Youth Global Platform on HIV/AIDS

Youth Global Platform on HIV/AIDS

A Harvard Public health student used her dissertation safety tips to enhance safer construction sites around Boston.

Photo by Emily Cuccarese | Harvard Chan

Building Safer Construction sites

Emily Sparer may be the first Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health student to have construction workers cheering her on at her dissertation defense. Sparer, who graduated in May with an SD in occupational safety and ergonomics, developed a B-SAFE safety communication program for construction sites built on a simple, low-cost idea: Take the safety data that managers already gather and share it with the workers.
Posters at Sparer’s pilot sites around Boston displayed safety scores each week, broken down by subcontractor, to encourage workers and managers to look at conditions outside of their own area and trade. Sites with high ratings earned a free lunch at the end of the month. As a result of participating in the program, workers are reporting improved teamwork and better communication around safety—and they want it to continue.
“At my defense, one of the construction workers in the audience said that he and his coworkers had met with their corporate-level safety people to see if they could adopt the program companywide,” Sparer says. “That felt like completing a circle—I developed the program, tested it, and now it’s being implemented on work sites. That’s what I want to do with my work: take it beyond a published paper into the real world.”

Harvard T.H CHAN.

Hypertension among the conservative catholics as Obama dares the Catholic church with his guestlist to receive the pope in US..

Following pope Francis visit to America, the white house had invited transgender activists, the first episcopal gay bishop that openly declared his gay status and a nun activist that is leading the campaign to support abortion, to the popes welcome ceremony in white house south lawn. A situation that the Vatican is seriously frowning at in their recent press release as they claimed that conservative Catholics and denominations around the globe might believe that the pope has endorsed the activities of the guests.
Some priests and Bishops in America are already kicking against the guest list, some even suggesting that the Vatican should seriously question it as it appears that Obama is pushing his sinful agenda too far. "It’s wise of the Vatican to question President Obama’s guest list for the Pope’s visit next week—that list should raise a lot of eyebrows! The Wall Street Journal says those invited to the Pope’s welcome celebration include transgender activists, the first openly gay U.S. Episcopal bishop, and an activist nun whose organization supports abortion. This is disgraceful and obviously inappropriate. Is there no end to the lengths the president will go to in order to push his sinful agenda?" says Rev Franklin Graham, who shares the same link with Wall street journal.

The wall street journal stated that "The tension exemplifies concerns among conservative Catholics, including many bishops, that the White House will use the pope’s visit to play down its differences with church leaders on such contentious issues as same-sex marriage and the contraception mandate in the health care law".
White house refused to amplify their decision about the guest list when contacted by reporters, however, the press secretary of white house, Josh Earnest said that specific people in the guest list should not be targeted as there will be 15,000 other people in the ceremony to receive the pope.

The dangerous aspect of breastfeeding as infants are likely exposed to toxic chemicals. New study found.

BREASTFEEDING MAY EXPOSE INFANTS TO TOXIC CHEMICALS.

A widely used class of industrial chemicals linked with cancer and interference with immune function—perfluorinated alkylate substances, or PFASs—appears to build up in infants by 20%–30% for each month they’re breastfed, according to a new study co-authored by experts from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It is the first study to show the extent to which PFASs are transferred to babies through breast milk, and to quantify their levels over time.
“We knew that small amounts of PFAS can occur in breast milk, but our serial blood analyses now show a buildup in the infants, the longer they are breastfed,” said Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard Chan School.
The study appeared online August 20, 2015 in Environmental Science & Technology. Other study authors were from Danish universities and the Faroese Hospital System.
PFASs are used to make products resistant to water, grease, and stains. They’ve been in use for more than 60 years in products such as stain-proof textiles, waterproof clothing, some food packaging, paints, and lubricants, and are known to contaminate drinking water in the U.S. near various production facilities. These compounds—which tend to bioaccumulate in food chains and can persist for a long time in the body—are found regularly in the blood of animals and humans worldwide, and have been linked with reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, and immune system dysfunction.
The researchers followed 81 children who were born in the Faroe Islands between 1997–2000, looking at levels of five types of PFASs in their blood at birth and ages 11 months, 18 months, and 5 years. They also looked at PFAS levels in mothers of the children at week 32 of pregnancy.
They found that, in children who were exclusively breastfed, PFAS concentrations in the blood increased by roughly 20%–30% each month, with lower increases among children who were partially breastfed. In some cases, by the end of breastfeeding, children’s serum concentration levels of PFASs exceeded that of their mothers’.
One type of PFAS—perfluorohexanesulfonate—did not increase with breastfeeding. After breastfeeding was stopped, concentrations of all of five types of PFASs decreased.
The results suggest that breast milk is a major source of PFAS exposure during infancy.
­“There is no reason to discourage breastfeeding, but we are concerned that these pollutants are transferred to the next generation at a very vulnerable age. Unfortunately, the current U.S. legislation does not require any testing of chemical substances like PFASs for their transfer to babies and any related adverse effects,” Grandjean said.

Harvard T.H CHAN

Nutrition: New study found that students should be given lengthy lunch time to enhance healthy eating.

Short lunch periods in schools linked with less healthy eating.

 Students with less than 20 minutes to eat school lunches consume significantly less of their entrées, milk, and vegetables than those who aren’t as rushed, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The study will appear online Friday, September 11, 2015 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“Many children, especially those from low-income families, rely on school meals for up to half their daily energy intake so it is essential that we give students a sufficient amount of time to eat their lunches,” said Juliana Cohen, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Merrimack College, and lead author of the study.
“Every school day the National School Lunch Program helps to feed over 30 million children in 100,000 schools across the U.S., yet little research has been done in this field,” said Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard Chan School and the study’s senior author. (Watch Rimm discuss the study on CBS Boston.)
While recent federal guidelines enhanced the nutritional quality of school lunches, there are no standards regarding lunch period length. Many students have lunch periods that are 20 minutes or less, which can be an insufficient amount of time to eat, according to the authors.
The researchers wanted to examine the effect of lunch period length on students’ food choices and intake. They looked at 1,001 students in six elementary and middle schools, with lunch periods ranging from 20-30 minutes, in a low-income urban school district in Massachusetts, as part of the Modifying Eating and Lifestyles at School (MEALS) study, a collaboration between Project Bread and Harvard Chan School. They analyzed the students’ food selection and consumption by monitoring what was left on their plates at the end of the lunch period.
The researchers found that students with less than 20 minutes to eat lunch consumed 13% less of their entrées, 12% less of their vegetables, and 10% less of their milk than students who had at least 25 minutes to eat. While there were no notable differences between the groups in terms of entrée, milk, or vegetable selections, those with less time to eat were significantly less likely to select a fruit (44% vs. 57%). Also, there was more food waste among groups with less time to eat.
Waiting in serving lines or arriving late to lunch sometimes left children in the study with as little as 10 minutes to actually sit and eat. The researchers acknowledged that while not all schools may be able to lengthen their lunch periods, they could develop strategies to move kids more quickly through lunch lines, such as by adding more serving lines or setting up automated checkout systems.
“We were surprised by some of the results because I expected that with less time children may quickly eat their entrée and drink their milk but throw away all of their fruits and vegetables,” said Rimm. “Not so—we found they got a start on everything, but couldn’t come close to finishing with less time to eat.”
Jaquelyn Jahn, a master’s student in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard Chan School, was a co-author.
The study was funded by a grant from Project Bread and Arbella Insurance. Cohen was supported by the Nutritional Epidemiology of Cancer Education and Career Development Program (R25 CA 098566).

Harvard T.H. CHAN.

The dangerous aspect of smoking as smoking is linked to type 2 diabetes.

 
Current smokers and people regularly exposed to second-hand smoke have a significantly increased risk for type 2 diabetes compared with people who have never smoked, according to a new meta-analysis conducted by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, and National University of Singapore. The researchers estimated that 11.7% of cases of type 2 diabetes in men and 2.4% in women (about 27.8 million cases in total worldwide) may be attributable to active smoking. They also found that risk decreases as time elapses after smokers quit.
“Cigarette smoking should be considered as a key modifiable risk factor for diabetes. Public health efforts to reduce smoking will have a substantial impact on the global burden of type 2 diabetes,” said co-author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology.
The study will be published September 18, 2015 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
While the evidence pointing to smoking as a risk factor for cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular disease is overwhelming, corroboration of a link between smoking and type 2 diabetes risk has been slower to build. In 2014, the U.S. Surgeon General’s report for the first time included a section on smoking and diabetes risk and argued for the causal relation between them, although it did not discuss the relation of passive smoking and smoking cessation with diabetes risk.
In this study, the Harvard Chan researchers and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 88 previous studies on the association between smoking and type 2 diabetes risk, looking at health data from nearly 6 million study participants. They found that when compared with people who never smoked, current smoking increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 37%; former smoking by 14%; and passive smoking (breathing in second-hand smoke) by 22%. They also found a 54% increased risk of type 2 diabetes in people who quit smoking less than 5 years ago, which fell to 18% increased risk after 5 years and 11% increased risk more than 10 years after quitting.
Among current smokers, the amount smoked made a difference. The increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes was 21%, 34%, and 57% for light, moderate, and heavy smokers, respectively, compared with never smokers.
“Despite the global efforts to combat the tobacco epidemic, cigarette use remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide,” said An Pan, the first author of the study and professor of epidemiology at School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. “This study underscores the importance of implementing and enforcing the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The smoke-free policies can provide protections for non-smokers and may lead to increased successful cessation in smokers.”
The authors also called for more research into the mechanisms underlying the short-term increased risk of diabetes in recent quitters in order to help develop interventions to improve smoking cessation and prevent diabetes.

Harvard T.H. CHAN

A lady took her life in a Doctor - assisted succide in life circle clinic.

John Southall waters the plants and feeds the fish in his pond every morning, though he’s not sure why. His partner used to do it, but seven weeks ago, Gill Pharaoh, a healthy former nurse, with no serious complaints beyond a bad back and tinnitus, committed suicide at a Swiss clinic at the age of 75. 

Explaining her decision, she wrote that she enjoyed life “day by day”, but felt her life was complete and that she was ready to die a good death. And so she did, in a doctor-assisted suicide at the Lifecircle clinic in Basle.

The Medical School Association in United States warns that in 2025, there will be 90,000 Doctor shortage in United States.

The United States faces a shortage of as many as 90,000 physicians by 2025, including a critical need for specialists to treat an aging population that will increasingly live with chronic disease, the association that represents medical schools and teaching hospitals reported Tuesday.
The nation's shortage of primary care physicians has received considerable attention in recent years, but the Association of American Medical Colleges report predicts that the greatest shortfall, on a percentage basis, will be in the demand for surgeons — especially those who treat diseases more common to older people, such as cancer.
[How long you’ll wait for a doctor’s appointment in 15 U.S. cities]
In addition to the growing and aging population, full implementation of the Affordable Care Act in all 50 states would increase demand for doctors as more people are covered by insurance. But Obamacare's impact will be small — just 2 percent of the projected growth in demand, the organization said. The supply of doctors also will grow but not nearly as quickly as the need, officials said.
"An increasingly older, sicker population, as well as people living longer with chronic diseases, such as cancer, is the reason for the increased demand," Darrell G. Kirch, the AAMC's president and chief executive, told reporters during a telephone news briefing.

Under numerous scenarios, demand for doctors will outstrip supply, the Association of American Medical Colleges reported Tuesday. (AAMC)
The organization called on Congress to raise the federal cap on slots for medical residents at teaching hospitals by 3,000 annually, at a cost it estimated would be about $1 billion per year. The government provides its $40,000 share of the cost of training each U.S. physician — estimated at about $152,000 annually — via the Medicare program. Currently, those hospitals train 27,000 to 29,000 doctors each year.
In 2013, there were about 767,000 doctors practicing in the United States, according to the report.
Policymakers have debated the doctor shortage for years, with some arguing that certain types of doctors are clustered in cities and affluent areas, leaving rural and poor Americans critically underserved. The government runs programs to encourage doctors, especially primary care physicians, to practice in shortage areas. Some states help doctors pay off their medical school debt, which can run into six figures, if they agree to practice in under served parts of the country.
In a 2013 paper in the journal Health Affairs, Linda Green, a mathematician who studies the health care system, argued that the projected shortage of primary care doctors may not occur. The move toward larger practices, which enable physicians to share support staff and office space, can allow them to take on more patients. And the increasing use of physician assistants and nurse practitioners will have the same effect, she wrote.
[Once again, U.S. has most expensive, least effective health care system]
The new AAMC report actually predicts a smaller shortage than a similar report written five years ago. In 2010, the organization said the nation would face a shortfall of 130,600 physicians by 2025. But revised population projections by the U.S. Census and a small increase in the number of doctors have brought the predicted shortfall down, according to the report.
Under a better-case scenario, the doctor shortage 10 years from now would be 46,100, the report notes. That would reflect growth in the number of advanced practice nurses and physician assistants. If the shortage is 90,400, the country would need 31,100 primary care physicians and  63,700 non-primary care doctors — including oncologists, neurologists, psychiatrists and others — to meet the demand.
The AAMC represents all 141 U.S. medical schools and 17 in Canada, as well as 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.

By Lenny Bernstein

Dance with young people to celebrate global female condom day. Dance like no one is watching you.

Dance for female condom like no one is watching as the world celebrate female condom day, today.

Each year, on September 16, the world comes together to build awareness for increased access to the female condom, the only available woman-initiated protection from both unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Practically, it protects young people and adolescents from contracting HIV infection and as a result, helps us to enhance universal response to HIV/AIDS.

The link here is a step as to how you can enjoy the music of the day, while celebrating the day with your friends or colleagues - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC3Uk7BL3Qw&spfreload=10.



Dance for more, dance for demand to protect yourself from unplanned pregnancy, HIV infection and other diseases.

Professor Lucian Leape: A healthcare champion and former adjunct professor in Harvard schoolof public health celebrated by his colleagues, family, and friends.

Lucian Leape, patient safety champion, honored at retirement symposium

Lucian Leape

September 15, 2015 — Colleagues, friends, and family gathered to celebrate the career and legacy of Lucian Leape, adjunct professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, at a retirement symposium held September 8, 2015 in Kresge Cafeteria. Leape, who began his career as a pediatric surgeon, is renowned for his groundbreaking research on reducing medical errors, and dedicated advocacy for improving health systems. He is credited with inspiring a patient safety movement in health care that has contributed to reductions in often deadly but preventable problems such as central line infections and medication errors.
Opening the symposium, Katherine Baicker, C. Boyden Gray Professor of Health Economics and acting chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, praised Leape not only for his research accomplishments but for acting as an “inspiring and dedicated mentor to generations of students.” She read a statement from Donald Berwick, a former Harvard Chan School colleague of Leape’s and former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who called Leape a “giant, hands-down,” with a “calm but relentless voice” in advocating for patient safety.

Professor Robert Blendon, senior associate dean for policy translation and leadership development, with Lucian Leape

Professors Ashish Jha and Atul Gawande both recalled reading Leape’s groundbreaking 1994 JAMA paper Error in Medicine early in their careers. As young doctors, they found the way Leape looked at improving health care from a systems perspective profoundly influential. Jha, K.T. Li Professor of International Health and director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, described coming to the realization that his obligation to his patients doesn’t end with a one-on-one encounter, but with trying to improve the system in which he works.
Following the publication of Error in Medicine, Leape served as a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Quality of Care in America Committee, which published the influential reports “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System” in 1999 and “Crossing the Quality Chasm” in 2001. In 2007, The National Patient Safety Foundation selected Leape to lead its new think tank, naming it the Lucian Leape Institute to honor his efforts.
Leape continued to “rattle the cage” for patient safety, Gawande said, noting that Leape butted heads with the surgical establishment in his calls for shorter shifts and an end to the culture of bullying in the medical workplace. Gawande, professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management and executive director of Ariadne Labs, praised Leape’s humble and generous spirit. “Even when he was standing alone out there, he was always making room for others.”
True to form, Leape began his closing remarks by thanking others, from HPM staff to the colleagues and former deans who welcomed him into the health policy fold back when he was a “middle-aged surgeon.”
Leape said that working with students will be the hardest thing to give up in retirement. Being able to pass on his passion for patient safety to the next generation has been “one of the rare privileges in life,” he said.

Amy Roeder, Harvard.

New hope for Diabetes patients as stanford researchers moves closer to discovering the drug for type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes points Stanford scientists toward old gallstone drug.

A gallstone-related drug, already approved in Asia and Europe, could enter human clinical trials soon as an experimental way to block Type 1 diabetes before patients even develop symptoms.

In a paper published Monday in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at Stanford University and Seattle's Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason Hospital said a study of the drug — called hymecromone — blocked production of a substance that is essential for the development of Type 1 diabetes. Although the study was in mice, they believe the drug ultimately could be used to stop a disease that afflicts one in 300 people in the United States.

Enlarge

Insulin pens are one of several ways for diabetics to keep the disease in check today.… 

Whether the experimental drug is able to wend its way through the multibillion-dollar, multi-year drug-approval process remains to be seen. But the study, funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, could lay the foundation for preventing millions of so-called pre-diabetics from joining the ranks of the 1.25 million Americans with Type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease, where the pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that converts sugars into energy. More common Type 2 diabetes, in contrast, is a metabolic disorder in which insulin still is produced but the body can't use it effectively.

The lab of Dr. Paul Bollyky a Stanford assistant professor of infectious diseases who led the team exploring hymecromone in Type 1 diabetes, is prepping a human clinical trial of the drug. It also has received preliminary funding from SPARK, a Stanford program designed to transform bench research into bedside drugs and diagnostics.

Beyond the commercial possibilities, hypercromone is exciting scientifically.

Early in Type 1 diabetes, scattered clusters of human pancreas cells, called islets, become inflamed when otherwise-protective immune cells attack. The attack eventually spreads to beta cells, halting the production of insulin.

By the time Type 1 diabetes can be identified, some 90 percent of pancreatic beta cells already have been killed off.

Ron Leuty, San Francisco BTs

The reason Child mortality rate dropped, but failed to meet United Nations development goals.

Child mortality rates have fallen by more than half since 1990. Here's why.

UNICEF

There's finally some good news in global health: Over the past 25 years, the number of children who die before reaching their fifth birthday has fallen dramatically, from 12.7 million per year in 1990 to 5.9 million in 2015. And this isn't because of declines in the birthrate; as the chart above shows, the rate of death has plunged dramatically, too.

This is the first time the figure has dropped below the 6 million mark, according to a new report released from UNICEF, and researchers think there are several reasons for the change.

Safer births and improvements in vaccination and sanitation helped

"In 2014, 71 per cent of births had a skilled attendant, compared to 59 per cent in 1990," the report reads. Also, more mothers are getting antiretroviral medicines to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Vaccines and other preventive health measures have also helped greatly. "Pneumonia-related deaths have fallen, in part thanks to the rapid roll-out of vaccines, better nutrition and improved care-seeking and treatment for symptoms of pneumonia," according to the report.
Diarrhea-related deaths — a huge killer in the developing world — are dropping because of improvements to drinking water and sanitation, as well as access to a rotavirus vaccine and treatment with rehydration therapies.
This good news about children comes a few weeks after a report in the Lancet about the boost in life expectancy worldwide, which has increased by more than six years since 1990.

The dramatic drop fell short of UN development goals

The UNICEF report also warns that there are major barriers to decreasing childhood deaths even further. Though the dramatic halving in child mortality is cause for celebration, it still fell short of the UN Millennium Development Goal of cutting the rate by two-thirds by 2015.
Nearly half of under-5 deaths occur in the first 28 days of life because of a range of factors — pneumonia, complications during labor and delivery, diarrhea, and malaria. Many of these deaths are attributed to under-nutrition.

What's more, while antenatal care is improving, too many mothers still lack assistance during childbirth. In 2014, 36 million mothers gave birth without a skilled attendant.
Many of these problems are specific to low-income regions where access to adequate health care, medicines, and food is still a persistent problem.

UNICEF

"A child born in a low-income country is, on average, 11 times as likely to die before the age of 5 as a child in a high-income country," the report reads. Indeed, the massive gap in outcomes for children in high- and low-income countries is startling. In sub-Saharan Africa, one child in 12 dies before his or her fifth birthday. That's more than 12 times higher than the average in high-income countries. So inequality remains an issue.
"We have to acknowledge tremendous global progress, especially since 2000 when many countries have tripled the rate of reduction of under-five mortality," UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Geeta Rao Gupta said in a press release. "But the far too large number of children still dying from preventable causes before their fifth birthday — and indeed within their first month of life – should impel us to redouble our efforts to do what we know needs to be done. We cannot continue to fail them."

Julia Belluz, Vox media.

 

 

 

London Commonwealth Youth Summit. A One-Day Simulation of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)

A One-Day Simulation of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 

The RCS is looking for young people who want to participate in the London Commonwealth Youth Summit. This is a unique chance to become a Head of Government for a day for one of the 53 countries in the Commonwealth, and to role-play participation in a major international meeting.

Who is it for? Young Londoners aged 16 to 23 years

When? Saturday 3 October 2015 from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
Where? The Council Chamber, Tower Hamlets Borough Council, E14 2BG, East London (DLR: East India)


Why?  In this the Year of ‘A Young Commonwealth – New Generation, New Ideas’ and at a time for important global decisions about People and Planet, now is the moment for young Londoners to have their say and celebrate the potential of young people to create and debate solutions and help change their world for the better.
You’ll learn lots about the Commonwealth and how a large international meeting of governments works. Sometimes, unexpected global events happen which need countries to work together to find solutions…….
What will happen? The day will be structured much like the biennial CHOGM meeting.
There will be 106 delegates who will work in pairs to represent one of the 53 Commonwealth countries. They will find out about the country they are role-playing beforehand. On the day, they will debate issues that are currently facing the Commonwealth, and then work with other delegates to come up with solutions to help resolve them.
What Roles can you Play? There will be a variety of ways in which young people (aged 16-23) will be able to get involved with the 2015 London Commonwealth Youth Summit including:

• Be a Delegate and represent a Commonwealth country in the debate, discussing and debating a number of issues facing The Commonwealth.
• Join the Summit Statement Team, ensuring that the discussions held during the debate are recorded and that the Final Communique is written up in time for the Secretary General to present it.
• Join the Media Team,helping to ensure that as much awareness of the event as possible is generated both here in London, the UK and across The Commonwealth.

Who is Organising the Day?  This event is being delivered by a young people’s planning group, supported by The Royal Commonwealth Society in partnership with the Daneford Trust and Tower Hamlets Youth Council and Borough Council. Professional youth workers will support the event.
How Do you Apply?  Please print and complete the application form and send to education@thercs.org by Friday 18 September 2015. We will confirm your participation in this exciting event as soon as possible.
Is there a cost?  No, there is no charge for this event and you will be given lunch. You just need to cover your travel costs.
Any Questions?  Please don’t hesitate to email education@thercs.org or telephone us on 020 3727 4300 and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Download and share the flyer
We look forward to receiving your application and, hopefully, meeting you on Saturday 3^rd October!
Please note: We regret that the RCS will not be able to refund any travel expenses for this event. Those under the age of 18 will need parental consent to take part – please see the application form.
Want to know more about the Commonwealth? Watch the video made by the Commonwealth Secretariat and this video made by young Londoners.

Source: The Royal Commonwealth society.

Universal Health Coverage: This is passion and you are rightly on point, Mr. Badre. It is our duty as health policy experts to make "UHC", a reality.

Universal Health Coverage in a Generation is Achievable 
Bertrand Badré
Managing Director and World Bank Group CFO chez The World Bank

As the father of four children, I know how important access to good, quality health care is. All parents aspire to be able to provide the same for their children. That’s why we at the World Bank Group (WBG) are working with our partners around the globe to make universal health coverage (UHC) a reality for all.
Uniting finance and development has been a lifelong passion of mine. Earlier in my career, I supported then French President Jacques Chirac with the development of an international airline ticket solidarity tax to provide global public goods for the poor. This kind of innovative thinking eventually led to the creation of UNITAID, which works to prevent, treat and diagnose HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria more quickly, cheaply and effectively. Other innovative financing mechanisms developed include the International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) and the Global Vacine Initiative (GAVI).
Universal health coverage means that citizens get the health care they need without suffering severe financial hardship – a concept central to reaching our WBG twin goals of ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity. Still, 400 million people lack access to essential health services. In developing countries, 6 percent of people are impoverished, or further impoverished, paying for the health care they need for themselves and their families.
Access to quality health care and financial protection from catastrophic medical expenses is critical to help the poor move up the economic ladder.
Thailand offers a good example: The Thai Network of Rural Doctors increased the number of doctors and nurses serving its rural population while raising basic salaries and introducing incentives to attract and retain health workers. Consequently, Thailand has seen a significant decline in catastrophic health expenditures. In fact, in the poorest rural northeast region of Thailand, the number of impoverished households dropped from 3.4 percent in 1996 to less than 1.3 percent in 2006-2009.
In Turkey, an economic crisis in the early 2000s prompted major health reforms that put the country squarely on the path to UHC. Today, more than 95 percent of the Turkish population is covered by formal health insurance. Infant mortality rates have declined from 28.5 per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 10.1 per 1,000 live births in 2010, and the maternal mortality ratio fell from 61 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 16.4 death per 100,000 live births in 2010.
Worldwide, the health sector has grown at a fast pace, accounting for about 10 percent of global GDP as well as a major source of employment even during the recent global recession.
Yet this growth has not always been equitable or efficient. Investment has been concentrated in urban areas and among higher-income groups. If we don’t take action to counter this trend, we risk a widening disparity in access and health outcomes between low- and high-income countries, and between the poor and the rich.
By shifting investments toward the achievement of UHC, we could close these gaps. We could end preventable maternal and child deaths by 2030 and save roughly 10 million lives a year, while simultaneously increasing human productivity and employment, and boosting economic growth.
We have the technology and resources to help all countries achieve universally low rates of infections and maternal and child deaths. But we need leadership and political commitment globally, regionally and nationally to translate these potential benefits into actual investments and programs on the ground.
That’s why the World Bank Group and its partners are supporting the Global Financing Facility in support of Every Woman and Every Child. This country-driven partnership brings together stakeholders in maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, to provide smart, scaled and sustainable financing to accelerate efforts to end preventable deaths by 2030.
Last week, I was in Oslo for the United Nations-sponsored event, “Building the Path to Universal Health Coverage: Innovative Financing in Access to Medicines.” The magnitude of the financing challenge should not be underestimated. For the 63 countries with the highest burdens of maternal and child mortality, there is an estimated $33 billion shortfall in financing this year. Mobilizing more domestic and international resources from both the public and private sectors is critical to close this gap.
Countries must also invest in other sectors beyond health to provide the essential foundations for a resilient society. For example, putting money in the hands of poor mothers through conditional cash transfers can improve child and maternal health.
We know what works and have enormous evidence that investing in health pays off. Ensuring equal opportunities for the healthy development of every man, woman and child, everywhere, should be a cornerstone of the global community’s work to end poverty within a generation.

Source: Pulse.

The Living legend, Tupac Shakur returns from hiding, says he has been in Cuba as recent video proves it.

Tupac Shakur who was supposedly killed at the age of 25 is now admitting he has been hiding this whole time.

  It was Shakur who in 1996 was reportedly attending a special event in Las Vegas, the Mike Tyson Benson fight, and then afterwards was brutally murdered. A day or so later he is autopsied, then quickly cremated. There is no funeral. Nor is there any record of a tribute or memorial. Now we know exactly why it was because Tupac Shakur was never killed it is unclear why he has been hiding. This story is still under development but Tupac has already been spotted with Celebrities.

He finally returned from Cuba after a long journey of 19 years and spoke to medias about all the time he was hiding, what he was doing there and much more..

Article source: http://www.viroshare.com/entertainment/tupac-shakur-is-alive-he-returned-from-cuba-2015-video/

Nutrition: 6 ways to meet the nutritional requirements to build muscles not fats.

 
For those wishing to improve your muscle definition, the Body Building Diet is an excellent way to both ensure superior muscle function during your workouts and meet the nutritional requirements demanded by such rigorous activity. Maintaining a healthy diet is just as important as any exercise regimen. Like any other machine, the body will not function properly without a few necessary elements. Making the effort to eat right along with regular exercise will guarantee maximized results.

Vegetables and fruits are a staple in many different diet plans. The Body Building Diet suggests eating a combination of vegetables with high nutritional value such as broccoli, squash, and spinach on a daily basis. Not only will these vegetables help strengthen your muscles by providing much needed proteins but they also aid in digestion, which will help you to either lose or maintain your weight, depending upon your goals. Fruits are the natural counterparts to vegetables. They are a source of natural vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamin C which is a natural immunity booster.
Some fruits that are excellent additions to the Body Building Diet plan are papayas, oranges, strawberries, and grapes. Utilizing these fruits as a part of a healthy diet will not only protect your immune system, but also your heart by assisting in maintaining healthy blood circulation, a key factor in preventing heart disease.

Eating foods that are high sources of protein is also an extremely important part of the Body Building Diet plan. Protein is used to maintain strong bones and muscles through growth and repair. Soy, eggs, fish, and chicken are all excellent sources of protein. If you feel that you are not getting enough protein as part of your regular diet regimen, a good addition is fruit and protein shakes. Protein shakes combine powdered protein, which is readily available at both health food and nutritional stores, with fruit and low or non-fat yogurt, producing a quick and easy alternative to a meal or a snack. Protein shakes represent many of the necessary elements to a successful diet all in one power package. They provide necessary protein, calcium, and antioxidants with a minimal amount of effort. There are several different types of protein powders out on the market some made specifically to target your weight goals in a variety of flavors to compliment anyone’s particular taste.

Ensuring that your diet also has a complimenting amount of carbohydrates for energy, the Body Building Diet suggests eating foods rich in carbohydrates such as pastas, cereals, and whole grains. Maintaining the right amount of carbohydrates helps to increase stamina and endurance, two things essential to your exercise program.
On the Body Building Diet, not only are there no meals to skip, but it’s also highly recommended that you indulge in a few snacks in between meals to maintain a high energy level and ensure that your body is receiving all of the necessary nutrients to maintain your active lifestyle. The important thing to remember about snacking is to make sure that the foods you’re snacking on are healthy and compliment your diet. In addition to eating foods with a high nutritional value, you should also remember to drink plenty of water.

Drinking twelve to fifteen eight ounce glasses of water every day will not only keep your body well hydrated, but it will also flush out unwanted toxins. Eating right is always a challenge, but the Body Building Diet is so easy that it makes sticking to the plan almost effortless. Take just a few moments to check the nutritional value of your foods and enjoy the rewards.

Nutition: Five ways to maintain a healthy weight through a diet plan.

Weight Loss Diets are critical to obtaining a healthy weight. What is the best diet plan for you? How can you evaluate your needs for a new diet, and match your needs to a weight loss plan? This article about weight loss diets evaluates five keys to diet success with the best diet plan for weight loss.
1. You are the key to success with your weight loss diet. Look at yourself from the inside out… How do you feel about yourself today? How would you like to feel? Do you deserve to feel your best? Take the time to journal about your personal situation. Write a story to yourself about the factors of your life that motivate you. Do you have dreams of a future without your current health concerns? Is there something physical you’d like to do but are held back from due to excess weight? Focus on your motivation, and set realistic healthy goal for weight loss.

2. Your medical professional is a major part of your team for your weight loss diet. Your body is a very complex system of hormonal and chemical processes. Just like you’d never consider yourself qualified to walk right in to a nuclear powerplant and begin adjusting knobs and dials for superior power output, be careful when you begin your own adjustments! We’ve all heard horror stories about people that have dieted to extremes and trained their bodies to live on extremely low calories, and gain back the weight they’ve lost. Do your very best and include your qualified medical professional prior to selecting your new weight loss plan. You deserve a complete physical to determine your precise health condition. In addition to your physical condition, your mental condition is important to consider. If you are not confident in yourself, look in to the possibility of professional assistance. How you feel about yourself will determine the long term success of your weight loss diet.

3. Your past is the blueprint for your new weight loss diet. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten. Are you where you want to be? If not, are you prepared to change? Your past got you to where you are today, YOU will get you into a new future! Commit to change. If you’ve determined your motivation, and gotten a health checkup and go ahead from your health professional, this is the time to commit to change! If you don’t change, then nothing changes.

4. Select your new diet. Ready, Set – Begin! There are an amazing variety of weight loss programs available today. What would you like to do? Do you feel comfortable in a group meeting, giving and receiving peer support? Would you be more comfortable in a private setting with a health professional to guide you? Do you live in a remote area and need support from the online diet community? This is the time to select the qualities of your new weight loss diet plan. What types of food are you restricted from by allergies or religious purposes? You’ll need specialized weight loss diets for diabetic, lactose intolerant, vegetarian, vegan, and food allergies. Be sure to take the time to study the weight loss plans that are available, and select the type of plan and type of support you are most comfortable with. Gather your support group, in person or online.

5. Evaluate and adjust your weight loss diet. Track your progress with your new weight loss diet, and adjust as necessary. Are you feeling isolated or are you feeling supported? Are you learning new healthy habits, or are you reverting to old habits? Repeat steps one through four above, getting to know your needs and your true health, and continually strive to improve your food and beverage selections, as well as exercise and rest.

Source: Weight loss diet.

Celebrate Young People at the ICFP!

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Tuesday, November 10
6:00 - 7:30 PM
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Nutrition: Basic advise that can save you from Non communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, Diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases that are preventable

picture credit: Thisday.
Experts advocate nutrition, lifestyle modification for disease prevention

By Martins Ifijeh

Following increased rate of  Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) in the country, experts have called on Nigerians to maintain adequate nutritional diets, as well as abstain from lifestyle that predisposes one to health issues like diabetes, cancer, respiratory disorders, among others.

The experts who spoke at a one-day workshop organised by Coca Cola Nigeria in Lagos recently, tagged: 'Adequate Nutrition and Lifestyle : Essential for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases,' said Nigerians must make deliberate attempts to prevent the numerous health issues in the country.

Speaking at the workshop, a Consultant Nutritionist and Dietician, Dr Chika Ndiokwelu, said eating unhealthy diets have been implicated to cause a number of preventable diseases, adding that, processed foods contain more harmful elements than the well known African foods and vegetables which the country was used to.

While stating that poor food intake, smoking, harmful use of alcohol and sedentary lifestyle were risk factors responsible for NCDs, she advised that eating of fruits, legumes, vegetables, engage in regular physical exercise, reduction of salt intake, reduction in alcohol intake, as well as quitting smoking, would help a long way in preventing NCDs.

She described NCDs as chronic but non-contagious medical conditions which could lead to deformity or death. "NCDs represent a major threat to health and development in the 21st century, as they account for 60 per cent of all deaths and 43 per cent of disease burden globally," she said.

She listed four major NDCs to include; cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes mellitus, adding that, these four were the world's biggest killers as they account for 36 million deaths annually.

"With the increasing level of NCDs, if proper measures are not taken, the country may be forced to allocate more than three per cent of its healthcare cost for the management of the diseases within the next 10 years," she said.

Ndiokwelu, called on the Federal Government to develop a national policy and action plan on food and nutrition, including the control of diets related to non-communicable diseases. Statingthat, manufacturers and producers of food products should provide accurate nutritional information on their products to help consumers make informed choices.

In his speech, a Research Fellow, National Institute for Medical Research, Dr. Bartholomew Brai said with improved healthy lifestyle and right diets, NCDs will reduce drastically in the country, adding that, Nigerians must shun risky factors that predisposes them to various kinds of health issues.

He charged health writers to continue to educate the public on ways to preventing diseases and general health education.

Meanwhile, the Director of Public Affairs and Communication, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Mr. Clem Ugorji, said that the company has been striving to provide clear nutritional values, offer low calorie or non-caloric beverages to the public.

Ugorji said the workshop was organised to educate the public on issues of nutrition as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR).

"The recipe of coca-cola has remained unchanged for 129 years, with more than 3,600 products in several countries and over 500 brands. ''This was achievable due to our acceptance by the public. We shall continue to support and provide the public with health information because a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.

''The only way to reach the public is through the media which is why we are organising this workshop for them to relate and know our level of acceptance in the public. The media also have a role to play by ensuring that they publish accurate and factual information so as not to misinform the public, '' he said.

The forum had in attendance over 40 health journalists across the country, who also had a tour of the company's plant facility in Ikeja.

Thisday.

The rationale for @YGPOH formative empowerment campaign on HIV prevention: 9 - year - old girl raped by her neighbor, contracts HIV infection in Nigeria.

In the capital of Abeuokuta, Ogun state of Nigeria, West Africa, a nine year old girl, claimed she was raped by her neighbor, one Mr. Morufu Sofoluwe and equally contracted HIV as a result of the rape, says the prosecutor of the case, Sunday Eigbejiale to the court.

The prosecutor informed the court that Mr morufu, who was reprimanded in prison on Wednesday, on account of the offence that happened  in July, deceived the young female neighbor inside his room to sleep with him. He also informed the court that the offence is against the section 218 of Ogun state criminal law, 2006.

After the sex bout, the young adolescent, became sick for sometime before she was taken to the hospital on August 28, where she was discovered to be HIV+, after series of tests by the hospital staff.

The family of the young adolescents interrogated her before she opened up to explain her ordeal with Mr. Morufu, the neighbor that raped her before she contracted the virus. In addition to her confession, Mr Morufu, the accused was also diagnosed of HIV.  

The chief Magistrate of the court, Anthony Araba, who refused the plea of Mr Morufu while passing his judgement. instructed that the accused should remain in Ogun prison.

The Magistrate fixed the case on October, 30 for final judgement.

However, on our own account, this is the rationale for our platform - Youth Global Platform on HIV/AIDS. Using edutainment style of public health campaign to formatively empower the young people and adolescents on how to guide themselves from behavioral challenges that expose them to HIV infections.

Please inform your families, friends, and neighbors that this platform is very beneficial as it gives the young people, mainly adolescents on how to be the change agents in reversing the HIV epidemic. This is to help us enhance universal youth response on HIV by 2030.

You can please follow us on twitter @ygpoh
you can also catch us on facebook: Youth Global Platform on HIV/AIDS.
Watch our video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtq22eQyOR4

Things that women do to their “Vagina” everyday, that is definitely not good as opined by gynaecologists in America.

 

Picture credit: metro.co.uk

Read below to find out from experts the things you shouldn’t be doing to your vagina.

Steaming it

Gwyneth suggested that “You sit on what is essentially a mini-throne, and a combination of infrared and mugwort steam cleanses your uterus, et al,” the Oscar winner explains. “It is an energetic release—not just a steam douche—that balances female hormone levels.”

However, a gynaecologist argued against it, stating that “It probably feels good because the heat increases blood flow to the whole vaginal area, including the clitoris, which could turn some women on,”  Also, another gynaecologist argued it saying that“But if you got too close to the steam, you could end up with second degree burns down there.”

Supporting Gwyneth argument, a gynaecologist from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Taraneh Shirazian, MD clearly indicates that the moisture created by the steam in and around the “nether region” could cause yeast and bacteria. This is because the steam might not reach the uterus to cleanse it, leaving the vagina to look after itself.

The best practice would be to go for a complete body massage, rather than steaming your vagina.

 

Sunbathing it

Shailene Woodley opined “I like to…give my vagina a little vitamin D”. “If you’re feeling depleted, go in the sun for an hour and see how much energy you get. Or, if you live in a place that has heavy winters, when the sun finally comes out, spread your legs and get some sunshine.”
However, think about this before you go out to the sun to get energised: “Your vagina will get the exact same vitamin D benefits if you pop a vitamin D supplement, and you won’t expose your privates to an increased risk of skin cancers such as melanoma,” Dr. Shirazian explained. In addition to the sunburn, imagine that scenario?
Inserting sticky edibles into it
Some women love to insert sugar, honey and other edibles into their vagina to enable their secretions appear sweet and candy. However, gynaecologist advised against it. Dr. Hutcherson explained that “As a general rule of thumb, you don’t want to insert anything edible into your vagina that you can’t easily remove.” “If it stays there, it can upset the balance of good bacteria and acids in your vagina, setting you up for infection.”
Douching it
Douching is washing or cleaning out the vagina with water or other mixtures of fluids. In the United States, about one in four women 15 to 44 years old douche. Many people have advised repeatedly against douching as it is not healthy for ladies.
Dr Hutcherson succinctly puts it “Douching upsets the natural balance of your vagina,”  Recent studies suggests an association between frequent douching and vaginal infections such as yeast and bacterial vaginosis, also it causes the fertility-threatening condition -  pelvic inflammatory disease.
Piercing it
Ladies pierce to look attractive and beautiful to their sex mates, which experts supported, if the genital piercings is done correctly in standardised clinical conditions. Genital piercing is not properly regulated in many countries, especially in developing countries, which can make it hard to reduce infections such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis disease or other blood borne diseases as there is no rationale to determine if the aseptic condition were properly respected.
In addition, Dr Shirazian explained that while piercings are ostensibly used to increase sexual pleasure, they can cause irritation or even tears during sexual activity which would require you to stop your shenanigans and head to the GP.