Full Coverage: Health

30.11.2007

30.11.2007 Small salt producers in the Indian western state of Rajasthan are partnering NGOs and the government in the campaign against iodine deficiency disorders. According to the WFP, Nawa now produces iodised salt as per the national standard.

30.11.2007 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update a joint report by UNAIDS and WHO comes as a reprieve. The new report reveals that the epidemic has slowed down in recent times and that the dreaded HIV virus has actually not infected as many people as it was earlier feared.

28.11.2007 A new report by Oxfam says that more than 85% people in the world have no access to medicines due to high pricing. Developing medicines only for the rich is a bad business strategy, as also the scant interest shown by pharmaceutical companies in research and development of medicines for diseases that affect the poor in developing countries, says the report.

28.11.2007 Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation has extended a grant of 100 million dollars for polio eradication worldwide. The grant will target Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan, the last four countries in the world where fresh cases of polio still keep surfacing.

27.11.2007 Current sanitation systems will not help in reaching the Millennium Development Goal, concluded experts at the recent meet of the World Toilet Association (WTA) at Seoul. Flush toilets have to become eco-friendly as newer ways to dispose human waste get developed.

27.11.2007 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘moment of enlightenment’ has described the act of manual scavenging a spiritual experience for dalits! In India, more than one million people are engaged in this inhuman and degrading form of work, despite a law that prohibits either employment of scavengers or construction of dry latrines.

23.11.2007 The United Nations has officially launched 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation to highlight the need for global investments in sanitation. About 42,000 people die every week from diseases caused by poor drinking water and the lack of toilets, while also being denied dignity, privacy, and in case of women – safety too.

22.11.2007 Ten vans will travel to the remote interiors of Tamil Nadu, IndiaÂ’s southern state, to help people test for HIV/AIDS in a programme supported by the Red Cross Societies. According to National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), India has 2.5 million people infected by the virus.

21.11.2007 An intensive reassessment of data by India earlier this year has emerged as a single biggest reason for reduction in the global HIV prevalence figures. A report, 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update, released by the UNAIDS on November 20, says the number of people living with the dreaded virus has drastically come down to 33 million from a previous estimation of nearly 40 million.

19.11.2007 November 19 is World Toilet Day. WaterAid, an international NGO, brings out a report, The State of the World's Toilets, on the occasion. The report ranks the worst countries in the world for sanitation provision, with 40% of the world's population lacking somewhere safe to go to the toilet. India comes second on poor sanitation list.

17.11.2007 WorldÂ’s remotest island in South Africa can now access advanced medical support from IBM and Beacon Equity Partners led team. Satellite communications will enable clinicians to provide real-time diagnostic advice and suggested treatments to the attending physician.

15.11.2007 The MDG Monitor is a new resource offering from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with several other UN bodies with assistance from Google and Cisco. It is a quick and easy MDG tracking tool for policymakers, journalists, students and development professionals.

15.11.2007 A new resource, the MDG Monitor, created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with several other UN bodies with assistance from Google and Cisco, is an excellent tool for policymakers, journalists, students and others to learn about the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

15.11.2007

15.11.2007 Eight children representing ‘Nine is Mine’ campaign met chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights in New Delhi on Children’s Day in India. They sought her support for demand from government to invest 9% of the GDP on health and education.

14.11.2007 SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 14 (OneWorld) - Environmentalists are calling for an international ban on bunker fuel, a particularly noxious petroleum product used to power most ocean-going cargo ships, including those responsible for massive spills this week in the Black Sea and San Francisco Bay.

14.11.2007 On the eve of ChildrenÂ’s Day in India, a petition signed by 300,001 children was submitted to the government, demanding 9% of the Gross Domestic Product to be invested in education and health.

14.11.2007 Watch Gudia, an eight-year-old Indian girl in Jammu, scavenging engine oil at an auto workshop. A slide show by Reuters.

14.11.2007 The recent visit by the Queen of Netherlands to a school for slum children, run by Delhi based NGO Deepalaya, brought cheer to young lives. The children shared their experiences and talents on personal cleanliness and healthy living with the royal visitor.