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Simulating The Pandemic Disease Airport Screening System
Four major US national laboratories have worked together to develop a computer model to help airport authorities screen passengers for pandemic influenza. The tool can help estimate false negatives, people with influenza who slip through the screening process, and so assess the risk of infected passengers unknowingly spreading disease across the nation.

Blogs Comment On Tiller's Death, Sotomayor, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Dr. Tiller -- A Gynecological Superhero," Frances Irwin, Below the Waist: Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, who was shot to death on Sunday, was "a superhero" who "never failed to serve his patients regardless of the level of property damage, physical injury and intimidation he was subjected to as a result of his service," Irwin, who works for a Wisconsin-based family planning agency, writes. Irwin notes that, for nearly a year, the clinic she works at has been targeted by "pro-life" demonstrators. At various points they"ve carried signs reading, "Family planners promote child promiscuity," "Stop ALL Abortion," "Birth Control Leads to Abortion," and that new signs mention her by name. In the wake of Tiller"s death, Irwin writes that she "realize[s] that I could be intentionally injured by someone who opposes my work." She concludes, "To some extent allowing myself to worry about this feels like cowardice because Dr. Tiller was a superhero. And that"s a lot to aspire to" (Irwin, Below the Waist, 6/4).~ "Let"s Make an Abortion Deal," William Saletan, Slate"s "Human Nature": Some participants in the White House meetings to discuss abortion in the U.S. "aren"t trying hard enough" to find "common ground" and are "refusing the simplest concessions," Saletan writes. Saletan offers four recommendations to advocates on both side of the debate, including removing the distinction between reducing the number of abortions versus reducing the need for abortions. He writes, "No ordinary person sees a difference" between the two,"[s]o let"s focus on reduction through voluntary means and stop quibbling over how it"s described." His other recommendations include antiabortion-rights advocates conceding to increased access to contraception and both sides giving up "extremism." Saletan"s final recommendation is that abortion-rights opponents allow federal funding for reproductive health groups that offer abortion information or services. He writes that a ban on direct funding for abortions is "fine, " but the "indirect funding Obama restored is hardly radical," adding, "You might even discover that the most efficient way to prevent abortions in the long term is to fund the family planning organizations you keep trying to defund" (Saletan, "Human Nature," Slate, 6/4).~ "The ABCs of Antiabortion Activism," Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon"s "Broadsheet": Tiller"s murder "has opened up a Pandora"s box for pro-lifers, giving rise to all sorts of troublesome questions about the culpability of lenient law enforcement and the movement itself," Clark-Flory writes. She continues, "They certainly won"t find salvation from Pandagon"s Amanda Marcotte, who got her mitts on a disturbing antiabortion activist handbook" now online from Justice for All "that lays bare some of the lies, deception and cynical manipulation that might have led to Tiller"s assassination." According to Clark-Flory, "The single justifiable situation for an abortion is ectopic pregnancy, the manual explains," adding, "Deception of that sort is found throughout the handbook." She writes, "Activists are instructed that when confronting targets they are to pretend that they"re A-OK with contraception" so that "their mark will let his or her guard down and think that, you know, there"s actually a rational, fact-based discussion to be had." Clark-Flory continues, "The truth, of course, is that the manual goes on to arm activists with medical misinformation that they can spread about birth control." She concludes that Marcotte "puts this tactical deceit in perfect context: "It shows one face to the initiated and another to the public, especially on the topic of contraception. Once you realize this, the movement"s half-hearted denunciations of Dr. Tiller"s murder, coupled with the enthusiastic return to calling Dr. Tiller a monster, become all the more chilling"" (Clark-Flory, "Broadsheet," Salon, 6/4).~ "Late-Term Abortions: Facts
News of the day
Partner Issues Significantly Influence Women's Sexual Activity In Later Years, UCSF Study Shows
As a woman gets older, physical problems are less likely to influence whether she is sexually active than her partner"s health or interest in sex, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente.
Diagnostics

Gonorrhoea Down 11%, UK

The Health Protection Agency has reported an 11% decrease in the total number of new gonorrhoea infections diagnosed in the UK last year from 18,649 infections in 2007 to 16,629 in 2008 - the lowest number of new infections recorded since 1999. The Health Protection Agency has reported an 11% decrease in the total number of new gonorrhoea infections diagnosed in the UK last year from 18,649 infections in 2007 to 16,629 in 2008 - the lowest number of new infections recorded since 1999. Syphilis also showed a 4% decrease from 2,633 new cases recorded in 2007 to 2,524 new cases in 2008. Syphilis remains a relatively uncommon infection in the UK, although levels are still considerably higher than 10 years ago. Overall, STIs increased last year by 0.5%, from a total of 397,909 new cases recorded in 2007 to 399,738 new cases recorded in 2008. This was mostly due to increases in genital herpes and genital warts. The total number of genital herpes diagnoses increased by 10% from 26,270 new cases recorded in 2007 to 28,957 in 2008. The total numbers of genital warts diagnoses also increased by 3% from 89,515 new cases recorded in 2007 to 92,525 recorded in 2008. The greatest burden of STIs continues to fall among young people (aged 16 to 24 years), who are disproportionately affected by STIs. While just 12% of the population are aged 16 to 24 years old, this age group accounts for more than half of all new STIs diagnosed in the UK. In 2008 the 16-24 year age-group accounted for: - 65% of new Chlamydia diagnoses (80,258 cases) - 55% of new genital warts diagnoses (51,153 cases) - 47% of new gonorrhoea diagnoses (8,605 cases ) - 44% of new genital herpes diagnoses (12,258 cases) - 17% of new syphilis diagnoses (456 cases) Dr Gwenda Hughes, head of the Health Protection Agency"s Sexually Transmitted Infections Department said: "The decrease we have observed in cases of gonorrhoea and syphilis is an encouraging sign. These are both infections which tend to be geographically clustered and concentrated in specific population core groups, such as black ethnic minorities and men who have sex with men. "Effective local interventions may therefore have had a significant influence on transmission and frequency of these infections so this decrease can be seen as testament to the hard work of health professionals and colleagues in the NHS. "However this does not mean we should be complacent. We know that there is still a substantial pool of people who are infected with STIs who remain undiagnosed. "Unfortunately we have seen increases in other STIs, notably in herpes and genital warts. While the increase in genital herpes diagnoses in the last few years is probably due to greater use of highly sensitive tests detecting more cases, our data clearly show that considerable numbers of people, especially those under 25, are getting infected with an STI." "Early detection is vital for both men and women as some infections, particularly chlamydia, gonorrhoea and genital herpes, can often have no symptoms. This means people may be unaware that they are infected and can pass the infection on to others. Without early treatment both chlamydia and gonorrhoea can lead to complications - when treatment can sometimes be too late to stop permanent damage such as infertility." "We need to continue to encourage safer sex, including condom use, to help reduce the spread of STIs. We also recommend that anyone with a new or casual sexual partner gets tested regularly at a GUM clinic or through the National Chlamydia Screening Programme. The Agency continues to work alongside the Department of Health, STI charities and sexual health organisations to tackle high infection rates and promote the importance of regular testing and safer sexual behaviour. "If people think they are at risk of having contracted an STI, or have any symptoms, they should go to a GUM or sexual health clinic for a check-up as soon as possible." Notes 1. For further information on the Agency"s latest sexual health figures visit here. 2. Data have been collected from genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics (also called STI clinics) throughout the UK. The HPA collates a UK dataset annually with its collaborators in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. This year there are additional tables on chlamydia diagnoses. These tables present data on the total number of chlamydia diagnoses made at any clinical setting which were reported in the UK, which includes the National Chlamydia Screening Programme. Numbers of chlamydia diagnoses reported in these tables will therefore be higher than those reported in national GUM clinic statistics. To view these tables visit here. 3. The National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) is co-ordinated nationally by the Health Protection Agency and covers all PCTs in England. It offers free testing and treatment to under-25s across England via many venues including community contraceptive services, GPs, youth clinics and pharmacies. Health Protection Agency


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