The Obama Administration's Global Health Initiative

08/24/10 (People Port) Secretary Clinton outlined this bold expansion of America's commitment to global health. Our nation has fought polio, HIV, infant mortality, immunizations, a huge number of tropical diseases, smallpox, malnutrition, SARS, H1NI, Avian flu... a very long list. Our budget is over 60 billion when all is totaled.

You may want to read: War Breeds Disease

The Obama Administration, with Secretary Clinton in the lead is shapening our Global Health Initiative (GHI) its focus, while giving this positive American message to the world, and keeping score of what works the best. There are baby kits that help normal pregnancies arrive (twine, sheet of plastic, razor). No rose colored lenses. An example of the successful implamentation, 16 year olds will not be delivering babies.

All measurers are being simplified, made easier to understand. The focus is on America's caregiver network, the NGOs, foundations, service clubs, that have been doing the heavy lifting for years. Not so much specialization, as bringing more help to more people in more places. Wtih the help of global tracking, a comprehinsive look at these complicated problems underlying our neighbors' health. We all understand poverty leads to poor health outcomes.

Is costs very little to prevent many of the diseases that quickly runup a nations cost of recovering from natural disasters. This leads to more, longer, and expensive commitments to our global problems and easily spill from the affect region into our commerce and trading partners. Our Nation normally prefers to stop these diseases where they occur, not here at home. Vaccine shortages make haedlines here.

The Secretary outlined a simple well informed measures in her speach at School of Advanced International Studies this month. Making our money go farther is a very good idea.

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What Foods Are Making Your Family Sick

08/12/2010 (People Port) The CDC looked into 235 outbreaks where one food commodity was identified, the largest number of illnesses listed poultry (691 illnesses), beef (667 illnesses), and leafy vegetables (590 illnesses) as the cause. The CDC tracks 17 food commodity categories.

Some 1,097 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in 2007, according to a CDC analysis. State investigators reported 21,244 illnesses and 18 deaths as a result of these outbreaks. The report also provides the most recent data on how many illnesses were linked to specific types of foods.

Foodborne disease outbreaks due to norovirus occur most often when infected food handlers do not wash their hands well after using the toilet; outbreaks due to salmonella occur most often when foods are contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs. But any food, including vegetables, may become contaminated. Thorough cooking kills Salmonella.

To prevent foodborne illnesses, CDC recommends that consumers and food handlers appropriately clean, separate, cook and chill foods.