TUBERCULOSIS: Missionaries Conquer Tuberculosis With Prayer

FOR INFORMATION ONLY -- DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF!!!!
 18 April 2011 Gospel for Asia News
 For Raj Bakla, tuberculosis was the last straw. He did not understand why his gods had let him down.



Raj is a single father—his wife died from cancer in 2002—leaving him to scrape together a meager living and care for his children. His oldest child, Haniya, was 14 when her mother died, and she saw the sadness in her father's eyes. She knew life was hard on him, but she was proud that he somehow always came through for them.



Then Raj was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and this fragile family was plunged deeper into despair. They already lived in poverty, and everyone knew there was no money for medical treatment. So they watched their father struggle.



Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Anchi Taidy heard about the family's troubles, so he began visiting them and encouraging them from God's Word. Seeing the love that these believers had for them, the family started to investigate the claims of Christ. The missionary, and everyone at the church he pastors, prayed for Raj. Soon they understood His love and they all decided to follow Him.
As they prayed, something amazing happened—Raj was healed. He never took any medication for his condition, nor did he spend time in the hospital. Instead, he gives glory to the Great Physician for taking away the disease.
Yet, while the family is at peace and their father is healthy, the Bakla's are still struggling. Their extended family and their neighbors now ostracize them for their newfound faith. There is tremendous pressure to turn back to the gods they once worshiped, but the family is standing strong in the face of opposition.
 http://charismamag.com/index.php/news/30707-missionaries-conquer-tuberculosis-with-prayer#ixzz1KTLMjp5

TUBERCULOSIS: UK cattle testing positive for tuberculosis to be DNA tagged

22 Apr 2011
Cattle testing positive for Bovine TB in the United Kingdom are to be DNA tagged to further strengthen controls preventing spread of the disease, says Defra.
Evidence is emerging that some cattle farmers in the South West and Midlands may have been illegally swapping cattle ear tags. That means they may have been retaining TB-positive animals in their herds and sending less productive animals to slaughter in their place.
Retaining cattle that test positive for TB on a farm increases the risk of spread of TB to other herds and wildlife.
To strengthen deterrents, from mid-April cattle testing positive for TB will immediately be tagged and a sample of its DNA retained by Animal Health. These samples will then be cross-checked at random, or where fraud is suspected, against the DNA of animals sent to slaughter.
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice said: “I am absolutely appalled any farmer would deliberately break the law in this way. The vast majority of farmers with TB in their herds are doing the right thing, and it’s reprehensible that anyone should be trying to get around the tough measures that are helping to control TB in cattle. Anyone doing this sort of thing will be caught and have the book thrown at them. “We are introducing this extra safeguard to minimise spread of this devastating disease to other herds and wildlife.”
The alleged evidence of fraud has emerged from an investigation instigated by Gloucestershire Trading Standards, which reviewed TB cattle sent to two slaughterhouses. Investigations are now ongoing there and at slaughterhouses in the South West and Midlands.
The Bovine TB Eradication Group for England (TBEG) said: “We are appalled at this emerging evidence of TB reactor fraud, and we strongly condemn any such behaviour. We urge the farming industry and the veterinary profession to continue to work together with the Government on the swift and decisive action announced today.
“We have given clear advice on what measures should be put in place quickly to tackle the problem. This suspected fraudulent behaviour by a few farmers should not be allowed to unfairly damage the reputation of the responsible majority or to undermine the TB control regime.”
http://www.vetsweb.com/news/uk-cattle-testing-positive-for-tuberculosis-to-be-dna-tagged-2153.html

TUBERCULOSIS: MCP1 haplotypes associated with protection from pulmonary tuberculosis

Author: Christopher IntemannThorsten ThyeBirgit ForsterEllis Owusu-DaboJohn GyapongRolf HorstmannChristian Meyer
Credits/Source: BMC Genetics 2011, 12:34

The monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is involved in the recruitment of lymphocytes and monocytes and their migration to sites of injury and cellular immune reactions. In a Ghanaian tuberculosis (TB) case-control study group, associations of the MCP1 -362C and the MCP1 -2581G alleles with resistance to TB were recently described.
The latter association was in contrast to genetic effects previously described in study groups originating from Mexico, Korea, Peru and Zambia. This inconsistency prompted us to further investigate the MCP1 in order to determine causal variants or haplotypes genetically and functionally.

Results:
A 14 base-pair deletion in the first MCP1 intron, int1del554-567, was strongly associated with protection against pulmonary TB (OR = 0.84, CI 0.77-0.92, Pcorrected = 0.00098).
Compared to the wildtype combination, a haplotype comprising the -2581G and -362C promoter variants and the intronic deletion conferred an even stronger protection than did the -362C variant alone (OR=0.78, CI 0.69-0.87, Pnominal = 0.00002; adjusted Pglobal = 0.0028). In a luciferase reporter gene assay, a significant reduction of luciferase gene expression was observed in the two constructs carrying the MCP1 mutations -2581 A or G plus the combination -362C and int1del554-567 compared to the wildtype haplotype (P=0.02 and P=0.006).
The associated variants, in particular the haplotypes composed of these latter variants, result in decreased MCP-1 expression and a decreased risk of pulmonary TB.

Conclusions:
In addition to the results of the previous study of the Ghanaian TB case-control sample, we have now identified the haplotype combination 2581G/-362C/int1del554-567 that mediates considerably stronger protection than does the MCP1 -362C allele alone (OR=0.78, CI 0.69-0.87 vs OR=0.83, CI 0.76-0.91). Our findings in both the genetic analysis and the reporter gene study further indicate a largely negligible role of the variant at position -2581 in the Ghanaian population studied.
http://7thspace.com/headlines/379706/mcp1_haplotypes_associated_with_protection_from_pulmonary_tuberculosis_.html

TUBERCULOSIS: Scientists identify enzyme that damages lungs of TB patients

Apr 22 2011, Scientists have identified a key enzyme responsible for destroying lung tissues in patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB), a discovery that could lead to new and effective treatment to prevent lung damage.
It's known that lung tissue of TB patients are damaged, causing them to cough up the bacteria, which then spread through the air and can be inhaled by others.
The mechanism behind this lung damage has been poorly understood, and no treatments are currently used to prevent it from occurring. TB patients require at least six months of antibiotic treatment, but drug-resistant strains of the bacterium are becoming increasingly common.
But, the new research -- by a team from the Imperial College London, the Columbia University in New York and the University of East Anglia -- showed that in patients with TB, there is an increase in levels of an enzyme, called MMP-1, in their lungs.
When the researchers, who detailed their findings in the 'Journal of Clinical Investigation', infected human immune cells with TB in the lab, they found that the cells greatly increased production of this enzyme.
Since the mouse version of MMP-1 is not expressed in the lung, the researchers developed a transgenic mouse with human MMP-1 to see whether the enzyme causes lung damage in Tuberculosis.
When these mice were infected with TB, MMP-1 levels increased significantly and the infection led to lung damage similar to that seen in humans with TB.
The scientists also found that a drug proven to be safe in humans was effective at suppressing MMP-1 activity driven by TB infection in human cells.
The findings suggested that similar drugs might prevent lung damage in TB patients and help limit the spread of the disease, the researchers said.
Dr Paul Elkington, from the Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunity at Imperial College London, said: "A third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis, and almost 2 million people die from the disease every year.
"Standard Tuberculosis treatment has remained unchanged for 35 years, and no current treatments prevent the lung destruction that TB causes. These findings suggest that drugs available now might be able to reduce deaths from TB."
In 1990s, many MMP inhibitor drugs were developed because they showed initial promise for treating cancer. Now, the researchers plan to carry out further studies to see whether these drugs can prevent lung damage in TB patients.
Prof Jon Friedland, senior author of the study from the Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunity at Imperial College London, said: "Until now, we haven't had a convincing explanation of how lung destruction is caused by TB.
"We hypothesised that protease enzymes must be involved, since nothing else could break down the strong collagen fibres that make up the scaffold of the lung. The results of this study provide strong evidence to support that idea."
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/scientists-identify-enzyme-that-damages-lungs-of-tb-patients/779764/0

GLOBAL FUND and corruption charges

April 22, 2011 : Alanna Shaikh
The Associated Press ran another senseless gotcha article about the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Once again, they are reporting on an investigation performed by the Global Fund’s own Inspector General. Once again, they’re writing as though this is 1) extremely shocking and 2) somehow the result of investigative reporting by the AP. Neither of these things are true.
To recap, in January, the AP ran an article full of shock, horror, and exaggerations at the discovery that the Global Fund’s internal processes had uncovered corruption. The lede went like this “A $21.7 billion development fund backed by celebrities and hailed as an alternative to the bureaucracy of the United Nations sees as much as two-thirds of some grants eaten up by corruption…” The dauntless Humanosphere blog calculated that the lost funds amounted to approximately 0.3% of all grant funding. And then everyone from the Global Fund itself to experts at the Center for Global Development weighed in to point out that the global fund’s investigators uncovered and reported the fraud themselves, and that .3% of funds is about the same as every major global effort loses to fraud.
Fast forward to this week. The AP runs an article full of shock, horror, and exaggeration at the discovery that the Global Fund’s internal investigators have uncovered corruption. This time, the lede looks like this: “A global health fund believes millions of dollars’ worth of its donated malaria drugs have been stolen in recent years. In internal documents leaked to the Associated Press, officials from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria – backed by big names including the singer Bono and Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft…”
Global Fund spokesperson Jon Liden points out that $1-2.5 million worth of malaria drugs have gone missing, out of approximately $100 million of malaria drugs provided by the Global Fund. The drugs thefts came to light because of the Global Fund’s new focus on fighting corruption, and are in fact part of the corruption that was mentioned in the January report.
I have to admit, I don’t get it. Why is the AP harping on this? Yes, corruption is bad. Because it’s bad, it seems to me that it’s a good thing when a major global donor launches an effort to root out corruption. This is the kind of behavior we should encourage, not punish. And is “backed by celebrities” the only useful thing they have to say about the Global Fund? There is no other way they can describe the largest effort in the world to reduce deaths from our three biggest pandemics?
Look, I hate corruption as much as the next person. Possibly more, since I see its impact every day in my work. But if the AP thinks this is the way to get rid of it, they’re weirdly mistaken. It seems more like they want to get rid of the Global Fund itself.
http://www.undispatch.com/what-is-the-aps-grudge-against-the-global-fund

TUBERCULOSIS: Three African health ministers make the case for consigning TB to medical history

April 19, 2011
Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, Dr. Mphu Ramatlapeng, and Mr. Benedict Xaba are, respectively, the ministers of health from South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland.
Today marks a historic step in the fight against infectious disease in the developing world. As the health ministers of South Africa, Swaziland, and Lesotho, we stand united in purpose to call on the international community to help us move toward eliminating tuberculosis from the planet.
That goal might seem overambitious or unrealistic. It's not. Cheap, effective treatments for TB already exist. The standard antibiotic cocktail costs just $20. Countries around the world have proven that they can cure over 85 percent of TB patients once detected and provided with proper treatment.
One obstacle to eliminating TB has been the lack of a reliable and rapid tool for diagnosing the disease. Nearly a third of all tuberculosis cases go undetected. Each undetected case goes on to infect an average of 15 additional people annually. It's therefore no wonder that we've been unable to break the global tuberculosis epidemic, which has killed an estimated 100 million people since 1960.
But thanks to recent technological breakthroughs, as part of a comprehensive approach to TB control and management, we may now be able to overcome this hurdle.
In 2009, there were 9.4 million new TB infections, and an estimated 1.7 million died from the disease. Africa was hit hardest—the continent is home to 30 percent of the globe's TB cases despite comprising just 11 percent of its population. In Swaziland, the World Health Organization estimates that 1,257 new TB cases occur annually for every 100,000 people. Swaziland's government has declared the TB situation a national emergency.
The TB problem isn't confined to adults. In Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, over 16 percent of TB patients are children. The continued prevalence of TB has also hampered the fight against HIV/AIDS. Patients with compromised immune systems are easy targets for TB. TB is the leading cause of death among HIV-positive Africans. Of the 380,000 people with both diseases that die each year, 80 percent live on our continent.
Fortunately, we see a great opportunity with a cutting-edge TB diagnostic called "GeneXpert," which was recently announced and certified by the World Health Organization. The first major scientific advancement in the battle against TB in nearly 50 years, GeneXpert could end our struggle. GeneXpert can give a 30 percent more accurate result of whether a person has tuberculosis than current tests.
Perhaps more importantly, GeneXpert could prove invaluable in battling drug-resistant tuberculosis, as it can detect drug-resistant bacilli within two hours. Most current tests take three months to do the same.
Many TB patients don't take their medication as prescribed. That can lead to the development of drug-resistant strains of the disease, which are more difficult and expensive to cure.
The World Health Organization estimates that 440,000 people had drug-resistant TB in 2009. About a third of them died that year. In South Africa, researchers have reported cases of the extremely deadly, "extensively drug-resistant" version of TB in every province, including an alarming 468 cases in the town of Tugela Ferry alone.
Since its identification in South Africa, extensively drug-resistant TB has been diagnosed in many parts of the world. Africa's ability to detect drug-resistant TB is limited, partly because of inadequate numbers of top-notch laboratory facilities.
While drug-resistant forms of TB have been difficult to diagnose with current technology, the new GeneXpert tool accurately detects drug-resistant TB 95 percent of the time.
In addition, GeneXpert will assist in the fight against HIV. For every 100 people living with HIV who have active TB, GeneXpert successfully detects the disease in 80 of them. A traditional diagnostic test finds it in just 40 of them.
The South African government, with support from the United States, began rolling out GeneXpert in every province on World Tuberculosis Day, March 24.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/04/19/how-to-wipe-out-tuberculosis

New Test Effective for Detection of Tuberculosis

April 19, 2011.

Test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, rifampicin resistance shows high sensitivity and specificity
Diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and rifampicin resistance (RIF), detected by the MTB/RIF test, is accurate and feasible in resource-poor countries, according to a study published online April 19 in The Lancet.
 Diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and rifampicin resistance (RIF), detected by the MTB/RIF test, is accurate and feasible in resource-poor countries, according to a study published online April 19 in The Lancet.
Catharina C. Boehme, M.D., from the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics in Geneva, Switzerland, and colleagues evaluated whether the Xpert MTB/RIF test was feasible, robust, and accurate. Between 2009 and 2010, sputum smears and cultures of 6,648 tuberculosis patients were collected, and one-off direct MTB-RIF testing was compared to other detection methods. Indicators of robustness included indeterminate rate and between-site performance. The time to detection, reporting, treatment, and patient dropouts were compared between different tuberculosis-detection techniques.
The investigators found that one-off MTB/RIF testing detected 90.3 percent of 1,033 culture-confirmed tuberculosis cases, and microscopy detected 67.1 percent of 1,041 cases. The MTB/RIF test was 76.9 percent sensitive and 99.0 percent specific for smear-negative, culture-positive patients. Test sensitivity was 94.4 percent and specificity was 98.3 percent for rifampicin resistance. In contrast to microscopy, test sensitivity did not decrease significantly in patients with HIV co-infection. Average tuberculosis detection time was zero days for MTB/RIF, one day for microscopy, and 30 and 16 days for solid and liquid cultures, respectively. Average resistance detection time was 20 and 106 days for line-probe assay and conventional drug-susceptibility test, respectively. The MTB/RIF test reduced the average treatment time from 56 to five days for smear-negative tuberculosis. The indeterminate rate was 2.4 and 4.6 percent for MTB/RIF and cultures, respectively.
"Our findings suggest that decentralized MTB/RIF test implementation is feasible and could lead to an improvement in tuberculosis care and control," the authors write.
Several study authors disclosed financial relationships with Cepheid, which developed the MTB/RIF test and partially funded the study.
http://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/pb/19477

MALNUTRITION: Argentina’s Battle With Malnutrition

Daniel Macmillen : 23 April 2011
In the early days of February, Argentina was rocked by tragic news from the northern provinces of Chaco and Salta. One of the decade’s heaviest droughts had led to a devastating food crisis, with tens of thousands of people severely affected by the shortages. By the 11th of February, nine people in the province of Salta alone had died from nutritional deficiencies, including seven children. Indigenous communities in northern Chaco, Argentina’s poorest province, abandoned by meagre local government assistance, were forced to turn to eating tree roots. So how can such a shocking humanitarian issue occur in a nation which produces an amount of food ten times higher than that needed by its own population?
There are a variety of causes that have conditioned the nutritional crisis. On a primary level, malnutrition is no new-comer to Argentina and experienced a recent substantial increase after Argentina’s infamous economic crisis of 2001. The disastrous period left millions of Argentines in extreme poverty and hundreds of thousands of children deeply exposed to the danger of undernourishment. Economic issues aside, an underdeveloped rural healthcare system, a lack of educational awareness, widespread poverty and destitution have also contributed to the problem. It is no surprises then that the most heavily affected areas by malnutrition are Argentina’s northern indigenous communities who live profoundly detached from educational and medical centres.
More than a million Argentines suffer from malnutrition, and recurrent high-profile cases such as the recent deaths in Salta have brought attention to the need for drastic political involvement. The national government have undertaken a variety of measures to try and grapple with the problem, including the Universal Child Assignment Plan, which seeks to give a monthly sum of around 220 pesos (US$ 55) per child to working families under the poverty line. However, recent looks at the initiative by a prominent Argentine social think tank have shown that the plan does little to help secluded communities to access food, creating only an increase in family income without correcting the key nutritional deficit or improving access to food supplies. Calls have been made for more focused and specialized political policies, especially by Abel Albino, one of the most well-known and outspoken activists for the food crisis. What is needed however is much more concrete infrastructural action; emergency relief funds must be made more efficient in administering food supplies and education must be recognized as a fundamental tool in raising awareness on the problem to many communities who are deeply under-informed of the fatal dangers of malnutrition.
Raising consciousness on the issue is also essential; the “silent extermination” suffered by many of the indigenous communities is frequently overlooked in the political arena; however, there is hope that the recent tragedies may shed light onto the desperate need of development in the area. The food crisis is by all means not a problem only endemic to northern Argentina. According to recent UN statistics, malnutrition affects approximately 53 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the growing number of environmental disasters and distorted weather patterns leave many rural communities in the region exposed to potential future food crises. A recent medical study observed that only 2% of Latin American medical centres have the appropriate facilities for dealing with patients of malnutrition. Despite all these obstacles, there have been recent improvements. Since Argentina’s economic meltdown in 2001, when more an average of 30 people died of malnutrition every day, the rate has been steadily decreasing to a rate of four deaths a day. But in the country which was once known as the “breadbasket of the world”, the recurrence of hunger and malnutrition is simply inadmissible.
http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/104-104/5720-argentinas-battle-with-malnutrition

POVERTY: Pakistan: One year after floods, Pakistan's poor struggle to cope

Author: Malcom Brabant : 20.04.2011
 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Malnourishment remains a problem among children

The effects of last year's flooding in Pakistan are painfully visible amongst the country's poorest people. Child malnutrition is rampant, and aid is slow to come as other world events overshadow the misery.
With the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East grabbing headlines worldwide, aid agencies are struggling to keep a separate disaster in the public consciousness.
Child malnutrition in Pakistan constitutes "a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions," they warn.
Large swaths of nation were inundated by floods last July, forcing people in remote rural communities to seek assistance from organizations like the UN children's agency UNICEF. Pakistan still needs money to recover from the emergency, even as the floods' one-year anniversary approaches.
Statistics for the whole of Pakistan aren't yet available, but numbers from the southernmost and most afflicted Sindh province suggest 25 percent of children under the age of five are severely malnourished.
"It's truly as bad as I've seen in the worst emergencies in the world," Karen Allen, deputy director of UNICEF's permanent mission in Pakistan, told Deutsche Welle. "The floods just pushed people over the edge."


 Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Aid organizations call the situation a 'humanitarian disaster of epic proportions'

The crisis is the consequence of a combination of factors including: extreme poverty, poor diet, poor health, exposure to disease, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene. A lack of education makes things worse.
"I didn't know my child had died," a woman in a tent camp for flood victims said of her 1-year-old daughter Khallida. "I thought she'd gone to sleep. Then I saw my mother preparing a funeral shroud. And they gathered to take the baby for burial."
In another part of Sindh province, Zeba Iqtiyar, a mother of eight, has managed to save her four-month-old son Gulza from a similar fate.
She took Gulza to a UNICEF stabilization center, where staff assessed that he was on the cusp of severe malnourishment. Staff sent the pair back home to her small holding with a pack of high-nutrition formula designed to boost the infant's growth.
"I feed my baby rice, chick peas, pulses; sometimes plain bread," Iqtiyar told Deutsche Welle as chickens scratched in the dirt outside her mud hut. "We're poor. We eat what we can afford."


 Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: International awareness is lacking for a number of reasons

Pakistan is estimated to need $2 billion (1.4 billion euros) to recover. Only half of that money was forthcoming. Kristen Elsby, UNICEF's communications chief in Pakistan, is one of those struggling to raise international awareness about the problem.
"Millions of people of children are greatly at risk from malnutrition," she told Deutsche Welle. "Babies are dying and mothers are at risk of dying during child birth."
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6504967,00.html

MALNUTRITION: Gates' Foundation Backs GM

20 Apr 11 - John Kariuki John Kariuki is vice-president of Slow Food International and currently works in his homeland of Kenya on Slow Food’s projects for biodiversity and food sovereignty.


Efforts to expand the use of genetically modified (GM) crops in Asia and Africa were given a major boost last week with the announcement of a significant investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has pledged $US18.6 million. The grant will fund projects aiming to develop modified varieties of rice and cassava, intending to produce greater quantities of one or more nutrients to tackle malnutrition.
Since its beginnings 30 years ago, GM technology has claimed to be able to feed the world and eradicate malnutrition. However in this time, we have only seen the number of hungry and malnourished grow, along with new problems and ramifications of a technology that we do not yet fully understand. While we can transplant a gene from one species to another for its desired characteristics, we cannot yet know how to predict or contain its results.
In Kenya and many other African countries, more and more people are turning to the traditional knowledge of communities as the key to solving problems of nutrition, and see the spread of GM crops as a new sickness of the land. Traditionally, communities have reduced their vulnerability to the effects of climate change and crop failure by relying on biodiversity in food supply. A dry season might destroy maize one year so instead we survive on cassava. With GM crops, which require large surface areas for planting and an intensive monoculture system, we don't have this safety blanket. Diversity in food choices also ensures that diets are varied enough to contain the required macro and micronutrients for good health, reducing the incidence of malnutrition.
As part of the funding, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will support the BioCassava Plus project in Nigeria and Kenya to manipulate an increased production of beta-carotene, iron and protein in cassava which is an important crop in many parts of the world. Several communities in Kenya depend on cassava as a staple food as it survives in adverse conditions. The introduction of BioCassava will interfere with and wipe out farmers’ extensive and tireless efforts to preserve and exchange traditional varieties of cassava that are well adapted to particular local agro-climatic conditions.
Furthermore, by influencing farmers to grow the same variety, the introduction and proliferation of GM crops also pose a problem of freedom, reducing producers’ autonomy by creating economic dependence on seed suppliers. In most cases, GM crops also require high external inputs such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which, as well as generating their own threats to human health and the environment, are often out of the financial reach of poor small-scale farmers. This creates a cycle that further impoverishes the farmers and turns them into slaves who are no longer in control of their own destiny, having to turn to the shops at every planting season.
The funding will also have a massive impact on farming autonomy and sustainability in Asia, where it will support the Philippine Rice Research Institute and the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute to engineer GM strains of “golden rice” to provide high levels of beta-carotene to decrease vitamin A deficiency in the local population.
To solve the problems of our times, we need to support and build on indigenous food systems, not stamp on them and wipe them out. The answers lie in the traditional agricultural knowledge that is held in the hearts, minds and hands of our small-scale farmers.
http://www.slowfood.com/international/food-for-thought/focus/94034/gates-backs-gm/q=89337D?-session=query_session:42F942010a41b1B38FhYj1F718DC

POVERTY: 'Fertility, reproductive health and development'

Archbishop Francis Chullikatt
 A woman carries her baby on a potato farm in Cotani Alto, Bolivia, in 2006. CNS file photo/Paul Jeffrey

Here is the statement delivered April 12 by Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations, to the 44th Session of the Commission on Population and Development. He spoke on the topic "Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development."

As we consider the theme of "fertility, reproductive health and development", my delegation takes this opportunity to focus on the paramount importance of respect for the inherent dignity of the human person in all development efforts. At the outset, it will become clear that the theme for this Session mandates a careful scrutiny in order to attain, rather than frustrate, the noble goals of the United Nations that are ordered to preserving the "dignity and worth of the human person."
Unfortunately many discussions in the present day continue to be led by a false notion that, in the context of population growth, the very act of giving life is something to be feared rather than affirmed. Such thinking is based on a radical individualism which sees human reproduction as a commodity that must be regulated and improved in order to encourage greater market efficiency and development. How can such a view be consistent with the objectives of the United Nations? Put most candidly, it cannot.
This flawed understanding leads to the distorted view that population growth, especially among the poor, must be decreased in order to address poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition. It is also based upon the consistently disproven theory that population increase will devastate the environment, lead to global competition and confrontation for resources and undermine the ability of women to interact fully with society. These apprehensions contribute to the advancement of forms of reproductive technology which denigrate the nature of human sexuality. The combination of these misconceptions have led some national governments to adopt laws and policies which discourage parents from exercising their fundamental and non-derogable right to have children free of coercion and which even make it illegal for mothers to give birth in some cases or for a child to have one's own brothers and sisters.
As the Secretary General's report notes, reproduction rates vary in many places in the world. However, the report improperly suggests that the rates of reproduction in developing countries are an area of primary concern which demands urgent action. The report, furthermore, promotes the tragic theory that if there were fewer poor children there would be less need to provide education; that if there were fewer poor women giving birth then there would be less maternal mortality; and, that if there were fewer people needed to be fed then malnutrition would be more easily addressed and that greater resources could be allocated to development. In order to combat legitimate problems, the increasingly discredited concept of population control must be discarded.
This distorted world-view regards the poor as a problem to be commoditized and managed as if they were inconsequential objects rather than as unique persons with innate dignity and worth who require the full commitment of the international community to provide assistance so that they can realize their full potential.
Instead of focusing political and financial resources on efforts to reduce the number of poor persons through methods which trivialize marriage and the family and deny the very right to life of unborn children, let us instead focus these resources on providing the promised development assistance to the approximately 920 million people living on less than $1.25 per day. Let us feed the nearly 1 billion people who are malnourished, and let us provide skilled birth attendants at every birth to reduce the incidents of maternal and child mortality. Let us achieve our promise of providing primary education to the 69 million children who risk becoming another generation without such basic assistance. These children of today will be the citizens of tomorrow who have much to contribute to the welfare and common good of all.
Through the pursuit of the common good and integral human development -- which necessarily takes into account political, cultural and spiritual aspects of individuals, families and societies -- the international community can respect the dignity of each and every person and thus foster a new ethic for development. This ethic is precisely the tonic that our world desperately needs in order to promote enduring peace and the authentic flourishing for all.
http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=13256

MALNUTRITION: Bangladesh: Rohingyas Endure Desperate Situation

LALIT K JHA Friday, April 22, 2011 WASHINGTON— Noting that Rohingya refugees face a desperate situation in Bangladesh, a Washington-based non-profit organization has urged Australia, Canada, the US and Britain to work with the Bangladeshi government to strengthen protection and humanitarian assistance and reduce sexual and gender-based violence.



A view of the Kutupalong unofficial Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. (Photo: Alex Ellgee/The Irrawaddy)



“The situation is desperate for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh,” said Lynn Yoshikawa, of Refugees International.
In its report, “Bangladesh: The Silent Crisis,” Refugees International said hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled repression in Burma have no protection from abuse, starvation and detention in Bangladesh because of a lack of documentation.
The plight of the Rohingyas was recently noted by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a speech in Berlin early this month. “In Burma, ethnic Rohingya Muslims continue to be denied full citizenship and equal opportunities for education, employment and travel,” Clinton said at the Rathenau Prize ceremony in Berlin on April 15.
“They live in squalor and are forced to suffer a litany of abuses because the government doesn’t recognize them as refugees,” said Yoshikawa, who recently returned from visiting Rohingya camps in the region.
The report called on the international community to urge the Bangladeshi government to register undocumented refugees and improve protection for all vulnerable Rohingyas, adding that donor governments must also work to restart and increase resettlement of refugees to third countries and increase assistance for communities hosting refugees.
“Donor governments should rapidly mobilize US $2 million to meet the World Food Program’s funding gap to ensure the provision of full food rations in the official refugee camps this year,” it said.
According to the report, approximately 800,000 Rohingyas live in three townships in northern Arakan State in Burma. Rohingya children are three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than other children in Burma, and malnutrition rates frequently exceed emergency levels, the report said.
The World Food Program reported that food security in the region had worsened over the past two years, with two-thirds of the population going hungry.
Giving a graphic description of the plight of the Rohingyas, Refugees International said Rohingyas there are often arrested while collecting firewood in the nearby national forest or while working.
If they are unable to pay a bribe or obtain a guarantee from a Bangladesh national for their immediate release, refugees are often charged with illegal entry and sent to jail. Refugees International said that detained Rohingyas routinely have to pay a bribe of between $110 and $400 for their release, forcing many families into heavy debt.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21155

MALNUTRITION: Haiti: New premises to fight against malnutrition

18/04/2011

Like many other buildings of the Hospital of the State University of Haiti (HUEH), that of the paediatric service of the hospital was not spared by the January 2010 earthquake and the Nutritional Stabilization Unit (USN), a unit of the Service, which handles the management of children with severe acute malnutrition, was found devoid of premises.



"UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) had to accommodate the USN under tents to ensure the continuity of services for malnourished children," explains Marie-Claude Desilets, Nutrition Specialist of UNICEF But the tents, exposed to the weather, began to be worn. That is why UNICEF has decided to award an amount of 58,000 dollars for the construction of a semi-permanent structure that will be attached to the pediatrics premises. The USN has treated 319 children suffering from severe malnutrition, which represents about 22% of cases handled in 2010 for the whole country. And according to information provided by Mr. Mbakwa, Health and Nutrition Coordinator for Concern Worldwide Haiti, "from January to March 2011, 56 malnourished children were treated at the USN". Children may remain from 7 to 10 days, sometimes up to 15 days in USN, said Marie-Claude Désilets.
The new building will be equipped with two rooms. The largest will host twenty cradles [double the current capacity] as well as beds for parents. The second, smaller, serve as a playground for children. Also, this new structure will be equipped with toilets. The construction of the new premises of the USN was launched Thursday, March 24, 2011 and and work should be completed within one month. This project is implemented by the NGO Concern Worldwide, which, thanks to funding provided by UNICEF, put also available to the USN, eight members of its nursing staff. The international NGO also provides training for all medical personnel. This latest initiative is part of capacity building of the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP).
UNICEF is working with Concern Worldwide Haiti in support of malnourished children in several other hospitals of the capital such as the Hospital La Paix in Delmas 33, the Hospital Eléazar Germain in Pétion-Ville, the Hospital Saint Damien in Tabarre, the Hospital des Petits Frères et Sœurs, the Health Center of Martissant, the Health Center of Bizoton and that of Delmas 75. ccording to Marie-Claude Désilets, UNICEF is currently studying the possibility of providing support to the MSPP for the establishment of Nutritional Stabilization Units in 10 departments.
http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2763-haiti-health-new-premises-to-fight-against-malnutrition.html

MALNUTRITION: Guatemala: Extreme Weather Triggers Hunger Alert

April 20, 2011
The Guatemalan government on Tuesday declared a nationwide "nutritional risk alert" to avoid a food crisis in the country's poorest areas where thousands of people don't have enough food to survive.
Press secretary Ronaldo Robles told reporters that the measure was taken by President Alvaro Colom and his Cabinet to facilitate the implementation of a contingency plan designed by the National Council for Food and Nutritional Security, or Conasan.

"This is a nutritional risk alert, not an emergency. What is being sought with this measure is, precisely, to prevent the emergency," Robles said.
To implement the plan, which includes the distribution of food to at-risk families, the government needs 324 million quetzales ($40.5 million), of which it only has 46 million quetzales ($5.8 million).
"Financial resources will have to be sought from different sources, but the important thing is obtaining them by means of a tax reform," Robles said.
In addition to the distribution of food, the plan sets forth mechanisms to monitor the results obtained in its initial phases, as well as the stockpiling of reserves to prevent the development of a full-blown food emergency.
Extreme effects caused by climate change ranging from prolonged droughts to heavy rains have damaged the harvests of millions of poor farmers in the country's interior.
The so-called "dry corridor," which spans nine provinces, along with the southern coastal communities affected by the rains, are the areas that have been most affected.
Conasan says that some 5,000 children suffer from acute malnutrition nationwide and another 10,000 are "at risk" due to their lack of minimum nutrients.
A study by the national ombud's office released last week said that up until March at least 808,137 cases of chronic malnutrition had been tallied on the national level.
Action Against Hunger, an international NGO, said that in the dry-corridor provinces of Jalapa and Chiquimula the lack of food forced poor families to reduce the average amount of food a person consumes each day by 40 percent from 1.23 pounds to 0.75 pounds.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/04/20/extreme-weather-triggers-hunger-alert-guatemala/

MALNUTRITION: Health workers and community members work together to prevent child malnutrition

By Indrias Getachew
DEDER DISTRICT, Ethiopia, 20 April 2011

 © UNICEF Ethiopia/2011/Getachew
Fetia Sham, 22, brings her 6-month old baby, Isteria, to the monthly weight monitoring sessions in the village of Oda Kebena in Ethiopa.

Sartu Abdela, a community health worker in the village of Oda Kebena, holds a meeting for mothers with children under the age of two in a local administration office. The mothers, wrapped in colourful outfits, have come for a monthly nutrition check-up for their children, who will be weighed and have their mid-upper arm circumference measured.
The session is one of the pillars of the UNICEF-supported Community Based Nutrition (CBN) programme that was introduced as a pilot initiative in drought-prone and food insecure areas, including here in Fedis District, in 2008.
It has now been adopted as a national strategy, particularly in rural areas, where approximately 85 per cent of Ethiopians live. The aim is to combat child malnutrition, which causes at least half of all deaths of children under the age of five in the country.

Mothers take the lead
Fetia Sham, 22, a mother of three, is first in line with Isteria, her 6-month old baby. “We have come here to have our children weighed,” says Fetia. “Having them weighed monthly lets us know how they are growing and helps us to take good care of them.”

 © UNICEF Ethiopia/2011/Getachew
Ms. Sham updates a health chart for Isteria with the help of community health worker Sartu Abdela. UNICEF supports a Community Based Nutrition programme that is combating malnutrition across Ethiopia.

Isteria has put on weight since her last visit and Ms. Abdela congratulates Fetia for the steady progress. Together they fill out Isteria’s weight chart, and then discuss feeding practices using the family health card that has been distributed to all mothers in the programme.
“Now that her child is 6 months old, I advised her to start complementing her breastfeeding with soft foods like sorghum porridge and other items that are available to her,” says Ms. Abdela. “This way her child will continue to grow strong.”
Ms. Abdela repeats this routine with all 19 mothers present. On this occasion all the children are doing well. If any were to show signs of severe malnutrition, Ms. Abdela would refer them to the village health post for further tests and possible enrolment in the village outpatient therapeutic feeding programme (OTP).
Last year, Ms. Abdela referred two cases of severe malnutrition to the OTP, and both children recovered. So far this year there have been no cases, a sign that the preventative strategies are already working.

Community conversations
The CBN programme is vital in villages such as Oda Kebena, which has suffered from numerous cases of child malnutrition in the past. There are 18 community health workers in Oda Kebena like Ms. Abdela, with each responsible for an average of 50 households.

 © UNICEF Ethiopia/2011/Getachew
A key aspect of the Community Based Nutrition programme in Ethiopia is frequent community conversations, where the village gathers to discuss nutrition and other issues, such as here in Oda Kebena.

Ms. Abdela says the drop in cases is a result of better expertise and education. “We counsel the mothers and they all want to do well – no one wants to be seen as doing worse than another – so with this competitive spirit they are all taking better care of their children,” she says.
The following day, Ms. Sham and other mothers in the programme – along with members of the larger village community – gather in the local community hall for a discussion facilitated by Ms. Abdela and the village’s two Health Extension Workers, Haimanot Yimenu and Jemanesh Duressa.
“We have discussions where we ask and identify what the problems in the community are, and then we work with them to identify solutions and assist them to reach a collective decision on action that needs to be taken,” says Ms. Yimenu.

Role of fathers
It’s not long before they identify their first issue. Ms. Abdela initiates the community conversation by reviewing results of the monthly growth monitoring session. Soon talk turns to the important role fathers can play in ensuring proper feeding of children. One father admits the monthly charts have changed his perspective on child malnutrition.
“I didn’t think much about the monthly weighing sessions when my wife first started going,” he explains. “I ask all of us fathers here today to commit to take the children to be weighed ourselves if the mothers cannot go.” His suggestion is met with a round of applause and accepted.
Halting malnutrition before it becomes severe and life-threatening is the cornerstone of the national nutrition strategy in Ethiopia. The impact of UNICEF-supported CBN programmes is helping to ensure that gains in child survival are not only sustained, but continue to improve.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_58338.html

MALNUTRITION: Democratic Republic of Congo: The European Commission boosts its response to tackle malnutrition

Mariah Jen : 20 April 2011
Child mortality is very high in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where more than one child out of ten dies before turning five. In order to reduce this severe acute malnutrition and implement humanitarian projects benefiting primarily malnourished children under five, the European Commission has allocated new funding worth €9.975 million. In concrete terms, this funding will allow acutely malnourished children to be provided with the right treatment they need to survive, such as therapeutic food and medical care.
Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, said: “Malnutrition deserves more of our attention for the sake of the many children at risk of dying in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” She added: “By responding to immediate needs, the European Union’s humanitarian aid complements Europe’s longer-term development assistance which aims, among other objectives, to help the DRC to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing hunger and poverty and infant and maternal mortality.”
With its humanitarian funding in response to the nutritional emergency in the DRC, the Commission also intends to strengthen the coordination role of UNICEF and the capacity of the national nutrition programme (PRONANUT) as well as to improve planning of aid activities.

Background
Child mortality is very high in the DRC: out of 1,000 babies born an estimated 158 die before they turn five. Whereas some progress has been made in the country in recent years regarding malnutrition in the East, acute malnutrition remains critical with a rate of above 2% in almost all Western provinces.
In the DRC, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection department (ECHO) has offices in Kinshasa, in Bunia, Bukavu and Goma. ECHO experts closely follow developments in the humanitarian situation and monitor the use of the Commission’s relief funds.
Since 2009, the European Commission has allocated a total of more than €141 million in aid for the victims of humanitarian crises in the DRC, including today’s allocation. In addition, EU Member States provided an additional €91.57 million in the last twelve months.
http://www.iewy.com/24114-the-european-commission-boosts-its-response-to-tackle-malnutrition-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo.html

MALNUTRITION: Uganda: loses roughly $310 million worth of productivity annually

Lominda Afedraru : 19 April 2011

If most Ugandans were to adopt good feeding habits especially targeting children and mothers by giving them food that is rich in nutrients, the country would save $310million about (Shs737.8 billion) annually.

It is estimated that Uganda loses roughly $310 million worth of productivity annually due to accumulated effects of stunting caused in children through low birth weight, Iodine deficiency disorders as well as Iron deficiency.
It is further estimated that 4% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is lost annually as a result of malnutrition.
These figures are revealed in a recently released report by Uganda National Academy of Science (UNAS) titled 'Mainstreaming Nutrition with Agriculture in Uganda; the role of Agriculture improving nutritional status of women and children.'
The report quotes Dr Elizabeth Madraa from the Ministry of Health as saying the extent to which malnutrition in the country affects productivity and the economy is a topic of concern and that the largest consequence of malnutrition affects labour.
The head of Nutrition and Home Economics at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Mr Alex Bambona, is quoted as saying that the annual data indications of the country amount to a loss worth $38 million of productivity as a result of Iron deficiency; that causes anemia although other sources cite a slightly lower figure of $34 million.
"Having a nutritionally comprised workforce means that agriculture is negatively affected much more so than other sectors of the economy. Professor Judith Kimiywa, chairperson of the department of food nutrition and diabetes at Kenyatta University in Kenya notes that in Kenya there is an emphasis not only on productivity but also on increasing the incomes of the people," read part of the report.
The Ministry of Agriculture therefore described its recent development strategy by improving productivity in the first programme of their strategy as well as making sure that food is not only available to improve nutrition but also to improve incomes of those in need through already existing programmes of NAADS and "bonabagagawale" programme (prosperity for all).The deputy chairperson of UNAS Professor Opio Epelu during the launch of the report said for the economy of the country to run well, issues of nutrition must be addressed first in order to have an able bodied workforce that will be able to generate ample productivity in all sectors of the economy.
"Failure to prevent under nutrition early in life exerts a high social and economic cost that cannot be recouped because of the irreversibility of early deficits and the unavoidable negative effects later in life," he said.
He argues that a malnourished infant can have lifelong deficits in physical growth and development and physical activity.
Such sufferings and loss of human potential translates into social and economic costs.
While quantifying malnutrition in the country, it is stated that Uganda experiences high stunting rate of 38% in children under the age of five.
The prevalence of stunting in children between 24 to 35 months is estimated to be 48% and the prevalence of malnutrition and food insecurity varies from region to region with Northern and Southwest regions being rated as the highest.
Similar to other indicators of poor nutrition, the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency of less than 18.5 kg also varies across the regions among pregnant women between 15 to 49 years. The highest prevalence is recorded among women in Northern and Eastern Uganda.
Since agriculture is a major contributor to Uganda's prosperity and accounts for one quarter of the GDP, it is therefore the best sector to be used for improving the nutrition deficiency in the country.
Mr Peter Milton Rukundo, a lecturer at Kyambogo University said the problem of liberalizing the economy has brought about negative impacts on our economy because institutions like cooperatives where farmers used to access markets and credits facilities to operationalize their activities were killed.
He said there is no clear incentive in place for the farmers like it is in the western world and so the issue of overcoming nutrient deficits in the country may be a problem.
He said to push the idea of fighting food nutrient deficiency amongst the Ugandan community; Uganda needs a food nutrient Act that can be used by policy makers and the entire community to solving this problem.
"We need a legal framework to address this problem because in 2003, the Ministry of Agriculture came up with a nice policy on food and nutrition but this policy cannot be utilized unless there is a law in place to operationalise it. The policy addresses issues of sensitizing people to adapt to quality products including the food they eat. You know without this law we shall not catch up with global economic factors that affect us. For instance when the issue of liberalization and privatization was brought here, the World Bank came up with issues of debt reliefs which is not accessible to rural people...," Mr Rukondo said.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201104190039.html

MALNUTRITION: Zimbabwe: up to 12000 die every year from malnutrition

Apr 23, 2011 :  VLADIMIR MZACA
Up to 12000 children die of malnutrition each year in Zimbabwe, according to the office of Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe and Unicef.

       
HELPING HANDS: Children from the Mother of Peace Community eat their lunch in a care house in Mutoko, northeast of Harare, in this file picture taken in 2003. Not much has changed since then Picture: REUTERS

The alarming figures indicate a forecast of poor development ...
This shocking information is contained in a dossier "A Situational Analysis on the Status of Women's and Children's Rights in Zimbabwe, 2005-2010", made public recently.
The situation has been exacerbated by the food crisis - mainly caused by the chaotic land grabs - and compounded by the ensuing gross human rights abuse against a background of the disastrous drought in 2002.
The findings of the report were said to be "startling" by the researchers.
"Today, one in every three Zimbabwean children suffers from chronic malnutrition. Globally, maternal and child undernutrition contributes to 35% of all child deaths .
"Applying these estimates to Zimbabwe, undernutrition is likely to contribute to more than 12000 child deaths each year," the report states.
The alarming figures indicate a forecast of poor development in the near future as children are the leaders of tomorrow.
"The undernourished children who survive, suffer lifelong consequences: they are more susceptible to disease, and are likely to have poorer educational outcomes, poorer birth outcomes and reduced economic activity into adulthood.
"Undernourished young children, who gain weight rapidly later in childhood and into adolescence, are at an increased risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease later in life," the report says.
When Zimbabwe's economy was faring well in the early 80s to the 90s, child mortality was the lowest in the region.
"While rates of chronic malnutrition in Zimbabwe are moderate relative to other sub-Saharan African countries, they have been rising at alarming rates over the past 15 years.
"Rates of chronic malnutrition have increased by nearly 40% since 1994 and, at present trends, will reach critical levels within the next decade.
Even more concerning are the large disparities in rates of malnutrition between districts, wealth groups, boys and girls, and children residing in rural and urban areas .
Rates of chronic malnutrition range from a low of 21% in Beitbridge district to a high of 47% in the Mutare district.
Furthermore, rates of chronic malnutrition are considerably higher among the poorest of the population (40%) than the wealthiest (25%).
Malnutrition in Zimbabwe knows no class. "Wealth and malnutrition in Zimbabwe appear to have an inverse relationship; the poorer the population, the higher the malnutrition.
"It is interesting to note, however, that even the wealthiest have unacceptably high rates of malnutrition," the report adds.
The report warned that unless the food and health situation is taken as a top priority, things could get out of hand.
"A sudden deterioration in the food security or health situation in Zimbabwe could trigger a rapid deterioration in rates of acute malnutrition."
http://www.timeslive.co.za/africa/article1035686.ece/Thousands-of-children-starving-to-death

MALNUTRITION: Viet Nam: 30 percent patients suffer malnutrition: survey

 23/04/2011

A recent survey, conducted in the last half of 2010, to record weight measurements and albumin levels of patients in Bach Mai hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (Hanoi), Cho Ray Hospital’s Department of Surgery (HCMC) and Can Tho Hospital, shows that 40-60% of the patients are underweight.
The Vietnamese have not given adequate attention to their nutritional needs during the treatment and recovery process, says Dr. Nguyen Gia Binh, head of Bach Mai’s Intensive Care Unit.

Little attention paid to nutritional needs
Dr. Binh points out that Vietnamese people often bring their own home-cooked food to the hospital for their family members, without being aware that the food may not be sufficiently nutritious for the patient.
It is essential that a hospital have nutritionists to advise patients on what to eat or how many calories to take in each meal.
“But we have yet to provide patients with nutritionists in Vietnamese hospitals,” says Binh.
To date, Bach Mai Hospital has set up a hundred diet regimens for different types of illnesses. These regimens and menus for certain typical diseases are posted on the canteen door for the patients’ reference.
These meals at Bach Mai hospital, provided on the recommendation of the hospital nutritionists, allow patients to choose what suits their taste and personal conditions.
However, Bach Mai is still a rare hospital that has its own nutrition center. In other hospitals, patients commonly eat food their relatives cooked and brought from home or buy unhygienic food from vendors outside the hospital.

Insurance should cover diet regimens, too
Dr. Dinh Thi Kim Lien, director of Bach Mai Hospital Nutrition Center, says patients with severe illnesses usually lose their appetite and do not want to eat, leading to weight loss and subsequently malnutrition.
“Malnutrition can retard the treatment and recovery progress,” she says.
“Eating much salty food can increase the blood pressure of hypertension patients. Kidney disease patients get worse if they are to eat food with high levels of protein,” Dr. Lien offers some examples.
Dr. Nguyen Quoc Tuan, head of the Planning Section of Bach Mai Hospital suggests that changing the patients’ awareness of the importance of food in medical treatment and recovery is the key factor to improving their nutrition intake.
The food not only has some influence on the illness but also interacts itself with the medicine given, says Dr. Tuan.
One common misconception among many cancer patients is that all the nutrients they get from the food will go to feed the tumors.
“Actually, cancer patients need to have sufficient nutrients to be able to undergo rigorous chemotherapeutic treatments. Patients with malnutrition cannot receive enough dosage of chemicals, bringing no improvement in their condition,” says Dr. Tuan.
Dr. Lien also suggests that the patients’ diet regime be considered as medicine and covered by insurance.
A standardized nutrient diet will cost a patient VND50-60,000 for 3 meals per day, while the money they have to pay for nutrition infusion is in the area of hundreds of thousands.
Since their insurance policy only covers nutrition infusion, a deplorable paradox arises where a patient healthy enough to eat is given nutrition infusion to help reduce the costs for the family.
For many poor patients unable afford anything other than porridge in their daily meal after an operation, recovery takes a long time due to malnutrition.
“And there are also a lot of patients who have nothing to eat but bread every day, for all their money have gone to pay for the hospital fees,” said Dr. Lien.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/society/7443/30-percent-patients-suffer-malnutrition--survey.html

MALNUTRITION: Indonesia: W. Jakarta Provides 796 Baby Health Centers to Reduce Malnutrition

BERITAJAKARTA.COM — 4/18/2011

The West Jakarta Administration has made 796 baby health centers and 79 nutrition posts in order to fulfill the nutritional needs for infants. The administration is asking the citizens to use the places in because Cengkareng and Kalideres sub-district are vulnerable to malnutrition cases.



Parwathi for West Jakarta Health Agency said the poor of hygiene cultivation at home and other places, as well as economic factors is a major cause of malnutrition case so far.
"The number of malnutrition case is not quite much, but it is existed yearly," she said, Monday (4/18).
In the development of three young babies (under three years) suffering from malnutrition, namely Bintang (10 months) weight of 6.4 kilograms, Salimatun Hasanah (2.3 months) weight 6.2 kilograms and Damar (1.2 months) weight 6.1 kilograms, Parwathi admitted there has no significant developments. While Tirta (2.8 months) weight 9 kilograms, he did not suffering from malnutrition but his posture looks thinner than other babies.
"The result could be seen in two weeks," she added.
However, for the recovery of three infants, her side will continue to provide three stages of recovery that are stabilization, normalization and rehabilitation.
http://www.beritajakarta.com/2008/en/newsview.aspx?idwil=0&id=18730