News a glance
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《加拿大医疗协会学报》
Mental health: The new Canadian Mental Health Commission will promote public education, coordinate fragmented policies and programs and see to it that best practices are shared across Canada. Working at arm's-length from government, the organization has a 10-year mandate. Its 19-member board will be appointed this summer. One in 5 Canadians experiences a significant mental health episode during their lifetime.
Nobel goal: One of the co-winners of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize is using its share of the award, about $750 000, to fund training in cancer management and childhood nutrition in developing countries. The prize was awarded to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Director General, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, "for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way." The Austria-based agency is setting up the IAEA Nobel Cancer and Nutrition Fund, which will pay for fellowships and training courses in regional centres in Africa, Asia and Latin America. — Debra Martens, Vienna, Austria
Saskatoon switch: A student-managed health clinic is offering primary holistic health care to people in Saskatoon's west side. The Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health (SWITCH) employs medical and health care students from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina and the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology. It benefits the community and "provides an interdisciplinary service learning opportunity in a creative and unique environment," says SWITCH coordinator Carole Courtney. — Kristen Everson, Ottawa
Cancer vaccine in India: This spring, the Indian government plans to introduce a low-priced and efficacious vaccine to control cervical cancer, a disease that kills about 74 000 women annually in India. More than 130 000 new cases — about 25% of the global total — are reported in India annually. India has no organized screening program and many Indian women — particularly the 75% who live in rural areas — lack both awareness of the disease and access to prevention and treatment facilities. The incidence of late disease is 3% to 4% in British Columbia; in India it is about 73%. Trials of the vaccine in India are expected to be complete this spring, after which the government expects to make the vaccine available, says Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. The Indian Council of Medical Research is negotiating an affordable supply of the vaccine with Merck, Ramadoss added. — Sanjit Bagchi, Kolkata, India
Green goals: Canadian premiers and municipal leaders from the US, Europe, and Australia have signed a declaration to combat global warming and promised to meet or exceed the original Kyoto Protocol targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2010. During the UN Climate Change Conference in Montreal, Dec. 6, 190 elected officials at municipal, state and provincial levels agreed to aim for a reduction of 30% by 2020. To date, 157 countries have ratified the Protocol; conference attendees tried to persuade others, notably Australia and the US, to sign on. — Andréa Ventimiglia, Ottawa
HIV stats: An estimated 40.3 million people now have the AIDS virus, up from 37.5 million in 2003, reports the WHO and Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS in AIDS Epidemic Update 2005. More than 3 million people, included 500 000 children, died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2005. The steepest increases in HIV infections occurred in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (25% increase to 1.6 million) and East Asia. China reports 840 000 HIV/AIDS cases among its 1.3 billion citizens. Up to 10 million Chinese could carry the HIV virus within 5 years, unless preventive measures are stepped up, says Dai Zhicheng, director of the Health Ministry's Committee of AIDS Experts. WHO has echoed his concern. There has, however been progress in some countries. Kenya, Zimbabwe and some Caribbean countries all have slight declines in HIV prevalence over the past few years. In Kenya, adult infection rates have decreased from 10% in the late 1990s to 7% in 2003.
Research ethics: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research Ethics Office has published its Best Practices for Protecting Privacy in Health Research (www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/29138.html) as a resource and guide for researchers. — Compiled by Barbara Sibbald, CMAJ
Nobel goal: One of the co-winners of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize is using its share of the award, about $750 000, to fund training in cancer management and childhood nutrition in developing countries. The prize was awarded to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Director General, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, "for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way." The Austria-based agency is setting up the IAEA Nobel Cancer and Nutrition Fund, which will pay for fellowships and training courses in regional centres in Africa, Asia and Latin America. — Debra Martens, Vienna, Austria
Saskatoon switch: A student-managed health clinic is offering primary holistic health care to people in Saskatoon's west side. The Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health (SWITCH) employs medical and health care students from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina and the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology. It benefits the community and "provides an interdisciplinary service learning opportunity in a creative and unique environment," says SWITCH coordinator Carole Courtney. — Kristen Everson, Ottawa
Cancer vaccine in India: This spring, the Indian government plans to introduce a low-priced and efficacious vaccine to control cervical cancer, a disease that kills about 74 000 women annually in India. More than 130 000 new cases — about 25% of the global total — are reported in India annually. India has no organized screening program and many Indian women — particularly the 75% who live in rural areas — lack both awareness of the disease and access to prevention and treatment facilities. The incidence of late disease is 3% to 4% in British Columbia; in India it is about 73%. Trials of the vaccine in India are expected to be complete this spring, after which the government expects to make the vaccine available, says Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. The Indian Council of Medical Research is negotiating an affordable supply of the vaccine with Merck, Ramadoss added. — Sanjit Bagchi, Kolkata, India
Green goals: Canadian premiers and municipal leaders from the US, Europe, and Australia have signed a declaration to combat global warming and promised to meet or exceed the original Kyoto Protocol targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2010. During the UN Climate Change Conference in Montreal, Dec. 6, 190 elected officials at municipal, state and provincial levels agreed to aim for a reduction of 30% by 2020. To date, 157 countries have ratified the Protocol; conference attendees tried to persuade others, notably Australia and the US, to sign on. — Andréa Ventimiglia, Ottawa
HIV stats: An estimated 40.3 million people now have the AIDS virus, up from 37.5 million in 2003, reports the WHO and Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS in AIDS Epidemic Update 2005. More than 3 million people, included 500 000 children, died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2005. The steepest increases in HIV infections occurred in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (25% increase to 1.6 million) and East Asia. China reports 840 000 HIV/AIDS cases among its 1.3 billion citizens. Up to 10 million Chinese could carry the HIV virus within 5 years, unless preventive measures are stepped up, says Dai Zhicheng, director of the Health Ministry's Committee of AIDS Experts. WHO has echoed his concern. There has, however been progress in some countries. Kenya, Zimbabwe and some Caribbean countries all have slight declines in HIV prevalence over the past few years. In Kenya, adult infection rates have decreased from 10% in the late 1990s to 7% in 2003.
Research ethics: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research Ethics Office has published its Best Practices for Protecting Privacy in Health Research (www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/29138.html) as a resource and guide for researchers. — Compiled by Barbara Sibbald, CMAJ