Gleeman's Daily News--01/05/10

Reply

Robert Gleeman Posted: 01-05-2010 4:32 AM

rated by 0 users

Swine flu in China: 49.9M vaccinated, 659 dead in 2009

China has so far vaccinated 49.9 million people

BEIJING — China said Monday it had recorded 659 swine flu deaths in 2009, nearly all of them in the last two months of the year, and warned that the danger of mass outbreaks still existed in certain areas.

The health ministry said the total number of A(H1N1) infections recorded since the virus was first detected last year stood at 120,940.

At the end of October, the reported death toll stood at just six. The number of recorded deaths then spiked, reaching about 180 at the start of December and 659 by the end of the month.

"The danger of an explosion of outbreaks in some places exists, and the number of fatalities and serious cases will remain at a rather high level," said Liang Wannian, director of the ministry's emergency response office.

China still very serious about swine flu, there is no doubt the support the vaccination of the masses. Why do you suppose China is so motivated to fight H1N1, and will they forever be flu-fighters?

Both smoking AND quitting smoking can raise diabetes risk

LONDON (Reuters) - Smoking is well known as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but scientists said on Monday that quitting the habit can raise the risk even more in the short term.

A study by U.S. researchers found that people who stop smoking have a 70 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the first six years without cigarettes as compared to people who never smoked.

The researchers said they suspected the increased diabetes risk comes from extra weight gain common in people who quit.

But they said no one should use their findings as an excuse to continue smoking -- a habit which can also cause lung disease, heart disease, strokes and many types of cancer.

"The message is: Don't even start to smoke," said Hsin-Chieh Yeh of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the United States, who led the study.

"If you smoke, give it up. That's the right thing to do. But people have to also watch their weight," she added.

So quit smoking, lose weight, and if you do get diabetes, stop eating sugar. Heck, that doesn’t even begin to cover it, but do  quit smoking—for your health.

In 2008, healthcare spending slowed with recession, but still grew faster than economy

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greet people as they step off Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, after spending the holidays in Hawaii. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The U.S. spent an average of $7,681 per person on health care in 2008, for an eye-popping total of $2.3 trillion — even though spending actually slowed dramatically that year because of the recession, a new federal study says.

Health spending didn't slow down as much as the nation's overall economic output, the study said, in keeping with a decades-old trend that has now pushed health care costs to account for over 16 percent of the nation's economy.

I don’t think we know how much we spend on health care and the lack thereof, but reform will “granulize” this data until we have a handle on these costs. Reform is good for most systems, why not health? 

Doctors for sale: what is happening to private practice?

Charlie Powell, left, and Jordan Asher have built the number of physicians employed by Saint Thomas to 180.

For many physicians in private practice, their days of flying solo may be numbered.

Faced with declining reimbursements, closed-off revenue streams, capital investment pressures and the changes of health care reform, many doctors are turning to hospital and health system employment to safeguard their financial and lifestyle stability.

We always have a running discussion of this topic in the Forum. What are the factors that push doctors into larger groups and hospitals, and is this a trend as the article suggests?

Fertility doctor for “Octo-Mom” accused of negligence

"Octo-mom" Nadya Suleman walks outside her house in La Habra, California

LOS ANGELES — The fertility doctor who treated the woman who gave birth to octuplets last year has been accused of "gross negligence," a disciplinary complaint filed by the California Medical Board showed.

The executive director of the board, Barbara Johnston, said in the complaint that Dr Michael Kamrava had acted "beyond reasonable judgement" by helping Nadya Suleman conceive octuplets.

Suleman, 34, who already had six children, became a tabloid fixation last January when she successfully gave birth to octuplets in Los Angeles, and was dubbed "Octomom."

For those of you who are following this incredible case, appears there is much peer criticism regarding the doctor who implanted so many babies for a woman who already had 6 kids.

Smoking now linked to eye disease

Make a New Year’s Resolution-“Quit Smoking” as another reason has been added to the benefits of quitting smoking.

The US doctors say that quitting smoking helps save sight. The ophthalmologists at the University of California-Los Angeles claim that after 80 years there is an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration. This causes damage to the center of the retina which can, in time, even cause blindness.

Yet another reason to quit smoking, just in case you need one more. I will be going for cataract surgery on Monday, and I would not be surprised if smoking had a part in this as well. Clear sight ahead.