Map Aims to Help Health Officials Take a Bite out of Lyme Disease</h1> <article> <h1>Map Aims to Help Health Officials Take a Bite out of Lyme Disease</h1> <p>Bridget DeSimone — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:31:53 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> As part of the most extensive Lyme disease-related field study ever, researchers from various universities spent four years combing wooded areas in the United States for ticks in order to create a map of the Eastern United States pinpointing where residents are at highest risk of contracting the disease.The goal is to provide doctors and public health officials a better sense of whether they should be on the lookout for the disease. The results were published in the February issue of the <a href=""><em>American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene</em></a> (a Burness client).</p> </div> </div> </div> <p> </p> <div id="cke_pastebin"> After sizing up more than 5000 ticks, researchers have created a detailed map of the Eastern United States pinpointing where humans are at highest risk of contracting the disease. To develop the map, tick hunters dragged sheets of fabric through wooded, bushy areas over a four year period to snag infected blacklegged ticks – also known as deer ticks – that transmit the disease through their bite. About one in five collected were laden with Lyme.</div> <div id="cke_pastebin"> </div> <div id="cke_pastebin"> The map shows people in the coastal Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Upper Midwest regions are at the highest risk of contracting the disease. Those in the majority of the South are at low risk. “Transitional areas” where the disease is likely to spread, include the northern parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, New England and the coastal areas of Virginia and North Carolina. The results were published in the February issue of the <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/content/86/2/320.abstract"><em>American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene</em></a> (a Burness client).</div> <div id="cke_pastebin"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Food and Farming at the Heart of Climate Discussion</h1> <p>Michelle Geis — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:57:19 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> Last week, a group of 14 international agriculture experts from around the world wrote an opinion piece in <em>Science </em>magazine urging the scientific community to address the importance of agriculture in the climate change debate. The authors, many of them serving as part of the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change (a Burness client), and led by UK's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir John Beddington, say there was incremental progress on the issue at this year's climate discussions in Durban. But they say the agreement does not go far enough.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p> Last week, a group of 14 international agriculture experts from around the world wrote an opinion piece in Science magazine urging the scientific community to address the importance of agriculture in the climate change debate. The authors, many of them serving as part of the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change (a Burness client), and led by UK's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir John Beddington, say there was incremental progress on the issue at this year's climate discussions in Durban. But they say the agreement does not go far enough.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Patients Want Easier Access to Their Doctors’ Notes</h1> <p>Burness Team — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:13:45 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> The main premise behind OpenNotes, a trial project funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is simple: allowing patients to easily access their medical notes via a secure online portal could empower patients to take more control over their own health care and improve the relationships between doctors and patients. According to a survey published in this month's <em>Annals of Internal Medicine</em>, demand for this kind of access to medical notes is high. Doctors, however, worry that patients may find the notes confusing. </p> </div> </div> </div> <p> Would easier access to doctors’ notes improve patient health?</p> <div> 1 in 5 respondents to a survey in this month’s <a href="http://annals.org/content/155/12/811.abstract">Annals of Internal Medicine</a> said easier access would likely provoke them to take better care of themselves.</div> <div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Venomous Snakebites: A Neglected Tropical Disease</h1> <p>Burness Team — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:01:39 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> The global health community should pay more attention to venomous snakebites, according to a group of researchers at a recent American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygieneve (ASTMH) meeting. Rates of death by snakebite, they said, are higher than reported. Many victims die or find alternative care such as "snake charmers" before going to established medical facilities, which are often too far away or too expensive.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p> Two recent studies reveal that getting bitten by a snake is a far greater problem than people have been led to believe.</p> <p> Official World Health Organization statistics are that snakebites result in 100,000 deaths each year around the world and 300,000 cases of permanent disability.</p> <p> But a recent study found that 46,000 people die every year from snakebites in India alone -- a far cry from the mere 2,000 such deaths officially reported. Another study in Bangladesh found 6,000 deaths due to snakebites every year and a whopping 700,000 snakebites overall -- totals that also far exceed that country’s official estimates.</p> <p></p> </article> <article> <h1>Bedbugs' Spread Fueled by Inbreeding, Treatment Resistance</h1> <p>Burness Team — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:09:14 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> At the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, scientists reported that extensive inbreeding among bed bugs does not appear to cause serious mutations that would kill off most other organisms. Inbreeding, combined with rising insecticide resistance, may explain why the pests are so prolific. The researchers also reported that they are in the early stages of targeting specific enzymes inside bed bugs to prevent them from resisting insecticides.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p> To adapt a phrase, bed bugs don't die, they multiply.</p> <p> A single mated female can spawn many colonies and then mate with her offspring. The offspring can also mate with each other. That is, bed bugs can survive, and even thrive, by inbreeding. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Safe Farming: No more praying for rain</h1> <p>Meredith Braden — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:15:07 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture's Kilimo Salama program helps smallholder farmers in Kenya insure their crops in a cost-effective way. The project is the first micro-insurance product available to this group, and uses mobile phones to administer insurance and collect and share crop farming advice. </p> </div> </div> </div> <p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; ">Traditional crop insurance relies on farm visits, a proposition which doesn’t add up for small farmers. Kilimo Salama uses creative, low-cost methods, such as weather stations and mobile money transfers, to remotely determine whether weather conditions justify a payout for farmers. </span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Sugary Drinks’ Not-So-Sweet Effect on Kids & Teens</h1> <p>Sara Brinda — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:07:49 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> A recent report from the Yale Rudd Center for Childhood Obesity found that children's and teens' exposure to TV ads for full-calorie soda doubled between 2008 and 2010. The report authors make several recommendations for beverage companies to make their products healthier and improve their marketing practices towards young people.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p> <strong>406:</strong> The average number of commercials for sugary drinks an American teenager saw on television in 2010. </p> <p> <strong>7: </strong>The number of teaspoons of sugar in an 8-ounce serving of full-calorie fruit drink – the same amount found in an 8-ounce serving of full-calorie soda. </p> <p> <strong>40:</strong> The percentage of children’s fruit drinks containing artificial sweeteners.</p> <p> <strong>20: </strong>The percentage increase in the number of ads teens saw for energy drinks between 2008 and 2010. </p> <p></p> </article> <article> <h1>Honoring Our Veterans with Better Skilled Nursing Homes</h1> <p>Victoria Chao — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:09:59 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> In honor of Veteran's Day, we are highlighting the Green House Project—a grantee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Burness client focused on reinventing the nursing home experience—for its work with the Veteran's Administration.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p> What better way to honor our veterans than to help them live comfortably and independently into their golden years? For Veteran’s Day, we wanted to highlight <a href="http://www.thegreenhouseproject.org">The Green House ® Project</a>—a grantee of the <a href="http://www.rwjf.org">Robert Wood Johnson Foundation</a> and Burness client focused on reinventing the nursing home experience for older Americans—which is taking steps to improve the lives of those who have served our country.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Insurance Payouts Help Herders Rebuild After Massive Livestock Losses</h1> <p>Jeff Haskins — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:59:45 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> Drought has decimated an estimated 20-30 percent of livestock in Kenya's Marsabit district, where livestock trade makes up an estimated 65 percent of household income. A partnership between the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)--a Burness client--and private sector Kenyan partners including Equity Bank and UAP Insurance allows Kenyan pastoralists in the area to insure their livestock, giving herders an opportunity to recover at least some of what was lost. </p> </div> </div> </div> <p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; ">Sake Dabasso Halake stands proudly in front of </span><a href="http://www.equitybank.co.ke/" style="line-height: normal; ">Equity Bank</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; ">'s Marsabit branch. She smiles, clutching an envelope full with 16,000 Kshs that she received today as a payout on an insurance policy for the 10 cows she lost during the current drought affecting thousands of herders in Northern Kenya. </span></p> <p> According to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/oct/26/kenyan-herders-reap-dividends-livestock-insurance?newsfeed=true"><em>The Guardian</em></a>, around 650 herders in Marsbit district signed up for insurance policies established through a partnership the <a href="http://www.ilri.org/">International Livestock Research Institute</a> (ILRI)—a Burness client, East Africa’s largest insurer <a href="http://www.uapkenya.com">UAP Insurance</a> and Equity to protect herders like Sake and their livestock investments from drought losses. At a time when global attention for the worst drought in half a century has waned, nearly all were compensated. Researchers estimate that anywhere between 20-30 percent of livestock in Marsabit have been lost. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Access to Reproductive Health Leads to a Better World</h1> <p>Julie-Anne Savarit-Cosenza — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:36:42 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-primary-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-intro"> <div class="field-label">Accordion Summary: </div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p> At a recent Aspen Institute event, reproductive health experts discussed the links between access to family planning and poverty. Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and chair of the Aspen Institute's Global Leaders Council on Reproductive Health, shared her insights on how the lack of access to family planning is affecting Somalia. The Global Leaders Council is asking world leaders to double their investment in family planning services from $3.1 billion to $6.7 billion.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p> The right to family planning can mean the difference between life and death. </p> <p> A recent <a href="http://www.aspeninstitute.org/GHD/7Billion">Aspen Institute</a> event on global reproductive health focused on this relationship between family planning and poverty. Every year, approximately 350,000 women—most of them in Sub-Saharan Africa—die from pregnancy-related causes. Women with access to family planning have fewer children, and the children they do have are healthier and better-educated. Additionally, investments in reproductive health reduce pressure on food security. </p> </article> </main></body></html>