Audio News - Global Health Podcasts

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Cooler Weather - More Heart Attacks

Lower outdoor temperatures were associated with greater numbers of patients being admitted to British hospitals with heart attacks - according to research published in the British Medical Journal gathered from records of 84 000 patients admitted with heart attacks between 2003 and 2006. Krishnan Bhaskaran of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine discusses his group's finding of an increase of up to 200 heart attacks per day for every one degree Celsius reduction of temperature.

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Posted 26 August 2010

"This Wormy World": Global Atlas of Worm Infections

A global atlas of worm infections has been launched by scientists working in London and Nairobi. Simon Brooker of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine tells Peter Goodwin about "This Wormy World", a new on-line atlas that makes it easier for health workers to plan campaigns - such as programmes for de-worming school children - to reduce the burden of worm infections in areas most affected.

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Posted 25 August 2010

Global Population Stability: Real Hope This Century Through Family Planning.

Professor John Cleland of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine talks about the central role of family planning for tackling the linked challenge of rising global populations and climate change. He tells why a reduction of unwanted pregnancies is needed - especially in sub-Saharan Africa - as the means of relieving poverty and improving health for all. Dr Alex Ezeh, Executive Director of the African Population and Health Research Centre in Nairobi discusses the central role of Africa in population strategies for the planet. Professor Paul Wilkinson of the London School examines the real hope that rising populations - which limit progress in cutting carbon emissions and which threaten basic health - can be contained to offer a better future for everybody.

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Posted 6th August 2010

London School Joins 10:10 Campaign: 90 Per cent Less Carbon Emission By 2040!

Tim Nicholson of the Campaign for Greener Healthcare talks about the aims of the 10:10 Campaign conducted by organisations volunteering to reduce carbon emissions by at least 10 per cent in a 12 month period; Fiona Godlee Editor in Chief of the British Medical Journal discusses her publication's involvement with raising awareness of climate change issues over the years and how they've achieved success so far as a 10:10 Campaign member;Paul Wilkinson of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine discusses the practical ways in which the School is rising to the challenge of meeting the first 12-month target and then going on to cut emissions in half by the year 2020 and 90% by 2040.

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Posted 28th May 2010

Global Talent Competition Promotes Public Health

The "London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's Got Talent" competition has generated a glittering array of ideas for promoting public health. It's been funded from the Gates Award made to the School in 2009. The organiser, Professor Hazel Dockrell discusses some of the winning entries and explains how the School's global network of students and alumni have been able to work together to create the original projects submitted to the competition.

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Posted 15 July 2010

Leprosy: Puzzles, Perils and Prejudices in the 21st Century

Scientists in London have made important progress in the global battle against leprosy. This ancient disease - still a scourge today - can be avoided, treated, or cured if psychological and educational barriers can be overcome. That's according Diana Lockwood who recently gave her inaugural lecture as Professor of Tropical Medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The lecture was entitled: "Leprosy: Puzzles, Perils and Prejudices in the 21st Century". Diana Lockwood talks with Anna Lacey.

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Posted 8 July 2010

Mother's Death Linked To Deaths Of Her Children

When young mothers die, their children up to the age of ten have a very high risk of dying too. This has been found from research in an area of Bangladesh where around 150,000 births were monitored and followed up between 1982 and 2005. Three out of four children died before reaching 10 years of age among those whose mothers had died, compared with one in ten dying by age ten with a mother still living. Professor Carine Ronsmans discusses her study - published in The Lancet medical journal - which also found that losing a father made no difference to the child's chances of survival. Carine Ronsmans talks with Peter Goodwin.

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Posted 8 July 2010

Cheap Drug Prevents Deaths From Injury Bleeding

Tens of thousands of injury victims could be saved each year from bleeding to death, according to research just released in the medical journal: The Lancet. Scientist studying 20 000 patients taking part in the CRASH-2 trial in 274 hospitals in 40 countries have found that a simple, cheap, drug - normally used to stem the flow of blood during surgery - could save as many as 100 000 lives each year among the more than half a million victims of injury around the world. Scientists Ian Roberts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Tim Coats from Leicester University, gave a press briefing in London - together with anaesthetist Jorge Mejia from Colombia and the Director of the World Health Organisation's Department for Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability, Etienne Krug - to discuss the importance of the CRASH-2 findings in terms of saving lives at low cost around the world. Ian Roberts tells Peter Goodwin more about why these findings are important for emergency medicine around the world.

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Posted 1 July 2010

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