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IOM Panel's Comparative Effectiveness Report Includes Pregnancy Prevention Measures
The U.S. should conduct research to compare the effectiveness of innovative programs aimed at preventing unintended pregnancy, according to a report issued Tuesday by a congressionally convened Institute of Medicine panel, the New York Times reports (Meier, New York Times, 7/1). The recommendations state that these strategies should include "over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives or other hormonal methods, expanding access to long-acting methods for young women, [and] providing free contraceptive methods at public clinics, pharmacies or other locations" (List of Priorities, IOM, 6/26). The report lists 100 health topics that should be prioritized as the Obama administration seeks to increase cost-effectiveness in medicine. The federal stimulus package passed earlier this year allotted $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research into different ways of treating certain conditions and addressing various health care issues. According to the Times, the report is a first step in an expansive effort by the administration and health experts to direct medical practice toward scientifically proven treatments, rather than a provider"s personal opinion or a medical product company"s promotional claims. Harold Sox, co-chair of the IOM panel that wrote the report and the editor of the Annals of Internal Medicine, said that based on public comments, the panel decided it was important to include pregnancy prevention and other public health issues in its recommendations (Meier, New York Times, 7/1). The report also recommends that researchers compare different comprehensive care coordination programs, such as the medical home model and chronic disease management, especially in communities known to have health disparities (Simmons, HealthLeaders Media, 6/30).
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Measurements Fail To Identify TB Patients Who Could Benefit From Shorter Treatment Course
Tuberculosis (TB) is a difficult infection to treat and requires six months of multiple antibiotics to cure it. To combat the TB pandemic, a shorter and simpler drug treatment would be a huge advance since most TB occurs in re-limited settings with poor public health infrastructures.
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The Genetic Interest Group Welcomes EU Health Ministers' Move To Tackle Rare Diseases
The Genetic Interest Group, the UK patient organisation for all those affected by genetic disorders,
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Africa Continues To Strengthen Capacity To Deal With A/H1N1

African countries, with the support of WHO and other development partners, are continuously strengthening their general capacity to deal with cases of Influenza A/H1N1 virus if an outbreak occurs in the region. All countries in the Region now have in place revised or updated contingency and emergency preparedness and response plans; all have also set up A/H1N1 emergency or crisis management committees or commissions or Task Forces, and all are enhancing surveillance to enable early detection, laboratory confirmation of cases and rapid response, according to reports received on Friday by the WHO Regional Office for Africa. The reports, from Member States, indicate that as at 14 May, all countries in the Region had taken delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Also, more than one million doses of Tamiflu had been delivered to 42 out of the 46 Members States. The remaining four countries are expected to take delivery of 14,000 doses of Tamiflu by 17 May. Shipments of the PPE and Tamiflu to countries were made by both the Africa Regional Office of WHO and WHO Headquarters. Some quantities of both items were also delivered to the WHO Inter Country Support Teams based in Harare, Libreville and Ouagadougou which have set up crisis management committees to support countries in their areas of coverage. The A/H1N1 Crisis Management Team set up in April by the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, is in permanent contact with all 46 countries in the Region which now provide daily reports on the A/H1N1 situation to the Regional Office. As at 18:00 GMT on 14 May, 7, 457 cases of A/H1N1 had been reported in 34 countries worldwide with 65 deaths: 60 in Mexico, three in USA, one in Canada and one in Costa Rica. No A/H1N1 cases have so far been confirmed in Africa, although 25 suspected cases have been reported in nine countries. Twelve of these have tested negative, while the remaining are still being investigated. WHO *See our Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks *See our Mexico Swine Flu Blog


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