Scientists have figured out a way to block the spread of malaria using genetically-modified (GM) mosquitoes that carry synthetic genes to curb the transmission of the blood parasite when the insect bites its human host.
From The Independent, London.
Comments: This is just preliminary research. Much research, including field research, remains. Big questions: Effectiveness in real world. Environmental impact. etc.
Scientists have figured out a way to block the spread of malaria using genetically-modified (GM) mosquitoes that carry synthetic genes to curb the transmission of the blood parasite when the insect bites its human host.
From The Independent, London.
Comments: This is just preliminary research. Much research, including field research, remains. Big questions: Effectiveness in real world. Environmental impact. etc.
Video from World Health Organization about European Immunization Week 2011.
Immunization is the best, most cost-effective way to prevent disease.
TIME: The Very Hungry Caterpillar: A Dubious Weapon in the War on Childhood Obesity
Nevertheless, this spring, more than 17,500 U.S. pediatricians will start distributing free copies of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, along with growth charts and information for parents that encourages them to chat with their kids’ doctors about the importance of eating well.
The Alliance offers the following tips for using The Hungry Caterpillar to launch a dialogue about healthy eating between parents and children:
• Teach your child that apples, pears, plums, strawberries, and oranges are all fruits. Ask them if they can name other fruits.
• Talk to them about how fruits are good for your body.
• Talk about how when the caterpillar overeats, he gets a stomachache, so it’s important to stop eating when you feel full.
The nutrition education program for kindergartners I work with uses this book as part of its curriculum. Last week we did cooking in the classroom and to get the kids more excited about trying spinach my fellow student reminded them that just like the caterpillar in the story humans can eat leaves and should eat leaves instead of the junk that made him the caterpillar so sick!
England ‘healthier than the US’
People living in England enjoy better health than Americans, despite less investment in healthcare, research published in the US has revealed. (from the BBC)
Would you/your organization like to partner with the American Public Health Association (APHA) during National Public Health Week, April 4-10, 2011?
Nearly half a million now evacuated from Japan’s stricken zone
16 March 2011— Near-freezing temperatures, accompanied by snow, brought extra misery today to the hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power station crisis in north-east Japan. About 440 000 people have been evacuated, with more than 23 300 still seeking shelter. (From WHO)
NOW AVAILABLE!
The Smokefree QuitGuide app for your smartphone is now available for download on iTunes!
Chart: The Paleolithic Diet vs. the Modern American Diet - Food - GOOD
This is interesting, but I’d say the diseases we are causing ourselves are more about volume, than range of energy/nutrition sources. Paleolithic man would have been happy to eat our food if it had been available. And would have been prepared to run a long way to get it. Every day!
Source: 
Page 1 of 4
