Medicine and Health
Britain: new findings point to larger outbreaks of vCJD “mad cow disease”
By Trevor Johnson, August 18, 2004
UK scientists are upwardly revising their estimates of the number of people likely to die from new variant CJD (vCJD, also known as “mad cow disease”). It follows the death of a second pat...
BSE/Mad Cow Disease crisis provokes trade war
By Paul Mitchell, August 2, 2004
The spread of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, has provoked a trade war in cattle and beef products.
Polio epidemic threatens Africa
By Trevor Johnson, July 31, 2004
The global rate of polio infection declined in recent decades to the point where the disease was almost eradicated. This year, the disease has experienced a resurgence, as basic health care collapses ...
Anger at International AIDS Conference over Bush administration’s policies
By Carol Divjak, July 29, 2004
More than 17,000 delegates, including scientists, health officials, policy makers and activists, gathered from July 11 to 17 at the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. What dominated the ag...
Huge funding shortfall for global AIDS epidemic
By Trevor Johnson and Chris Talbot, July 26, 2004
The UNAIDS report released at the fifteenth International AIDS Conference last week shows that there is an escalating shortfall in the funding required to deal with the global spread of AIDS.
Scientists identify a gene that may block HIV
By Perla Astudillo, May 6, 2004
Scientists at the Harvard Medical School in the United States have identified a human gene, known as TRIM5-alpha, which is capable of preventing the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) from replicating...
US blocks UN proposal to combat obesity
By Barry Mason, February 9, 2004
Obesity is one of the major causes of non-communicable disease. Worldwide there are around 300 million obese people with another 750 million considered overweight—approximately one sixth of the ...
Asian bird flu threatens to trigger worldwide epidemic
By John Roberts, February 6, 2004
The current outbreak of avian influenza—popularly known as bird flu—in a number of Asian countries is looming as a major international health crisis. It has potentially catastrophic human ...
Eastern Europe faces HIV-AIDS epidemic
By Richard Tyler, December 12, 2003
The reintroduction of the free market into the former Eastern Bloc countries has unleashed a health catastrophe.
UN International AIDS Day report reveals growing pandemic
By Ann Talbot, December 2, 2003
Five million people were infected with HIV this year. This is a record number of new infections and indicates that the global AIDS epidemic is continuing to worsen.
Bush’s AIDS appointee spells out corporate agenda
By Chris Talbot, October 9, 2003
Randall Tobias, ex-Ely Lilly CEO and a member of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), was confirmed as head of the Bush administration’s Emergency Plan for AIDS by t...
International governments hold back stem cell research
By Paul Mitchell, August 12, 2003
Governments across the world are holding back stem cell research and its promise of revolutionising healthcare. Pressure from religious organisations and anti-abortion campaigners has forced many gove...
