London School Of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine Audio News - Lshtm Podcast

At a briefing held simultaneously in London and Washington DC Richard Horton, Editor of The Lancet, Andy Haines, Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Anil Markandya from the Basque Centre for Climate Change in Bilbao, Spain, and Paul Wilkinson, James Woodcock and Alan Dangour from the London School tell Sarah Maxwell and Peter Goodwin about their findings, just published in a special edition of the Lancet, on the consequences to human health of mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. In agriculture and food, urban transportation, electricity generation and home energy use the Lancet data showed large positive effects on human health over the next few decades if we choose the right strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

NAIROBI, KENYA: Diadier Diallo of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, co-ordinator of a trial of intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for children in Burkina Faso and Mali, told Peter Goodwin about the success of his group’s study using full dose malaria treatment among children for prophylaxis, as reported at the 5th MIM Pan African Malaria Conference, Nairobi.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News Malaria Elimination Prospects Are Good In Many Regions NAIROBI, KENYA:Geoffrey Targett Professor of Parasitology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and member of the international Malaria Elimination Group, told the 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Pan African Malaria Conference in Nairobi why there are good prospects for eliminating malaria altogether from some regions in the near future in the quest ultimately for global eradication. He outlined his reasons for optimism to Peter Goodwin.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: Consortium To Optimise World Use Of Artemisinin Combination Treatments For Malaria During the 5th Multilateral Initiative On Malaria Pan African Malaria Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, Bianca D'Souza, Manager of the "ACT Consortium", explained to Peter Goodwin how this newly formed international group of experts is working to help make sure the WHO-recommended artemisinin combination treatments (ACTs) for malaria are reaching the people who need them, and that problems associated with their distribution, quality and availability are addressed.

The problem of artemisinin combination treatments (ACTs) in malaria which are ineffective because of poor storage, manufacture, or criminal counterfeiting was addressed in Nairobi at the 5th Multilateral Initiative On Malaria Pan African Malaria Conference by Harparkash Kaur of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine—a member of the recently-formed: ACT Consortium. After her talk she discussed her data and the efforts the consortium is making to resolve the issue with Peter Goodwin.

Ugandan Health Ministry Commissioner Dr Anthony Mbonye and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine scientist Professor David Schellenberg are just two of the multinational members of the recently-formed ACT consortium set up to pool the expertise of leading scientists and public health movers and shakers in both the developed and developing world to fight malaria with optimal use of the best drugs: artemisinin combination treatments, or ACTs. After a symposium devoted to the work of the new consortium—held at the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Pan African Malaria Conference held in Nairobi—they talked about their current programme and the goals in sight.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: Intermittent Preventive Treatment On Top of "Home Management" Cuts Malaria In Under Fives Dr Harry Tagbor, of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, presented results at the 5th Multilateral Initiative On Malaria Pan African Malaria Conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya, in which intermittent preventive treatment with malarial drugs was given to children under five. Afterwards he talked with Peter Goodwin about his team's promising finding of a reduction of malaria infection.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: Preventive Malaria Treatment For Infants Reduces Infection Rates Ilona Carneiro and David Schellenberg from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine presented data at the 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan African Malaria Conference, Nairobi, Kenya showing how the technique called intermittent preventive treatment (ITP) for infants has reduced malaria infections in a region of Tanzania. After their symposium they talked with Peter Goodwin about the advantages and cost-savings this brings through combining drug treatment with routine infant vaccinations.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: New Ways Of Using Malaria Drugs Bring Promise For Control Brian Greenwood, Professor of Tropical Medicine at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, discusses the presentation he gave to the 5th Multilateral Initiative On Malaria (MIM) Pan African Malaria Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, held 2-6 November, 2009, in which he explained that combining prophylactic with therapeutic use of malarial drugs can play an important part in programmes to control of malaria.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: Organic Foods And Health: Scientific Evidence Versus Emotional Belief Even though organically produced foods were shown recently by a systematic and comprehensive scientific review to have no nutritional or heath-benefit related differences from conventionally-farmed foods, a debate has raged about this finding which was revealed by Alan Dangour of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in his group's publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In one of the prestigious Bloomsbury International Nutritional Seminars in London recently he discussed the evidence on organic food, and he commented to Peter Goodwin on the emotions that this has stirred up.

The scandal of millions of children dying in the developing world because they accidentally eat traces of human faeces was brought to public attention at the Golden Poo Awards—the “Oscars” of the world of Health Education—held on Global Handwashing Day 2009 at the Prince Charles cinema in London. Co-organiser of the event, Val Curtis from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the TV star and family doctor Phil Hammond, who helped present the awards, told Karen Regester how handwashing with soap can save millions of lives by cutting the numbers of child infected with diarrhoea caused by faecal contamination.

LONDON—More than seventy years after he began work in public health, and just a few months short of his 100th birthday, Professor Jerry Morris—one of the 1930s pioneers of the British National Health Service—is hard at work in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine investigating factors which keep ordinary people in the community alive longer. His research team has already established that a threshold of income is needed for a minimum standard of health. In discussions with Peter Goodwin he urged the need for acceptance of minimum wages around the world on the basis of the health criteria which he and his co-workers have defined.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: Scientists Call For Urgent Attention To The Global Burden Of Mental Disease LONDON—The new Centre For Global Mental Health has been inaugurated at a meeting in London. It's been formed through a partnership between two academic institutions: The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and King's Health Partners—a consortium of top London teaching hospitals and King's College, London. It focuses on improving the treatment and prevention of mental illness world-wide, but with a particular priority on low and middle income countries. The co-directors, Vikram Patel of the London School and Martin Prince from The Institute of Psychiatry, together with Benedetto Saraceno, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organisation and Pamela Collins of the US National Institute of Mental Health discuss the issues being addressed by this new research organisation.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: Malaria In The Gambia: Insect Screens Cut Mosquito Numbers And Anaemia By Half In research involving hundreds of houses in the town of Farafenni in The Gambia insect screens covering windows and openings were found to cut the numbers of mosquitoes indoors by 59 per cent. In addition the rates of childhood anaemia related to malaria in the houses being screened were halved in comparison to other homes not screened, according to findings recently published in the journal: The Lancet. Professor Steve Lindsay from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine discussed the role of such screens for malaria control with Sarah Maxwell.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: No Shame No Blame: TB Stigma Removal "Toolkit" Launched in Zambia A new "tool-kit" for tackling TB in Zambia is being introduced by researchers working with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Zambia. Ginny Bond tells Peter Goodwin how they are tackling the problem of stigma and TB around Zambia, and how the new "took-kit" brings hope of reducing the pool of TB infection.

LONDON—Inequalities in cancer care delivery and overall spending have had a big impact on cancer survival rates in Europe, according to Michel Coleman, Professor of Epidemiology and Vital Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He gives Peter Goodwin his analysis of data emerging from the Eurocare 4 study in 23 different countries, recently published in the European Journal of Cancer.

Carlton Evans of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine explains to Peter Goodwin how his research project, supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), has succeeded in reducing risk factors for TB in households living on less than a dollar a day in the Ventanilla district of Lima, Peru. A microfinance scheme—providing small loans to help people use their skills to earn a living—has resulted in big reductions of adverse factors associated with causing tuberculosis.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: Poor Nutrition Due To Poverty: Biggest Tuberculosis Risk Factor Delia Boccia of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine tells Peter Goodwin about her research findings in Zambia which have revealed that the factor within impoverised communities which has the strongest link with TB infection is poor nutrition. She explains what should be the priorities for improving nutrition as a powerful means of cutting rates of TB.

With a growing threat from tuberculosis around the world—made worse by the spread of HIV/AIDS—there is an urgent need for new diagnostic tests for TB which are more appropriate for use in communities and small clinics rather than big hospitals. Peter Goodwin interviewed Ruth McNerney of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, organiser of a symposium on “Point-of-Care” tests for TB, held in the city of Porto, Portugal during the annual meeting of the European Society of Mycobacteriology (July 5-8, 2009).

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News: Organic Foods: No Evidence Of Nutritional Benefit Researchers from London have found no evidence that the nutritional content of organically produced foods is any better than in conventionally farmed products. Alan Dangour of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told Peter Goodwin about their findings just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.