Blog roundup
sb admin | May 1, 2009Most of my blog reading this week has involved swine flu; feel free to add non-flu-related links to other worthwhile blog posts in the comments. (More flu links are welcome, too.)
First, a few numbers: CDC has confirmed 141 cases in the US; Mexico reports that it has 358 confirmed cases; and the WHO reports 68 additional confirmed cases in 11 other countries. The current worldwide pandemic alert level is 5.
At The Wonk Room, Igor Volsky reminds us that it can be hard to follow CDCâs advice if you donât have health insurance, and Pat Garofalo points out that a lack of paid sick days is also a…
sb admin | April 24, 2009A very small selection of this week's interesting blog posts:
Effect Measure is staying on top of the news of a swine flu outbreak; 16 of 61 apparent flu deaths in Mexico have been confirmed as swine flu, and 8 people in the US have been diagnosed with swine flu and have recovered.
Ezra Klein examines some of the many health- and environment-related amendments added to the Senate budget bill, and invites readers to help him dig through the amendments list.
Lisa Suatoni at Switchboard applauds three US actions addressing the problem of ocean acidification.
Alison Bass reports that some…
sb admin | April 17, 2009Today's big news is that EPA has officially determined that greenhouse-gas emissions pose a threat to public health and welfare. Over at Gristmill, Kate Sheppard explains what this all means (and tells you how to submit a public comment), Jonathan Hiskes and rounds up reactions from industry, environmentalists, and politicians.
Elsewhere:
Peter Lehner at NRDC's Switchboard applaud's President Obama's speech about the three elements of the high-speed rail program, which got $13 billion from the stimulus bill.
The Ethicurean's Bonnie P. interviews Superbug's Maryn McKenna, who gives a great…
sb admin | April 10, 2009The ways drugs are tested and marketed are under the spotlight these days:
Liz Kowalczyk at White Coat Notes reports that doctors at Massachusetts Partners HealthCare hospitals will no longer be allowed to accept gifts, meals, or "speakers bureau" travel from drug companies.
Sarah Rubenstein at WSJ's Health Blog explores the new Johns Hopkins policy, which is banning free drug-company samples as well as doctor gifts and meals.
Roy M. Poses MD at Health Care Renewal responds to a Wall Street Journal op-ed that bemoans the criticism of ties between researchers and the pharmaceutical industry…
sb admin | April 3, 2009There's new climate legislation in the House (Waxman-Markey), and bloggers have a lot to say about it:
David Doniger at NRDC's Switchboard explains what's in each of the bill's four titles.
Also at Switchboard, Melanie Nakagawa examines what the bill does for clean technology in developing countries.(And check the blog's US Law and Policy page for more NRDC analysis.)
Matthew Madia at The Fine Print warns that the bill will strip EPA of the power to regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants, but Andrew Leonard at How the World Works suggests that might be smart politics.
Kate Sheppard at…
sb admin | March 27, 2009Bloggers weigh in on some of the questions in US healthcare reform:
Ezra Klein explains what a public insurance option is, and describes three different forms it could take.
Maggie Mahar at Health Beat asks whether health insurers are really giving up much ground when they promise community ratings in exchange for an individual mandate, and considers what kinds of reforms will get enough votes in Congress.
Henry Aaron at The Treatment advocates limiting the tax benefits for employer health insurance.
Also at The Treatment, Jonathan Cohn reminds us that universal coverage can also benefit…
sb admin | March 20, 2009Sunday is World Water Day, so bloggers are highlighting water issues:
Ronnie Cohen at NRDC's Switchboard and Kevin Ferguson at Gristmill report from the World Water Forum, which is going on this week in Istanbul.
Melanie Nakagawa, also at Switchboard, emphasizes the economic benefits that clean water investments yield.
Robert Stavins, also at Gristmill, suggests approaching water management as an economic problem, and corrects some misperceptions about water pricing.
Elsewhere:
Andrew Revkin at Dot Earth reports that the Senate has confirmed John Holdren as Obama's science advisor and…
sb admin | March 13, 2009Bloggers are reacting to the news of major scientific fraud: Massachusetts anesthesiologist Dr. Scott Reuben falsified data in his published studies for more than a decade.
Janet Stemwedel at Adventures in Ethics and Science explores the effects of Dr. Reubenâs duplicity on anesthesiology and surgical patients.
Orac at Respectful Insolence considers how Dr. Reuben was able to get away with fraud for so long.
Merrill Goozner at GoozNews notes that Dr. Reubenâs drug trials, like many industry-funded studies, didnât examine the question that would really be of interest to physicians.
Alison…
sb admin | March 6, 2009Thereâs been a lot of news about Obama appointees this week:
Mike Dunford at The Questionable Authority is furious about the secret holds placed on the nominations of John Holdren (for Science Advisor) and Jane Lubchenco (to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and urges readers to âraise more hell over this issue.â
Maggie Mahar at Health Beat reports on Sanjay Guptaâs withdrawal of his name for the Surgeon General position.
Kathleen Reeves at RH Reality Check explains how Kathleen Sebelius, Obamaâs new pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, is a âpro-pregnancy…
sb admin | February 27, 2009Bloggers have lots of thoughts on Obamaâs budget:
Merrill Goozner at GoozNews gives us the big picture
Maggie Mahar at Health Beat explores the challenges of the budgetâs approach to healthcare
Ezra Klein explains how it addresses the question of an individual mandate for health insurance
Sarah Rubenstein at WSJâs Health Blog highlights proposed spending on food safety, the healthcare workforce, cancer, and autism
Emily Douglas at RH Reality Check examines reproductive-health related items
Kate Sheppard at Gristmill gives us a rundown of the environmental provisions
Elsewhere:
Tom…
sb admin | February 20, 2009President Obama's visit to Canada has several bloggers thinking about tar sands:
Ian Austen at Green Inc. gives an overview of our two countries' positions on this dirty source of oil.
Kate Sheppard at Gristmill explores how Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper are explaining their approach to tar sands.
Several bloggers at NRDC's Switchboard weigh in on the issue.
Elsewhere:
Maggie Mahar at Health Beat explores the possibilities for comparative effectiveness research (funded at $1.1 billion in the stimulus bill) actually affecting healthcare (Part II).
Jacob Goldstein at WSJ…
sb admin | February 13, 2009Bloggers help us stay up to date on the stimulus packageâs latest permutation:
Kate Sheppard at Gristmill gives us the rundown on funding for green priorities
Scientists & Engineers for America Action Fund compiles the numbers on science funding
Jake Young at Pure Pedantry warns of pitfalls when science funding takes this form
Keith Johnson at Environmental Capital isnât impressed with the money the Senate allocated to high-speed rail (UPDATE: The Transport Politic - via How the World Works - reports that HSR got more money in the final bill)
Ezra Klein argues that cuts in health-project…
sb admin | February 6, 2009Bloggers discuss food:
Andrew Schneider at Secret Ingredients points out that FDA can't just shut down the facility responsible for salmonella-tainted peanut paste.
Maryn McKenna has more bad news about the drug-resistant bacteria MRSA: now it's been found in Belgian chickens.
Tom Philpott at Gristmill attends the Seafood Summit and makes analogies (between land- and sea-based food production, between marine and terrestrial monocultures, etc.).
Andrew Revkin at Dot Earth reports on actions being taken to protect Arctic fish from overexploitation once more sea ice melts.
Elsewhere:
Jonathan…
sb admin | February 6, 2009We often link to Ken Ward Jr.âs excellent coverage of mining issues in the Charleston Gazette. He does a fantastic job exploring the many ways that decisions by mining companies and government bureaucrats affect the lives of mineworkers, their families, and mining communities. Celeste summed up our admiration for him a couple of months ago, writing:
Ken Ward amazes me with his tenacious attention to worker safety, his watchdog instincts, and his exceptional commitment to follow-up.
And now, we get even more of this great coal-mining coverage from Ken Wardâs new blog, Coal Tattoo. The blogâs…
sb admin | February 4, 2009Thereâs a new voice in the public health blogosphere: Target Population, a blog by students from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. The students are enrolled in Blogging Skills for Public Health, a class Celeste and I are teaching this semester.
Although the blog is new, it already boasts several thought-provoking posts on a wide range of topics, including Zimbabweâs cholera epidemic, a new anti-smoking campaign, the U.S. vaccine plan, restaurant inspections, and hospital preparedness.
We encourage you to check out Target Population, and add it to…
sb admin | January 30, 2009Bloggers have a lot of thoughts about the stimulus package:
Sarah Rubenstein at WSJ's Health Blog explains plans to divide extra Medicaid funds among states.
Cristina Page at RH Reality Check explains the alleged $200 million for contraceptive coverage.
Mike Dunford at The Questionable Authority investigates the Weatherization Assistance Program money and decides it's a good idea.
Karen Schulman at Womestake applauds the Senate for making childcare and early education part of its plan.
Jake Young at Pure Pedantry warns that too much money for science all at once could be disastrous.…
sb admin | January 23, 2009First, some welcome breaking news from Amie Newman at RH Reality Check: President Obama has rescinded the Global Gag Rule, which banned giving federal funds to internal groups that provide abortions or informations about the procedure.
Jacob Goldstein at WSJ's Health Blog is also on top of the latest health news, reporting that Obama has named Richard Besser, who's headed emergency response efforts at CDC, as acting head of that agency.
And bloggers have a few more thoughts on Obama's appointments and plans:
Maggie Mahar at Health Beat suggests that Obama's inaugural address might have been…
sb admin | January 16, 2009There were lots of good posts this week about health challenges around the world:
Marjan Siadat at Detroit Receiving provides a grim look at the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe.Â
 Amie Newman at RH Reality Check reminds us that having a child remains one of the biggest health risks for women worldwide.
Michael Clemens at Global Health Policy applauds the World Health Organization for its new code of practice for health worker recruitment, which is important as countries like the US seek overseas candidates to fill our large number of healthcare position vacancies.
Maryn McKenna at Superbug…
sb admin | January 9, 2009There's a lot of news about food that might spoil your appetite:
Tom Philpott at Gristmill is "having a hard time accepting that Obama has picked an ethanol-loving GMO enthusiast as his USDA chief."Â
Revere at Effect Measure reports that the country is experiencing a salmonella outbreak that's sickened 400 people, but the CDC and FDA haven't publicly identified the source.
Andrew Schneider at Secret Ingredients draws our attention to a study that found vegetables grown in soil fertilized with livestock manure absorbed antibiotics from the animal waste.
Ezra Klein points out that high…
sb admin | December 19, 2008Bloggers are anticipating some new activities from the Obama administration´s Health and Human Services team, while still keeping a close eye on what the Bush administration HHS is up to:
Jeff Goldsmith at the Health Affairs Blog considers what we can expect from Tom Daschle, who Obama has picked as his âhealth czar.â
Maggie Mahar at Health Beat urges readers to heed Daschle´s call and host Health Care Community Discussions.
Merril Goozner at GoozNews explores the drug-industry issues that will face the person Obama picks to head FDA.
Emily Douglas at RH Reality Check reports on HHS´s…