2010年11月12日星期五

Acne drug not found to increase suicide risk

Acne is a very common skin condition which usually starts at puberty

People being treated for severe acne should have their mental health closely monitored, a study reports.

But a popular acne drug was not found to increase the risk of suicide, despite previous findings.

The study of 5,700 people, in the British Medical Journal,
was carried out at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden between 1980 and
2001.

Acne can have serious psychological effects, say experts.

Severe acne sufferers are commonly prescribed a drug called
isotretinoin, also known as Roaccutane, Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis,
Clarus or Decutan.

It has been used since the 1980s to treat severe acne if a course of antibiotics does not prove effective.

But there have been reports linking isotretinoin to depression and suicidal behaviour.

So Dr Anders Sundstrom and his research team from Sweden studied suicide attempts before, during and after treatment with this drug for severe acne.

“Start Quote

Acne can have significant psychological effects .”

End Quote
Dr Sarah Bailey
University of Bath

They found that 128 of the 5,700 patients investigated who were taking the drug were admitted to hospital for attempted suicide.

The risk of suicide was highest within six months of ending
treatment - but the researchers say this is most likely to be because
patients whose acne improved following treatment were distraught if
there was no improvement in their social life, rather than anything to
do with the treatment itself.

They stress that attempted suicide was a rare event - the
figures suggest just one person out of every 2,300 individuals taking
isotretinoin will make a first suicide attempt.

Monitor patients

Dr Sundstrom said of his findings: "The underlying condition
of acne is a more important factor for suicide attempts. We are not
certain the drug adds anything."

Writing in an editorial in the BMJ, Australian acne experts
John Sullivan and Parker Magin say that the Swedish research is
important given the complexity of the issue.

"It is difficult to tease out the relation between mental
health and isotretinoin because acne itself is associated with
psychiatric morbidity, including depression."

They also say that the study shows GPs must closely monitor acne patients on isotretinoin.

"During and after treatment with isotretinoin (perhaps,
especially, unsuccessful treatment), patients should be carefully
monitored for depression and suicidal thoughts."

Dr Sarah Bailey, lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy and
Pharmacology at the University of Bath, said: "This is an important
paper that strengthens the view that acne itself can have significant
psychological effects and that there is a low risk of suicide for some
acne patients.

"However, the controversial issue of increased suicide risk
with isotretinoin use is not resolved by this paper, which the authors
themselves acknowledge.

"Perhaps their most interesting and novel finding is that the
risk of suicide is increased AFTER treatment has stopped and therefore
it is essential to continue to monitor patients carefully."

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Pakistani Christian woman appeals over death sentence

Rights groups say the blasphemy law is often exploited by Islamist extremists or people harbouring personal grudges.

Relatives
of a Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death for insulting the
Prophet Muhammad say they will appeal against her conviction.

Asia Bibi is believed to be the first woman sentenced to death under Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Her husband told the BBC her conviction was based on "false accusations".

Although no-one has ever been executed under the law, about 10 accused have been murdered before the completion of their trials.

The 45-year-old mother was sentenced to death on Monday by a
court in the town of Nankana, around 75km (45 miles) from the city of
Lahore in Punjab province.

Altercation over water

Her husband, Ashiq Masih, who is a field labourer, said: "We
have never ever insulted the Prophet Muhammad or Islamic scripture, and
we will contest the charges in the higher courts."

He said his wife was accused of blasphemy after getting into
an argument last year with a group of women when she was sent by the
wife of a village chief to fetch water.

Mr Masih said the other women challenged his wife and said it was sacrilegious to drink water collected by a non-Muslim.

"My wife took offence, saying, 'Are we not humans?' This led to an altercation," he said

Mr Masih added: "The actual complaint was lodged five days later, when local clerics raised the issue with the police."

Asia Bibi was arrested and charged with insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Reports say the trial judge ruled out the possibility that
she was falsely accused and said there were no mitigating circumstances.

Human rights activists want the blasphemy law repealed as
they say it is often exploited by Islamist extremists or those
harbouring personal grudges.

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Haiti cholera outbreak prompts fresh UN aid plea

Man carries child with cholera symptoms in Port-au-Prince. 11 Nov 2010

Fears are growing of a major outbreak in Port-au-Prince

The UN has appealed for nearly $164m (£102m) to fight a cholera outbreak in Haiti which has now claimed 724 lives.

UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said that unless funds were provided, "all our efforts can be outrun by the epidemic".

She said the disease had so far infected at least 11,125 people in five of Haiti's 10 districts.

Aid agencies are battling to contain cholera in the capital
Port-au-Prince, amid fears it will spread through camps housing 1.1m
earthquake survivors.

More than 80 people have died in the past 24 hours across the country, according to the health ministry.

High fatality rate

Ms Byrs, of the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the funds will be used to bring in
more doctors, medicines and water-purification equipment.

"We absolutely need this money as soon as possible," she said.

Stefano Zannini, head of mission for Medecins Sans Frontieres
in Haiti, said on Friday that hospitals in Port-au-Prince are
overflowing and patients may have to be treated in the streets.

"We are really worried about space," he said.

"If the number of cases continues to increase at the same
rate, then we are going to have to adopt some drastic measures. We are
going to have to use public spaces and even streets. I can easily see
this situation deteriorating to the point where patients are lying in
the street, waiting for treatment. At the moment, we just don't have
that many options."

The World Health Organization said on Friday it did not expect the epidemic to end soon.

"The projections of 200,000 cases over the next six to 12
months shows the amplitude of what could be expected," said spokesman
Gregory Hartl.

He said that the current fatality rate of 6.5% was far higher than it should be.

"No-one alive in Haiti has experienced cholera before, so it
is a population which is very susceptible to the bacteria," he said.
"Once it is in water systems it transmits very easily."

Cholera outlook for Haiti

Tens of thousands likely to be infected over next few years
Spread in Port-au-Prince likely to be extensive
Upsurge in cases likely over next few days as a consequence of flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas
High risk of outbreak in the neighbouring Dominican Republic
Eradication will take time, as cholera bacteria now has foothold in the river system
Death rate expected to fall with time as percentage of overall cases

(Source: Paho)

The outbreak began in Haiti's Artibonite River valley in mid-October and at first seemed to have been contained.

But Hurricane Tomas, which struck earlier this month, flooded
rivers believed to be contaminated with cholera and submerged refugee
communities already struggling to survive.

The disease is spread by contaminated drinking water or food,
but is treatable with oral or intravenous rehydration and antibiotics.

Aid agencies say access to clean water is a major problem,
and they are struggling to get the message across to Haitians to seek
medical help as soon as cholera-like symptoms appear.

Even before the earthquake only 40% of Haitians had safe drinking water.

Haiti's besieged health services have been warned to expect a
different scale of disaster if cholera takes hold in the capital, which
was devastated by January's earthquake that left more than 250,000
people dead.

"We greatly fear a flare-up in the capital which would be
serious given the conditions in the camps," Claude Surena, president of
the Haitian Medical Association, told AFP news agency.

Aid delayed

Meanwhile, the first portion of US financial aid for
reconstruction in Haiti is on its way, more than seven months after it
was promised to help the country re-build after the earthquake in
January.

The $120m (£74m) - about a tenth of the amount pledged in total by the US - has faced several delays.

Only 37.8% of the money pledged by all countries for 2010-11 has been delivered to the poverty-stricken nation.

Latest figures on Haiti cholera outbreak

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Kosovo medics accused of trafficking kidneys

Surgeons performing an operation (generic image)

The alleged operations took place in 2008

EU
prosecutors have accused seven people, including doctors and a health
official, of trafficking kidneys through a clinic in Kosovo.

International trafficking allegedly took place in 2008 at the Medicus clinic in the capital, Pristina.

Kidney "donors" and recipients were of different nationalities, prosecutors said in a press release.

The prosecutors form part of the EU's law and order mission, Eulex, in the breakaway Serbian province.

Interpol arrest warrants in connection with the case have also been issued for a Turkish and an Israeli national.

Names and other details of the case are due to be made public at the end of this month.

The Associated Press news agency released some details this week, saying it had seen a copy of the indictment.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority declared the province to be
an independent state in 2008, a decision recognised by many Western
states but still resisted by Serbia and its allies.

'Led by a surgeon'

The indictment was filed at Pristina's district court last
month and follows an investigation launched in 2008 by Kosovan and UN
police officers.

The suspects are accused of trafficking in human organs,
organised crime, unlawful exercise of medical activities and abusing
official authority.

One is described as a "person that previously worked at a senior level in the Ministry of Health".

EU prosecutor Jonathan Ratel is quoted by AP as saying in the
indictment that an "organised criminal group" had trafficked persons
into Kosovo for the purpose of removing "human organs for transplant to
other persons".

Some 20 foreign nationals "were recruited with false promises of payments" in 2008.

"These victims were recruited in other countries, then
transported and received at Pristina Airport through the false promise
of payments for the removal of their kidneys," Mr Ratel reportedly says.

Donors were promised up to 14,500 euros (£12,300, $19,900)
while recipients were required to pay between 80,000 and 100,000 euros.

Donors came from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey and lived in "extreme poverty or acute financial distress".

A Kosovan surgeon is accused of leading the criminal group.

He allegedly recruited a Turkish doctor to help him perform
the organ transplants at Medicus, a private clinic, which has since
closed down.

An Israeli citizen was allegedly involved in "identifying,
recruiting and transporting victims" and "ensuring the delivery of cash
payments by electronic bank transfer" prior to surgery.

Kosovo has been haunted by another alleged case of organ-trafficking dating back to the war in 1999.

In that case, which has never been proven, Kosovo Liberation
Army (KLA) militants allegedly trafficked the organs of Serb captives
they later killed.

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By Stephen Poff

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By Javier Piragauta

2010年11月10日星期三

Cholera death toll in Haiti passes 600

A woman suffering from cholera symptoms is checked by a Cuban doctor at the hospital in Archaie, Haiti, Tuesday Nov. 9, 2010.

Haiti's health ministry has said cholera is "now a matter of national security"

The
death toll from cholera across Haiti has risen to 644, as aid workers
fight to contain the spread of the disease in the capital,
Port-au-Prince.

At least 10,000 people suffering from cholera are in hospitals across the country.

Doctors in Port-au-Prince say they are alarmed at the speed at which new cases are emerging.

A senior health ministry official said the epidemic was now "a matter of national security".

The ministry on Tuesday confirmed the disease had reached Port-au-Prince, which had feared an outbreak since October.

About 170 people are now being treated in hospitals in the
city, according to the Pan-American Health Organisation (Paho). One
person has died.

'Cross the border'

Dan Epstein, a Paho spokesman, said the organisation expected
270,000 Haitians to be infected by the disease in "between six months
and a year", according to modelling based on a past outbreak in Peru.

"What's really important to us now is the trend of where it
is and the long term trend of where it is going to be," he told the BBC.

"Its hard to predict the impact. But it's very likely that cholera is going to be in Haiti for a while," he added.

Paho has warned that there is a real risk of the epidemic crossing the border into the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

The organisation says that trying to educate the population
about prevention and treatment of the disease, thereby reducing the
fatality rate of the disease in the Caribbean country, remains a
priority.

The disease broke out in the Artibonite River valley in
central Haiti in mid-October and initially seemed to have been
contained, but cases have since soared.

Officials are warning that a sizeable outbreak in
Port-au-Prince, where 1.3 million earthquake survivors live in tents, is
now likely.

"The epidemic of cholera, a highly contagious disease, is no
longer a simple emergency, it's now a matter of national security," the
director of Haiti's health ministry, Gabriel Thimote, told a news
conference.

Cholera outlook for Haiti

Tens of thousands likely to be infected over next few years
Spread in Port-au-Prince likely to be extensive
Upsurge in cases likely over next few days as a consequence of flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas
High risk of outbreak in the Dominican Republic
Eradication will take time, as cholera bacteria now has foothold in the river system
Death rate expected to fall with time as percentage of overall cases

(Source: Paho)

Meanwhile, desperate scenes were described in the northern town of Gonaives, in the Artibonite region.

"Sick people died on the way to the hospital, the bodies were
covered in blankets and left near the town cemetery," mayor Adolphe
Jean-Francois told AFP.

The water-borne disease has already spread to half of Haiti's 10 regions.

Flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas is believed to have
exacerbated conditions and helped spread the disease further, officials
have said. The storm at the end of last week left 20 people dead, with
36 injured and 11 missing.

Cholera itself causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to
severe dehydration. It can kill quickly but is treated easily through
rehydration and antibiotics.

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Nigeria unions suspend strike after pay promise

Trade union members display placards during a protest, in Lagos, Nigeria, Wednesday 10 November 2010

Many workers in Lagos stayed at home on Wednesday, while some joined union rallies

Nigeria - Troubled Giant

Nigeria's two largest unions have agreed to suspend their three-day strike after one day's stoppage.

Union leaders said the government had assured them the monthly minimum wage would double to $120 (£75).

But union leaders said they would meet again in a month's time to review progress on the issue.

The strike has disrupted flights and activities in schools,
offices and hospitals in major towns and cities across the oil-rich
nation.

Panic buying

The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says union leaders met as
the nationwide strike brought government offices to a halt on
Wednesday.

There has been panic buying and long queues at petrol stations amid fears of fuel shortages.

President Goodluck Jonathan reportedly pleaded with the two
unions - the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress - to
limit the strike to one day only, she says.

Wage Demands

Unions want the government to honour a 2009 agreement on minimum wages
This doubles the minimum wage to 18,000 naira ($120; £75) from 7,500 naira
The minimum wage has not risen for a decade
Inflation running at about 11%

Key facts, figures and dates

Union leaders were demanding that the government honour the national minimum agreement made in 2009.

Inflation has been running at double-digit rates in recent years, driven by increases in food and transportation costs.

The minimum wage has not risen for a decade.

"We go to the market with the so-called senators who take
home millions [of naira], and have to buy at the same level," Zachary
Abu, a student in the northern city of Kaduna, told the BBC's Focus on
Africa programme.

"We cannot really afford most of the basic things we need in our life."

In Lagos, the main commercial city in the south of the
country, a small rally organised by the unions went ahead on Wednesday
although many workers decided to stay at home.

A trader who watched the activists march past told AP news agency: "There's plenty of money in Nigeria.

"Nigeria has oil. Nigeria has everything... But we're just managing to survive."

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Barack Obama urges global co-operation to secure growth

President Obama could face a chilly reception at the Seoul meeting

Global Economy

The global financial system and world economy are set to dominate the agenda at a meeting of the G20 in South Korea.

But there are fears the summit in Seoul could descend into a row between the US and China about so-called "currency wars" and trade imbalances.

Ahead of the meeting US President Barack Obama urged leaders to work together for global economic recovery.

But the US and South Korea failed to seal a free trade deal, in talks ahead of the main G20 meeting.

The pact was agreed three years ago, but has since stalled over US lawmakers concerns about access to South Korean markets for US beef and cars.

"We agreed that more time is needed to resolve detailed issues and asked trade ministers to reach a mutually acceptable deal as soon as possible," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said after meeting the US president.

On a visit to a US military base in Seoul before the main G20 meetings began, Mr Obama took the opportunity to urge North Korea to engage with the international community.

"North Korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will only lead to more isolation and less security," he said. "But there is another path available to North Korea."

Domestic demand

President Obama has said the US will seek to create jobs and reduce global imbalances.

Washington has blamed these in part on Beijing's alleged manipulation of its currency to help boost Chinese exports, which has led to Beijing amassing huge foreign reserves.

Others, however, say America's economic policies, specifically creating new money to pursue quantitative easing (QE), could also be a form of currency manipulation for its own ends.

Speaking to the BBC, the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, said there were "definitely tensions" over currency.

What is the G20?

The G20 group comprises the world's 19 leading national economies, plus the European Union.

It was formed in 1999, and held its first meeting that year.

Until 2008 the G20 was overshadowed by the smaller G8 grouping of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, Canada and Russia.

However, this has changed since the global financial crisis of 2008, and the G20 has effectively now replaced the G8 as the main global economic forum.

The major growth in the economies of G20 members China, India and Brazil has also contributed to the rising importance of the grouping.

The G20 currently meets twice a year, but this is set to reduce to one meeting from 2011.

"One has to be wary of the tensions because you don't want them to slip into protectionism," he said.

But he said that while the US raising the issue over China was "useful", he added China's next five-year plan for its economic development would focus on increasing domestic demand, adding this would be important in shifting China's growth.

Critics

At a G20 press conference, Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega criticised the US central bank's latest QE programme.

"The trouble with putting an extra $600bn into the US economy is that this money will not go into production, will not create jobs and neither will it boost domestic consumption.

"With more money in the market, investors will take advantage of higher interest rates in other places, put the money into these countries' stock exchanges or invest in commodities, raising the prices and causing inflation in our countries," Mr Mantega said.

Accused of forcing the dollar down to trade its way back to prosperity, Mr Obama is expected to hold one-on-one talks with two of the strongest critics of his administration's economic direction - Chinese President Hu Jintao and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

President Obama has said that the US alone could not restore growth but accepted the US must change, adding: "When all nations do their part... we all benefit from higher growth."

“Start Quote

Everyone agrees on the "shared interest" in finding a solution to global imbalances. The disagreement is over how - and how quickly”

End Quote

Stephanie Flanders Economics editor, BBC News

Read Stephanie's blog

However, he defended America's "decisive action to halt the fall in activity caused by the deepest crisis we have experienced in generations".

And he again called on countries not to rely on exports to pull them out of their economic problems.

"We all now recognize that the foundation for a strong and durable recovery will not materialize if American households stop saving and go back to spending based on borrowing.

"Yet, no one country can achieve our joint objective of a strong, sustainable, and balanced recovery on its own.

"Just as the United States must change, so too must those economies that have previously relied on exports to offset weaknesses in their down demand," Mr Obama said.

Currency concerns

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron also warned that China should act to correct its trade imbalance.

“Start Quote

During and after the financial crisis, world leaders huddled close, staring together over the precipice. With the danger of an immediate plunge over, they began jostling, and are now pushing. But the cliff edge is still there”

End Quote

Mark Mardell BBC North America editor

Read Mark's blog

Critics, especially in the US, have called for tariffs on Chinese imports unless the yuan is allowed to appreciate.

It is feared that other countries will rush to allow currency devaluation to also make their exports more competitive.

But China considers the exchange rate of its currency to be an internal matter and has only agreed to only gradually let the yuan appreciate.

The governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, has urged the G20 to agree to let current account imbalances unwind, rather than impose targets and policy instruments that could be damaging to all.

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2010年11月12日星期五

Acne drug not found to increase suicide risk

“Start Quote

Pakistani Christian woman appeals over death sentence

Haiti cholera outbreak prompts fresh UN aid plea

Cholera outlook for Haiti

Kosovo medics accused of trafficking kidneys

2010年11月10日星期三

Cholera death toll in Haiti passes 600

Cholera outlook for Haiti

Nigeria unions suspend strike after pay promise

Nigeria - Troubled Giant

Wage Demands

Barack Obama urges global co-operation to secure growth

Global Economy

What is the G20?

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“Start Quote

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2010年11月12日 星期五

Acne drug not found to increase suicide risk

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Pakistani Christian woman appeals over death sentence

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2010年11月10日 星期三

Cholera death toll in Haiti passes 600

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Cholera outlook for Haiti

Nigeria unions suspend strike after pay promise

Nigeria - Troubled Giant

Wage Demands

Barack Obama urges global co-operation to secure growth

Global Economy

What is the G20?

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“Start Quote

2010年11月12日星期五

2010年11月10日星期三