Thursday, April 17, 2014
Journalism and Communication for Global Change
Health
U.S. Tribe Looks to International Court for Justice
An indigenous community in the United States has filed a petition against the federal government, alleging that officials have repeatedly broken treaties and that the court system has failed to offer remedy.
Russian Law Corners Drug Users
As local authorities prepare to put an end to opioid substitution treatment (OST) programmes in the newly annexed Crimean peninsula, drug users there say they are being forced to choose between a return to addiction and becoming refugees.
Uzbekistan’s Dying Aral Sea Resurrected as Tourist Attraction
"I’m going for a swim," says Pelle Bendz, a 52-year-old Swede, as he rummages in the jeep for his bathing trunks. The other tourists look at him, bewildered. What’s left of the Aral Sea is reputed to be a toxic stew, contaminated by pesticides and other chemicals.
Yakama Nation Tells DOE to Clean Up Nuclear Waste
The Department of Energy (DOE), politicians and CEOs were discussing how to warn generations 125,000 years in the future about the radioactive waste at Hanford Nuclear Reservation, considered the most polluted site in the U.S., when Native American anti-nuclear activist Russell Jim interrupted their musings: “We’ll tell them.”
“Sanitation for All” a Rapidly Receding Goal
World leaders on Friday discussed plans to expand sustainable access for water, sanitation and hygiene, focusing in particular on how to reach those in remote rural areas and slums where development projects have been slow to penetrate.
When Medicines Don’t Work Anymore
The growing crisis of antibiotic resistance is catching the attention of policy-makers, but not at a fast enough rate to tackle it. More diseases are affected by resistance, meaning the bacteria cannot be killed even if different drugs are used on some patients, who then succumb.
In Peru, Low-Income Cancer Patients Find Fresh Hope
Her tiny fingers and toes have been painted with different shades of nail polish, the bright colours contrasting sharply with the bleak road she has been on for half her young life.
Jordan Faces Looming and Complex Cancer Burden
The concrete skeleton of a twin 13-storey complex towers over surrounding buildings on one of Amman's busiest streets. The ongoing expansion of the King Hussein Cancer Centre symbolises progress as much as it portends a crisis.
Malignant Growth: Battling a New Cancer Pandemic
Few people in the world can claim to be untouched by cancer. If not personally battling it in one form or another, millions are at this very moment sitting beside loved ones fighting for their lives, visiting friends recovering from chemo, or researching the latest treatments for their relatives.
Indigenous Leaders Targeted in Battle to Protect Forests
Indigenous leaders are warning of increased violence in the fight to save their dwindling forests and ecosystems from extractive companies.
New Treatments May Defuse Viral Time Bomb
Mohamed Ibrahim first learned he had hepatitis C when he tried to donate blood. Weeks later he received a letter from the blood clinic telling him he carried antibodies of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). He most likely acquired the disease from a blood transfusion he received during surgery when he was a child.Next Page »
A rising world population, demographic shifts and the inherent cross-border nature of communicable disease -fueled by growing mobility and trade- have called for informed, comprehensive and global responses to health challenges in rich and poor countries. Medical advancements have enabled strides in the fight against deadly diseases like cancer, AIDS and TB in recent decades, while awareness campaigns have eased suffering by changing social attitudes on issues ranging from vaccination to mental health. All the while, the popular perception of health work has evolved from one heavily focused on treatment and medication to a more inclusive approach that incorporates prevention, nutrition, housing and global food production processes. IPS Health covers the ongoing challenges and innovation with a special eye on the role of poor and marginalized communities.
