국립재활원의 HIV감염인 재활치료 거부는 차별이다
시민단체가 국립재활원이 HIV 감염인의 치료를 거부한 것은 차별이라고 국가인권위원회에 진정을 냈다.

‘HIV/AI…

기사 보기: 사회, 인권, 에이즈, Hiv, 국립재활원, 병, 건강, 과학, 의학, 동성애, Korea News

www.huffingtonpost.kr/2017/11/06/story_n_18476338.html

Maternal Vaccine Could Prevent 231,000 GBS Cases In Babies And Pregnant Women A Year

A maternal vaccine could prevent 231,000 infant and maternal Group B Streptococcus (GBS) cases a year, the first global study of the bacteria has found.

GBS is a bacteria that occurs naturally in the lower vaginal tract and is carried by about 150,000 pregnant women each year in the UK. Most will suffer no ill effects, but in some cases they will pass the bacteria on to their baby during labour. Most babies exposed to GBS will be unaffected, but in around one in every 2,000 cases they can become infected.

As newborn babies’ immune systems aren’t fully developed, Strep B bacteria can quickly spread through their body, causing serious infections, such as meningitis.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) estimates that one in five pregnant women around the world carry GBS, and that out of 410,000 GBS cases every year, there will be at least 147,000 stillbirths and infant deaths globally.

Although several vaccines to prevent this cause of maternal and infant ill health and death are in development, none are currently available.

This is despite the disease accounting for more than the combined neonatal deaths from tetanus, pertussis, and respiratory syncytial virus, for which maternal vaccines are already in use, or further advanced in development, the report’s authors state.

The analysis – funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases – shows for the first time that a GBS vaccine which was 80% effective and reached 90% of women, could potentially prevent 231,000 infant and maternal GBS cases.

Global Statistics 

An average of 18% of women worldwide carry GBS bacteria. This is equivalent to 21.7million women in 195 countries 

The top five countries are: 

• India 2,466,500
• China 1,934,900
• Nigeria 1,060,000
• USA 942,800
• Indonesia 799,100

It is possible to screen all pregnant women for GBS, so those carrying it can be given antibiotics, but this is “not recommended” by the UK’s National Screening Committee (NSC), unless women are considered to be at risk – such as having previously given birth to a baby with the infection or going into labour prematurely.  

Dan and Birgitta Hobster’s daughter Natalie was just seven days old when she succumbed to meningitis caused by GBS in London last month.

Dan told HuffPost UK: “My wife is American and we were very keen to have a birth at the Portland [private hospital], but we were told it’s not the done thing because if there’s ever an emergency you need to be transferred to an NHS hospital straight away. So we didn’t do that.

“But basically, if she was born in America or frankly if she was born in any developed country anywhere else in the world, or in the Portland, this test would have occurred, they would have given her antibiotics and they would have caught it.

“We had never heard of it. The NHS needs to inform pregnant women of this risk.”

UK Statistics 

In 2015, 173,000 (one in four) pregnant women were estimated to be at risk from GBS. 

There were 856 cases of invasive GBS in infants under the age of three months over a 13 month period in the UK and Republic of Ireland from 2014 -2015. 

BPSU report states case fatality rate was 6.2% in babies aged 0-90 days – early onset (0-6 days) case fatality rate was 5.2% and late onset (7-90 days) was 7.7%.

Dan added: “When Natalie died we went away to Portugal and they said ‘we’ve never had this incident because we always do this test.’

“It’s tremendously arrogant for the UK to be like ‘we know better than all of the medical consensus of the rest of the world.’” 

Dan said: “The thing that’s infuriating is that almost anywhere else in the world this would not have happened and the fact that it’s [the test] not happening is costing the NHS money. It’s madness.

“The UK is a million miles away from best practice and its stubbornness is costing money and lives.”

GBS facts 

• GBS is carried by up to a third of adults, usually with no symptoms. 
• In women, GBS can live harmlessly in the digestive system or lower vaginal tract, from where it can be passed to the unborn baby through the amniotic fluid or to newborns during labour. 
• Babies are more vulnerable to infection as their immature immune systems cannot fight off the multiplying bacteria. 
• If left untreated, GBS can cause serious infections such as meningitis and septicaemia, which may lead to stillbirths and newborn and infant deaths. 
• If they survive, babies can develop permanent problems including hearing or vision loss, or cerebral palsy. 

Joy Lawn, series co-lead and professor of maternal, reproductive and child health at the LSHTM, said: “Too many parents around the world face the death of a baby or a young child – avoidable GBS deaths are happening in every country.

“Antibiotics currently prevent an estimated 29,000 cases of early-onset Group B Streptococcal disease per year, almost all in high-income settings.

“However, this approach may be difficult in low-income settings where many births take place at home, and laboratory capacity for screening for GBS is limited.

“In addition, giving antibiotics to 21.7 million women may contribute to antimicrobial resistance – a major global health crisis.”

Anna Seale, series co-lead and associate professor at the LSHTM added: “Even if antibiotics were given to all pregnant women identified through screening strategies, they target mainly early-onset GBS disease in newborns, not GBS disease in pregnant women, GBS disease before delivery causing stillbirth, or GBS disease in infants more than a couple of days old.

“A maternal GBS vaccine could prevent many more cases and deaths worldwide.”

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Providing women and their babies safe care is our priority which is why, based on evidence currently available, we have accepted the UK NSC’s recommendation to not approve screening for Group B Strep — in part because this would have led to about 100,000 screened women being prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily during labour.

“However, as the committee and other bodies recognise, better quality evidence is needed to assess the clinical effectiveness, benefits and harms of a screening programme so we will commission a clinical trial to compare screening for Group B Strep against usual-risk based care.”

On the 3rd August 2017, the Department of Health, through the National Institute for Health Research, launched stage 1 of a commissioned call for a trial to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of screening for GBS in pregnancy.

More information is available at Group B Strep Support. 

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/maternal-vaccine-could-prevent-231000-gbs-cases-a-year_uk_59fc8aa4e4b0415a420b51d5

Heaton Park: Police Probing Possible Abduction Of Girl In Manchester
Police are investigating the possible abduction of a young girl in Manchester.

Detectives said the child – thought to be around six or seven years old, according to social media – was believed to be snatched from the city’s Heaton Park.

The Manchester Evening News reported between 300 and 400 cars were searched by police as people left a fireworks display at the park.

Police were called to reports a girl had been abducted at around 9.15pm on Sunday.

Superintendent Arif Nawaz of Greater Manchester Police said: “I want people to know we are taking this report extremely seriously and are following all possible lines of inquiry, which may cause some disruption to people leaving the event this evening.

“We need to be really clear about what has happened this evening so I’d ask that people refrain from speculating around the circumstances on social media as we follow our processes.”

Police confirmed they were searching vehicles as they left the park following a fireworks display.

People on social media reported long delays as they tried to leave the event.

Greater Manchester Police’s city centre team tweeted: “Delay getting off Heaton Park car parks. Bear with us while we sort an incident at Margarets Rd entrance.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting reference number 2512 of November 5, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/abduction-heaton-park-manchester_uk_59ffb460e4b0baea2632b688

It’s Not Just One Bad Appleby, The Paradise Papers Show This Rotten Offshore System Needs To Change
Like me, many of you probably went to a local fireworks display this weekend. But the real fireworks for tax justice campaigners came on Sunday evening, some 412 years on from the original gunpowder plot. BBC Panorama, the Guardian and many others have once again laid bare the scale of the world’s rotten offshore system that enables a few of the world’s richest people and companies to hide their wealth in secrecy.

Eighteen months ago the Panama Papers contributed to (for example): bringing down the government of Iceland; forcing the Pakistani Prime Minister to resign, and triggered a referendum in Ecuador on politicians’ use of tax havens (where the public voted that no elected official could use them).

This Sunday saw the Paradise Papers and revelations of Appleby, a consulting firm that advises their clients on using tax havens to hide their money overseas. In an extraordinary series of revelations, Panorama questioned the offshore activities of Her Majesty the Queen, a member of President Trump’s Cabinet, former Conservative Party treasurer and peer Lord Ashcroft, a Premier League Football Club and many others.

It is important to remember that this is not just about the Queen, Lord Ashcroft or Appleby. Or about one or two particular tax havens. This is about a global web of offshore secrecy which is estimated to hide somewhere between $7-$30trillion secretly offshore away from the taxman. These estimates equate to some 4-10% of global wealth hidden offshore. Tax Justice Networks says that around 20% of corporate taxes are lost offshore. This selfishness increases the tax burden on the rest of us who pay our taxes fairly. And Appleby is just one of a number of similar firms that provide offshore secrecy to their clients. There are many more where they came from that are still operating in the shadows.

This isn’t just an academic issue. It affects real people and it hurts them. The world’s poorest nations and most vulnerable people are the ones who suffer most. The UN estimates developing countries lose at least $100billion every year as a result of investments routed through tax havens. This is not far off the total aid budget. If we had a more transparent system this would help us to move towards a future free of aid dependency. Africa actually loses more through tax dodging and corruption than it gains in aid. Oxfam recently said that around one third of rich Africans’ wealth sits offshore, and if that money was in Africa and taxed properly, it could fund enough teachers to educate every child in Africa. Given the scale of the problem, I wish the negative impact of offshore tax havens were discussed in the press (particularly some British press) just as much as the UK Aid budget is.

This is also not just about other countries and territories. The UK sits at the heart of the offshore tax haven world. Together with its Overseas Territories (for example, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Bermuda) and Crown Dependencies, the UK is the biggest financial secrecy jurisdiction in the world, according to the latest Financial Secrecy Index. So next time a UK Government Minister says that others need to act, let’s challenge Boris Johnson, Theresa May and others to demonstrate a bit more leadership themselves.

Every week I hear new stories of corruption and tax dodging facilitated by UK Territories. This week I was reading about how the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla are helping to facilitate North Korea’s UN sanctions busting, and how the Cayman Islands had facilitated tax evasion schemes leading to over £175million of fines in Australia.

While this all might sound a bit abstract and tough to crack, the solutions are actually very simple. They just require some political courage. So here are my suggested immediate actions for Theresa May as Prime Minister and Boris Johnson, who as Foreign Secretary is responsible for the UK’s Overseas Territories:

1. Finally set a timeline by when the UK’s Overseas Territories will adopt the same transparency as the rest of the UK – public registers of who owns which companies. This is not controversial and there is a House of Commons majority for it. We just need to get on with it! It may take a bit of effort and support for the territories, but there really are no excuses any more.

2. Ensure that we also have transparency in the UK’s Crown Dependencies. Again, support might be needed but there is no time to waste.

3. Develop a clear plan and timeline for including trusts in the UK’s, Overseas Territories’ and Crown Dependencies’ registers.

With these three steps, huge amounts of corruption and tax dodging facilitated by UK territories could be slowed. And before you argue businesses will just move elsewhere, let me make two brief points. First, we are working towards transparency across the EU so it will become a global standard soon hopefully anyway. Second, I believe the UK has a moral responsibility to stop facilitating this behaviour, particularly given that we spend so much aid to help poor countries. Let’s stop giving with one hand and taking with the other.

These latest leaks make one thing clear. The era of secrecy is over. Transparency is the way forward. It’s a matter of when not if. More leaks are coming. It time for the UK to get ahead of the curve once more, and to stop wringing its hands and crying crocodile tears. Please join me in calling for action.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/simon-kirkland/paradise-papers_b_18472630.html

Gays Against Guns, Others Demand #GunControlNow After Texas Shooting

The hashtags #ThoughtsAndPrayers and #GunControlNow are both trending after another senseless shooting in a church.

www.advocate.com/crime/2017/11/05/gays-against-guns-others-demand-guncontrolnow-wake-texas-church-shooting

Million Mask March: Thousands Of Masked Anarchist Protesters March Through London
Anarchist protesters wearing Guido Fawkes disguises brought their anti-capitalist message to the heart of London for the annual Million Mask March.

Thousands of people, including those sporting the famous stylised vizard popularised in the cult film V For Vendetta, chanted pro-civil liberty and anti-establishment slogans as Westminster ground to a virtual halt.

Police maintained a heavy presence outside key locations such as Downing Street, with Scotland Yard enforcing restrictions over the scale and location of the protest following ugly scenes in previous years when bloodied activists clashed with officers.

The event, organised by the notorious hacking collective Anonymous, is held on November 5 every year.

Previous protests have resulted in ugly scenes with activists clashing with officers. While fireworks were let off along the route, no major disturbances broke out.

Police stationed outside Downing Street told the Press Association the march was “incredibly quiet” compared to last year, when 53 people were arrested.

Customary stop outside Downing Street. Police saying this year’s #MillionMaskMarch is “incredibly quiet” compared with last year pic.twitter.com/vWnYinzV4L

November 5, 2017
Police imposed conditions on the march, limiting it to a three-hour period between 6pm and 9pm on a prescribed route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

A post on the event’s Facebook page ahead of the march, which warned activists that “police are not your friends”, read: “We have seen the abuses and malpractice of this government, and governments before it.

“We have seen the encroaching destruction of many civil liberties we hold dear, we have seen the pushes to make the internet yet another part of the surveillance state.

“We have seen the Government’s disregard for migrants, for the poor, the elderly and the disabled, we have seen the capital, profit and greed of the few put before the wellbeing of the many and we say enough is enough.”

It finishes: “The Government and the 1% have played their hand. Now it’s time to play ours. Expect us.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/million-mask-march-2017_uk_59ff7f5ce4b04cdbeb342a54

HRC Statement on Shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas

HRC responded to the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas where at least 27 people have been killed and dozens more have been injured.

“Our hearts go out to those impacted by this senseless tragedy today in Sutherland Springs, Texas,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Whether in an LGBTQ club or a Texas church, gun violence is plaguing our country. Unless Congress acts, no community in America can be safe. Make no mistake about it, what happened in Sutherland Springs this morning could have easily happened in any other town across America. The murder of innocent people across our country should move Congress to realize there is an overwhelming and indisputable need for action. It’s time for Congress to stand up to the NRA. We will continue to demand action until our lawmakers either hear us — or we have new lawmakers.”

This tragedy comes just a few weeks after a mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead and more than 515 injured.  Last year, 49 lives — most of them Latinx — were taken in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Yet, in recent weeks, Congress and the White House have only discussed modest potential steps to address the scourge of gun violence facing the country. Prior to the Las Vegas shooting, Congress was even considering legislation to allow silencers and transportation of concealed weapons across state lines.

HRC backs common-sense gun violence prevention policy measures and policies aimed at addressing the epidemic of hate that has fueled anti-LGBTQ-motivated murder, assault, and discrimination. For decades, LGBTQ people have been a target for bias-motivated violence, and easy access to deadly weapons has compounded this threat. Common-sense gun violence prevention measures endorsed by HRC include banning access to assault-style rifles, expanding background checks, and limiting the ability for suspected terrorists and those with a history of domestic abuse to access guns.

According to Everytown for Gun Safety, more than 33,000 gun deaths happen every year.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-on-shooting-in-sutherland-springs-texas?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

‘Strictly Come Dancing’: Aston Merrygold Leaves In Results Show Shocker
In what was undeniably the most surprising result of the current series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, Aston Merrygold has been given his marching orders from the BBC show.

Aston and professional partner Janette Manrara were given the boot in Sunday’s (5 November) results show, after a dance-off against Mollie King and AJ Pritchard.

The former JLS singer has been consistently strong throughout his time on ‘Strictly’, but had a shaky time in this week’s live show, with the judges ultimately ruling that this was enough to give him the chop.

After both Aston and Mollie danced for the second time, Craig Revel Horwood was the first to cast his vote to give the former the boot, explaining: “Both couples improved on the night which was wonderful to see but based purely on technique for me, the better dance of the evening goes to Mollie and AJ.”

Darcey Bussell disagreed, claiming Aston and Janette were “more assured”, with Bruno concurring: “[One couple] transformed their performance tonight and it had much more power, much more impact, it flowed more and for that reason I would like to save Aston and Janette.”

Therefore, the casting vote went to Head Judge Shirley Ballas, who declared: “On technical accuracy, beautiful flow and full engagement during the dance, I’m saving Mollie and AJ.”

Insisting he had no hard feelings, Aston told Tess Daly: “I’ve had friends who have done the show before and they’ve gone ‘you’re going to have the most amount of fun from start to finish whatever it is’ and honestly they weren’t lying!

“I’ve made some amazing friends and honestly I’ve had the best time, it’s been amazing.”

Aston’s final dance – a Viennese Waltz to ‘Who’s Loving You’ by the Jackson 5 – held particular significance to him, having performed a number by the band on ‘Stars In Their Eyes Kids’ years before finding fame in JLS.

‘Strictly’ continues next Saturday (11 November) on BBC One.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/strictly-come-dancing-aston-merrygold-leaves_uk_59fef490e4b04cdbeb33b1ee