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DNA Damage From Environmental Exposures May Occur In As Little As Three Days
Exposure to particulate matter has been recognized as a contributing factor to lung cancer development for some time, but a new study indicates inhalation of certain particulates can actually cause some genes to become reprogrammed, affecting both the development and the outcome of cancers and other diseases.
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Denver Post Examines Efforts To Establish Needle-Exchange Programs In Colorado
The Denver Post on Friday examined efforts to establish needle-exchange programs in Colorado to reduce the risk of HIV and hepatitis C among injection drug users. According to the Post, 185 cities in Colorado have needle-exchange programs, but legislation that would have legalized needle exchanges statewide did not advance in the Legislature this year. "The issue is more complex than it perhaps first appears," Evan Dreyer, a spokesperson for Gov. Bill Ritter (D), said, adding that "law enforcement and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment both expressed serious reservations" about a proposal that would have legalized needle-exchanges statewide. A coalition of public health officials, treatment providers and advocates are increasing efforts to establish a needle-exchange program in Denver, the Post reports. The Denver Drug Strategy Commission in February recommended that Mayor John Hickenlooper consider a pilot needle-exchange program, DDSC Director Karla Maraccini said. The commission is looking at different programs to develop a model following Hickenlooper"s request for additional research. However, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey has concerns that a local needle-exchange program would violate state law, according to Morrissey"s spokesperson Lynn Kimbrough. Eric Brown, a spokesperson for Hickenlooper, added, "Anything in contradiction to city or state law would have to be carefully considered." Proponents of needle-exchange programs say they prevent HIV and hepatitis C, but opponents say they condone injection drug use. Mark Thrun, director of HIV prevention for Denver Public Health, said, adding that needle-exchange programs prevent IDUs from "getting these chronic, potentially fatal diseases" and give public health workers "an opportunity to link them into treatment; and it lessens the economic burden on the already overburdened health care system." Thrun noted that several studies have found that needle-exchange programs do not encourage or prolong injection drug use and make IDUs more likely to seek treatment. In addition, a 2005 CDC study found that 86% of exchange programs make treatment referrals and that more than 80% offer counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.Nancy Steinfurth, executive director of the Hep C Connection, noted that an estimated 10% of HIV cases and 70% of hepatitis C cases are transmitted through needles (Auge, Denver Post, 5/15).
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Dietitians Of Canada Says Posting Calories And Nutrients On Menus May Help Canadians Make Healthier Food Choices
Does posting calories on restaurant menu boards help Canadians make healthier food choices and possibly prevent obesity? Dietitians of Canada says yes - providing nutrition information in restaurants, including calorie and nutrient content of food served, is one step that may help promote healthier choices. However, a review of the evidence on this issue by Dietitians of Canada (DC) underscores the fact that there are no simple solutions to the complex issue of obesity prevention; a variety of approaches are needed. One such solution is to ensure that settings in which food choices are made, including restaurants and fast-food establishments, support healthy eating. Longer term evaluation of these types of labelling initiatives are needed before we can say whether providing calorie and nutrient information in these settings will affect obesity rates.
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WHO Recommends Global Use Of Rotavirus Vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that rotavirus vaccination be included in all national immunization programmes in order to provide protection against a virus that is responsible for more than 500,000 diarrheal deaths and two million hospitalizations annually among children. More than 85 percent of these deaths occur in developing countries in Africa and Asia. This new policy will help ensure access to rotavirus vaccines in the world"s poorest countries. The new recommendation by the WHO"s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), extends an earlier recommendation made in 2005 on vaccination in the Americas and Europe, where clinical trials had demonstrated safety and efficacy in low- and intermediate-mortality populations. New data from clinical trials which evaluated vaccine efficacy in countries with high child mortality has led to the recommendation for global use of the vaccine. This is reported in the Weekly Epidemiological Review published on June 5, 2009. "This is a tremendous milestone in ensuring that vaccines against the most common cause of lethal diarrhea reach the children who need them most," noted Dr. Thomas Cherian, Coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals. The GAVI Alliance, vaccine manufacturers, and the public health community made an unprecedented commitment to understand how these vaccines would work in developing-world conditions. The clinical trial, funded in part by GAVI and conducted by PATH, WHO, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and research institutions in high-mortality, low-socioeconomic settings of South Africa and Malawi, found that rotavirus vaccine significantly reduced severe diarrhea episodes due to rotavirus. "This WHO recommendation clears the way for vaccines that will protect children in the developing world from one of the most deadly diseases they face," said Dr. Tachi Yamada, President of the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We need to act now to deliver vaccines to children in Africa and Asia, where most rotavirus deaths occur." In 2006, the GAVI Alliance added rotavirus vaccines to its portfolio of vaccines for which it provides financial support to developing countries, underscoring GAVI"s commitment to reduce the traditional 15- to 20-year lag between the introduction of new vaccines in wealthy countries and their availability in the developing world. Today, WHO"s global recommendation paves the way for low-income countries in Africa and Asia to apply to GAVI for introduction of rotavirus vaccines- just three years after new rotavirus vaccines became available in the US, Europe, and Latin America. "The GAVI Alliance welcomes this exciting recommendation," said GAVI CEO, Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt. "It represents another important step in our ability to achieve significant impact on under-five deaths in the world"s poorest communities and make progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. We are extremely excited about the potential to offer African and Asian countries funding to introduce rotavirus vaccines." Because oral vaccines can have variable efficacy in different populations, it was important to demonstrate vaccine performance in high-mortality settings. The studies in Africa were conducted among populations with high infant and child mortality, poor sanitary conditions, high diarrheal disease mortality, and high maternal HIV prevalence. "The new evidence and the WHO recommendation are major breakthroughs for the health of our children," said Dr. Oyewale Tomori, Vice Chancellor of Redeemer"s University, Nigeria, who has served as Regional Laboratory Coordinator for the World Health Organization (Africa Region). "Too many of our children are dying from rotavirus and other causes of diarrhea. We urgently need these lifesaving vaccines against rotavirus." The clinical trial investigators from Malawi and South Africa will present and publish their data on the GSK RotarixTM vaccine later this summer. Clinical trial sites in Bangladesh and Vietnam-along with sites in Ghana, Mali, and Kenya-evaluated the performance of Merck"s rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq®, and data are expected in Fall 2009. While efficacy data from Asian countries are forthcoming, SAGE recommended rotavirus vaccines for all populations, including Asia, since available evidence indicates that efficacy data can be extrapolated to populations with similar mortality patterns, regardless of geographic location. Because there are many causes of diarrheal disease, SAGE emphasized the importance of providing rotavirus vaccination in the context of a comprehensive diarrheal disease control strategy, including improvement of water quality, hygiene, and sanitation; provision of oral rehydration solution and zinc supplements; and overall improved case management. WHO, UNICEF, and other GAVI partners are working together in a new accelerated and integrated approach to combat rotavirus diarrhea and pneumonia, the two biggest vaccine-preventable diseases which together account for more than 35 percent of all child deaths each year, the majority of which are in the developing world. Weekly Epidemiological Record SAGE Statements of Support from select global health experts WHO


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