HIV in the Elderly, Yucky Fly News, Darfur and More
Karen Grepin touches on the International Criminal Court decision to indict the President of Sudan and its impact on health in Darfur. Short answer: it's going to be bad. Ten international NGOs were kicked out of Darfur as a result of that decision, and they were providing vital services to people there. Check out my heartless comment on the post, hoping that someone is at least collecting data on the impact. My Change.org colleague Michael Kleinman has more details on the expulsion and exactly what the NGOs were doing. The Thirsty Palmetto has some impressions of the immediate impact.
Next, we have some very yucky news on antibiotic resistant bacteria and industrial farms. Flies that land on poultry waste are picking up resistant organisms, and they could well be spreading them to people. As we look at different responses to the global food crisis, we need to remember the downside of industrial agriculture.
A new WHO Bulletin report, "The Unexplored Story of HIV and Aging," discusses high levels of HIV infection in the elderly. The WHO posits Viagra and increasing life spans as an explanation. I disagree. In this particular case, the elderly are defined as people over 50, and the study is looking at prevalence not new infections. I suspect that with increased treatment, more people with AIDS are living past 50. I agree strongly with the overall point of the bulletin, which is that we need more research on HIV and the elderly. People don't stop having sex as they get older, and they don't stop interacting with the health system. (They do stop using intravenous drugs, or, differently put, IV drug users don't tend to get old.) In addition to the epidemiological interest, the modes of transmission seem to change in older people, which could give offer new insight into prevention and treatment.
Finally, take a look at this great new article on mental health in developing countries. Mental health (like dental care) is frequently overlooked when health in developing countries is studied. This report is a rare look at the social and economic impact of poor mental health in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, Mexico India, and Tonga. It turns out that mental health in these countries is less linked to consumption, and more to physical health than you might expect.
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