Public Health in the News – August 24, 2014

Global

• As though West Africa didn’t have it hard enough, Ghana is now reporting nearly 70 deaths from a cholera outbreak that began in June.
• In Liberia, unrest continues as citizens resist the quarantine in the Monrovia neighborhood of West Point, as well as a nationwide curfew – an effort to control the spread of Ebola.
• A recent study in Science Magazine, looking at which is better, oral or injection polio-vaccine, found that while oral vaccine is easier to dispense, injection vaccine lasts much longer and could be more important to use in conflict or remote areas.
• The New Yorker magazine recently published a great article about Vandana Shiva, a pioneer in the flight against G.M.O’s.

National

• The ALS “ice bucket challenge” continues to dominate social media sites, with many celebrities and politicians taking the challenge. So far the ALS Association has received nearly 42 million dollars in donations.
• A University of Maryland School of Public Health report found that air emissions trump water pollution and drilling-induced earthquakes as a top public health threat posed by future fracking projects in Maryland.
• Interesting and unexpected news about the role botox may play in preventing cancer.

Illinois/Chicago

• This past week, the Chicago Department of Public Health partnered with nearly two dozen local organizations for “Nobody Quits Like Chicago” week, highlighting the city’s efforts to encourage citizens to quit smoking.
• e.a.t. (education, agriculture, technology) Chicago has been issued the first ever emerging business permit. e.a.t. Chicago creates healthy food spots in vacant news stands.

Northwestern

• Depression is known to be a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease, but remains untreated for many patients, according to a new study by Northwestern Medicine investigators in collaboration with the National Parkinson’s Foundation (NPF).
• With an average wait of five years for those on the kidney transplant list, Northwestern researchers suggest that changing policies and how we allocate available kidneys based on localities.