Health spending by European governments has fallen for the first time since 1975, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The proportion of gross domestic product per person spent on health fell 0·6% overall between 2009 and 2010, compared with growth of 4·6% in 2000—09. The most dramatic shifts were in Ireland, Estonia, and Greece.
Turning down the heat
A predicted 4°C rise in global temperatures will cause extreme heatwaves and a life-threatening rise in sea level, according to a World Bank report. The hardest hit areas will be developing countries, and development goals could be jeopardised. The bank aims to increase monetary support for ecological measures to slow climate change.
Dengue in Europe
In the first sustained transmission cycle since the 1920s, more than 1300 people have been infected with dengue on the Portuguese island of Madeira, with 25 cases reported in other European countries from returned tourists. No travel restrictions are in place, but daytime protection against mosquito bites is advised.
East Asian leaders have agreed to form an alliance with Pacific nations to combat drug-resistant malaria. Malarial deaths in the Asia-Pacific region numbered more than 42 000 in 2010. Australia has donated AUS$1 million to promote regional political leadership and collaboration in badly affected areas such as Cambodia and Burma.
Research in Kabezi, Burundi, and Bo, Sierra Leone, by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) suggests that emergency obstetric care could reduce maternal deaths by up to 74%. These measures—an ambulance referral system to transport pregnant women to an MSF hospital with free 24-h obstetric treatment—cost as little as €1·5 per person per year.
Awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) seems to be falling in the USA, according to a survey by the National Institutes for Health. Only 65% of 4703 adults had heard of it, even though it is the third leading cause of death in the country. A parallel survey of primary-care doctors revealed that under-reporting of symptoms is a major barrier to diagnosis.
Fight and flight
Renewed fighting between rebels and the government in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo has led to increased health and security fears for civilians. Citizens of Goma (700 000) and a nearby camp (60 000) are waiting to relocate to safer areas or neighbouring countries. The UN refugee agency has urged such countries not to forcibly return people.
The Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs has launched a series of online videos to encourage ex-serving members of the Defence Force to seek help for mental health problems. “Reaching out to others is not a sign of weakness”, said Minister for Veterans' Affairs Warren Snowdon, “there are other people out there going through the same thing”.
23 of the 95 health professionals arrested in Bahrain in February, 2011, for providing health care to protesters and participating in anti-government demonstrations, were sentenced last week to either several months in prison or payment of a fine. A report by Amnesty International shows increasing repression in Bahrain, despite promises of reform over human rights.
Pharmaceutical top 20
The latest Access to Medicine Index, which ranks pharmaceutical companies' efforts to improve access to drugs in developing countries, finds that the industry is progressing. GlaxoSmithKline remained on top, with Johnson & Johnson second. However, measures to ensure safe and ethical clinical trials by contractors in developing countries are below Index standards.
Thank you for life
Last week saw the launch of a campaign in the UK for a national monument to organ donors. Transplantation, which depends on the generosity of donors and their families, “should be a matter of national pride and national recognition”, said Andrew Burroughs, a transplant physician at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, who is spearheading the campaign.
World AIDS Day
Dec 1 is World AIDS Day—an opportunity to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and to show support for people who have been infected with or died from the virus. According to a new UNAIDS report, the infection rate and treatment coverage are improving worldwide, but only 28% of children with HIV have access to treatment.