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8 March 2013

Army Public Health Weekly Update

The Army Public Health Update is a collection of articles taken verbatim

from public sources to offer awareness of current health issues and the

media coverage given to them. The articles do not necessarily represent

US Army Medical Department opinions, views, policy, or guidance, and

should not be construed or interpreted as being

endorsed by the US Army Medical Department.

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Contents

U.S. MILITARY

 Are brain injuries from IED blasts causing the military suicide crisis?

 Sexually transmitted infections, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2000-2012

GLOBAL

 Ensuring public health neutrality

 Unreported side effects of drugs are found using internet search data, study finds

 U.S. baby's cure from HIV raises hope, new questions

 More baccalaureate-prepared nurses in hospitals connected to fewer patient deaths

 Video reveals invisible motion all around us

INFLUENZA

 Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center: DoD Influenza Surveillance Summary

 CDC: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report

 DoD Global Laboratory-Based Influenza Surveillance Program

 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview

 Google.org: Flu Trends

 Study: Getting flu shot 2 years in a row may lower protection

 USAPHC: U.S. Army Influenza Activity Report

 PANDEMIC AND AVIAN INFLUENZA

 Effects of vaccine program against pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus, United States, 2009–2010

VETERINARY/FOOD SAFETY

 More cases in multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to chicken

 FDA finds field contamination links in cantaloupe Salmonella probe

WELLNESS

 Barefoot running can cause injuries, too

 BUSM study reveals potential target to better treat, cure anxiety disorders
2

Incidence, 

Prevalence, and 

Cost of Sexually 

Transmitted 

Infections in the 

United States

CDC’s new estimates show 

that there are about 20 

million new infections in 

the United States each 

year, costing the American 

healthcare system nearly 

$16 billion in direct 

medical costs alone. 

America’s youth shoulder a 

substantial burden of these 

infections. 

CDC estimates that half of 

all new STIs in the country 

occur among young men 

and women. 

CDC’s new data suggest 

that there are more than 

110 million total STIs 

among men and women 

across the nation. 

 Fitness experts separate folklore from fact

 HIV linked to higher chance of heart attack

 New research shows direct link between salt laden western diet and autoimmune diseases

 Sacrificing sleep makes for run-down teens — and parents

 Study: Processed meat linked to premature death

 Why ER docs in the Big Apple won't replace that painkiller prescription

 Your child's fat, mine's fine: Rose-colored glasses and the obesity epidemic

USAFRICOM

 Anti-AIDS pill, vaginal gel unsuitable for Africa: study

 Kenya: Antiretroviral drugs sold for food in Kenya’s slums

 Nigeria violence halts anti-polio program

USCENTCOM

 Afghanistan: Mental health in Afghanistan: Poverty, vulnerability have bigger impact than war, 

study finds

 Iraq's depleted uranium clean-up to cost $30m as contamination spreads

 Syrians risk their health to keep warm

USEUCOM

 Greece: ECDC urges better West Nile control efforts

 U.K.: Confirmed cases of measles in North East tops 120

 U.K. 'fares badly in European health league table'

USNORTHCOM

 U.S. border patrol finds, detains its first XDR-TB case

 U.S.: CDC warns of drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae

 U.S.: Continued vigilance urged for fungal infections among patients who received 

contaminated steroid injections

 U.S., New York: Bloomberg to target loud headphones in new campaign

 U.S.: Study says life expectancy falls for some U.S. women

USPACOM

 China: 151 cases of measles confirmed in Kunming

 India fortifies food to fight 'hidden hunger'

USSOUTHCOM

 Paraguay: More than 76,000 dengue cases

 Peru: Bartonellosis
3

The Facts Hurt:

A State-by-State

Injury Prevention

Policy Report

Injuries—including those 

caused by accidents and 

violence—are the thirdleading cause of death 

nationally, and they are the 

leading cause of death for 

Americans between the 

ages of one and 44.

This report by the Trust for 

America’s Health and the 

Robert Wood Johnson 

Foundation concludes that 

millions of injuries could be 

prevented each year if 

more states adopted 

additional research-based 

injury prevention policies, 

and if programs were fully 

implemented and 

enforced.

U.S. MILITARY

Are brain injuries from IED blasts causing the military 

suicide crisis?

5 March - Traumatic brain injuries sustained by more than 200,000 U.S. troops during 

combat explosions may be fueling the military’s suicide crisis, according to a letter cosigned by 53 congressional members who are seeking additional data to investigate the

new theory. In the letter, sent Tuesday to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Veterans 

Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, the lawmakers urged both agencies to provide Congress with 

a raft of figures, including the number of Iraq and Afghanistan service members and 

veterans who committed suicide or tried to end their lives after being brain injured by the 

detonation of an improvised explosive device — “the weapon of choice” in both wars.

NBC News

Sexually transmitted infections, active component, U.S. 

Armed Forces, 2000-2012

February - This report summarizes incidence rates of the five most commonly diagnosed

sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among active component service members of the U.S. 

Armed Forces during 2000 to 2012. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections were the most 

common, followed in decreasing order of frequency by infections associated with 

chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Compared to their counterparts, 

women, younger service members, soldiers, and enlisted members had higher incidence

rates of each STI. Rates tended to be lower among married personnel. Medical Surveillance 

Monthly Report

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GLOBAL

Ensuring public health neutrality

27 February - In June 1968, a clearly marked Swedish Red Cross plane flying relief supplies 

into the breakaway state of Biafra was shot down by Nigerian fighters. Before the war was 

over, many relief planes would be shot down and far more would crash because the 

Nigerian government's shoot-to-kill order forced them to fly at night. The brazen targeting 

of Red Cross relief flights on civilian humanitarian missions was hard to imagine. In the 

minds of some people, however, these attacks were justified by another clear violation of 

humanitarian neutrality: on at least one occasion, a plane painted with the Red Cross 

insignia was actually carrying weapons. That rare instance of military action masquerading 

as humanitarian relief completely undermined the neutrality of everyone who operated by 

the accepted rules of humanitarian assistance, cost the lives of both aid workers and aid 

recipients, and provided a blanket of impunity for the future criminal actions of the Nigerian 

government. To underscore the necessity of humanitarian neutrality, 12 deans from 
4

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prominent U.S. schools of public health sent a letter to President Barack Obama on January 

6, 2013, protesting the conduct of a sham vaccination campaign as part of the hunt for 

Osama bin Laden. New England Journal of Medicine

Unreported side effects of drugs are found using internet 

search data, study finds

6 March - Using data drawn from queries entered into Google, Microsoft and Yahoo search 

engines, scientists at Microsoft, Stanford and Columbia University have for the first time 

been able to detect evidence of unreported prescription drug side effects before they were 

found by the Food and Drug Administration’s warning system. Using automated software 

tools to examine queries by six million Internet users taken from Web search logs in 2010, 

the researchers looked for searches relating to an antidepressant, paroxetine, and a 

cholesterol lowering drug, pravastatin. They were able to find evidence that the 

combination of the two drugs caused high blood sugar. New York Times

U.S. baby's cure from HIV raises hope, new questions

4 March - The remarkable case of a baby being cured of HIV infection in the United States 

using readily available drugs has raised new hope for eradicating the infection in infants 

worldwide, but scientists say it will take a lot more research and much more sensitive 

diagnostics before this hope becomes a reality. In a medical first for an infant, the 

Mississippi toddler was born in July 2010 infected with HIV, treated within 30 hours of 

delivery with aggressive HIV therapy, which continued for 18 months. She is now considered 

cured of her infection, a team of researchers led by Dr. Deborah Persaud, a virologist at 

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said in a news conference at the Conference on 

Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta on Sunday. Reuters

More baccalaureate-prepared nurses in hospitals 

connected to fewer patient deaths 

4 March — When hospitals hire more nurses with four-year degrees, patient deaths 

following common surgeries decrease, according to new research by the University of 

Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research as 

reported in the March issue of the prestigious policy journal Health Affairs. Less than half 

the nation’s nurses (45%) have baccalaureate degrees, according to the most recent data 

available (2008). If all 134 Pennsylvania hospitals involved in the study had increased the 

percentage of their nurses with four-year degrees by 10 percentage points, the lives of 

about 500 patients who had undergone general, vascular, or orthopedic surgery might have 

been saved, the researchers found. Newswise

Video reveals invisible motion all around us

4 March - We don’t realize it, but there’s an invisible world of pulsating movement and 

color all around us. Now a team of researchers has found a way to amplify this unseen 

world using video. Dubbed “Eulerian Video Magnification,” the technology can be used to 

monitor a sleeping newborn’s breathing, the pulse of hospital patients and even industrial 
5

machines. “Once we amplify these small motions, there’s like a whole new world you can 

look at,” MIT computer scientist William Freeman told the New York Times. The system 

works by concentrating on a single pixel in a video. The program identifies subtle, frame-byframe changes in color or motion, then amplifies them 100 times. A video of a person’s face 

that might normally look pink shifts toward bright red when subjected to the algorithm. 

Such a program could reveal subtle changes in a person’s pulse and make them 

immediately visible to a nurse or doctor. Besides monitoring pulses, scientists say their 

system could also be used to monitor spatial patterns of blood flow to check for any 

asymmetries that could indicate disease. Discovery News

top of page...

INFLUENZA

Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center: DoD Influenza 

Surveillance Summary

 In Week 8 (through 23 February 2013), Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Pneumonia & 

Influenza (P&I) incidence rates continued to decrease in the US, but increased in 

EUCOM and PACOM. Among EUCOM service members, the proportion of outpatient 

visits due to P&I remained above both baseline rates and previous season rates. 

 Across the overseas DoD laboratory surveillance network, influenza activity varied from 

low to moderate levels except in Europe, where high levels of influenza activity were 

detected with co-circulation of influenza A/H1, A/H3, and B. 

 The influenza vaccination coverage for the DoD (Active Duty component only) is 97%. 

AFHSC DoD Influenza Surveillance Summary

CDC: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report

 During week 8 (February 17 - 23, 2013), influenza activity remained elevated in the 

United States, but decreased in most areas. 

 Viral Surveillance: Of 7,609 specimens tested and reported by collaborating 

laboratories, 1,288 (16.9%) were positive for influenza. 

 Pneumonia and Influenza Mortality: The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia 

and influenza (P&I) was above the epidemic threshold. 

 Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths: Three pediatric deaths were reported. 

 Outpatient Illness Surveillance: The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like 

illness (ILI) was 2.7%. This is above the national baseline of 2.2%. 

 Geographic Spread of Influenza: Twelve states reported widespread influenza activity; 

Puerto Rico and 28 states reported regional influenza activity; FluView
6

DoD Global Laboratory-Based Influenza Surveillance 

Program

 During Week 8 (17 - 23 February 2013), 38 specimens were tested from 17 locations. 

There were 10 influenza A viruses (six A(H3N2) and four A(H1N1)pdm09); and five 

influenza B viruses detected. 

 To date this influenza season, 2,853 specimens have been tested from 81 locations of 

which 946 were positive for influenza A (850 A(H3N2), 86 A(H1N1)pdm09, one coinfection of A(H3N2) & A(H1N1)pdm09, three co-infections of A(H3N2) & B, one coinfection of A(H3N2) & parainfluenza, and five A/not subtyped); and 198 were positive 

for influenza B (14 B/Yamagata, two B/Victoria, and 182 B/lineage undetermined). There 

have been 189 other respiratory viruses isolated (45 adenovirus, 64 parainfluenza, nine 

enterovirus, and 71 RSV). 

 In a recent CDC report, the interim adjusted estimate of seasonal influenza vaccine 

effectiveness was 56% [95% confidence interval (CI) 47% to 63%], suggesting moderate 

protection overall. The estimate for adults aged 65 and older was not significant [VE 

27% (95% CI –31% to 59%)] (Morbidity and Mortality Report, 22 February 2013). USAF 

School of Aerospace Medicine

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control:

Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview

In week 8/2013, 19 of 28 countries reporting indicated concomitantly high/mediumintensity transmission and wide geographic spread. Only six countries reported increasing 

trends compared to eleven in week 7. Fifteen countries have been reporting decreasing or 

stable trends for at least two consecutive weeks. 

 The proportion of influenza virus-positive specimens from sentinel sites remained high

(50%), but it has decreased from the peak (~60%) observed around weeks 5 to 7/2013. 

 Since week 40/2012, an even distribution of influenza virus types has been observed, 

50% each for type A and type B viruses. After a sustained increase between weeks 2 and 

7/2013, the proportion of A(H1)pdm09 has remained at around 60% of A viruses with 

subtyping information. 

 111 hospitalised laboratory-confirmed influenza cases were reported by six countries 

(Belgium, France, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain) with an even distribution of 

influenza type A and type B viruses. 

Influenza activity remained substantial in week 8/2013 across Europe but an increasing 

number of countries reported indications of declining transmission. Weekly Influenza 

Surveillance Overview
7

Google.org: Flu Trends

5 March – Estimates of flu activity based on certain Internet search queries indicate that the 

level of flu activity in the northern hemisphere ranges from low in Canada, Poland, and 

Bulgaria to intense in Russia. In the southern hemisphere flu activity ranges from minimal to 

low. Google.org Flu Trends

Study: Getting flu shot 2 years in a row may lower 

protection

1 March – Experts are puzzled by a new study in which influenza vaccination seemed to 

provide little or no protection against flu in the 2010-11 season—and in which the only 

participants who seemed to benefit from the vaccine were those who hadn't been 

vaccinated the season before. The investigators recruited 328 households in Michigan 

before the flu season started and followed them through the season. Overall, they found 

that the infection risk was nearly the same in vaccinated and unvaccinated participants... In 

trying to figure out why the effectiveness was so low, the researchers sifted their data in 

different ways, said Arnold S. Monto, MD, of the University of Michigan, senior author of the 

study. "We discovered that if you separated out those that had not been vaccinated the 

previous year, you got percentages close to what were seen in the major vaccine 

effectiveness studies," he told CIDRAP News. CIDRAP

USAPHC: U.S. Army Influenza Activity Report

For the week ending 23 February 2013 (Week 8), Army Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) activity was 

lower than the same time last season. CDC reported ILI and the proportion of deaths 

attributed to pneumonia and influenza remained elevated in the US, but continued to trend 

downward.

 ILI Activity: Army incident ILI outpatient visits in week 8 were 27% lower than the same 

week last year.

 Influenza cases: Three hospitalized influenza cases were reported to USAPHC in week 8. 

78 hospitalized cases have been reported during this influenza season, 69 in 

dependents and 9 in Active Duty.

 Acute Respiratory Disease at BCT sites: While ARD rates remain low, surveillance testing 

in week 8 did not detect influenza at Army BCT sites.

 Viral specimens: During week 8, 295 of 930 (32%) laboratory specimens tested were 

positive for respiratory pathogens. Influenza A accounted for 39% of positive 

specimens. Most of the influenza positive specimens were from SRMC (36%); 21% were 

from WRMC, and 16% from ERMC. USAPHC U.S. Army Influenza Activity Report
8

PANDEMIC AND AVIAN INFLUENZA

Effects of vaccine program against pandemic influenza 

A(H1N1) virus, United States, 2009–2010

March - In April 2009, the United States began a response to the emergence of a pandemic 

influenza virus strain: A(H1N1)pdm09. Vaccination began in October 2009. By using US 

surveillance data (April 12, 2009–April 10, 2010) and vaccine coverage estimates (October 3, 

2009–April 18, 2010), we estimated that the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus vaccination program 

prevented 700,000–1,500,000 clinical cases, 4,000–10,000 hospitalizations, and 200–500 

deaths. We found that the national health effects were greatly influenced by the timing of 

vaccine administration and the effectiveness of the vaccine. We estimated that 

recommendations for priority vaccination of targeted priority groups were not inferior to 

other vaccination prioritization strategies. These results emphasize the need for relevant 

surveillance data to facilitate a rapid evaluation of vaccine recommendations and effects.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

top of page...

VETERINARY/FOOD SAFETY

More cases in multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to 

chicken

6 March – Four more illnesses have been reported in a multistate Salmonella Heidelberg 

outbreak linked to a brand of retail chicken, and lab testing in Washington has detected the 

outbreak strain on products from patients' homes, the US Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) said yesterday. The new cases push the total in the outbreak that has been 

simmering since last June to 128. Epidemiologic and trace-back investigations in Oregon 

and Washington previously found that most of the patients ate chicken before they got sick 

and that Foster Farms brand chicken was the most likely source. The new findings on 

chicken samples added to the evidence that the company's chicken is probably the source 

of the outbreak, and tests found that some of the patient isolates and one from a chicken 

sample were resistant to antibiotics. CIDRAP

FDA finds field contamination links in cantaloupe 

Salmonella probe

4 March – Salmonella contamination in an Indiana grower's melons linked to a 2012 

outbreak likely occurred in the growing fields and was likely spread during various handling 

stages, according to an environmental assessment by the US Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA). The findings, posted Mar 1 on the FDA's Web site, describe an extensive investigation 

of cantaloupe and watermelon growing operations at Chamberlain Farms in Owensville, 
9

Ind., that took place in September after an initial inspection found one of the outbreak 

strains in the packing area, two outbreak strains from cantaloupes collected from the field, 

and one outbreak strain from a watermelon growing area. The outbreak sickened at least 

261 people, 3 of them fatally, in 24 states, according to the CDC's final outbreak report on 

Oct 5. CIDRAP

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WELLNESS

Barefoot running can cause injuries, too

6 March - When Dr. Douglas Brown, a radiologist in Orem, Utah, noticed an uptick recently 

in the number of barefoot runners he was seeing with heel and foot problems, he wondered 

if there might be a connection between their unshod training and their sore feet... To find 

out, Dr. Ridge began by recruiting 36 adult, experienced runners, male and female, who, 

until then, had run between 15 and 30 miles a week while wearing normal running shoes... 

She then randomly assigned half of the group to continue running as they had: same 

mileage, same shoes. The other half were given a pair of Vibram Five Fingers barefoot-style 

shoes and asked to begin sprinkling barefoot-like mileage into their runs, but gradually. 

They were told to wear the minimalist shoes for one mile during the first week of the study, 

two miles the second, three the third, and then as much as they liked, which is what the 

Vibram Web site recommended at the time of the 2011 study. After 10 weeks, both groups 

of runners received a follow-up M.R.I. There was no evidence of injuries to or changes in the 

tissues of the lower leg, like the Achilles’ tendon, among any of the runners. But more than 

half of the runners wearing the minimalist shoes now showed early signs of bone injuries in 

their feet. New York Times

BUSM study reveals potential target to better treat, cure 

anxiety disorders

5 March – Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have, for the first 

time, identified a specific group of cells in the brainstem whose activation during rapid eye 

movement (REM) sleep is critical for the regulation of emotional memory processing. The 

findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could help lead to the development of 

effective behavioral and pharmacological therapies to treat anxiety disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, phobias and panic attacks... Memories of fearful experiences can 

lead to enduring alterations in emotion and behavior and sleep plays a natural emotional 

regulatory role after stressful and traumatic events. Persistence of sleep disturbances, 

particularly of REM sleep, is predictive of developing symptoms of anxiety disorders. A core 

symptom of these disorders frequently reported by patients is the persistence of fearprovoking memories that they are unable to extinguish. EurekAlert
10

Fitness experts separate folklore from fact

4 March - Can crunches create six-pack abdominal muscles? Do weight-lifting women risk 

bulging biceps? Is stretching always a good idea? Experts say disentangling folklore from 

fact is not easy in fitness, where misconceptions are as pervasive as push-ups and as 

stubborn as love handles. Reuters

HIV linked to higher chance of heart attack

5 March - People with HIV are almost 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack than 

those who aren't infected with the virus - even after taking into account their other health 

risks, according to a new study. Researchers aren't sure what explains the higher heart 

attack rate in HIV-positive people, but they speculate it's a combination of the effects of HIV 

itself and the antiretroviral drugs used to treat it. Reuters

New research shows direct link between salt laden 

western diet and autoimmune diseases

6 March - For years scientists and doctors have wondered why autoimmune diseases are so 

prevalent in the western world. The prevailing thought has been the "hygiene hypothesis" in 

which researchers have seen that in countries that were less developed people washed their 

hands less, were in close proximity to animals and the soil in addition they had had 

parasites present in their digestive tract. People in these countries had incidence of 

autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis or Rheumatoid Arthritis that were almost 

non-existent. But new research out today in the journal Nature implicates the high salt 

western diet in many autoimmune diseases and even shows proof in mice that an increase 

of dietary salt can make them more susceptible to a version of Multiple Sclerosis. Medical 

Daily

Sacrificing sleep makes for run-down teens — and

parents

1 March- When NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of 

Public Health asked parents and caregivers in our new poll whether getting a good night's 

sleep is important, families overwhelmingly told us that sleep is a high priority. But almost 

all said that it's difficult to pull off. And studies suggest this is especially true for teenagers... 

Lots of teens are cruising by on too little sleep, but that's not ideal. "All of the data we have 

suggests that teenagers need 8 1/2 to 9 1/4 hours of sleep per night," explains sleep 

expert Helene Emsellem, medical director of the Center for Sleep & Wake Disorders in 

Chevy Chase, Md. When teens don't get enough sleep, there are consequences beyond just 

being more irritable or moody. Over the long term, a lack of sleep can influence appetite, 

nudging a person to reach for more empty carbohydrates and sugar. NPR
11

Study: Processed meat linked to premature death

7 March - Vegetarians have healthier hearts, while those with diets high in processed meat -

- regardless of whether or not it contains horse -- are at a significantly increased risk of 

death due to cardiovascular disease, and to a lesser extent, cancer. For half a million people 

throughout ten European countries, a study in BMC Medicine found, consuming processed 

meat went along with other unhealthful lifestyle choices, such as eating few fruits and 

vegetables, being more likely to smoke and, for men, consuming large quantities of alcohol. 

But because this sample size was so large, the researchers were able to isolate meat 

consumption from these other factors. When they did so, they found the association 

between processed meat and premature death became even stronger. They estimated that 

if people reduced their daily meat consumption to under 20 grams -- cutting sausage down 

to a matchbook-sized portion -- about 3 percent of premature deaths in a given year could 

be prevented. Atlantic

Why ER docs in the Big Apple won't replace that 

painkiller prescription 

6 March - Early this year, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said public hospitals 

there would take steps to reduce overdoses and abuse of opioid painkillers. The drugs have 

become a public health problem. Narcotic painkillers, such as Vicodin and Oxycontin, are 

involved in more than 16,000 overdose deaths a year nationwide. A third of unintentional 

drug overdoses in New York City in 2010 involved prescription painkillers. So New York 

came up with nine recommendations for emergency room doctors to try to lower the risks. 

Doctors who follow the advice will consider alternatives to opioids and prescribe only a few 

days' worth of the drugs, if they decide that's the best course for short-term pain relief. 

They'll also avoid starting patients on long-acting opioids, like Oxycontin, and will refrain 

from replacing lost, or allegedly lost, opioid prescriptions without lots of due diligence first. 

NPR

Your child's fat, mine's fine: Rose-colored glasses and the 

obesity epidemic

4 March - About 69 percent of American adults are overweight 

or obese, and more than four in five people say they are 

worried about obesity as a public health problem. But a recent 

poll conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 

and the Harvard School of Public Health revealed a curious 

schism in our national attitudes toward obesity: Only one in five kids had a parent who 

feared the boy or girl would grow up to be overweight as an adult. Put another way, 

assuming current trends persist, parents of 80 percent of American children think all these 

kids will somehow end up being among the lucky 31 percent of adults who are not 

overweight. Tali Sharot is a neuroscientist at University College London who studies why 

large numbers of people — faced with a large number of different kinds of risks — believe 

they and their family members will dodge the odds. NPR

top of page...
12

USAFRICOM

Anti-AIDS pill, vaginal gel unsuitable for Africa: study

4 March - Trying to prevent HIV infection through vaginal gels or daily tablets has proven 

ineffective in the southern African region ravaged by the disease because people did not 

use the medicines properly, a study released on Monday said. A ground-breaking study 

issued in 2010 indicated a vaginal gel containing an HIV drug can sharply reduce 

infections in women who use it before and after sex. However, a test of the gel and two 

types of anti-HIV pills among more than 5,000 women in South Africa, Zimbabwe and 

Uganda showed that, based on blood tests, more than 70 percent did not use the 

medication as instructed. Reuters

Kenya: Antiretroviral drugs sold for food in Kenya’s 

slums

2 March - Impoverished Kenyans living with HIV/AIDs are sometimes selling their 

antiretroviral drugs to buy food for themselves and their families. Medical professionals 

believe there has been a slight growth in the trend, saying that people are simply trying to 

survive. VOA

Nigeria violence halts anti-polio program 

5 March - Nearly a month after nine health workers in Nigeria were slaughtered as they 

prepared to administer polio vaccinations, the polio eradication program remains at a 

standstill in Kano, a state health officials call the epicenter of the disease. Officials say other 

polio vaccination programs in Nigeria are operating and they are working to beef up 

security to assure hundreds of health workers it is safe again to give vaccinations. VOA

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USCENTCOM

Afghanistan: Mental health in Afghanistan: Poverty, 

vulnerability have bigger impact than war, study finds

6 March - ...[A] new study on mental health in Afghanistan looks beyond the effects of war 

and identifies the root causes of mental distress and anxiety among its citizens: poverty and 

vulnerability. “War exposure is undisputedly a factor of mental distress and anxiety, but 

other predictors, such as poverty and vulnerability, are stronger and probably more 

persistent risk factors that have not received deserved attention in policy decisions,” says 

Jean-Francois Trani, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School.... “A lack of resources or 
13

inability to find work make it impossible to assume one’s social status. That, in turn, leads to 

distress that can conduct to young men choosing a path of violent opposition to authorities 

and an international presence.” ... “Our study shows these groups are less resilient and more 

at risk of mental health distress and disorders,” Trani says. “Genuinely addressing their 

needs can only help build a more stable and prosperous Afghanistan.” Washington 

University in St. Louis Newsroom

Iraq's depleted uranium clean-up to cost $30m as 

contamination spreads

6 March - Cleaning up more than 300 sites in Iraq still contaminated by depleted uranium 

(DU) weapons will cost at least $30m, according to a report by a Dutch peace group to be 

published on Thursday. The report, which was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs, warns that the contamination is being spread by poorly regulated scrap metal 

dealers, including children. It also documents evidence that DU munitions were fired at light 

vehicles, buildings and other civilian infrastructure including the Iraqi Ministry of Planning in 

Baghdad – casting doubt on official assurances that only armoured vehicles were targeted. 

Guardian

Syrians risk their health to keep warm

4 March - Residents of Syrian towns that have run out of heating oil say they are getting 

sick after resorting to burning crude oil to keep warm. The nearly two-year conflict in Syria 

made fuel widely unavailable, and though spring is drawing nearer, cold spells are still 

intermittently hitting some parts of the country. “The smoke stinks terribly, and many 

people are suffering from respiratory problems and skin irritations because of it,” said a 

dentist in the eastern governorate Deir-ez-Zor, calling himself Abu Adnan. “But what can we 

do? We need warmth and we need something to cook our food with.” Residents of rebelheld areas of Deir-ez-Zor, Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Rural Damascus governorates say 

heating oil, known as mazout, as well as diesel and gasoline have all but disappeared from 

the market. IRIN

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USEUCOM

Greece: ECDC urges better West Nile control efforts

4 March - Greece has taken productive steps since West Nile virus cases surfaced in 2010 

but can do more to combat seasonal outbreaks that have affected more than 500 people, 

the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a report today. 

Greece has developed a comprehensive surveillance and control program but can more 

thoroughly analyze surveillance data, better disseminate information, coordinate private and 

public partners more effectively, and better prepare and activate mosquito-control 
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programs, the agency said. "ECDC can provide support in risk assessment, conduct data 

analyses, and facilitate the scientific discussion on blood safety issues," the report 

concluded. Greece confirmed 262 West Nile cases in 2010, 100 in 2011, and 161 in 2012. Of 

those 523 cases, 381 (73%) involved neuroinvasive disease. "Based on the observed dynamic 

in the last 3 years, further human cases can be expected in the coming years, although a 

precise prediction about the epidemic dimension and the regions at risk is not possible," the 

ECDC said. CIDRAP

U.K.: Confirmed cases of measles in North East tops 120

6 March - The number of confirmed cases of measles across the north-east of England has 

topped the 120 mark. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has already declared the 

outbreak as one of the worst in recent years. Since September there have been 122 

confirmed and 126 suspected cases, compared to just 18 confirmed in 2011. The agency 

said 38% of all cases involved young people aged between 10 and 19 in the Stockton, 

Darlington and Middlesbrough areas. BBC News

U.K. 'fares badly in European health league table'

5 March - The UK is lagging behind progress by similar countries on many indicators for illhealth, research suggests. Health data over 20 years was compared with figures from 18 

other countries in the research published in the Lancet. Although average life expectancy 

has risen by four years since 1990, it says the UK needs to increase its strategies for tackling 

preventable problems such as heart disease and stroke. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has 

said he has a plan to address the lag. BBC

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USNORTHCOM

U.S. border patrol finds, detains its first XDR-TB case

4 March - A Nepalese man detained at the Mexico border in November is in medical 

isolation at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas undergoing 

treatment for extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB), according to a Mar 1 Wall 

Street Journal (WSJ) report. The man is the first patient to be detained by the ICE with the 

disease. The man's XDR-TB infection has prompted extensive international actions to track 

contacts who may have been exposed to the man, who spent 3 months traveling in South 

Asia, Brazil, and Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the WSJ that the 

man was detained when he tried to cross the border illegally near McAllen, Tex. The man's 

illness came to light during routine TB screening by ICE officials when he first arrived at the 

detention facility. The article cited a government report that said the man's strain has been 

seen only once before in another Nepalese national. The government's report said the 

man's strain is resistant to at least 8 of 15 standard TB drugs. He was moved to a detention 

facility with more medical staffing, and it's unclear how long he will be in US care, the story 

said. CIDRAP
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U.S.: CDC warns of drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae

5 March – Federal officials today warned of a new type of antibiotic-resistant threat that is 

more dangerous than methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but could be 

curbed now with prompt action from health leaders, healthcare workers, and even patients, 

they say. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), seen primarily in patients who 

have been exposed to hospital settings, are "nightmare bacteria" that pose a triple threat, 

according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CRE, which include 

two common digestive system organisms, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, are 

resistant to nearly all antibiotics, have a high mortality in invasive infections, and can spread 

resistance genes to other bacteria in patients' bodies, CDC officials said... The CDC also 

found that almost 200 hospitals and acute-care long-term care facilities treated at least one 

patient infected with CRE from a catheter-associated urinary tract infection or a central-line–

associated bloodstream infection. CIDRAP

U.S.: Continued vigilance urged for fungal infections 

among patients who received contaminated steroid 

injections

4 March - CDC continues to receive new reports of fungal infection among patients who 

were given injections of contaminated methylprednisolone acetate (MPA1) from the New 

England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Mass. Most of these recent cases 

have been localized spinal or paraspinal infections (e.g., epidural abscesses) in patients, 

although new cases of meningitis or arachnoiditis also have been reported. Because many 

of these new cases are among patients with minimal symptoms, CDC is re-emphasizing the 

recommendation for clinicians to remain vigilant for fungal infections, especially in patients 

with mild or even baseline symptoms, and consider evaluation with magnetic resonance 

imaging (MRI) if clinically warranted. CDC

U.S., New York: Bloomberg to target loud headphones in 

new campaign 

6 March - Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has previously banned smoking in public places, 

cracked down on noise, limited soda sizes and aims to get rid of Styrofoam, has now turned 

his gaze or rather his ears towards getting people to crank down the volume on their 

headphones. The city is planning a social media campaign blitz as well as conducting focus 

groups to warn young people about the dangers of loud music blasting through their 

headphones, the health department said yesterday. With grant money from the Fund for 

Public Health in New York, the Hearing Loss Prevention Media Campaign will use social 

media such as Twitter and Facebook to alert users to the risks of hearing damage, including 

increased risk of injury. Metro
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U.S.: Study says life expectancy falls for some U.S. 

women

5 March - A new study offers more evidence that life expectancy for some U.S. women is 

falling, a disturbing trend that experts can't explain. The latest research found that women 

younger than 76 are dying at higher rates than in previous years in nearly half of the 

nation's counties - many of them rural and in the South and West. For men, life expectancy 

has held steady or improved in nearly all counties. The study is the latest to spot this 

pattern, especially among disadvantaged white women. Some leading theories blame 

higher smoking rates, obesity, and less education, but several experts said they simply don't 

know why... The new study, released Monday by the journal Health Affairs, found declining 

female life expectancy in 43 percent of the nation's 3,141 counties. Philadelphia Inquirer

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USPACOM

China: 151 cases of measles confirmed in Kunming

6 March - As of the end of February, 151 cases of Measles had been confirmed in Kunming, 

capital of Yunnan province, with two deaths caused by the highly contagious disease, 

Yunnan.cn, an official news portal in the province, reported on Tuesday. To contain the 

spread of the disease, Kunming on Wednesday will begin offering free vaccinations for all 

children in the city, the report said, citing the Kunming Center for Disease Control. People’s 

Daily Online

India fortifies food to fight 'hidden hunger' 

5 March - Malnutrition is more common in India than in sub-Saharan Africa, according to 

the United Nations. To address this "hidden hunger," Indian officials are joining forces with 

a U.S-based program to fortify staple foods with key nutrients. The numbers are stark. The 

U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) says in India, one in every three children is malnourished, and 

nearly half of all childhood deaths are attributed to malnutrition. The problem centers not 

necessarily on how much people are eating, but what they are eating. Millions in India rely 

on rice and wheat to fill their stomachs, but those staple foods lack crucial vitamins and 

minerals. Voice of America

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USSOUTHCOM

Paraguay: More than 76,000 dengue cases

5 March - Dengue epidemic is still striking Paraguay and the 

Health Ministry informed that more than 76,000 people in the 

whole country are confirmed or suspicious of suffering from the 

disease. The most recent report of the General Direction of Health 

Surveillance emphasized that 26,512 carriers of the disease were 

counted, while other 50,000 citizens are still suspicious cases, according to the medical 

report. As it happens since the epidemic started, the highest amount of infected people is 

registered in the central area of the nation, which includes the capital city, since 42,000 

cases were reported in Asuncion and the adjacent Central Department... As it has been 

shown in the report, so far this year the confirmed fatal victims related to dengue come to 

27 in Paraguay. Prensa Latina

Peru: Bartonellosis

4 March - Since 12 Jan 2013, 40 cases of bartonellosis have been reported in Rodriguez de 

Mendoza province [Amazonas region]. Authorities from the Amazonas Regional Health 

Directorate and some district mayors agreed to immediately start a fumigation campaign 

aiming to combat the insect vector [sandfly, locally know as 'uta'] for Carrion's disease 

[bartonellosis] and cutaneous leishmaniasis. This campaign will focus more intensively in 

Omia district, where there is a greater presence of the sandfly vector. The local 

epidemiologist, Dr Pershing Bustamante-Chauca, indicated that (samples from the) reported 

cases have already been sent to the laboratories from the Regional Health Directorate, in 

order to identify the type of disease affecting persons from the districts of Mariscal 

Benavides, Omia, San Nicolas, and other nearby areas in Mendoza Province. ProMED-mail

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