Virtually incurable: 'The drug resistant strand is a highly contagious airborne disease. With increased travel and globalization, it is possible for anyone to pick up the disease, even in developed countries like the U.S. and UK.'
LONDON, England -- Many people think of tuberculosis as being a disease from the past. The truth is far from it: Tuberculosis is mutating into dangerous new strains for which there is no known cure.
One of the most frightening strains is XDR-TB, which stands for extensively drug-resistant TB.
Unlike less virulent strains, XDR-TB does not respond to the antibiotics that are usually used to treat TB. The disease is virtually incurable and threatens to become a pandemic.
About 40,000 new cases of XDR-TB emerge every year, the World Health Organization estimates.
Award-winning photojournalist James Nachtwey, who has chronicled the death and devastation the disease is bringing to many countries around the world, describes XDR-TB as "a merciless, man-eating predator lurking in the shadows."
He warns: "If it's not contained, the consequences could be dire."
Nachtwey, who has been covering humanitarian crises for more than 30 years, was awarded a TED prize in 2007 which gave him $100,000 and one wish to change the world.
His wish centered on spreading awareness of this deadly form of TB and the images are borne out of Nachtwey's frustrations with the underreporting of what is potentially a global health crisis.
His photos tell the grim stories of impending death. In one, a man's suffering is so palpable that it is almost impossible to tear your eyes away from him.
The protesters claimed that Muslim women should have the right over how they wanted to express themselves or dress.
GOMBAK: Non-Muslim Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have been warned against interfering in matters involving Islamic laws or risk facing severe action by police.
Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said this following a string of remarks made by various NGOs in connection with the National Fatwa Council's edict on tomboys and proposed announcement ruling against yoga exercises.
"NGOs must respect the Fatwa council's decision on Islamic matters and not interfere in the matter.
"Their actions and comments can cause a lot friction which could lead to fighting," he said.
Earlier during a seminar in Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia here, Musa said there was no reason for non-Muslims to feel threatened by the council's fatwa because it was only meant for Muslims.
"I will not hesitate to take stern action against these NGOs if they continue to fan sentiments," he warned.
Last week, several protesters walked through the city centre denouncing the National Fatwa Council's decision against tomboys.
The protesters claimed that Muslim women should have the right over how they wanted to express themselves or dress.
The protesters, comprising women from two groups and several men, marched from Jalan Ampang to KLCC, while chanting slogans, carrying banners and distributing pamphlets to passers-by.
Salaam writes: I've previously written about the 'tomboy' fatwa here and here.
The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has told non-Muslim groups to stop interfering in the implementation of Syariah laws such as the National Fatwa Council's edict on tomboys.
Berita Harian quoted its director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz as saying that the edict was issued to guide Muslims and save the younger generation from indulging in forbidden acts.
"Them questioning the council's edict, calling it unfair and discriminatory go against the rights of Muslims," he said when commenting on protesters who denounced the edict against tomboys, claiming that Muslim women should have the right of expression and dressing.
Wan Mohamed said the edict was issued in the interest of Muslims, and not the personal interests of certain groups.
"We advise those who denounce the edict to refer to their religious leaders on the issue and other matters and not look down on resolutions made by a religious body that they are not part of," he said.
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today told non-Muslim non-governmental organisations (NGOs) not to challenge the National Fatwa Council's credibility.
He said it was unfair to challenge or dispute a fatwa issued by the council purely on logic because it could create confusion among the people.
The issue of "pengkid" (tomboyism) for example had become a social problem when the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia received complaints and on that ground, the Fatwa Council felt it was necessary to issue a fatwa on it, he said.
"The problem of a girl running away with a boy can be solved using the law but what about a girl running away with a girl who looks like a boy?" he told reporters here.
Zahid said if the NGOs were confused or wanted further explanations on the background of a fatwa, he was willing to organise a forum.
The NGOs or non-Muslim writers would not resort to disputing or challenging a fatwa but instead respect it should discussions be held, he said commenting on the protest staged by non-Muslim NGOs - "Katagender" and "Food-not-Bombs" - on Friday against the Fatwa Council ruling that "pengkid" is haram.
'These are not antibiotics that they take for seven to 10 days. These are drugs that many are taking for the rest of their lives.'
The number of children who take medication for chronic diseases has jumped dramatically, another troubling sign that many of the youngest Americans are struggling with obesity, doctors say.
The number of children who take pills for type 2 diabetes - the kind that's closely linked to obesity - more than doubled from 2002 to 2005, to a rate of six out of 10,000 children. That suggests that at least 23,000 privately insured children in the USA are now taking diabetes medications, according to authors of the new study in today's Pediatrics.
Doctors also saw big increases in prescriptions for high cholesterol, asthma and attention deficit and hyperactivity. There was smaller growth for drugs for depression and high blood pressure.
"We've got a lot of sick children," says author Emily Cox, senior director of research with Express Scripts, which administers drug benefit programs for private insurance plans. "What we've been seeing in adults, we're also now seeing in kids."
Type 2 diabetes was once known as adult-onset. But Cox says her records show kids as young as 5 being treated with prescription diabetes drugs.
Cox based her study on prescription records of nearly 4 million children a year, ages 5 to 19, covered by Express Scripts. She says her findings may not apply to the 40% of children who are uninsured or covered by government health plans.
Unless these children make major changes - such as eating healthier and exercising more - they could be facing a lifetime of illness, Cox says.
"These are not antibiotics that they take for seven to 10 days," Cox says. "These are drugs that many are taking for the rest of their lives."
Salaam writes: I've written and posted about Malaysia's fatwa council here and here. Yoga is a well-known practice for exercise and stress-reduction. If the council's members are so fragile and insecure in their faith that yoga is a threat, that's their problem. It's unjust (and therefore unIslamic) to project their insecurities onto everyone else.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters Life!) - Not content with banning women from wearing trousers, Malaysia's top Islamic council now wants a ban on yoga, according to a report on state news agency Bernama.
The National Fatwa Council's Deputy Director-General Othman Mustapha told reporters after a seminar on Islamic jurisprudence on Thursday that the announcement would be made soon.
Professor Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Islamic Studies Center told the seminar on Wednesday that Muslims who had taken up yoga should stop practicing as it could damage their faith, Bernama said.
Last week the Fatwa Council decreed that tomboyish behavior by girls, including wearing trousers, was immoral as it may lead to the practice of lesbian sex.
Salaam writes: I've previously posted about bisphenol A here.
TORONTO - Canada declared a chemical widely used in food packaging a toxic substance on Saturday and will now move to ban plastic baby bottles containing bisphenol A.
The toxic classification, issued in the Canada Gazette, makes Canada the first country to classify the chemical commonly used in the lining of food cans, eyeglass lenses and hundreds of household items, as risky.
"Many Canadians ... have expressed their concern to me about the risks of bisphenol A in baby bottles," Environment Minister John Baird said in a statement. "Today's confirmation of our ban on BPA in baby bottles proves that our government did the right thing in taking action to protect the health and environment for all Canadians."
Canada's announcement came six months after its health ministry labeled BPA as dangerous. Health Minister Tony Clement said a report on bisphenol A has found the chemical endangers people, particularly newborns and infants, and the environment, citing concerns that the chemical in polycarbonate products and epoxy linings can migrate into food and beverages.
Salaam writes: Best animated corporate monster ever.
At the end of this video is a "click here" button for more information that is not active in this Youtube version. You can visit the site for info at themeatrix.com
Salaam writes: I know many Muslims send their children to private Islamic schools, and may not think this article applies to them. Think again. Muslim schools are as vulnerable to environmental contamination as public schools, and the level of ignorance about environmental health and safety issues is as likely among Muslim school administrators as among public school administrators.
From the Seatlle Post-Intelligencer: Mark Cooper remembers his frustration when he tried repeatedly to sound the alarm about contaminated drinking water at his children's elementary school in Northeast Seattle.
It just didn't look safe to drink, teachers had warned.
Sure enough, when Cooper turned on the tap in his daughter's kindergarten classroom, orange-colored water trickled out. He and another parent found elevated levels of lead and other contaminants in samples.
But Cooper, a University of Washington associate professor of biology, still couldn't get anyone to listen.
It wasn't until he hand-delivered bottles of the discolored water to School Board members at a public meeting that the district took action.
That was five years ago, and Seattle Public Schools has addressed those problems and adopted tough water-quality standards since then. But Cooper warns of similar environmental health and safety problems in schools statewide - and that Washington's code is woefully outdated.
With the state Board of Health on the cusp of revising its rule governing environmental health and safety in schools - the first major changes in nearly four decades - it's time for the public to take note, Cooper said.
"If you don't pay attention, and don't get involved, it will be your own backyard, your own child being affected," he said.
From the Orange County Register: A chemical industry-backed lobbying group has mounted a statewide campaign to convince Californians that a potentially dangerous compound found in baby products and canned goods is safe, and warns that if efforts to ban it are successful, "going to a grocery store may never be the same."
State officials and scientists say the ads are misleading and designed to scare consumers into keeping products that could harm children on the market.
The campaign, paid for by industry trade group the American Chemistry Council, urges voters to voice opposition to a Senate bill that would outlaw the chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), in products made for young kids.
Dozens of independent scientific studies have suggested that the chemical could cause everything from cancer to reproductive and behavioral problems, although others have found products containing BPA to be safe.
Mailers and ads appearing in newspapers across the state depict an empty grocery cart in the desert and warn that if BPA is banned, canned food and beverages might be vulnerable to spoilage or contamination. Food products, the ads say, could disappear from grocery store shelves even though "rigorous scientific reviews" conclude the products are safe.
"Maybe that's why no other state in the country bans BPA," the ads say.
But experts say that pitch is misleading in several respects.
The bill wouldn't regulate the majority of food found on grocery store shelves. It only restricts BPA in products for kids ages 3 and younger, such as formula cans, sippy cups, baby bottles and glass jars of baby food, said Tracy Fairchild, a spokeswoman for the bill's sponsor Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco.
"It's designed to deceive consumers" Fairchild said. "This is toxic to the political process. It's fine to oppose, but you have to tell the truth."
Islam teaches us to act in a caring manner to all of God's creation. The Prophet Muhammad, who is described in the Qur'an as "a mercy to the worlds" said: "All creation is the family of God, and the person most beloved by God (is the one) who is kind and caring toward His family."
--North American Fiqh Council
State health officials hope to begin a major study this fall or winter into how mercury affects South Carolinians, and whether the state has clusters of people suffering from mercury-related illnesses.
So far, state officials have tested only fish for mercury contamination, often finding that certain species in the Edisto, Great Pee Dee and other rivers have such high levels that people shouldn't eat a single bite.
The new study's goal would focus instead on mercury's effects on people. Researchers are unsure how many people will be tested, where the tests will be given and many other details, but they hope to wrap up the planning soon.
"We're being very thoughtful about how we are going to do this so it truly gives us correct answers," said Erik Svendsen, the lead scientist on the project, adding that "very few states have done anything like this."
The study comes on the heels of The Post and Courier's series, "The Mercury Connection," which identified mercury "hot spots" in the state and tested people who eat freshwater fish from these areas. The tests revealed that some people had unusually high levels of mercury in their bodies.
Kristi Williamson, who with her husband and two children tested above the safety level for mercury in the newspaper's study last year, was pleased the state Department of Health and Environmental Control is planning to monitor people. "Wonderful. That's excellent news," she said from her home in Aynor, a tiny town in a triangle-shaped area with some of the worst mercury levels in fish in the state.
China Olympics reduce world's supply of Vitamin C
MORE ON THIS STORY
On the Web | To read the entire story go to kansascity.com
By By Mike McGraw | The Kansas City Star
How are the Beijing Olympics contributing to a worldwide shortage of vitamin C?
In their efforts to curb air pollution for the upcoming games, the Chinese shut down manufacturing plants in and around Beijing - including cutbacks at factories producing 80 percent of the world's ascorbic acid, more commonly known as vitamin C.
Experts say the shortage and resulting price increases will not likely spark an outbreak of scurvy, the nemesis of Old World sailors on extended voyages without fresh fruits and vegetables.
But ascorbic acid is crucial to modern food and beverage production, and is an important vitamin supplement in the United States and worldwide.
Muslims should be in a leadership role in the environmental movement. Any story about the health of the environment is a story about the health and well being of muslims. I'm posting this into every story about the environment because I don't get the sense that muslims are yet connecting to the environmental movement the way they should be.
In its final days in power, the Bush White House is rushing to have federal agencies water down the regulation of hazardous substances, lawmakers and public health experts say. A panel of scientific advisers this week denounced an Environmental Protection Agency plan to quickly alter the way it measures the cancer-causing risk of asbestos, but the thumbs-down doesn't prevent the agency from making the change anyway.
The latest 11th-hour toxic sparring match comes while members of Congress are asking why the Labor Department has sent plans for sweeping changes in how workers are protected from chemical hazards directly to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Many of the government scientists and physicians in the Labor Department and other agencies who are normally required to weigh in on these kinds of changes say they haven't had a peek at the proposal.
NEW YORK (Fortune) -- How, exactly, did Wal-Mart become the new Food and Drug Administration?
The giant retailer, along with CVS (CVS, Fortune 500) and Toys 'R Us, announced recently that it plans to stop selling baby bottles containing the chemical bisphenol-A.
The question is, why? Bisphenol-A has been widely used since the 1950s. The Food and Drug Administration, as well as Japanese and European regulators, have no problems with it. Canada is about to ban it from baby bottles, but officials term the move purely precautionary.
To be sure, other scientists worry because animal studies have linked small doses of BPA to cancer and other health problems. But scientific debate isn't driving the baby bottle war; a hard-hitting push by activist groups, politicians and trial lawyers is.
