What’s the latest in health care, May 29

Who’s new?

New York’s health commissioner to head CDC
The US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) has a new head. New York City health commissioner Thomas Frieden has been recently appointed as CDC head by the White House, a position that does not require Senate approval. Frieden is not the only NY commissioner to move up to a national level leading role. The US FDA head Margaret Hamburg also used to be NYC health commissioner.

What’s needed?

Guidelines needed for informing patients of medical errors
Canadian researchers are calling for clear national guidelines that health care professionals should follow when communicating medical errors that affect a large number of patients. This lack of guidelines is not only true in Canada but in other countries as well. The researchers “call for clear communications, an external analysis to identify cause and a review that focuses on actions to ensure quality of care rather than punishment.”

What’s new about the swine flu?

Old seasonal flu antibodies target swine flu virus
Here is a silver lining in the current H1N1 flu epidemic. It seems that antibodies that developed against previous seasonal flu strains may actually actively attack the novel H1N1 flu virus. This is one of the reasons why the younger segment of the population, especially children, are more susceptible to the swine flu than older people. Older people may have more antibodies that are likely to work against the new flu virus. These antibodies may have developed from previous seasonal flu infections or from seasonal flu vaccination.

Industry Coalition Advises Against Use of Dietary Supplements as Swine Flu Remedy, Cure
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the Natural Products Association (NPA) and the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) are advising against the use of dietary supplements and herbal treatments as remedy or cure for the novel H1N1 flu. According to the advisory, there is “no scientific evidence currently supports the use of dietary supplements for the treatment of this disease.”

More frequent CDC updates
The CDC increases email news updates on the now H1N1 flu from once to three times a week -Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The updates will coincide with the official release of the updated case counts at 11:00 AM ET on the said days.

What’s on for June?

Health webchats at Cleveland Clinic

• Robotically and Minimally Assisted Heart Surgery by Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD
  Tuesday, June 2, 2009 – 12 noon (EST)
• New Options to Improve Your Odds of Becoming Pregnant by Dr. Julie Tan
  Tuesday, June 9, 2009 – 12 noon (EST)
• About Face: Plastic Surgery Webchat by P. Daniel Knott, MD
  Friday, June 5, 2009 – 12 noon (EST)
• Pain, Pain Go Away – How Behavioral and Rehabilitation Therapies Helps Kids Manage Chronic Pain by Gerard Banez, PhD
• Is your memory failing you? Let’s do something about it by Randolph Schiffer, MD
  Friday, June 19, 2009 – 12 noon (EST)
• Heart Devices: Pacemakers and ICDs by Bruce Wilkoff, MD
  Friday, June 26, 2009

Presenations at the Buck Institute for Age Research

Anti Aging Effects of Diet and Exercise
Thursday, June 4, 2009, 6:00 pm
Mill Valley Community Center
180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley CA

Photo credit: stock.xchng