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Loading ...Brazil Creates Cancer Research Network / Brasil lança rede de pesquisas sobre o câncer
Thursday, March 5th, 2009Brazil’s National Council on Scientific and technological Development (CNPq) and Health Ministry (MS) have launched a Brazilian Cancer Research Network (Rede Brasileira de Pesquisas sobre o Câncer). According to the National Cancer Institute (INCA), cancer is the second greatest cause of death in Brazil, and it is projected to cause 465,000 new deaths in 2009. […]
Cost-benefit of Iron Deficiency Interventions in Argentina
Monday, February 16th, 2009A recent issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health includes an article* that attempts to estimate the direct and indirect cost of iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in Argentina and compare it with the cost of a prevention and treatment program. The authors analyzed a prior scenario to gage the […]
Bolivia Bans Dozens of Pesticides, Activists Call for Rest of LAC to Follow
Monday, February 2nd, 2009At the close of the meeting of the Latin American section of the Pesticide Action Network (known by its Spanish acronym RAP-AL) in La Paz last week, host country Bolivia announced that it was banning all pesticides with active ingredients classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as extremely (Class 1a) or highly (Class 1b) […]
A Symbolic Ban of Asbestos
Thursday, January 29th, 2009Brazil’s Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, just banned asbestos. Well, not quite. He announced at the World Social Forum that has banned, through an administrative rule (portaria), the use of any product containing asbesto fibers in construction or goods acquired by the Environment Ministry (MMA) and its associated organs: the national environment agency, IBAMA, the Chico […]
Brazil Seeks to Lead in Stem-Cell Research
Monday, January 26th, 2009Brazil’s Health Ministry is sponsoring Brazilian research that has led to the production of the first line of induced pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells are able to transform into any cell type. They are similar to embryonic stem cells but do not need to be obtained from embryos. Brazil becomes the fifth (and the […]
Eradicating an Ancient Disease
Monday, January 26th, 2009Leprosy. What images does that word invoke for you? The stories of ostracized lepers from the Bible, Torah or Koran? The scenes involving isolated “leper colonies” from Papillon or Motorcycle Diaries? How much do you know about it? Is it very contagious? (No.) Is it curable? (Yes.) Hasn’t it disappeared except for isolated communities in […]
A Water and Sanitation Atlas for Brazil
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008Last month a branch of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (“Fiocruz“), the Institute of Communication and Scientific and Technological Information in Health (Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde – Icict), in partnership with the Health Ministry’s (MS) General Coordination for Environmental Health Surveillance (Coordenação Geral de Vigilância em Saúde Ambiental – CGVAM), […]
New Brazilian Rules on Pharmaceutical Marketing
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008Brazil’s Health Minister, José Gomes Temporão, and the head of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), Dirceu Raposo, recently announced new rules on pharmaceutical marketing in that country to replace less ambitious ones adopted in 2000. The new rules aim at substantially changing how medicines are promoted in Latin America’s largest pharma market, and may […]
Brazil to Invest R$25 Million by 2012 on Anti-HIV Vaccines / Brasil vai investir R$25 milhões até 2012 em vacinas anti-HIV
Sunday, October 5th, 2008From Brazil’s National Program on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS (STD-AIDS): R$ 25 million to be invested in Anti-HIV Vaccines by 2012 During the next four years the Brazilian Ministry of Health will invest R$ 25 million in research into the development of a vaccine against AIDS. The resources will be applied in human resource […]
New Cigarette Health Warnings/Images in Chile
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008A couple of weeks back Chile’s Health Ministry (Minsal) announced a new warning that, according to a new decree just published in the official gazette, all cigarette packs placed on the Chilean market must bear starting on 16 November. Chile, it appears, has decided to forgo the shock treatment approach that Brazil and Uruguay have […]