November 10, 2009

AIDS is now the leading cause of death in women worldwide

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently launched a report entitled Women and health: today's evidence tomorrow's agenda - the world's first comprehensive study of women's health around the globe. The report reviews evidence on the health issues that particularly affect girls and women throughout their life course, which is divided into four stages that have particular relevance for health.  The stages include early childhood (from birth to nine years), adolescence (from 10 to 19 years), adulthood (from 20 to 59 years, and including the reproductive ages of 15-44 years) and older age (from 60 years onwards). 

The report reveals the AIDS virus as the leading cause of death and disease for women in their reproductive years (15-44) followed by pregnancy-related conditions and tuberculosis.  Unsafe sex is the leading risk factor in developing countries for these women of childbearing age, with others including lack of access to contraceptives and iron deficiency.

Upon release of the report, WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan called for urgent action both within the health sector and beyond to improve the health and lives of girls and women around the world, from birth to older age. "We will not see significant progress as long as women are regarded as second-class citizens in so many parts of the world." said Chan.

The World Health Organization found that women provide the bulk of health care, but rarely receive the care they need.  90% of care for HIV/AIDS related illness usually provided in the home by women, yet women go unsupported and un reciprocated.  Other findings include that women live longer than men but the extra years are not always healthy. 

The report expresses the desperate need for policy change and action within the health sector and beyond. 

November 10, 2009 in Women’s Health | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

November 09, 2009

House Approves Health Reform Bill After Adopting Stupak Amendment Barring Abortion Coverage in Private, Public Subsidized Plans

Post Date: 9-Nov-2009 — The House on Saturday evening voted 220-215 to pass its health care reform bill (HR 3962) after the chamber approved an amendment that would prohibit public and private plans in new health insurance exchanges from covering abortion if they accept people who receive government subsidies, the Washington Post reports (MacGillis, Washington Post, 11/9). The amendment bans the public plan option from covering abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the woman, the AP/Boston Herald reports. The amendment was introduced by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) and passed with 64 Democratic votes and 176 Republican votes (Werner, AP/Boston Herald, 11/8).
Under the amendment, women with subsidized insurance policies seeking abortion coverage would be forced to buy separate abortion-only "riders" for their policies with their own money, CQ Today reports. In theory, people who do not receive federal subsidies would be able to purchase plans that cover abortion through the health exchanges, though abortion-rights supporters are skeptical that any such plans would be available (Wayne, CQ Today, 11/7). The Planned Parenthood Federation of America said the amendment is the equivalent of a ban on abortion coverage because women would be unlikely to buy riders for a procedure they do not anticipate needing, the Washington Times reports. Cecile Richards, president of PPFA, said, "Such abortion riders do not exist because women do not plan to have unintended pregnancies or medically complicated pregnancies that require ending the pregnancy" (Haberkorn, Washington Times, 11/9).

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said caucus members are "furious and going to do everything we can to defeat" the amendment (Dennis, Roll Call, 11/7). Abortion-rights advocates say they will work to remove Stupak's amendment from the bill when lawmakers work out differences between the House and Senate bills in conference committee, the Post reports. DeGette said she has collected more than 40 signatures from House Democrats who say they will oppose any final bill that includes Stupak's amendment, which would be enough votes to block its passage. DeGette said, "There's going to be a firestorm here," adding, "Women are going to realize that a Democratic-controlled House has passed legislation that would prohibit women paying for abortions with their own funds. ... We're not going to let this into law" (Washington Post, 11/9).

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November 9, 2009 in Abortion | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

November 05, 2009

Teen girls diagnosed with STI more likely to seek treatment for partners after watching video - But adherence to medication and follow-up remain poor

Post Date: 04-Nov-2009

A study at Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that girls diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) who watched a short educational video were three times more likely to discuss their condition with their partners and to ensure partner treatment than girls diagnosed and treated without seeing the film.

Reporting online ahead of print in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, the Hopkins team says disclosure and partner treatment are critical in preventing the sexually transmitted infection that causes PID from getting passed back and forth between the two partners, minimizing the risk for repeat and chronic infections and preventing further spread outside the original pair.

The six-minute video, produced by Hopkins Children's, shows teen girls diagnosed with PID coping with various aspects of care and discussing such issues as notifying one's partner, urging him to get treated, completing a two-week course of antibiotic treatment, returning for follow-up care and abstaining from sexual activity during the treatment.

Girls who saw the video before they were discharged from the ED or the urgent care center were no more likely to finish their medication, return for follow-up and abstain from sex during treatment than those who didn't see it. However, researchers report that a full two-thirds of the 121 girls, ages 15 to 21, did finish their medication — which they got free of charge before they left the medical treatment site — a marked improvement from the times when girls with PID were discharged and just sent to a pharmacy with a prescription.

"The good news is we got these girls to talk to their partners and get them treated, which is great, but there is clearly a whole lot of work to be done to prevent and treat these infections," says lead investigator Maria Trent, M.D., M.P.H., pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist at Hopkins Children's.

The most alarming finding was the abysmal follow-up rate — 24 percent overall — among this subset of female teens who are at high-risk for repeat STIs and unwanted pregnancies, researchers say. Indeed, fewer than one-fourth of the girls in this study reported using contraception, while nearly half had been pregnant in the past and more than half had a history of STIs.

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November 5, 2009 in Educational , STD | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

November 04, 2009

This season give a gift...just for the health of it.

November 4, 2009 in Infectious Awarables | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

November 03, 2009

"I Know" - Get Tested for Chlamydia

Visit https://www.dontthinkknow.org/

for more information on Chlamydia, how you can prevent it and where you can get tested.

November 3, 2009 in STD | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

November 02, 2009

Abortion Coverage Splits House Democrats as Health Reforms Heads to Floor

Post Date: 02-Nov-2009

The issue of abortion coverage in the House health care reform bill (HR 3962) continues to divide Democrats as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) prepares to move the bill to the floor, CQ Today reports. Antiabortion-rights Democrats argue that the bill's current language against federal funding for abortion coverage is not strong enough. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who is leading antiabortion-coverage efforts in the House, hasthreatened to vote against a rule allowing floor consideration of the bill providing he is not allowed to introduce an amendment imposing additional restrictions. Democratic leadership in the House is unlikely to allow Stupak to introduce his amendment, CQ Today reports (Ota, CQ Today, 10/30).
Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee and one of the committees of jurisdiction, said on Friday that he does not expect that many amendments will be allowed, including those backed by abortion-rights opponents. Miller said, "Unless there are major problems, I would expect the opportunity for amendment to be very limited, if at all." According to The Hill, the House Rules Committee has jurisdiction over whether to allow amendments, although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) "controls the committee through appointments" and "essentially decides whether to allow amendments." Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said the issue of Stupak's amendment "is being addressed" and "will unfold in the next couple of days" (Soraghan, The Hill, 10/30).

Pelosi and Democratic leaders, aware of the political divisiveness of the issue, have accepted the need to compromise with abortion-rights opponents and included an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.). The Capps amendment includes language similar to current restrictions on states' use of Medicaid funds, Capps said. The amendment would ensure that federal funding to health insurance plans is kept in separate accounts from private premiums that would be used for abortion coverage. Capps said some liberal groups initially were reluctant to accept the proposal but were told it was necessary and "have come around and say they agree" with the compromise.

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November 2, 2009 in Abortion | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

October 30, 2009

The History of Halloween Plus 5 Things You Didn't Know About the Holiday

Americans love Halloween. We as a country spend over $5 billion a year celebrating it. But where did the holiday come from? And how did traditions like asking strangers for food and dressing up as ghosts develop?

Halloween has its roots in Samhain (pronounced sow-in), an ancient harvest festival held at the end of the Celtic year. The festival marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark wintertime. It was believed the spirits of the dead returned on this eve to damage crops and play tricks on the living. It was also believed that the Celtic priests, or Druids, were able to make predictions about the future, which they did during large bonfire celebrations where they wore animal skins and sacrificed crops and animals to the spirits.

In early A.D., Romans came to the Celtic territories of modern day England, Scotland and Northern France, and were the first people to influence the celebration of Samhain. They brought their own holidays: Feralia, the Roman day to honor the dead in late October, as well as another holiday to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. It is possible that this Roman influence is the reason apples are given out and bobbed for on Halloween.

By 800 A.D., Christianity spread to the Celtic Territories and brought with it another holiday, "All Saints Day." Pope Boniface IV, the designator of All Saints Day, was likely trying to replace Samhain with a similar but holier holiday meant to honor saints and martyrs. Later on, All Saints Day was renamed "All Hallows" and thus the day of Samhain (Oct. 31st) began to be called "All Hallows Eve," and eventually shortened to "Hallowe'en."

All of the holidays that were melded together to create our modern version of Halloween involved dressing up in one way or another. The celebrators of Samhain wore animal skins at their bonfire celebrations and those that observed "All Saints Day" often dressed as saints or angels. Later on men in Scotland would impersonate the dead on the day, explaining the ghoulish tradition we still observe.

During the mid 1800's, Irish and English immigrants flooded the United States and brought Halloween with them. From these immigrants we received the Halloween traditions we recognize today, however skewed they are now. For instance, the first trick-or-treaters were far from today's smiling children with commercialized costumes. They lived in Medieval England, and practiced "souling," in which poor people would beg for sweet breads, in return for praying for the families' souls. Later, the immigrants who brought Halloween to America would develop their own version of trick-or-treating, but it didn't become popular here until the 1930s.

1) Halloween Is The Second Highest Grossing Commercial Holiday After Christmas

What used to be just a singular holiday with minimal things to purchase has turned into an entire "Halloween Season." Between decorative lights and lawn ornaments, elaborate costumes and loads of candy, the average American spends a pretty penny on this fall holiday. However popular Halloween has become, the recession has affected spending for this year's spooky night. Spending is down, according the the National Retail Federation. Shoppers will spend an average of $56.31 on the holiday compared to $66.54 in 2008. Some ways people are cutting down include making homemade costumes, using last year's decorations and buying less expensive candies. For the children's sake, let's hope everyone doesn't resort to giving out apples and pennies. Didn't you just hate that as a kid?

2) Harry Houdini Died On October 31, 1926

The famous magician was killed (accidentally) by a McGill University student named J. Gordon Whitehead who was hitting him in the stomach repeatedly as part of a stunt. A week later he died of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix. Despite acute appendicitis, Houdini refused to seek medical treatment.

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October 30, 2009 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

October 29, 2009

Pitt study shows linkage between teen girls' weight and sexual behavior

Post Date: 29-Oct-2009

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 29 – A University of Pittsburgh study sheds new light on the relationship between race, body weight and sexual behavior among adolescent girls. The results suggest that a girl's ethnicity and her actual weight or perception of her weight may play a role in her participation in risky sexual behaviors. The study results are published in the November issue of Pediatrics, now available online.

The study, conducted by Aletha Akers, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues, further links girls at weight extremes with an increased risk for engaging in sexual risk-taking behaviors.

"This study will contribute to sexual health education prevention efforts, which can be tailored to address how cultural norms regarding body size may influence adolescent sexual decision making. Knowing how a girl perceives her weight may be just as important as knowing her actual weight," noted Dr. Akers.

Of the nearly 7,200 high school girls asked about their sexual activity and risky sexual behavior as part of the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey, half reported ever having sex. Those girls who were both sexually active and overweight, or who thought they were overweight, were less likely to use condoms than normal-weight sexually active girls. Underweight girls also were less likely to use condoms.

The findings also suggested variability in the girls' sexual activity and sexual risk-taking behavior based on their ethnicity and actual or perceived weight.

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October 29, 2009 in Teen Pregnancy , Women’s Health | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

October 28, 2009

Texas State Lawmaker Requests Information on Licenses for Dispensing Mifepristone

Post Date: 27-Oct-2009

Texas state Rep. Frank Corte (R) earlier this month requested that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) provide information about whether medical facilities that regularly dispense mifepristone for medical abortion procedures should be licensed by the state, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Texas law requires licenses for medical facilities that perform more than 50 abortion procedures annually. An increasing number of providers have been using mifepristone for early abortions since FDA approved the drug in 2000.

In a letter dated Oct. 5, Corte wrote, "What [providers are] doing is the same thing as a surgical process, with the same end result. We need to have a clear understanding of what our law says." He said the "question it goes back to" is "[w]ho are these folks (dispensing the drug)? They may be very qualified to dispense the item, but they need to be licensed facilities so we know for sure."

Holly Morgan, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of North Texas, called Corte's request part of an ongoing effort to restrict access to abortion. Morgan said, "From our point of view, the anti-choice people are perpetually looking for creative ways to block women from having a legal abortion," adding, "It sounds like he's doing something to try and label and shame doctors from doing what is their legal right and obligation as physicians." Morgan said the request would have limited impact on physicians' practices, adding, "Anyone who does offer [mifepristone] already has that distinction (as an abortion provider) in their practice. I'm not sure what the point is."

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October 28, 2009 in Abortion | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

October 26, 2009

Pregnant women who are lesbians want to be treated like any other expectant mother

Post date: 22-Oct-2009

Pregnant women who are lesbians want to be treated like any other expectant mother
Midwives often struggle to meet the needs of pregnant women who are lesbians, with patients reporting that the focus is often on their sexuality rather than the fact that they are expecting a baby, according to research in the November issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

The findings have led Swedish researchers from Linkopings University and Uppsala University Hospital to call for special training for midwives, more neutral healthcare routines and forms and special education groups for pregnant women who are lesbians and their partners.

"Ten lesbian women aged from 30 to 46 were interviewed" says lead author Dr Gerd Rondahl, a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University. "All were open about their sexuality with healthcare staff, all had experience of antenatal care, childbirth or postnatal care in Sweden and eight of them were in a relationship with another woman at the time of the study.

"Our study showed that none of the women were offered any childbirth and parenting education and some assumed that this was because the midwife did not know how to handle two mothers rather than the mother and father unit normally seen in traditional parenting groups.

"Some reported positive experiences but others felt vulnerable and defenceless because of the way that healthcare staff reacted to them. However, the majority felt that healthcare staff focused more on their sexuality than their needs as pregnant women and prospective parents."

Other key findings from the study included:

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October 26, 2009 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)