VoiceFromTheCave

Yet another breakthrough for women's cancers...but what about access?

2005-10-08T07:43:00.000-04:00

Merck's stunning breakthrough in the vaccine world is great news. The vaccine Gardasil has proven in clinical trials to be "100% effective" at protecting against the human papilloma virus (HPV) which is responsible for causing 70% of cervical cancers.

There are plans of routinely offering this vaccine to schoolgirls aged 10-13, before they become sexually active (one hopes!) and can be at risk for transmitting the virus. It will take about a generation to see a really big reduction in rates of cervical cancer. Until the vaccine comes on the market, pap smears will continue to be the only way of identifying precancerous cells.

Pap smear rates in the United States are around 86%. Of course, there are huge problems with access to care because 15% of the country doesn't have health insurance. How would a vaccine change this? It will mean one shot and you're done, as opposed to having to go in every year for a pap smear. Health insurance will cover those with it...but what about the 10 million children in this country who don't have any insurance at all? Can't we expect our government to provide it for free to these kids so that they don't risk getting cervical cancer? The costs of treating cancer are far greater than preventing it, and this new vaccine is the ultimate example. It would be unjust to confine a devastating virus to a socio-economic group that is least equipped to cope with treating it.

Breakthrough in breast cancer drug availability in the U.K.

2005-10-05T07:13:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a legal battle won by a breast cancer patient in the U.K., the drug Herceptin will be made available to patients on the state-funded National Health Service. Patients will be tested for the HER-2 receptor, a protein which is over-abundant in some breast cancer patients. HER-2 positive patients may benefit from using Herceptin and "of the 35,000 women diagnosed [in the U.K.] with breast cancer each year, about 20,000 are likely to be suitable for herceptin testing and around 5,000 should benefit from use of the drug."

The cost per patient is estimated at US$ 35 000.

Flu Pandemic Awareness Week

2005-10-02T23:12:00.000-04:00

To heighten awareness of avian flu, the folks at Flu Wiki have declared October 3-9th Flu Pandemic Awareness Week. Although there haven't been any human-to-human transmissions of the H5N1 virus, some public health officials say it could happen any time and the World Health Organization warns of "between 5 and 150 million deaths" if it does.
Development of a vaccine is essential and there are several upcoming meetings to plan for a possible pandemic. The public's knowledge of the issue is key to making a difference in how officials respond and prepare for an emergency, and our input is vital. Flu Wiki offers some good ways to help here.

Bill Bennett's Final Solution

2005-09-29T21:26:00.000-04:00

Even after the tragedies that unfolded during Hurricane Katrina, when it became so clear to us that this country is still divided on class and racial lines, you'd think that some people would be able to keep their mouths shut. Not the Reagan-era Secretary of Education, whose comments are inexcusable. Bill Bennett said to a caller "I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. "
Oh, so as long as you say that it's "ridiculous" and "morally reprehensible", then you are a cut above facists like, say, Pat Robertson, who just go ahead and promote violence on the air?

Something to chew over

2005-09-28T20:28:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to post about British chef Jamie Oliver's efforts to reform School Dinners since I first heard about the program months ago. Today, I am finally getting around to it for a number of reasons. The news that junk food will be banned in U.K. schools from September 2006 is certainly encouraging and shows the influence that Oliver has had on public opinion and the government of late. I wonder if we could have similar success in the state of Massachusetts if we lobbied for a change? The Act to Promote Proper School Nutrition, H. 1457, will give us a chance to see if the public interest wins out. This Bill in the MA legislature hopes to:

Replace soda with healthier drinks, such as water, low- and non-fat milk, and juice.
Set healthy standards for fat and sugar in snacks.
Make fresh fruits and vegetables available in cafeterias.

With 9.9% of high school students in MA reportedly overweight, it really is high time for change. The Boston Public School menus are available online for elementary, middle and high schools. We can see what they eat for meals (and to me, it doesn't look too great - lots of fat, no?), but what is also really scary is what they have access to outside of class - from the vending machines. The spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association, Kathleen Dezio, when informed about the proposal to pass the H. 1457 Bill, said "We believe very strongly that it is most appropriate for local school officials and parents to determine what products are appropriate for the students in their area...I don't want anyone at the state or federal level telling me what my sons should eat and drink."

A VIP comes to BWH...

2005-09-19T16:35:00.000-04:00

$5 000 in room fees for Thomas Menino's 2003 and 2004 hospital stays that were written off by Brigham and Women's Hospital should be paid for by the Boston mayor. This may not be a lot of money for BWH or the taxpayers who may be expected to pick up his tab, but it sets a precedent. When thousands of people in this state and country are unable to pay for their healthcare and roughly half of those Americans who filed for bankruptcy in 2001 did so for medical reasons, it really doesn't seem right to give this man special treatment.

$1 billion pilfered from Iraq Defence Ministry

2005-09-19T07:44:00.000-04:00

In what has been described by the Iraqi Finance Minister, Ali Allawi, as "possibly one of the largest thefts in history", "huge amounts" of money have been stolen from the coffers of the Defence Ministry in Iraq and was supposed to have been spent on training that country's army. Incredibly, the money went missing during an eight month period from 28 June 2004 and 28 February 2005. How does that sum of money go missing, seemingly without bring noticed? Well, when money is "spent without restraint", "contracts for large sums of money [are] short scribbles on a single piece of paper" and you have a cabinet committee that doesn't review contracts over $5 million because, apparently, the country is just too busy rushing to democracy.

How does this affect the public's health? This no doubt slows down the steps that the country was making towards democracy and hopefully peace. Given the current insurgency in the country, on assumes that the rogues who looted the Ministry are hoping to use at least some of money to fund their activities (i.e. kill and maim thousands of Iraqis) The rest? Well, no doubt Al Qaida will be getting their hands on it and thinking of new ways to kill people.

The disaster cleanup.

2005-09-11T08:18:00.000-04:00

As many pause today to remember the victims of the September 11th 2001 attacks, let's not forget those who worked so hard to help save lives in the aftermath. Apparently, a report by the Government Accountability Office found that "Thousands of federal workers who helped untangle the wreckage of the World Trade Center may have never been examined or treated for medical problems stemming from the disaster." The Department of Health and Human Services was provided funds to examine workers and they just didn't use it all, resulting in undiagnosed illnesses and problems stemming from the cleanup of Ground Zero. Why wasn't it used? According to DHHS, they lacked a list of eligible federal workers, they didn't have the authority to help people who left their government jobs after 9/11 (maybe because they were sick or injured? Duh!) and the screeners just didn't know what to do with the results. Sounds like a combination of not caring and too much bureaucracy.

This report is particularly relevant today when we hear about the lengths that all kinds of workers are going to to secure New Orleans. Their work is delayed particularly when reluctant people refuse to leave the city, further risking their exposure to what's in the water. And what is in the water? This article says "At least 10 times the acceptable levels of sewage-related bacteria, including potentially lethal E. coli....gas, oil, lead". These people who are bravely trying to save lives now...is the U.S. government going to adequately provide for them if they are plagued by illnesses and other medical problems? What has the report from the GAO taught them?
(Incidently, I did go to the GAO site, have attempted to find the full text of this report and came up with nothing. Given that this was a recent report and has made all kinds of headlines, you'd think it would be in the "in the spotlight" sidebar of the site, but it wasn't. I did searches for "ground zero", "9/11 workers" and still nothing. Weird.)

Arms sales up in the South.

2005-09-08T22:40:00.000-04:00

Clearly fear is widespread in the South. Throughout New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston and Mobile, gun sales have gone up since Hurricane Katrina struck. I wonder- would this have happened if the federal government hadn't reacted so slowly and incompetently? Or is this the type of knee-jerk reaction that naturally occurs when there is a combination of fear and allowing (encouraging?) people to own guns.
Some of the people who have been coming in to purchase weapons have never even owned them...one storeowner talked of being "inundated by people seeking handguns and shotguns", selling since Katrina hit as many as they'd sell in a year, and still managing to give lessons to some of the buyers. Wow. Let's hope that he, and others, have taken on some extra staff. We don't want any of these new trigger-happys to be lousy shots or anything.

Teach your children well.

2005-09-07T07:56:00.000-04:00

Clearly money doesn't buy you sense and Barbara Bush's comments (you can hear them here) about Hurricane Katrina victims shows something about what type of family our president comes from. I'd like to know how she thinks things are "working out very well" for the victims. Maybe because they're getting oxygen now, like this kid, so the people of the Gulf Coast should be grateful that the Lord struck them with this 'natural disaster'? Or now because they're getting showers, hot meals and somewhere to sleep in the Astrodome, they should be eternally thankful? Is this not the richest country on earth? Shouldn't these people have had these 'privileges' before the hurricane struck?
Not to mention that there are countless people who are worse off now. Financially, mentally, physically and emotionally. We might want to dismiss her comments as those coming from a crazy old bag. But this is our president's mother and the former first lady of the United States. I think that she owes people an apology.

Too sickening for words...

2005-09-02T19:26:00.000-04:00

I don't know. Maybe I am beating a dead horse. The blogosphere is filled with talk about Katrina. But these stats from the 2000 census just say it all for me. And I know that my aim is to talk about public health concerns that are being ignored, and that many of us aren't ignoring this stuff because we are all SO ANGRY about the delayed reaction to aiding people affected by the hurricane.
Hell, even Bush finally 'addressed' our concerns by hugging a couple of nice, black folks today. And now, days later, help arrives.

But what kind of person do you have to be to:
1) have the resources to leave?
2) have the voice to finally be heard?

Survival of the richest?

2005-08-31T11:12:00.000-04:00

Katrina's devastation is just utterly depressing. It seems that those with the means left her path of destruction and chaos. The story that goes with this photo really is something for public health-ers to think about...
Evelyn and Xavier Turner couldn't find a way to leave New Orleans and Xavier, who suffered from lung cancer, ran out of oxygen, and died.

Dealing with the enemy - 2 cases.

2005-08-28T09:03:00.000-04:00

In an effort to disarm Congolese rebels, the ingenious head of an NGO in this huge, troubled country has been offering "bikes for guns". Reverend Daniel Mulunda, who also works as a "spiritual advisor" to President Joseph Kabila, expressed his frustration with the slow-pace of bringing this war-torn nation to peace:

"[The Kinshasa disarmament agency] sit holding seminars while people are dying. We are giving them bicycles in exchange for gathering and destroying their weapons."
So far, the organization has collected 4 300 weapons from rebels this year alone, and hopes to collect 10 000 more by the end of 2005. The plan presumably works so well because of a lack of infrastructure in the country, which makes bikes a reliable and cheap form of transportation.

A story came out this week regarding the release of the two Italian aid-workers in Iraq, who were captured in September 2004 and released just weeks afterwards. At the time, there was speculation that the Italian government negotiated their release, and now it turns out that the Italian Red Cross "treated four Iraqi insurgents with the knowledge of the Italian government and hid them from U.S. forces in exchange for the freedom of two kidnapped aid-workers". The treatment of four of the terrorists' children suffering from leukemia was also part of the deal - they were taken to Italy for treatment.

While the Congo story isn't providing rebels with the means to continue fighting, the Iraq case would leave insurgents physically able to go about with their activities. The Red Cross' policy of neutrality during times of war and conflict, however, is well-known; we really have no way of knowing how many insurgents may have been treated in Iraq. The lives of four Iraqi children might have also been saved as a result of these negotiations - their relationship to insurgents should have no bearing on our opinion of their well-being.
Are either of these actions justified, given the circumstances in DRC and Iraq? Are they even similar actions? Do the ends justify the means?

Effectively communicating with patients?

2005-08-24T22:00:00.000-04:00

A Rochester, NH patient's complaints about a doctor's advice to lose weight went as far as the New Hampshire Board of Medicine before heading to the attorney general's office. Dr Terry Bennett apparently told the patient that she was obese and needed to lose weight. This doctor clearly realizes that the American obesity epidemic poses a grave danger to the population and is affecting us is more ways that we ever imagined possible.
What should be questioned is how providers are broaching this delicate subject. Dr Bennett was quoted as saying that "I told a fat woman she was obese...[to] join a group of like-minded people and peel off the weight that is going to kill [her]". Fat? Peel-off? If he used that type of wording with his patient, it's really no wonder that he pissed her off.

One study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine showed that, although negative attitudes towards overweight people have decreased in the past 20 years, there is a surprisingly high percentage of clinicians who saw overweight and obese patients as awkward, lazy, sloppy, weak-willed and so on. It's really important to have an attitude change within the clinical setting, not just in the population. Expecially given that poor states like Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana (to name a few...) now have the most obese people living in them. What is being done from a public health standpoint to prevent (or even treat) the obesity problems in those areas?

Maine

2005-08-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

My recent silence is excused because I was in Maine, a truly wonderful place. I highly recommend it to those who haven't been. And to those who have, go again. Get out of here and check it out! I just can't believe that I have lived in Boston for 18 months and this was my first visit...
I advocate regular vacations, even if it's just down the road. For the sake of your mental, physical and emotional health.

Famine denial

2005-08-09T14:35:00.000-04:00

President Mamadou Tanja of Niger's latest comments, that his people aren't suffering from famine and that they "look well-fed", are quite shocking. Why must African leaders time and time again deny the problems that their people face? President Tanja claims that if there really was a famine, there would be more begging, people would be fleeing from Niger and there would be slums growing up around large towns.

I don't know about slums around large towns, but we have all seen people rushing, desperately, at the first site of aid agencies with food. And there have been reports of people leaving the country and going into Nigeria in search of better conditions. Maybe the people are building the shanty towns around towns in Nigeria? But given the thoughtlessness of his remarks, that might just suit Mr. Tanja very well.

Are we right to bear arms?

2005-08-06T08:29:00.000-04:00

The last few days, I have been somewhat wary when driving on the streets of Boston. I don't usually react to news reports, but the two recent road-rage incidents in Lynn and Brockton shook me up a bit. The first, in Lynn, left a mother and her son injured as a result of shots fired by an angry driver. The Brockton incident left a Cape Verdean immigrant dead, and fortunately his baby daughter was unscathed. The shots were fired by an angry ex-Army soldier who felt that the young man had just pissed him off too much. Aside from the obvious similarities between these two cases - the location, the heat and humidity that may lead to an increase in violence, the sexes of the shooters - one thing stands out. Both men had permits to carry these weapons. I know that the 2nd Amendment gives us all the "right" to do this but when the gun-related deaths in the U.S. reach 9.92 per 100 000...

It's not like these figures are news to me or anyone else reading this (especially those interested in public health). But it really scares the crap out of me to think that these people are leaving their houses with their weapons and driving around Boston with them. And what about my right to feel safe on the streets of Boston?

First Do No Harm?

2005-07-26T07:54:00.000-04:00

After watching a short excerpt on BBC News about female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone, I started thinking about how we in the West interpret the practice, particularly in the U.S. (Although I was unable to find the BBC story, this story explains the basics of FGM in Sierra Leone) Statistics on circumcision rates on American males are sketchy - the numbers vary from 60% to 80%. At any rate, it's high. When we in the United States hear about female circumcision, are we not disgusted and do we not view the practice as "barbaric"? Why is it less offensive to mutilate males' genitals? One site I looked at breaks down medical, psychological, monetary and ethical reasons why male circumcision should not continue. The practice of FGM was banned in the United States in 2003 - I for one would support a ban on the practice of MGM, or male genital mutilation, and believe that American parents should be better informed by their physicians about this controversial issue.

Update - Since writing this post, at the HIV conference in Rio, a study was presented showing that male circumcision may in fact reduce the risk of contracting HIV. I am surprised at how these findings have been hailed by public health officials. If the study does indeed turn out to be valid, then by all means, encourage circumcision. Just encourage it for a male over the age of 18 who can choose for himself.

Zimbabwean Human Rights: Grade - F

2005-07-22T13:59:00.000-04:00

The U.N.'s special envoy to Zimbabwe, Anna Tibaijuka, has given her report to Kofi Annan on the situation in the southern African country. Her verdict? The policy is "disastrous" and "inhumane" which should be halted immediately. The Zimbabwe government (as usual) is reacting defensively, accusing the UN of "bias against the operation". Operation? Would that be the government's grand scheme to leave 700 000 already impoverished and oppressed people on the streets with nowhere to live? Would the U.N's possible bias have resulted from the evidence they have that Robber Mugabe has been destroying Zimbabwe since he came into power? They have the report. Now is the time for some action!

What does the past teach us?

2005-07-20T13:10:00.000-04:00

Zimbabwe, once the bread basket of Africa (and I at 24 remember it being called this..) now tops the humanitarian crisis list in Southern Africa and the World Food Program is warning that 10 million people in the region "will need humanitarian assistance in six countries...over the coming year" (emphasis mine) History repeating itself? In six months or one year, when millions in southern Africa face what people in Niger face today, what will we say? Will Jan Egeland be saying to the world again "[This] is an example of a neglected emergency, where early warnings went unheeded" ?

"We don't do body counts" - General Tommy Franks

2005-07-19T08:55:00.000-04:00

We all know about the roughly 1700 US military deaths since the beginning of the Iraq War two years ago. Why is there little talk about the estimated 25 000 Iraqis who have died since the invasion began? This pdf document is an excellent resource from the Iraq Body Count project and shows the grim statistics about who is getting killed, where and why. It really reminds us just who is affected the most in wars - innocent civilians.

Niger's Humanitarian Crisis

2005-07-08T16:16:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago, I started to blog about the crisis in Niger, and didn't post yet as I thought more about what I wanted to say.
Swarms of locusts and a drought in that country have led to one of today's greatest humanitarian crises, currently threatening the lives of an estimated 3.5 million people in Niger. According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, 6 months of warning signs have been ignored. I wrote that, as the G8 summit prepared to meet, the hope should be that they don't forget this country as they discuss the worst-off in Africa. At least Niger is one of the countries that has qualified for immediate debt relief but more is going to be needed to alleviate the immediate suffering. Already, people are fleeing into neighboring Nigeria. Is this going to turn into an external refugee crisis, in addition to being an immediate health crisis internally? I guess we'll wait and see.

And once again, Africa's put on the back burner

2005-07-08T10:39:00.000-04:00

The brief G8 summit was made even shorter when Tony Blair left yesterday to travel to London and then both he and George Bush cut short the meeting in Gleneagles to contemplate the war on terrorism. The media really knows how to make us turn our attention to where they think we should be focusing. Are we to assume that 50 British lives are worth more than the thousands of African lives that are lost daily to preventable diseases, war, landmines, famine etc? How could we stand to see all these lives lost in "our" own countries, in the West? And then, we give them two pathetic days in which we can discuss their fate, and it's cut short, again, because of the war on terror. Or course we can't tolerate terrorism, but these days, it's all the developed world's leaders want to talk about! What about the health of the developing world! There in extreme anger on that continent, anger that may end up directed towards the West. Dealing with that now might actually save Londoners' lives in 50 years.

Between a rock and a hard place....

2005-06-28T16:04:00.000-04:00

In a previous blog, I mentioned that Americans might be reluctant to go for HIV testing because they don't necessarily have treatment options available to them. I guess in Massachusetts at least (and I suspect it is the same elsewhere in the country) the problem for people is that they are too "rich" to qualify for Medicaid programs and too poor to pay for their own health insurance if they are self-employed or working for companies that don't provide health insurance. At least, that's what today's Boston Globe says. What's worse is that this article is about a woman who said that she is paying out of pocket for her yearly checkups and (presumably screening) mammograms. And what about those people who simply cannot put money aside for these visits? Well, some of them will get sick, from diseases that maybe could have been prevented during screenings. I know from personal experience that patients cancel important checkups with their physicians, or can't get scans because their health insurance has been discontinued. These are the same old arguments that people like me make over and over again. I really just don't understand why we don't have universal healthcare in this country. We are spending 15% of our GDP on healthcare - it's not like it would be more expensive. And those who won't support it talk about "family values". Puh!

The Asian tsunami - from relief to reconstruction.

2005-06-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

The Asian tsunami left 225 000 people dead in 11 countries. Overall, the emphasis has turned from relief to reconstruction as the emergency phase winds down and was viewed as a success. Those left behind are trying with what little they have to rebuild their lives and the situation really looks pretty grim. There appears to be a lack of coordination in Sri Lanka, for example, because there's plenty of money waiting to be used, but bureaucracy is stalling that. Only 1% of tsunami aid has been spent in Aceh, the worst affected region. Let's hope that the aid agencies' success in the relief operations can quickly shift gears as they turn to reconstruction efforts. There's a long way to go in the affected countries and those who survived need to get their lives back to some level of normalcy.

National HIV Testing Day

2005-06-25T10:14:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a fellow blogger, I learned that June 27th is National HIV Testing Day. You can locate a testing site here. Of the estimated one million people infected with HIV , almost one-quarter may be unaware of their diagnosis. This alone should be reason enough for all those unaware of their HIV status to get tested. In an effort to stop the spread of HIV in this country, it would be refreshing to know that the government is able to provide for these people. Just as in African countries, where there is a reluctance to know one's HIV status because of the knowledge that there is no treatment available to them, could the same be true in the United States? I was unable to find on the NHTD Web site any information about accessing treatment once seroprevalence has been determined. What about those people who don't have health insurance and the means to pay for treatment? It would be useful to see this type of information on their site. But education is key and I encourage red ribbons and testing is the first step to halting the HIV spread in this country.

Mugabe's temporary solution for the homeless?

2005-06-25T09:22:00.000-04:00

Some people displaced by the recent events in Zimbabwe have been moved to transit camps, like one at Caledonia Farm. Close to 250 000 people in Zimbabwe are now homeless. Ironically, these people wouldn't be needing government shelters if it weren't for the government's crackdown on so-called "illegal housing".
What about the conditions in these transit camps? It simply isn't enough to provide a field in which people can settle. There were fears of disease outbreak because of a lack of proper sanitation and water facilities and unless the government program is adequately planned out, serious problems are inevitable. The state-controlled media claims that the Caledonia Farm camp is "a temporary holding place for those awaiting relocation". How temporary is it going to be if Mugabe is so determined to "beautify" the country? It seems to me that these people are going to be in holding camps for a long time and given the demand for shelter, Mugabe has now been urged to provide more camps for the people. Or perhaps these people will be held for just long enough to be re-educated by secret police agents before being turned back out onto the streets, with nothing but the rags on their backs?

Australia's anti-government protests

2005-06-20T08:53:00.000-04:00

To mark World Refugee Day, more than 1000 people took to the streets in Sydney to protest the Australian government's immigration and detention policies. In a previous post, I discussed the Chinese detainees at Villawood - the Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone apparently "does not condone self-harm as a form of protest" . Well, what would you suggest, Amanda Vanstone?!? It's not like these people have much other option, given that you are locking them up for years on end! It's good to see that there are Australians who are well-informed and caring enough to be on the streets today. Keep up the fight! Australia's immigration policy is simply unacceptable.

What next, Bob??

2005-06-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

In Robert Mugabe's latest ramblings, he blames corruption as a major reason why Zimbabwe's economic progress is negligible. In the news report I read, apparently it is corruption that is allowing a few to become "filthy rich" while the majority remain absolutely poor. Oh. Is that it?? And you wouldn't happen to be one of the corrupt individuals, would you, Mr. Mugabe? Nor would your so-called Operation Murambatsvina (Operation Drive Out the Trash) have anything to do with impoverishing the already vulnerable Zimbabweans? This campaign to "beautify" Zimbabwe has left over 200 000 people homeless. The state-controlled police burnt down or destroyed their meagre homes, leaving them with even less. This, in a country with problems too numerous to count. HIV rate= 24% Unemployment rate= 70% AIDS orphans= 980 000 The list goes on.
Enough is enough...time to take out the trash! Let's give Zimbabweans what they fought for 25 years ago - democracy and independence.

Chinese detainees slash wrists at Villawood

2005-06-18T12:19:00.000-04:00

Australia's shocking immigration policy punishes those who "jump the queue", and asylum seekers are often either forced to return to their home country or detained behind razor wire. Children have been born and grow up in these detention centers.
Locking these people up because they are attempting to escape persecution, war and so on is a disgrace but the world pays little attention until something shocking happens, such as the recent unrest at Villawood, one of the detention centers, where 13 Chinese detainees slashed their wrists in desperation because they feared deportation.
The mental health effects of locking up already persecuted and troubled people are well-documented. Growing up behind razor wire is surely as troubling. Australia should make drastic changes to its immigration policy because the current one cannot be permitted from either a moral or legal standpoint.

Charles Campbell- a public health inspiration!

2005-06-17T08:50:00.000-04:00

Charles Campbell's decision to backpack across the USA would not only set a world record, but also serves as inspiration to all of us in more than one way.

He's walking ! According to the Center for Transporation Excellence, sprawl in urban and suburban areas is so bad that up to 80% of trips less than a mile long are made by car. The carbon dioxide that these vehicles generate is one of the reasons that the USA is the world's largest emitter of the gas, which contributes to global warming.
He's exercising! 30% of Americans are obese as a result of sedentary lifestyles, contributing to soaring rates in diabetes, heart disease and numerous other health problems.
He's getting out and seeing the country! There's got to be some mental health benefits of being alone with your thoughts and getting such a great experience.

So...keep on walking Charles! I hope you make it into the record books.

Undoing limited progress- a lesson from The View

2005-06-11T08:37:00.000-04:00

When I heard about Barbara Walter's comments on The View regarding breast feeding, which sparked protest from 'lactivists', I thought I would take a peek at worldwide breastfeeding statistics. Apparently, the Nestle Boycott is alive and kicking. I naively thought this was a thing of the past but it sounds like we should still be boycotting Nestle's products in the USA if we feel strongly about this matter.

The worldwide breastfeeding statistics paint a pretty bleak picture. The world's women just aren't breastfeeding enough! It's a combination of lack of education regarding the benefits of breastfeeding, and effective social marketing by those who sell commercial breastmilks substitutes. And it's a real disgrace that an educated woman like Barbara Walters should try to undo what is natural and encouraged by the public health sector.

Will Copper Cause More Chaos for Congo?

2005-06-10T19:26:00.000-04:00

Phelps Dodge looks ready to take advantage of another of the Democratic Republic of Congo's natural resources and invest in copper in the next couple of months. This may be "worth the political risk" for them, but what exactly is Phelps Dodge going to bring to the people of DRC?

The country 's natural and mineral wealth have been looted by the West, her own corrupt leaders and regional countries for more than 100 years. Before Phelps Dodge can be allowed to "invest" in the country, they need to commit to improving health, working and living conditions for the lives of the people they will affect. Their Web site may have rainbow faces and promises, but more than that is necessary.

Don't talk about relief! Talk about reparations....

2005-06-08T01:11:00.000-04:00

I don't pretend to understand all of the arguments for and against debt relief in Africa. But it seems pretty obvious to me that the former colonial powers (Belgium, England and France to name a few) should be making some serious reparations for the chaos that they caused during, and left behind after colonization. Also, the chaos that was created during the Cold War by the United States and the Soviet Union and corrupt African leaders is still being seen today in countries like Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The developed world continues to profit enormously from Africa's natural resources which are plundered by rebel forces and corrupt leaders. We can't continue to ignore this, nor can we talk about "liberal guilt" as if "those" liberals are wanting to relieve something from the distant past. The problems began long ago, but whether we like it or not, we have all experienced it and we owe it to Africa to start addressing this issue rationally.

Boston's public transportation

2005-05-27T19:02:00.000-04:00

In today's Boston Metro, Boston's roads were ranked the eighth worst in the United States . Maybe they're so torn up because the public transportation system is utterly horrendous? As a car owner (Honda Civic, mind you), but mostly T traveller, I have to say that I would rather drive than take the T any day. And I believe that in a big city, that shouldn't be the case. What is the Department of Transportation doing to improve commuting for people? It really is no wonder that obesity is such a huge public health problem now, if our cities continue to endorse sprawl and travelling by car. On the same page of today's Metro, an article about a bicyclist killed by a cab driver said that no charges would be pressed against the driver. I've seen how bikers ride in this city, but do they really have any other option? With bad roads, few paths and so many drivers, it's not really surprising that lives are lost.

But then, this is the place that prides itself on the hideous Citgo sign as a symbol of Boston.

The mentally ill in America's prisons

2005-05-24T16:45:00.000-04:00

Frontline's recent documentary, "The New Asylums" addressed the problem of the United States' already overcrowded prisons and the emerging difficulties of caring for the mentally ill in these facilities. According to Frontline, of 2 million prisoners, nearly 500 000 are mentally ill and from a public health perspective, I find this number deeply disturbing. A number of questions came to my mind when watching this documentary and thinking about the issues afterwards. What is the state of the healthcare system that allows so many people to be imprisoned when their mental health could be playing a role in their behaviours?

The Frontline documentary showed that it is harder for mentally-ill prisoners to get parole because of a lack of government services and facilities to care for them once they are out in the community. Given the state of prisons and the treatment of prisoners, particularly those with mental-health problems by individuals who may not be adequately trained, it would not be surprising to see a high rate of recidivism amongst the mentally ill and possibly even a downward spiral in their mental health.

Frontline hails Ohio's prison system as an example for the rest of the country to follow and the nation's prison systems would do well to adapt their mental health strategies. There is, however, a lot to be done to facilitate prisoners' transition into the "outside world". One of the greatest problems facing this country is the daunting issue of uninsured Americans. With over 45 million Americans without insurance and access to decent healthcare, it really isn't surprising that even if a mentally ill prisoner is let out, his chances of returning to prison are high because he is given a short-term supply of medication and little social support.

When working with such a population, it is extremely difficult to come up with workable solutions, given that these people often have their rights taken away from them, rather than given to them. In addition, providing them with better care than they would normally receive outside of prison raises other issues, but this really brings up the question of how the free are being repressed, rather than prisoners being rewarded. It is important not only to work on a healthcare system within prisons, but to ensure that these people are provided with good healthcare outside of prison.