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Zimbabwean Nightmare Of Neglect Continues In South Africa
Violence, sexual abuse, harassment, appalling living conditions, and a serious lack of access to essential healthcare define the desperate lives of thousands of Zimbabweans in South Africa today, warned the international medical humanitarian aid organization, Doctors Without Borders/Mç©decins Sans Frontiç¨res (MSF).

Schizophrenia: A Genetic Basis
Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating psychiatric disease that is thought to have its roots in the development of the nervous system; however, major breakthroughs linking its genetics to diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are still unrealized. Jill Morris, PhD assistant professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University"s Feinberg School of Medicine and a researcher in the Human Molecular Genetics Program of Children"s Memorial Research Center studies a gene that is involved in susceptibility to schizophrenia, Disc1 (Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1). Two recent publications by Morris and colleagues focus on the role of Disc1 in development, particularly the migration of cells to their proper location in the brain and subsequent differentiation into their intended fate. During development, cells need to properly migrate to their final destination in order to develop into the appropriate cell-type, integrate into the corresponding network of cells and function properly. Disruption of cell migration can lead to inappropriate cell development and function, resulting in disease.
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Studies Reveal Hepatitis C Virus Carriers Experience Substantial Increase In Mortality
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne disease that causes inflammation of the liver and to which there is currently no vaccine available. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3% of the world"s population, approximately 170 million people, are infected with HCV and it is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis, end stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver transplantation.
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Study Examines PEPFAR Efforts In Zambia

A report from researchers at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States examines how $577 million in PEPFAR funding between 2004 and 2008 was used in Zambia, PlusNews/IRIN reports. According to the findings, the authors write, "we observed and documented some impressive prevention programming funded through PEPFAR ò€¦ Nonetheless, when stepping back and observing the whole picture, it becomes apparent that the overall approach of PEPFAR dollars to HIV prevention is far from comprehensive. Instead, it is overly restrictive, adhering to a narrow vision of a moralistic ideal, rather than responding to the reality of the epidemic and the needs of the entire population." The report found $20.5 million of PEPFAR funds in 2008 were spent on programs focused on promoting "abstinence and being faithful" compared to $12.4 million on "other approaches, including the use of condoms," IRIN writes. "The disproportionate emphasis on abstinence-until-marriage ... has created a distinctly anti-condom atmosphere," according to the authors. For instance, "Researchers visited one of Zambia"s major trucking routes, where high rates of poverty have caused the commercial sex trade to flourish, and found that only one of three organizations distributing condoms to sex workers received PEPFAR funding, and that the supply of condoms constantly ran out," IRIN writes. The article also documents the confusion organizations on the ground have over PEPFAR requirements on how money is spent. The report appeals for PEPFAR "to develop the capacity of local NGOs to make more substantial contributions to HIV prevention in their country, provide greater transparency about how PEPFAR funds were spent, shift away from the ideological emphasis on abstinence-until-marriage, and invest more in comprehensive sex education," IRIN writes (6/30). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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