| |  | |  New malaria vaccine shows promise, study says Global anti-malaria efforts were given a boost Tuesday by news of an experimental vaccine that, for the first time, considerably diminished the risk of African children getting malaria. The new shot from GlaxoSmithKline -- which was administered over almost two years to more than 15,000 infants in seven African countries -- reduced infection risk by half and also lowered the risk of contracting a potentially fatal case of malaria by 47%. "We are very happy with the results. We have never been closer to having a successful malaria vaccine," said Christian Loucq, director of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. Reuters (10/18), The Washington Post (10/18), The New England Journal of Medicine (subscription required) (10/18)     
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|  | "The Gates Foundation is hosting a big confab on malaria in Seattle this week. This includes a long awaited announcement today of a huge, seven country randomized test of a pediatric and infant malaria vaccine. If this vaccine proves successful, it will be another notch on the belt for a group of global health pioneers that are eliminating Malaria worldwide." UN Dispatch | |
- UN official: Solitary confinement can be torture
The potential mental and physical effects of lengthy periods of solitary confinement are so severe that the practice is tantamount to torture, and should be ended, Juan Mendez, UN special rapporteur on torture, told the General Assembly's human rights committee Tuesday. Reuters (10/18) - U.S. law complicates Palestinian UNESCO bid
The tack being used by Palestinians to gain membership in the United Nations through bodies other than the Security Council -- such as UNESCO, and the World Intellectual Property Organization -- could prompt a U.S. law to kick in that would stop funding of agencies that grant Palestinians full membership. Consequently, the U.S. "could steadily be forced out of important agencies that serve our interest," says Peter Yeo, director of the Better World Campaign. NPR.org (10/19) - Gates: Malaria eradication is possible
Deaths from malaria have fallen 20% worldwide over the past decade, largely as a result of more spending -- from about $100 million in 2003 to $1.5 billion in 2010. "I'd be disappointed if within 20 years we're not very close to eradicating [malaria] globally," Bill Gates, the U.S. philanthropist, said in an interview. Reuters (10/18), The Economist/Daily Chart blog (10/18) - Cholera epidemic in Haiti is the world's worst
Cholera has afflicted 5% of the Haitian population, and according to Dr. Paul Farmer, a UN envoy and a founder of Partners in Health, Haiti accounts for more cases of the bacterial disease than in Congo and Bangladesh. Farmer said, "To eradicate cholera, we're going to have to vaccinate huge numbers of people. It's going to require a massive campaign like polio." The Washington Post/The Associated Press (10/18) - Researchers are tracking breast cancer rise in Caribbean
Researchers are looking to enhance data on breast cancer after recent study results found a rise in cases in the Bahamas affecting relatively young women. Health professionals have reported rising breast cancer rates across the developing world, but little country-specific data is available to aid prevention and treatment planning. The Miami Herald (free registration) (10/18) - Scientists back global cookstove alliance
U.S. scientists are expressing support for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves as providing solutions to decrease the number of annual deaths associated with smoke and gases from food preparation in developing countries. The alliance is working to create a market for more efficient stoves and cleaner fuels that are affordable for the world's poor. National Public Radio/The Salt blog (10/18) - Girls prepare message for G20 leaders
Girls representing the G20 countries and the African Union have gathered for a G(irls) 20 Summit to highlight efforts to end child marriage and discuss other issues that affect young women around the world. Participants will prepare a communiqué on the issue to be delivered to policymakers at the G20 summit next month. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (10/19) - Hopes for post-Kyoto agreement are fading
Efforts to forge international agreement on binding greenhouse-gas emission-reduction targets to come into force as the Kyoto Treaty expires in 2012 look increasingly unlikely to succeed in the run-up to the Durban climate summit. The U.S., Japan, Russia and other significant countries remain unwilling to commit to new targets as long as India and China resist post-2012 targets without firm action from the industrialized countries. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (10/18) - UN rights office opposes amnesty for Yemen's Saleh
As the United Nations Security Council considers a resolution strongly condemning the human rights violations being carried out in Yemen by the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the UN's human rights office Tuesday opposed the proposed amnesty being held out to the longtime leader as part of a power transfer deal. Tawakkul Karman, one of a triumvirate of winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, called on the UN to act to stop Saleh's crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Google/Agence France-Presse (10/18), Reuters (10/18)
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