As the nation continues to grapple with severe weather conditions all through the High Plains and into the south, the American Red Cross is asking the public to instantly prepare for the potential enhance in storm activity.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a warning for possibly yet another line of severe thunderstorms, which could unexpectedly develop into tornado activity. In the wake of this latest warning the Red Cross is issuing the following guidelines for storm preparation:

— Make a program for secure shelter — It is crucial to know the safest locations to take cover from a storm at house, function and school. Find a basement, center hallway, bathroom, or closet on the lowest floor where everyone really should collect. The location needs to be windowless and cost-free of objects that will turn out to be projectiles for the duration of high winds. In case you are in a high-rise developing there could not be time to reach a lower floor before the storm hits. Head towards the center of the constructing.

— Build an Emergency Preparedness Kit — Kits really should include a very first aid kit and essential medications; three-day supply of canned or non- perishable food and manual can opener; at the least 3 gallons of water per person; flashlights plus a battery-powered radio with added batteries; and other emergency items for the whole family members, such as pets. Prepare a individual size kit to maintain at perform and within the automobile. For more data on what to consist of in an Emergency Preparedness Kit, log on towards the Get Ready section with the Red Cross website at http://www.redcross.org.

— Stay Informed of Warnings — Listen for your local radio and Tv stations for updated storm info. Check together with your local emergency management workplace to see if e-mail and mobile phone weather alerts are offered within your area. A tornado WATCH implies there is the possibility of tornado activity inside your location. When a tornado WARNING is issued, quickly head for your planned safe shelter. If you’re outside, hurry to a nearby sturdy building or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying location. If you are in a car or mobile home, get out quickly and head for safety.

The most effective method to stay protected against risky weather would be to prepare and strategy well just before a storm hits. The Red Cross has information on preparing for all types of emergencies and disasters, which includes the Be Red Cross Prepared on the internet educational presentation at http://www.redcross.org/beredcrossready along with the Secure and Nicely Net internet site, accessible from http://www.redcross.org. Secure and Nicely enables disaster victims to post normal messages letting family members and pals know of their safety and the way to contact them. For a lot more details contact your neighborhood Red Cross chapter.

The American Red Cross helps men and women prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, nearly a million volunteers and 35,000 workers helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving abilities to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Virtually four million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood goods inside the United States. The American Red Cross is component with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of each dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross isn’t a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org

A humanitarian response towards the African HIV/AIDS pandemic by Indiana University School of Medicine and its education partner in Kenya, Moi University School of Medicine, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

The program, AMPATH (Academic Model for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS) was only a idea 7 years ago. By means of the efforts of its field director, Joseph Mamlin, M.D., and faculty involved within the IU-Kenya Partnership, AMPATH now treats 42,000 HIV-positive Kenyan patients at 19 clinical websites all through western Kenya. It also supplies food assistance to 20,000 people and job and agricultural coaching to thousands a lot more.

More than 1.three million Kenyan men, women and young children are living with HIV/AIDS. AMPATH addresses the social stigma of the disease while delivering medication and helping men and women turn out to be self-sufficient by offering food, jobs and agricultural assistance.

In the Nobel Peace Prize nomination, Scott Pegg, Ph.D., from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and Butler University’s David Mason, Ph.D., both professors of political science, noted that AMPATH has been recognized as among the world’s most comprehensive and innovative AIDS manage programs.

“This partnership isn’t only one of the largest and most comprehensive HIV/AIDS programs in the world, it is a model of U.S.-Africa institutional cooperation. This model might be replicated throughout the creating globe, and therefore put a halt to a pandemic that might soon pass the Black Death to turn out to be the most brutal killer in human history,” Pegg and Mason stated in the letter of nomination.

Pegg and Mason also cited Dr. Mamlin, professor emeritus of medicine at the IU School of Medicine, as a driving force behind the program. Dr. Mamlin was a team leader with the collaborative medical education program in the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, within the early 1990s. At that time, he witnessed 85 patient deaths more than the course of a year. When he returned full-time to Kenya in 2000, he saw much more than 1,000 patients die during a similar period. From that poignant loss, AMPATH was born.

“I uncover encouragement that thousands all over the world are responding faithfully to a few of the genuine discomfort suffered by a lot of,” says Dr. Mamlin. “While a lot of this pain is physical, the real tragedy is the loss of hope in single individuals. When any of us find a moment in our lives when we can relieve pain and restore hope, we have already won the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Robert Einterz, M.D., IU professor of medicine and director and co-founder with the IU-Kenya Partnership, says, “The Hoosiers which are leading the global fight against HIV are the very same Hoosiers that are teaching at the Indiana University School of Medicine and serving vulnerable populations in Indianapolis. By way of this partnership, Indiana University demonstrates its commitment to health for all individuals.”

AMPATH is 1 of 181 nominees for the 2007 Prize, whose winner is going to be announced in mid-October. In 2006, Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank, which provides micro-credit for low-income entrepreneurs inside the creating globe, won the Peace Prize.

http://www.iu.pui.edu

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4 (1 votes)

As Abbott Laboratories concluded its Annual General Meeting right now in Chicago, advocates from AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the US’ largest HIV/AIDS healthcare, prevention and education provider, which operates free AIDS treatment clinics within the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia, continued to press Abbott to rollback its punitive drug blacklist against Thailand on six new Abbott medicines and drop its demand that Thailand rescind a compulsory license for a generic version of yet another blacklisted Abbott drug, Aluvia, in order to access Abbott’s version with the lifesaving AIDS drug at a significantly reduced price from the company. Yesterday, AIDS activists and advocates worldwide protested Abbott’s global drug pricing and policies and its recent actions in Thailand, while this morning a smaller group of activists protested in downtown Chicago. In conjunction with the company’s meeting, officials from AIDS Healthcare Foundation also traveled to Abbott Park/North Chicago — Abbott’s headquarters — and delivered a package outlining AHF’s concerns to company officials, including notice that AHF had pressed a significant institutional investor to write a letter to the company about Abbott’s recent actions against Thailand.

“On its website, Abbott touts its ‘Promise for Life,’ a feel good statement which describes the company’s goals of ‘turning science into caring,’” said Terri Ford, AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Director of Global Advocacy. “Abbott’s strong-armed business practices — particularly the punitive withdrawal of most new Abbott drugs in Thailand and it making its reduced price offer on Aluvia contingent upon Thailand pulling its compulsory license for the drug — seem to suggest that the real Abbott company motto should be ‘turning science into scaring.’”

“Last week, we testified about Abbott’s drug pricing policies in Thailand before the Investment Committee of California Public Employees Retirement System, among the nation’s largest pension funds, which holds nearly $318 million in Abbott stock,” said Timothy Boyd, a Policy Researcher in AIDS Healthcare Foundations Public Affairs Department. “AHF officials asked the pension fund to write to Abbott regarding the AIDS drug pricing and access issues in Thailand. In response, officials indicated that CalPERS would send a letter to Miles D. White, Abbott’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board concerning Abbott’s recent actions and its pricing and policies in Thailand.”

As part of a worldwide day of actions and protests against Abbott yesterday, AIDS Healthcare Foundation/India Cares and Love Life Society (Consortium of HIV positive folks in Delhi) together participated in a rally organized by the Delhi Network of Positive Individuals (DNP+) in India, where AHF operates 4 free AIDS treatment clinics. There were about 200 folks, which includes patients, staff and physicians from AHF/India Cares, who assembled at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, India for a rally, protest and march expressing their solidarity against Abbott’s punitive actions and praise for the Thai’s government stand.

“This whole problem triggered by Abbott’s recent actions is bigger than Thailand and bigger than HIV/AIDS — it’s really about multi-national drug companies like Abbott using developing world countries to expand their markets as the markets within the US and other Western nations dwindle — Big Pharma’s ravenous thirst to expand its global market share,” added AHF’s Michael Weinstein. “Abbott has been the army scout out ahead of Big Pharma’s troops in this industry-wide push for global market expansion. A few years ago, the pharmaceutical industry stumbled and fell when it sued the Government of South Africa — among the countries hardest-hit by AIDS — over generic AIDS drugs, and the industry quickly withdrew its lawsuit following tremendous worldwide condemnation of the move. These days, we strongly urge Abbott as well as the drug industry at huge to seriously reconsider the ramifications of their actions on pricing and access policies for AIDS and other medicines worldwide.”

In the Asia-Pacific region, AIDS Healthcare Foundation currently provides totally free anti-retroviral treatment through its clinics in India, China and Cambodia, and is opening a center in Vietnam. For much more information, pay a visit to http://www.aidshealth.org

AIDS Healthcare Foundation
http://www.aidshealth.org

The United Nations World Food Programme welcomed the Government of Sudan’s expediting the movement of a shipment of 100,000 tons of cereals that had been delayed at Port Sudan. There had been a temporary hold on the release, which sometimes happens in order for the fitness of the commodities to be confirmed.

The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties concerned and also the food released for delivery to the beneficiaries.

“WFP expresses its appreciation towards the Government of Sudan for its constructive handling of the matter,” said Kenro Oshidari, WFP Representative in Sudan.

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food to an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional requirements, which includes 58 million hungry youngsters, in at least 80 with the world’s poorest countries. WFP — We Feed Men and women.

WFP Global School Feeding Campaign – For just 19 US cents a day, you can help WFP give young children in poor countries a healthy meal at school – a gift of hope for a brighter future.

http://www.wfp.org

5 (1 votes)

A convoy of trucks contracted by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) nowadays thrust out of Mogadishu and delivered enough food to feed at least 32,000 men and women driven from their homes by some of the worst fighting within the Somali capital in 16 years.

The 9-truck convoy drove west of Mogadishu and unloaded a total of 320 metric tons of food at six internet sites where tens of thousands of displaced individuals are sheltering on roadsides. WFP’s partner non-governmental organisations immediately began distributing the food to hungry families.

The distributions got the green light from the Transitional Federal Government at a meeting with UN officials on Monday. The TFG said it would cooperate with efforts by UN agencies and NGOs to assist an estimated 340,000 folks driven out of Mogadishu by fighting since the start of February.

“WFP is now ready to reach some of the men and women living in terrible conditions soon after escaping from Mogadishu,” stated WFP Country Director Peter Goossens. “I hope that this means humanitarian assistance can now urgently be brought to all those in need to have.”

“Many of these folks fled for their lives with just about nothing and are living in very harsh conditions in heavy rain. They urgently need all our assistance now. With the fighting continuing in Mogadishu, they simply cannot return home,” Goossens stated.

The 320 tons of maize, nutritious corn-soya blend and vegetable oil is enough food to feed 32,000 folks for two weeks. But the exact number who received the WFP food would only be known right after the distributions and might be greater if smaller rations had been given out.

WFP assists much more than a quarter of a million people each month in Somalia in areas where there are critical food shortages, but the fighting in Mogadishu, general insecurity, threats against its staff and other obstacles in recent weeks hampered deliveries to the newly displaced.

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food to an average of 90 million poor men and women to meet their nutritional desires, such as 58 million hungry kids, in at least 80 of the world’s poorest countries. WFP — We Feed People.

WFP Global School Feeding Campaign – For just 19 US cents a day, it is possible to help WFP give children in poor countries a healthy meal at school – a gift of hope for a brighter future.

http://www.wfp.org

1 (two votes)

Healthcare Prof:

2 (2 votes)

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines for treatment of pneumonia in kids under one year in Africa are inadequate and want revision, conclude authors of an Article published in this week’s edition of the Lancet.

Lisa McNally, Centre for International Well being and Development, Institute of Child Health, University College London, UK and colleagues from University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, measured predictors of treatment failure and causes of non-responsive pneumonia in 358 young children under 5 years old admitted to hospital with severe pneumonia in Durban, South Africa.

Each child was treated with a standard antimicrobial regimen of benzylpenicillin and gentamicin, plus a high dose of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for infants under one year, as per the current WHO guidelines. However, these guidelines had been published before the HIV pandemic swept through Africa.

Despite receiving these drugs 43% of the youngsters under 1 (who represented 70 per cent of the study) had failed treatment by 48 hours, and a further 6% failed subsequently. Rates of treatment failure had been higher in infants who had been HIV infected or HIV exposed, uninfected. Polymicrobial infections had been also found to be an important factor in treatment failure and had been found in 70% of youngsters investigated for treatment failure, irrespective of HIV status.

The authors say: “Polymicrobial disease is a key predictor of treatment failure and there is a want for rapid low cost diagnostic methods to assist clinicians.”

Dr McNally and her team also raise the concern with the increasing importance of HIV-exposed yet uninfected children as a public health concern. Such kids, who are born to HIV infected mothers yet have not contracted the disease, still have weaker immune systems during the first year of life “a possible cause for this is reduced transplacental transfer of protective antibodies towards the foetus during pregnancy.

Thus whilst the widespread roll-out of prevention of mother to child HIV transmission strategies will reduce the number of pneumonia infected young children admitted to hospital, the raised risk in HIV-exposed, uninfected young children will assume increasing importance.

The authors conclude: “For young children younger than 1 year, the present guidelines for treatment of severe pneumonia are inadequate due to high failure rates in infants born to HIV-infected mothers, and these guidelines need to be revised.”

In an accompanying comment, Dr Mark Steinhoff and Dr Robert Black, Bloomberg School of Public Wellness, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, say: “Achieving the Millennium Development Goal for child survival will call for a new co-ordinated effort of research and implementation to prevent and control childhood pneumonia. This want is now urgent as well as the effort must be aimed at disease reduction in areas with low or high prevalences of HIV infection.”

LANCET
THE LANCET Publishing Group
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4.five (four votes)

Healthcare Prof:

5 (1 votes)

Novartis has delivered 4.7 million treatments of its life-saving anti-malaria medicine, Coartem, to the United Republic of Tanzania, an African country where malaria is the leading cause of death in both kids and adults. This delivery is part of a larger global effort to provide access to Coartem with no profit to patients living in malaria-endemic countries.

Malaria affects between 300 million to 500 million folks each year and kills a lot more than one million folks every year. The company urges governments, companies and other organizations to work together to broaden access and remove cultural or educational hindrances to treatment.

“Malaria claims the life of 1 child in Africa every 30 seconds – a staggering number. We have made the commitment to ensure that those who need to have treatment for malaria will have access to Coartem,” stated Dr. Daniel Vasella, Chairman and CEO of Novartis AG. “Our involvement within the fight against malaria is at the heart of our mission of caring and curing. With even greater collaboration by governments and private groups, a lot of a lot more lives could be saved.”

Novartis delivered 62 million treatments of Coartem in 2006, with out profit, towards the public sector of malaria-endemic countries in Africa, a seven-fold increase from the previous year. These remedies contributed to saving an estimated 200 000 lives that would have otherwise been lost to malaria. In 2007, Novartis has the capacity to produce 100 million treatments if timely orders are received.

Coartem is the first pre-qualified, fixed-dose artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) with cure rates of up to 95%, even in locations of multi-drug resistance.

Tanzania designated Coartem as first-line therapy in its national malaria-control guidelines in 2004. During 2006 when the new treatment policy with Coartem was implemented inside the country, Novartis delivered much more than 8 million Coartem remedies to Tanzania. According to wellness authorities, malaria infects up to 18 million individuals in Tanzania every year. Novartis has partnered with the Tanzanian government and other organizations to expand access to this life-saving treatment.

Fighting malaria on the ground

The shipment of four.7 million remedies of Coartem was loaded on eleven trucks and driven from Switzerland to Belgium, where it was flown to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This action is the latest example of the commitment of significant resources by Novartis for local anti-malaria projects across Africa.

Since 2003, Novartis has served as a convening partner inviting scientists, policy makers and implementers to address barriers to roll out ACT therapy. Most recently, the company implemented 3 best practice workshops, attended by heads of national malaria control programs of African countries that have adopted ACTs as first-line therapy, or are considering switching to ACTs from ineffective therapies. Patient and healthcare provider compliance programs are also emphasized which incorporate pictorial manuals with step-by-step instructions on dosage.These manuals are obtainable in English, French, Swahili, Portuguese, Spanish and dominant local languages.

In Tanzania, the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development and its partners have addressed additional access obstacles. In two Tanzanian districts, the Foundation has carried out malaria awareness programs to encourage patients to seek appropriate and timely treatment. The programs also aim to strengthen the proper diagnosis and treatment in public well being facilities and support the geographic extension of accredited drug dispensing outlets. Novartis has agreed on a pilot basis to supply Coartem with no profit to these outlets in order to improve access in remote rural areas.

Researching cures for the future

Novartis scientists also are working to discover the next generation of malaria medicines. In 2006, the company announced the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases would initiate research on malaria, in addition to present programs with dengue and tuberculosis. Research will focus on the development of a one-dose cure for Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria, and a curative course of treatment for Plasmodium vivax, the most frequent and widely distributed form of malaria.

Novartis is also working with the Medicines for Malaria Venture, a nonprofit foundation based in Geneva, to develop a new pediatric formulation of Coartem. The new formulation is expected to be introduced in 2008.

Professor Klaus M. Leisinger, President with the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, stated exploring new cultural and organizational strategies also is critical: “While it is important to continue to develop new medicines, supply treatments without profit and provide medical education support, sometimes it is not enough. This is why the Novartis Foundation has initiated field research to overcome cultural, institutional and attitudinal obstacles that hinder access to malaria medicine. This comprehensive commitment makes Novartis an industry leader in the fight against malaria.”

About Coartem

Coartem is the first WHO pre-qualified, fixed-dose ACT combining artemether, an artemisinin derivative, and lumefantrine. It is a highly effective and well-tolerated antimalarial that achieves cure rates of up to 95%, even in locations of multi-drug resistance. It is indicated for the treatment of acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria, the most dangerous form of malaria.

Artemisinin is a compound derived from the sweet wormwood plant and has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to treat fever. An ACT is a combination of two or far more drugs (1 of which is an artemisinin derivative) that have different modes of action and different targets. Studies have shown that using two or a lot more drugs in combination has the potential to delay the development of resistance in locations of low transmission. ACTs in particular have been found to be highly effective in treating malaria and their potential to delay resistance in areas of intense transmission is under investigation.

Disclaimer

This release contains certain forward-looking statements that can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as “commitment”, “will”, “capacity”, or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding Novartis’ ability to satisfy Coartem production requirements in 2007 or the future, or regarding the development of potential future anti-malarial medications. Such forward looking statements reflect the current views of the Company regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that Novartis will be able to achieve any particular level of Coartem production within the future. Nor can there be any guarantee that Novartis’ efforts to develop the next generation of anti-malarial medicines will be successful. In particular, management’s expectations could be affected by, amongst other things, uncertainties regarding the timeliness with the orders to be placed for Coartem by the ordering countries; uncertainties regarding the ability to obtain the necessary raw materials; uncertainties relating towards the performance of our suppliers KPC and ZMC; uncertainties relating to regulatory actions or government regulation generally, including Good Manufacturing Practices Regulations; uncertainties involved within the development of new pharmaceutical products, including unexpected clinical trial results; as well as factors discussed inside the Company’s Form 20-F filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Novartis is providing the details in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a world leader in offering medicines to protect health, cure disease and improve well-being. Our goal is to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to treat patients, ease suffering and enhance the quality of life. We are strengthening our medicine-based portfolio, which is focused on strategic growth platforms in innovation-driven pharmaceuticals, high-quality and low-cost generics, human vaccines and leading self-medication OTC brands. Novartis is the only company with leadership positions in these areas. In 2006, the Group’s businesses achieved net sales of USD 37.0 billion and net income of USD 7.2 billion. Approximately USD 5.4 billion was invested in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 100,000 associates and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For more data, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis was named in 2006 the Healthcare Sector Leader by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). In 2006, 33.6 million patients around the world benefited from Novartis programs valued at USD 755 million. These initiatives range from drug donation and research programs to combat neglected diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and leprosy in developing nations to patient assistance programs that help cancer patients receive the most innovative and effective remedies offered. For further data, please consult http://www.novartis.com.

View drug details on Coartem.

Though preventable and treatable, malaria claims the lives of a lot more than 1 million people each year 75 percent of them African youngsters. Yet kids in American schools have most likely never heard of the disease that kills an African child every 30 seconds, or the role science plays in alleviating one of the world’s most pressing wellness care crises. In conjunction with Malaria Awareness Day on April 25, Abbott Fund joins Mrs. Laura Bush, Malaria No Far more and Scholastic inside the launch of a new nationwide education program that can raise awareness about malaria as well as encourage science education among elementary school students. The program will reach nearly 6 million American young children and their families.

Funded by a $1 million grant from Abbott Fund, innovative malaria education materials are being distributed to virtually all elementary schools inside the United States by Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books. Materials contain a book for first-graders entitled Nets Are Nice, and curriculum for first-, fifth- and sixth-graders that address the impact of malaria and challenges faced by youngsters in other countries.

The book for first-graders includes a forward by Mrs. Laura Bush, who said, “Nets Are Nice offers an opportunity to engage the energy, creativity and compassion of children, and to make them aware of ways they can help others who are in want.”

The Abbott Fund-sponsored program was announced in Washington last year at the White House Summit on Malaria by the President and Mrs. Bush. The White House Summit highlighted education as one of the several ways to combat the disease. The new education materials are offered in time for the first Malaria Awareness Day in the United States.

The easy-to-use lessons, activities and family pages that address real-world issues are available for cost-free online at www.scholastic.com/makeyourmark. Families can download Nets Are Nice as well as a short magazine for fifth- and sixth- grade students filled with stories about ordinary kids making an extraordinary difference in the world by addressing issues with creativity and energy.

“Not only does this new education initiative provide an opportunity to raise awareness amongst American school children about the health challenges faced by kids in other countries, but it highlights the importance of science education as well as the role science plays in fighting disease,” stated Catherine Babington, president, Abbott Fund, the philanthropic foundation of Abbott, the global wellness care company.

In addition to encouraging students and their families to learn more about malaria through this new education initiative, Abbott scientists are also visiting elementary schools to discuss Malaria Awareness Day as well as the impact of the disease.

About Abbott and Abbott Fund

Abbott and Abbott Fund are contributing to the fight against neglected diseases such as malaria. Abbott is currently supplying scientific expertise to the Institute for OneWorld Wellness to develop a low-cost antimalarial therapy. For several years, Abbott also has provided bulk artesunate at no profit to the World Well being Organization to support its anti-malaria initiatives.

Abbott and Abbott Fund have a long history of supporting innovative approaches to science learning. This includes partnering with the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame, The Keystone Center along with the National Science Olympiad. Abbott and Abbott Fund also focus on creating hands-on science experiences by bringing Abbott scientists into the community through programs like Abbott Family Science Nights, Soon after School Matters a partnership with the city of Chicago to bring science learning to inner-city after-school programs and Operation Discovery, an interactive science education program that enables middle school students to discover DNA extraction, learn basic lab procedures, work with microscopes, and explore science and engineering careers with Abbott scientists.

Abbott is a global, broad-based wellness care company devoted towards the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, which includes nutritionals and devices. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in far more than 130 countries.

Abbott Fund is a philanthropic foundation established by Abbott in 1951. The Fund’s mission is to create healthier global communities. Abbott Fund invests in creative ideas that promote science, expand access to wellness care and strengthen communities worldwide. For a lot more info on Abbott Fund, visit http://www.abbottfund.org.

The Africa Progress Panel on Tuesday in Berlin called on the Group of Eight industrialized nations to fulfill commitments made at its 2005 summit regarding aid to Africa, which includes HIV/AIDS funding, the Washington Post reports (Williams, Washington Post, 4/25). APP — which is headed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan — was established by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to monitor G8 pledges made at the group’s summit in Gleneagles, Scotland (Elliott/Connolly, Guardian, 4/25). G8 leaders in July 2005 at the close of their summit in Gleneagles agreed to an immediate doubling of aid to Africa to $50 billion annually in order to fight poverty and disease on the continent. The final summit communique officially endorsed a debt relief plan, which canceled at least $40 billion in debt owed by the world’s 18 poorest nations. The communique also included an agreement on supplying universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, based on Blair.

Progress on Gleneagles Commitments
Based on a report released earlier this year by ActionAid International, Germany, Italy, Japan and also the U.S. have made no attempts to meet the target of universal access to antiretrovirals by 2010. G8 countries still need to have to establish a funding strategy to meet the treatment access goal, the report says, adding that although 1.6 million HIV-positive people worldwide have access to antiretrovirals, 5.2 million still want access (Kaiser Everyday HIV/AIDS Report, 2/12). In accordance with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, U.S. aid to Africa has decreased by 20% from 2005. Furthermore, the recent Global Monitoring Report from the World Bank found that global aid to poor countries decreased from $106.8 billion in 2005 to $103.9 billion in 2006. In accordance with the report, this decline jeopardizes the Gleneagles goal of doubling aid to Africa, as well as the U.N. Millennium Development Goals. Only 5 countries — Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden — have met the United Nations aid target of 0.7% of gross national income, the Post reports (Washington Post, 4/25). Based on the Guardian, the United Kingdom is “on track” to meet its Gleneagles commitments. APP said some developed countries had achieved only 10% of their aid targets (Guardian, 4/25). According to the Post, there has been some progress made toward achieving Gleneagles targets, including debt relief, which has freed up money for wellness care and education (Washington Post, 4/25). “If the efforts to double aid by 2010 are not increased soon, it will be too late,” Annan stated, adding, “In 2005 we did well, by 2006 we had been sliding, and unless we now make about $5 billion obtainable a year, we won’t make that target.” Blair at a press conference stated, “If we do not take a responsible and long-term view of Africa and its require to develop and make progress, we will end up ultimately with our own self-interest back in countries like Germany as well as the U.K. being damaged as a result of the poverty, the conflict, the mass migration, the spread of terrorism and so on.” According to the Guardian, Blair “successfully pressed” German Chancellor Angela Merkel to put African issues, such as HIV/AIDS funding, at the top with the upcoming G8 Summit in June (Guardian, 4/25).

“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. It is possible to view the entire Kaiser Day-to-day Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Everyday Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a cost-free service of the Henry J. Kaiser Loved ones Foundation . ? 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Household Foundation. All rights reserved.