Health
US view of swine flu vaccine
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Anchor Marco Werman speaks to Dr. Jay Butler, director of the 2009 Influenza Vaccine Task force at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for a US perspective on the H1N1 flu vaccine.
Cancer transferred from mother to fetus
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A 28 year-old woman in Japan has helped scientists to answer an important medical question. The woman had cancer and that cancer was transferred to her baby. It’s the first conclusive case that scientist have studied where cancer was passed from pregnant mother to child. Doctor Anthony Ford is with the Institute of Cancer Research. He was on the team of scientists studying his case. We speak with Dr. Ford. Download MP3AIDS vaccine test results
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The World’s Laura Lynch reports that scientists who conducted an AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand say the results showed the vaccine cut the risk of infection by as much as a third. At least some scientists see the results announced today as encouraging.
AIDS researcher on vaccine news
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Anchor Marco Werman speaks about todays AIDS vaccine news with Jon Cohen, author of “Shots in the Dark: The Wayward Search for the AIDS Vaccine.”
Health care reform and illegal immigrants
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Download MP3The World’s Matthew Bell does some fact checking on claims (and counterclaims) that illegal immigrants would be excluded from government health benefits under the health care reform plans being debated in Washington.
Foreign lessons in hospital efficiency
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Download MP3Containing health-care costs is a key goal of reform efforts. The World’s Katy Clark reports on the work of Eugene Litvak, a Russian who works with US hospitals on ways to increase efficiency, improve patient care, and cut costs.
Decorum in Congress
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Download MP3The World’s Alex Gallafent looks at questions of political decorum sparked by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson’s outburst during President Obama’s speech to Congress last night.
Fighting blindness in Ethiopia
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Health problems that afflict the world’s poor have received unprecedented attention in recent years. Governments and foundations alike are pouring billion of dollars into the fights against diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. But medical workers who focus on lesser known diseases say their efforts remain as difficult as ever. Reporter Odette Yousef traveled to Ethiopia to follow the struggles of one American organization that’s fighting trachoma, a leading cause of blindness in Africa.
Health concerns for Afghanistan’s children
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Half of Afghanistan’s children are chronically malnourished, according to the World Health Organization. The BBC’s Hugh Sykes reports from a Kabul hospital.
DDT use provokes political battle in Uganda
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The pesticide DDT, long banned in the United States, has made something of a comeback in Africa. DDT can be an effective weapon against malaria. The U.S. government, and the World Health Organization are encouraging African countries to use the insecticide, and say it is safe when handled properly. But in the East African nation of Uganda, DDT has provoked a fierce political battle. Reporter Alison Hawkes traveled to northern Uganda.
Reality check on DDT use
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So what’s the reality when it comes to DDT? Is it really necessary for fighting malaria? How dangerous is it to people? We run those questions and others by May Berenbaum, head of the department of entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She studies the relationship between insects and people. (Photo: Sinclair Stammers/Science Photo Library) >>>Ask May Berenbaum about DDT use in our latest World Science Forum.
A DDT debate in Uganda
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In Uganda, a government program to battle malaria using the pesticide DDT has provoked a fierce backlash. Farmers, politicians, and villagers fear the government is poisoning them. Yet many public health experts say the risks of DDT are far less than the risks of malaria. Alison Hawkes traveled to northern Uganda and sent this report.
An entomologist’s take on DDT
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So what’s the reality when it comes to DDT? Is it really necessary for fighting malaria? And how dangerous is it to people? Anchor Marco Werman gets some answers from May Berenbaum, head of the department of entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Africa’s food supply
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The United States recently joined other leading industrial nations to pledge 20 billion dollars towards improving farming in Africa. But as The World’s Gerry Hadden reports from Morocco, some Africans are wary of this latest round of help from outside.
Is Organic More nutritious?
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Anchor Katy Clark has details on a new report that says organic food has no nutritional benefits over regular food.
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