Tgk1946's Blog

A worthy topic, but it’s not happening in the right places. Market forces will not always give the best results in equitable health care for all. To illustrate, try a thought experiment using something that’s in the future – the next influenza pandemic. Clearly, businesses want to be able to ensure their workers do not become infected. But what is the best strategy – prevention, vaccination or therapy? I separate vaccination away from primary prevention on a matter of principle. To illustrate that point with another example, some local authorities have been keen to promote a rotavirus vaccine for developing countries. But, rotavirus is only one of many pathogens causing gastrointestinal infections. So, it makes sense to allocate resources to providing clean water, sanitation and teaching of effective hand hygiene. Back to influenza. It is standard practice to recommend and enforce good personal hygiene as an individual’s primary responsibility. There are, then, three main markets for sale of consumables in the management of influenza – soap (for washing of hands), vaccines and antiviral medicines. Each would seem to operate independently of the others, but the public will hear from those with the big budgets, no matter which is likely to be more effective. If I ran a business, I would like to know my employees knew the key points of effective personal hygiene. These sorts of competing, even contarian, interests occur for plenty of other specific disease entities. For another example, consider the hoo-ha being raised about the epidemic of sexually transmitted chlamydial infections. The mainstay of prevention is good hygiene, that is barriers, but there will be a lot more advertising money thrown at the media for a vaccine than there will ever be for condoms and good sex education. In short, prevention of widespread infections would mean less profit for big global corporations, and that’s a problem that will only be rectified in the aftermath of an influenza pandemic. The public may want to know why the vaccine and antiviral makers crushed the soap makers into silence. Until then, we would prefer to watch gullible celebrities and ex-Olympians promote diseases, not preventions. The current market-based environment for Western health care is seriously distorted by the chase after profits.

Akvo Forget RSS: is Real Simple Reporting the killer Development 2.0 application?
LJ Common Sense Flu Prevention
Olo Biosecurity and infectious disease
SD Providing Toilets, Safe Water Is Top Route To Reducing World Poverty
SA Uber antibiotics an unnecessary risk
SD Pandemic Flu Models Help Determine Food Distribution And School Closing Strategies
Nyt 1 in 4 Teen Girls Received HPV Vaccine, Officials Say
Oz 10/10 DrRude.The absence of antibiotics
Oz The bugs we can’t defeat the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (Advanced Draft) in October 2005.

SD Rethinking Who Should Be Considered ‘Essential’ During A Pandemic Flu Outbreak
Npr New Evidence Shows HIV’s Spread Got Earlier Start
http://mrsaactionuk.net/Clostridium%20Difficile.html

Sd New Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer May Minimize Viral Transmission, Including Norovirus

Smh Pap smears still essential, say specialists

SD Birth Attendant And Maternal Hand-washing Associated With Reduced Newborn Death Rate
Smh Sexual infections rise among Gen Y
SD Doubling Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Over-45s In Under A Decade
Oz Sex infections rise, condom use drops
SD Latrines And Out-houses Trounce Toilets In Global War Against Poor Sanitation

20/6/08 added to Google offline
Abc State HIV surge: spending cuts blamed
Oz  Health workers warn of AIDS crisis
Abc Unsafe sex, drugs, binge drinking ‘normal’ for teens: study

Abc Calls for free distribution of ‘morning-after pill’
Abc Mayor aware 12yo girls given contraception
SD HPV Vaccine — What’s A Parent To Do?
Scotland how to clean your hands and
Ehi Scotland to pilot new sexual health system
Abc Intervention accused of targeting teen sex

Smh Timetable to beat a virus
SD One In Four Teenage Girls In U.S. Has Sexually Transmitted Disease, CDC Study Shows
Oz doha allen HIV rise linked to ‘flawed’ programs
NYT cepheid mrsa A Bug Rises, and With It a Company
SA The pill stops ovarian cancer

SA Women choosing doubly safe sex
Age Long-term implant ‘could cut unwanted pregnancy’
Abc Indigenous STI plan unveiled
Age Unplanned pregnancy study sparks call for safe-sex campaign
SD Handwashing Can Reduce Diarrhea Episodes By About One Third
.. Can Condoms Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections Other Than HIV?
Age Clinic urges patients to wear masks to halt flu
Age crypto fingers Gastro cases triple
PM Norovirus, hospitals – USA: (MA)

Mja collignon Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): “missing the wood for the trees”

Abc Hospital staff badges spread infection: study
Scmn Wash hands plea as bug shuts wards
Scmn Hospitals ‘not hitting hand-hygiene targets’
.. Hospitals told to clean up their act on hand hygiene

PM hands? Salmonellosis, serotype Newport, ground beef – USA: alert

Age The Austin acts to beat ‘superbug’
—
SD If You Don’t Want To Fall Ill This Christmas, Then Share A Festive Kiss But Don’t Shake Hands
.. Alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer use in military settings: a prospective cohort study of Army basic trainees.
Itw Dyson Airblade launches down under
Wm see ref hands Campylobacter
Abc AQIS ignored horse flu suggestions, inquiry hears
Smh Still a snag with blokes and hygiene
WP How to Wash Properly

DHS Start clean: Victorian Infection Control Strategy 2007–11 (164kb, pdf)

NYt Germ Fighters May Lead to Hardier Germs
Scmn Mismanagement and ‘appalling hygiene standards’ contributed to 345 deaths
Npr Experts Tout Hygiene to Battle Staph in Schools

NZH see diagrams hand hygiene 3. Pandemic Contingency Planning for Infrastructure Providers
uk The above animation shows the Ayliffe Technique

SD Semen Ingredient ‘Drastically’ Enhances HIV Infection
Nyt Sex Diseases Still Rising; Chlamydia Is Leader
Smh Kids suffer “terrifying” rates of STDs