an outbreak in August killing wild ducks, geese and swans in northern Mongolia have unique genetic characteristics which make them a valuable addition to a human vaccine based on a variety of strains of influenza.


Medicinal Plants could help poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa -- World Bank report

(11/03/2005) Dryland areas in Sub-Saharan Africa have a niche opportunity to use selected multipurpose medicinal plants to halt land degradation, and at the same time provide culturally acceptable healthcare, food, and a sustainable source of income by developing niche markets, according to the new World Bank report Capitalizing on the Bio-Economic Value of Multi-Purpose Medicinal Plants for the Rehabilitation of Drylands in Sub-Saharan Africa.


Monkeys protected from HIV-like virus using vaginal gel

(11/03/2005) Experiments in female monkeys have for the first time shown that when used in combination, vaginal gels known as microbicides can protect against an HIV-like virus. The research, funded largely by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), suggests that similar combination microbicides could potentially provide a safe, effective and practical way to prevent HIV transmission to women, according to study investigators.


Global warming to fuel rise in asthma, malaria

(11/02/2005) The Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, along with co-sponsors Swiss Re and the United Nations Development Programme, today released a study showing that climate change will significantly affect the health of humans and ecosystems and these impacts will have economic consequences.


Tamiflu shortage may be overcome by drug combo

(11/02/2005) A report in Nature suggests that the global shortage of the flu drug Tamiflu could be partially overcome by combining it with probenecid, a widely available drug that helps make Tamiflu treatment more effective by slowing the removal of the drug by the kidneys.


Exotic pet trade controls needed to fight bird flu says Greenpeace

(10/31/2005) A thriving trade, both illegal and legal, in exotic birds like parrots is undermining Mexico's otherwise strict measures against bird flu, Greenpeace said on Thursday. Mexico prohibits imports of all birds and bird products from countries with confirmed outbreaks of the virus, but the environmental group wants a blanket ban, saying the nature of the trade makes it hard to know where birds come from.


Biopiracy fears hampering research in Brazilian Amazon

(10/30/2005) Somewhere in the Amazon there may be flora and fauna that hold the key to curing diseases ranging from cancer to multiple sclerosis. That, at any rate, is the dream. But the reality is that the search for the next miracle drugs is being hampered by a deep Brazilian suspicion of "biopiracy."


Air medics deliver healthcare in the remote Amazon

(10/13/2005) National Air Mail isn't a letter-carrying service -- it's an airborne medical unit making rounds in the most isolated parts of the jungle.


Wildlife conservation can be a 'win win' choice of land use -- new book

(10/12/2005) Experts from East and Southern Africa have some grass roots ideas for tackling the immense challenges Africa faces at the wildlife / domestic animal / human health interface-- and they hope the West is listening.


Environment killing millions says World Bank report

(10/07/2005) A new report from the World Bank says millions of deaths can be attributed to environmental factors, including climate change, pollution, unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene. These environmental conditions are significantly affecting health -- responsible for about a fifth of all ill health in poor countries -- and impeding economic development and growth. The report also links cancer to the environment.


Climate change to affect migratory birds and animals

(10/06/2005) Climate change could affect and disrupt breeding, hamper migrations, and increase disease transmission in migratory birds and animals, a new report has warned. The report, Climate Change and Migratory Species, was commissioned by Defra and prepared by a group led by the British Trust for Ornithology, and draws together broad research on the effects of climate change migratory wildlife.


Genomes of 200 Human Flu Strains Reveal a Dynamic Virus

(10/06/2005) In the first large-scale effort of its kind, researchers have determined the full genetic sequence of more than 200 distinct strains of human influenza virus. The information, being made available in a publicly accessible database, is expected to help scientists better understand how flu viruses evolve, spread and cause disease. The genomic data already has enabled scientists to determine why the 2003-4 annual influenza vaccine did not fully protect individuals against the flu that season.


New battery lasts 12 years, helps stimulate nerves

(10/04/2005) With the help of new silicon-based compounds, scientists - and patients - are getting a significant new charge out of the tiny lithium batteries used in implantable devices to help treat nervous system and other disorders.


Cancer death rates continue to fall according to the National Cancer Institute

(10/04/2005) The nation's leading cancer organizations report that Americans' risk of dying from cancer continues to decline and that the rate of new cancers is holding steady.


Food-borne diseases are a serious threat in Africa

(10/04/2005) Food-borne diseases are a serious threat to people in Africa, especially Africans already weakened from devastating conditions such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, two UN agencies warned today at the first-ever Regional Food Safety Conference for Africa.


90% of American men will become overweight, one third obses

(10/03/2005) 90% of American men were overweight or became overweight according to a 30-year study carried out by researchers at Boston University, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and other institutions. They study, which gathered data from 4,000 adults and tracked them over 30 years, also found that half of the men and women in the study who had made it well into adulthood without a weight problem ultimately became overweight while one in three subjects became obese.


Dark chocolate helps diarrhea

(10/02/2005) A new study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland is the first to discover that a chemical in cocoa beans can limit the development of fluids that cause diarrhea. Cocoa beans contain a large amount of chemicals called flavonoids. Scientists believe that these flavonoids can be used to create natural supplements to ease diarrhea symptoms. Dark chocolate contains high concentrations of cocoa and may offer mild relief.


Frogs may help in fight against HIV

(10/01/2005) A new weapon in the battle against HIV may come from an unusual source -- a small tropical frog. Investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported this month in the Journal of Virology that compounds secreted by frog skin are potent blockers of HIV infection.


Polar bears hold key to understanding health risk of environmental pollutants

(09/30/2005) Polar bears and people, at the chilly top of the Arctic's food chain, risk consuming a smorgasbord of industrial pollutants that have seeped into their habitat and pose potential health hazards.


Flavanols found in chocolate have health benefits

(09/29/2005) Phytochemicals known as flavanols, which are found in chocolate, fruits and vegetables, can boost the levels of nitric oxide in the blood of smokers and reverse some of their smoking-related impairment in blood vessel function, according to a new study in the Oct. 4, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.


Now identified as likely origin of SARS; will bats be killed in China?

(09/29/2005) The likely source of the respiratory disease SARS is the horseshoe bat, a new study in the journal Science suggests. Researchers found a virus closely related to the SARS coronavirus in bats from three regions of China. The 2003 SARS outbreak killed 770 people and caused billions in economic damaged.


Key flavivirus discovery could lead to vaccines against mosquito and tick diseases

(09/28/2005) Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have made the surprising discovery that flaviviruses, which cause such serious diseases as West Nile fever, yellow fever and forms of encephalitis, evade immune system defenses in different ways depending on whether they are transmitted by mosquitoes or ticks. This finding could lead to new approaches to developing vaccines and treatments against these illnesses.


Drug-resistant Staph bacteria gaining genes for virulence

(09/27/2005) In a Brief Report in the September 22, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at the University of Chicago describe three cases of rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal Staphylococcus aureus infections in small children.


Doctors ill-prepared to diagnose, treat bioterrorism diseases

(09/26/2005) More than one-half of 631 physicians tested were unable to correctly diagnose diseases caused by agents most likely to be used by bioterrorists, such as smallpox, anthrax, botulism and plague, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the Sept. 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.


NOAA Biologists to study marine contaminants from hurricane

(09/23/2005) The NOAA Research vessel the Nancy Foster this week is working off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to study the effects of Hurricane Katrina on marine resources and the ecosystem. During the cruise, biologists will take water samples and look at sediments in the Mississippi river. They will test fish and shrimp for evidence of toxic contamination and pathogens that might affect human health.


Climate change could have significant impact on health of Australians

(09/22/2005) The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian conservation Foundation (ACF) are calling for a national response to one of the world's most significant environmental threats -- climate change and its effect on human health.


Researchers Discover Protein Signatures for Prostate Cancer

(09/22/2005) A new study shows that testing blood samples for antibodies that target prostate cancer cells may help identify patients with early stages of the disease. In the September 22, 2005, issue of New England Journal of Medicine, researchers report the findings may lead to a new test that could complement the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test in detecting early stage prostate cancer.


FDA Approves First Pediatric Generic AIDS Drug

(09/20/2005) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the approval for marketing of several generic versions of drugs that treat HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Previously, the products had been only tentatively approved and were not available in the United States because patent or market exclusivity blocked their approval.


33% of evacuees report experiencing health problems or injuries as a result of the hurricane

(09/20/2005) To give voice to people whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing floods, The Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a unique survey of evacuees in shelters in the Houston area. One-third (34%) of Katrina evacuees report that they were trapped in their homes and had to be rescued. Half (50%) of those who were trapped said they waited three or more days to be rescued.


DDT linked to Early Miscarriages - Harvard Study

(09/20/2005) Healthy, nonsmoking women with high levels of DDT residues in their bloodstream are far more likely to miscarry during the early weeks of pregnancy than those with lower levels, a study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found.


Malaria parasite dispersal mechanism uncovered

(09/20/2005) Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have determined the sequence in which the malaria parasite disperses from the red blood cells it infects. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is one of the National Institutes of Health.


In Niger, 50% deaths among children under five from malaria

(09/20/2005) Seeking to avert a second wave of deaths among Niger's undernourished children, the World Health Organization (WHO) is dispatching 100 000 antimalarial treatments to the west African country, where peak malaria season has begun in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.



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