Concerns Change in Election 2008
It could be because the Baby Boomers, which are the largest population group, are worried about it. Or it could be that the problem has finally become so serious, that it can’t be ignored, and everyone is worried about it. Whatever the reason, healthcare is more important to more Americans than foreign policy and that concern is going to be of great concern in Election 2008.
In the new results, men and women approaching retirement were especially attentive to the economy and health care, with six out of 10 ranking both issues extremely important. Politically, the attention to such domestic issues hangs darkly over Republicans. Voters say they are far more likely to trust Democrats to handle the economy and health care.
JIM KUHNHENN and TREVOR TOMPSON, Associated Press Writers
Without a doubt this will make for an interesting race for the Oval Office. The primaries should give us an idea of where the nation stands on these issues and only time will tell. In the meantime, voters have the opportunity to research and learn about the candidates before going to the polls next November.
Pocketbook worries outweigh voters’ concerns over war in Iraq
Climactic Changes As A Health Concern?
The Day After Tomorrow was a great science fiction “end-of-the-world” film. Unfortunately, like many disaster films, it is potentially a greater risk of being a possible future than any of us can really wrap our brain around. This topic is also one that we know ecologists and climatologists are working on. But the CDC has taken this to the next level and is concerned not only about global warming, but about climactic changes in general. To that end, the CDC has a special section on their Web site about how climactic changes affect the health of the public.
Although scientific understanding of the effects of climate change is still emerging, there is a pressing need to prepare for potential health risks. This public health preparedness approach is applied to other threats in the absence of complete data, such as terrorism and pandemic influenza. A wide variety of organizations (federal, state, local, multilateral, private and nongovernmental) is working to address the implications of global climate change. Despite this breadth of activity, the public health effects of climate change remain largely unaddressed.
CDC Web Site
It is an interesting site that the CDC has put together. It lists out the potential problems caused by climactic change and then names the populations that would most likely be affected by these climactic events. It clearly illustrates a world that is changing and how the world’s healthcare needs are changing as well.
Climate Change and Public Health
Climate Change Policy of the CDC
Handwashing Prevents Colds and Flu
Most of us know that cold and flu season is upon us; it seems everyone I know has a cold, bronchitis, or pneumonia. And of course the assorted laundry list of ear infections, tonsillitis, and sinus infections are in plentiful supply as well. Some of these infections are viral and some are bacterial. Some of them are inevitable; someone inadvertently sneezes in your face at the grocery store and they have a cold starting, your going to get it. But did you know that most of the infections, viral or bacterial, that we spread around in the community are avoidable?
How? By handwashing.
Most infections are caused by direct contact. The vast majority of the viruses and bacteria we encounter that make us sick, are not airborne. There is a common misconception about what an airborne contagion is and once you understand the difference between airborne and direct contact, you can avoid catching a lot of the things “going around.”
Most diseases are transmitted by methods such as a sneeze or a cough. They are direct contact because the germs are in the droplets which rest upon a surface, on the skin, or are directly inhaled or ingested. They then are “caught” by the next victim who gets sick from the exposure. Basically that is how a cold is transferred from one person to another. The subsequent ear and sinus infections, bronchitis, and most pneumonias are secondary infections; that is why two people can catch the same cold but one will develop an ear infection and the other will display the symptoms of bronchitis.
An airborne disease travels through moving currents of air and are comparatively rare. I am not an epidemiologist, and the study of airborne diseases is very complex and far too intensive for our purposes, but these are not the diseases that are contagious like colds and flu. One notable exception is Chicken Pox which once appearing in a community spreads very quickly. Tuberculosis is also an airborne disease but the contagion factors are quite different and involve several factors.
Back to handwashing. If most of the everyday colds and flus, and the complicating secondary infections that come along with them, are not airborne and are spread by direct contact, it follows that it is very easy to prevent these infections by consistent, thorough, and complete handwashing techniques. It is the simplest and the least expensive method of infection control that exists. It is also one of the most overlooked methods.
The Hand Hygiene Resource Center has been set up to teach people the appropriate method of handwashing. Effective handwashing can help contain infections and is the first step in protecting yourself and your family from the colds and flu spreading around your community. There are instructional materials on the site as well as a slide show that can be used to teach groups of people. The site also links to the CDC’s guidelines on handwashing for a complete resource to a healthier winter and flu season!
The Hand Hygiene Resource Center
Human Microbiome Project Launched
First it was the Human Genome Project; that seemed like something in a science fiction novel but it was not only completed, it was completed ahead of schedule. The Genome Project is helping scientists and researchers explore some of the greatest mysteries of human genetics and new information is learned every day.
Now it is the Human Microbiome Project. This is a study of all the microorganisms that live within the human body and although there are trillions of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms, they only make up one to two percent of the human body’s mass. What I found truly amazing is that there are more microbial cells in the human body than there are human cells! Some of these are beneficial and some cause disease; none are completely understood.
genome
1. The total genetic content contained in a haploid set of chromosomes in eukaryotes, in a single chromosome in bacteria, or in the DNA or RNA of viruses.huh?
How about this?
2. An organism’s genetic material.American Heritage Dictionary
“The human microbiome is largely unexplored. It is essential that we understand how microorganisms interact with the human body to affect health and disease. This project has the potential to transform the ways we understand human health and prevent, diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions.”
NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.
The Human Microbiome Project will be a five year study with a total of $115 million in grants funding the research.
NIH Launches Human Microbiome Project
We Need More Like This Guy!
And the really wonderful part is that he just thinks he is doing his job. He doesn’t realize he is a hero! Do you realize he is? Do you know about the problems Medicare patients have getting their medical bills processed and paid and their prescriptions in hand? Assuming they haven’t given up their prescriptions because of cost? And if someone can step in and help those people to get those situations under control, assist them in getting their medications, and above all, remind them they are not alone in the human family… well, that’s a hero in my book.
Called an “attack dog disguised as a health insurance counselor,” 32 year-old Frederic Riccardi has made it his mission to advocate for the elderly to be certain they have their medications, their bills covered, and watching to be sure that medical providers are doing their jobs the right way.
This article by Jan Hoffman at the “New York Times,” is one of the best articles I have read in a long time. Of course it is written well and it is interesting. But it is so timely! And it both makes you thankful to know their are people like Riccardi doing what they do so well, and guilty that there is a need to have a job like that in the first place.
American healthcare has a lot of changing to do to treat people right. This is particularly so for the disabled and the elderly. The populations least able to care for themselves seem to have the biggest problems with their coverage, assuming they have any, and getting the providers to do what they are legally and ethically bound to do.
Reading this article will help you learn about many of the problems that do exist in healthcare today - at least the financial end of it. An election is coming up and this is a great place to start learning about some of the issues.
Doggedly Persistent, Untying Medicare Knots for the Elderly
Flu Vaccines? Help or Hype?
There are two sides to every story and the flu vaccine is no exception. Everywhere you go, there are posters encouraging the American population to get a flu shot. They hang in doctor’s offices, hospitals, pharmacies, public health clinics, day care centers and just about anywhere people tend to congregate. And it makes sense, at least on the surface. Flu can be deadly. Get a flu shot and greatly reduce your chances of being one of 36,000 Americans killed by the flu annually.
But does the flu shot really work as advertised?
This poster, produced by Sandofi Pasteur, a pharmaceutical company, explains the process that is undertaken to create a flu vaccine each year. It sounds good. And without a doubt it is labor intensive. But this poster doesn’t tell the whole story.
CNN reported on the controversy surrounding the flu shot and brought up the issues of how the strains of flu that the shot is intended to cover each year is essentially guesswork. According to the CNN report, “In 2003-2004, the CDC admitted that it completely missed the virulent Fujian flu strain that hit hard that winter.”
The report also pointed out that two recent studies have found that one of the population groups that is strongly encouraged to get a flu shot, may be a group that has the least effective response to the vaccine: People with compromised immune systems.
It is a difficult decision for the health consumer. Information of contradictory nature seems to be coming to light everyday. And it is impossible to make a truly informed decision when so much of the information that is presented to the public is based on the fiscal needs of a pharmaceutical company.
Read both articles. Do your homework and then talk to your physician about the flu vaccine. Whatever you decide to do, whether to accept or reject the immunization, be as informed as possible with the guidance of a medical professional that you trust.
CNN: Read This Before You Get a Flu Shot
CDC: Key Facts About The Seasonal Flu Vaccine
Potential Botulism in Canned Green Beans
The FDA is warning consumers that canned green beans manufactured by New Era Canning Company (MI) and distributed under the label of “GFS Fancy Blue Lake Cut Green Beans,” may be found to contain C. botulinum, better known as botulism.
The canned cut green beans were distributed to retailers, restaurants and foodservice institutions by Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, Mich., with lot code 19H7FL and UPC code 93901 11873, in large institutional-sized, 6 pound 5 ounce (#10) cans. The green beans were distributed to food service customers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia and sold through GFS Marketplace stores in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. There is no evidence of primary distribution outside the United States.
FDA
New Era has voluntarily recalled 171 cases of the green beans and the FDA, along with the Michigan Department of Agriculture, is investigating whether any other sources may be involved in the contamination.
FDA Warns About Potential for Botulism in Canned Green Beans
MSNBC Report On Recalled Green Beans
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