Mexico’s health system reforms working
Julio Frenk, Minister of Health of Mexico, outlines the results of the country’s 6-year project of health system reform in a Public Health article in this week’s issue of The Lancet.
Mexico is a middle-income country with a population of more than 100 million. Like most developing countries, Mexico is simultaneously facing the double burden of chronic and infectious disease. Over the past 6 years the country has been a ‘global laboratory’ for health system reform, using the best available scientific evidence to address these complex challenges.
Special initiatives to address health threats such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and child mortality over the past 5 years are showing results: the number of cases of malaria have dropped by 60%, six times more people are receiving antiretroviral therapy, TB mortality has fallen by 30%, and Mexico is only one of seven countries on track to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by 2015-the fourth Millennium Development Goal (MDG4). The reforms have also led to a 17% reduction in the proportion of male teenagers who smoke, a 17% increase in the use of mammography, and a 32% increase in the number of pap smear tests over the past 5 years.
Woman in vegetative state plays tennis in her head
A woman in a vegetative state for five months appeared in brain scans to imagine playing tennis and to respond to commands, researchers reported on Thursday.
They said their study showed the woman was conscious despite her coma-like state, although several experts disagreed.
The researchers stressed that the study was unlikely to shed light on issues such as the controversial case of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who spent 15 years in a persistent vegetative state and was allowed to die in March 2005 after a long court battle.
COPD patients benefit from physical activity
COPD patients who engage in regular physical activity, even a relatively small amount, may lower their risk not only of being hospitalized but also of dying, a new study shows.
COPD—short for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—is a progressive lung illness caused by smoking that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is characterized by airflow limitation that is not completely reversible.
At present, only oxygen therapy, the use of certain drugs like bronchodilators, and flu shots are thought to be effective in altering the course of COPD.
