Monday, June 21, 2010

[EQ] Chagas disease: a Latin American health problem becoming a world health problem

Chagas disease: a Latin American health problem becoming a world health problem

Schmunis GA, Yadon ZE.

Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control, Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office of the World Health Organization
Acta Trop. 2010 Jul-Aug;115(1-2):14-21. Epub 2009 Nov 20.

 

Abstract: http://bit.ly/dahWn8


Journal website: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0001706X

Link: http://bit.ly/bmGF6N

“…….Political repression and/or economic stagnation stimulated the flow of migration from the 17 Latin American countries endemic for Chagas disease to developed countries. Because of this migration, Chagas disease, an autochthonous disease of the Continental Western Hemisphere is becoming a global health problem.

 

In 2006, 3.8% of the 80,522 immigrants from those 17 countries to Australia were likely infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. In Canada in 2006, 3.5% of the 156,960 immigrants from Latin America whose country of origin was identified were estimated to have been infected.

In Japan in 2007, there were 80,912 immigrants from Brazil, 15,281 from Peru, and 19,413 from other South American countries whose country of origin was not identified, a portion of whom may have been also infected. In 15 countries of Europe in 2005, excluding Spain, 2.9% of the 483,074 legal Latin American immigrants were estimated to be infected with T. cruzi. By 2008, Spain had received 1,678,711 immigrants from Latin American endemic countries; of these, 5.2% were potentially infected with T. cruzi and 17,390 may develop Chagas disease.

Further, it was estimated that 24-92 newborns delivered by South American T. cruzi infected mothers in Spain may have been congenitally infected with T. cruzi in 2007. In the USA we estimated that 1.9% of approximately 13 million Latin American immigrants in 2000, and 2% of 17 million in 2007, were potentially infected with T. cruzi. Of these, 49,157 and 65,133 in 2000 and 2007 respectively, may have or may develop symptoms and signs of chronic Chagas disease. Governments should implement policies to prevent donations of blood and organs from T. cruzi infected donors.

 

Governments should implement policies to prevent donations of blood and organs from T. cruzi infected donors. In addition, an infrastructure that assures detection and treatment of acute and chronic cases as well as congenital infection should be developed……”




 

Global travel spreads Chagas outside of Latin America

WHO – Geneva 21 June 2010 --
Chagas, often transmitted by 'kissing bugs', has in recent years been increasingly discovered outside of Latin America. Even though 10 million people are infected worldwide, the Chagas disease is curable if treatment begins soon after infection.
Read the fact sheet to learn more about Chagas

 

Key facts

·         An estimated 10 million people are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (the parasite that causes Chagas disease) worldwide, mostly in Latin America.

·         Chagas disease was once entirely confined to the Region of the Americas – principally Latin America – but it has now spread to other continents.

·         Chagas disease is curable if treatment is initiated soon after infection.

·         Up to 30% of chronically infected people develop cardiac alterations and up to 10% develop digestive, neurological or mixed alterations, for which specific treatment may become necessary.

·         Vector control is the most useful method to prevent Chagas disease in Latin America.

·         Blood screening is vital to prevent infection through transfusion and organ transplantation.

 

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] Structure and Function of Population Health Metrics

Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH)



Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) journal. Published by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. CDC

July 2010 Issue

Available online at: http://bit.ly/bDCkzn

 

Content

A68: Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH):
Metrics, Incentives, and Partnerships for Population Health

David A. Kindig, Bridget C. Booske, Patrick L. Remington

In this issue of Preventing Chronic Disease, we present the 7 essays on population health metrics (4-10), introduced by 2 commentaries (11,12). These essays describe the types of tools that can be used to measure and monitor the health of populations and are the first of 3 sets of essays to appear in this and the next 2 issues.

The next set of essays will describe incentives that can be used to promote programs and  policies that improve population health, and the role for population health partnerships in these efforts.

A69: Evaluating Metrics to Improve Population Health

Linda T. Bilheimer

“…..The 7 metrics articles in this issue of Preventing Chronic Disease address the following topics: public health policy
(1), health care access and quality
(2), social and economic determinants
(3), health behaviors
(4), environmental metrics
(5), population health outcomes
(6), and health inequalities
(7). The articles differ in the degree to which they establish a conceptual framework for linking metrics to rewards to improve population health.
Their different perspectives raise questions of whether these metrics should meet certain criteria, regardless of domain, or whether some flexibility in the criteria for assessing metrics is necessary and desirable. Questions that arise in establishing such criteria relate to structure and function as well as data availability.

Structure and Function of Population Health Metrics

In establishing a framework for linking performance incentives to population health metrics, researchers must answer multiple questions.

Are the measures actionable?
Are the measures sensitive to interventions?
Are the measures affected by population migration?
Are the measures easily understood by collaborating organizations, policy makers, and the public?
 Is the meaning of an increase or decrease in a measure unambiguous?
 Do the measures stand alone or are they aggregated into an index or summary measure?
Are the measures uniform across communities?
To what extent do measures address disparities as well as overall burden?
Can unintended consequences be tracked?



A70: Using Metrics to Improve Population Health  Robert M. Pestronk

PEER REVIEWED

A71: Measuring Population Health Outcomes - R. Gibson Parrish Este resumen en español

A72: A Summary Measure of Health Inequalities for a Pay-for-Population Health Performance System

Yukiko Asada Este resumen en español

A73: Measuring Health Care Access and Quality to Improve Health in Populations

Thomas E. Kottke, George J. Isham Este resumen en español

A74: Socioeconomic Indicators That Matter for Population Health

Paula M. Lantz, Andrew Pritchard Este resumen en español

A75: Measuring Health Behaviors in Populations

Ali H. Mokdad, Patrick L. Remington Este resumen en español

A76: Environmental Metrics for Community Health Improvement

Benjamin Jakubowski, Howard Frumkin Este resumen en español

A77: Measuring the Impact of Public Health Policy

Ross C. Brownson, Rachel Seiler, Amy A. Eyler  Este resumen en español


*      *     *
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] IOM: A National Cancer Clinical Trials System for the 21st Century

A National Cancer Clinical Trials System for the 21st Century:
Reinvigorating the NCI Cooperative Group Program

 

Board on Health Care Services

US - Institute of Medicine IOM - April 15, 2010

Available online at: http://bit.ly/9wiksK

 


“……..Advances in biomedical research continue to create significant opportunities for improving cancer detection, treatment, and prevention. Clinical trials that test the safety and therapeutic benefit of promising treatments are essential in translat­ing new knowledge into tangible benefits for patients with cancer. For the past 50 years, the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program has played a key role in developing new and improved cancer therapies. ….

 

…..The IOM recommends changes that aim to transform the Cooperative Group Program into a dynamic system that efficiently responds to emerging scientific knowledge; involves broad cooperation of stakeholders; and leverages evolving technologies to provide high-quality, practice-changing research. The program should maintain a robust, standing cancer clinical trials network by preserving its histori­cal strengths while improving components that are not working well. Four overarching goals should guide improvement efforts:

 

- Improving the speed and efficiency of the design, launch, and conduct of clinical trials
- Making optimal use of scientific innovations
- Improving selection, prioritization, support, and completion of clinical trials
- Fostering expanded participation of both patients and physicians …………..”

 

Content:

Executive Summary

Overview of Conclusions and Recommendations  

1 Introduction  

2 The Science of Developing Cancer Therapy  

3 Operations, Oversight, and Funding of Cancer Clinical Trials  

4 Physician and Patient Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials  

Appendix A Previous and Ongoing Analyses  

Appendix B Committee Member and Staff Biographies  

Acronyms  

Glossary

 

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Equity List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html
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IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended
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in error, please dispose of and delete this transmission.

Thank you.