Copyright 2013 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/aid-disasters/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260682.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260682.phpEarthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters often showcase the worst in human suffering - especially when those disasters strike populations who live in rapidly growing communities in the developing world with poorly enforced or non-existent building codes...Aid / Disasters Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260480.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260480.phpCommunity groups in rural Vietnam comprised of local health workers, politicians and laywomen (Maternal and Newborn Health Groups) set up to tackle challenges to maternal and neonatal health may reduce the neonatal death rate after three years and increase antenatal care attendance, according to a study by researchers from Sweden and Vietnam published in this week's PLOS Medicine...Aid / Disasters Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260356.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260356.php A new all-time low price for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines will now help guarantee that millions of girls in poor countries are protected against cervical cancer. This will be made possible by the GAVI alliance (the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) - a public-private partnership that aims to save children's lives by funding vaccines in the world's 70 poorest nations...Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine Thu, 02 May 2013 11:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260023.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260023.php In a valiant example of "extreme science", 12 children from the UK recently took part in an Everest expedition that aimed to help doctors better understand how to treat critically ill youngsters...Pediatrics / Children's Health Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259616.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259616.phpMore than a quarter of a century after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, many children and teenagers who developed thyroid cancer due to radiation are in complete or near remission, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM)....Cancer / Oncology Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259561.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259561.phpNeurosurgeons from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center recount their experiences in treating patients with head and spine injuries during the epic April 2011 tornado disaster. The authors focus on injuries sustained on April 27th of that year...Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259525.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259525.phpChild sponsorship is a leading form of direct aid from households in wealthy countries to children in developing countries, with approximately 3.39 billion dollars spent to sponsor 9.14 million children internationally...Pediatrics / Children's Health Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259343.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259343.phpRadio communications can be unreliable in underground tunnels and other large, complicated structures, posing a safety hazard for emergency responders. New tests of wireless emergency safety equipment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have defined the challenges more precisely and suggest how emergency communications might be improved...Public Health Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/258205.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/258205.phpWell designed and planned exercises are essential to ensure that the UK can respond effectively to emergencies of all kinds, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The emergencies may take the form of a terrorist attack, flooding, pandemic flu, rail or air disaster - or any major disruptive event requiring an emergency response...Aid / Disasters Sun, 24 Mar 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/258127.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/258127.phpIf you think you can create a Next Generation Condom that considerably enhances or preserves pleasure, the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation might award you a Phase I $100,000 grant. The aim is to improve condom uptake and regular use. Male condoms are inexpensive, easy to produce and distribute, they are available all over the world, even in remote and resource poor settings...Sexual Health / STDs Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257912.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257912.phpIn Africa, issues of vaccine supply, financing, and sustainability require urgent attention if the Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved, according to African experts writing in this week's PLOS Medicine...Immune System / Vaccines Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257387.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257387.phpThe upheaval caused by Hurricane Katrina seems to have disrupted the usual timing of heart attacks, shifting peak frequency from weekday mornings to weekend nights, in a change in pattern that persisted a full five years after the storm, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session...Aid / Disasters Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257391.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257391.phpNew Orleans residents continue to face a three-fold increased risk of heart attack post-Katrina - a trend that has remained unchanged since the storm hit in 2005, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session...Aid / Disasters Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257134.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257134.phpEven in the face of a disaster, we remain optimistic about our chances of injury compared to others, according to a new study. Residents of a town struck by a tornado thought their risk of injury from a future tornado was lower than that of peers, both a month and a year after the destructive twister. Such optimism could undermine efforts toward emergency preparedness...Psychology / Psychiatry Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/257043.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/257043.phpThere is a lightly higher risk of developing some types of cancers for people living near the site of the Fukushima nuclear power disaster, says a group of international experts who carried out an analysis. They added that the predicted risks for developing cancer for the general population living inside and outside Japan are relatively low...Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256947.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256947.phpPolice, firefighters and other protective services workers who are repeatedly exposed to traumatic events and are new to their profession are at greater risk of developing a psychiatric disorder, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health...Aid / Disasters Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256880.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256880.php Ohio State University cancer researchers have identified molecules in the bloodstream that might accurately gauge the likelihood of radiation illness after exposure to ionizing radiation. The animal study, led by researchers at The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J...Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256776.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256776.php Nobody can foresee disaster, but changing climate conditions are prompting smart communities increasingly to prepare for them with solid emergency response plans and protocols...Aid / Disasters Wed, 20 Feb 2013 07:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256632.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256632.phpAcross the developing world, childhood cancer is on the rise, and mortality is high. Once thought of as a rich world disease, cancer is a growing health threat across low-income and middle-income countries (LMCs)...Pediatrics / Children's Health Tue, 19 Feb 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256519.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256519.phpIf all mothers breastfed their newborns straight away after they were born, about 830,000 lives annually would be saved, says Save the Children in a new report. The authors added that there are four major barriers to better breastfeeding...Pediatrics / Children's Health Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256024.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/256024.php Despite dire predictions in the wake of the economic crisis, donations to health projects in developing countries appear to be holding steady, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. After reaching a historic high of $28.2 billion in 2010, development assistance for health dropped in 2011 and recovered in 2012...Public Health Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/255798.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/255798.php Latest research points to the high risk for mental health problems among staff working in humanitarian organizations in northern Uganda, due in large part to their work environment...Anxiety / Stress Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/255757.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/255757.php Recent natural disasters illustrate vulnerability of older people: majority of deaths from the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) occurred among older people...Seniors / Aging Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/255691.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/255691.php A natural disaster can bring out the best in older children, prompting 9-year-olds to be more willing to share, while 6-year-olds become more selfish. Researchers at the University of Toronto, the University of Chicago, and Liaoning Normal University made this finding in a rare natural experiment in China around the time of a horrific earthquake...Psychology / Psychiatry Wed, 09 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/254686.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/254686.php Surveys suggest that while most US physicians are willing to play a role in responding to natural and manmade disasters, most do not feel adequately prepared to fulfill that role...Aid / Disasters