Irish musician Bono on Thursday is scheduled to film the U.S. launch of Product RED — a project created by Bono and Bobby Shriver that aims to raise money for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by donating a portion of profits from a range of branded products — on the nationally syndicated “Oprah Winfrey Show,” USA Today reports (Sternberg, USA Today, 10/12). American Express, Converse, Giorgio Armani and Gap were the initial partners in the program — which was launched in January in the United Kingdom — and are distributing credit cards and selling tennis shoes, sunglasses and T-shirts, respectively, carrying the Product RED label. The four partner companies have committed to the brand for five years and have pledged to give an average of 40% of profits from the products to the Global Fund. London’s Independent in May announced that it would become the first media outlet to sign on as a partner in the project. In addition, Motorola in May announced that it will partner with Product RED. According to Global Fund Executive Director Richard Feachem, Product RED has raised more than $10 million in the U.K. from February through September. The funds generated from U.K. sales will be allocated to HIV testing and treatment services for HIV-positive women and children living in Rwanda and to supporting AIDS orphans in Swaziland, he said. Feachem on Friday announced that Product RED plans to partner with five additional corporations in the next few weeks (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/6). Bono, Oprah and other celebrities on Thursday plan to shop in downtown Chicago in an effort to enlist consumers, USA Today reports. According to Leslie Dance, vice president of marketing for Motorola, celebrities —- including Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Garner, Chris Rock, Maria Shriver and Steven Spielberg — will promote and represent various Product RED goods. The Product RED launch program will air on Friday (USA Today, 10/12).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Men who have been treated for colorectal cancer can reduce their risk of dying from the disease by engaging in regular exercise, according to a new study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The findings are published in the December 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Previous research has shown regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing colon cancer,” says the study’s lead author, Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber. “This current study confirms two other studies from our group that shows physical activity by colorectal cancer survivors helps them live longer than those survivors who are not physically active.”

Meyerhardt and his team studied 668 men with colorectal cancer. More than 50 percent of the men exercised the equivalent of one hour of walking, at least six days per week, although the men engaged in a variety of different recreational exercises. Researchers found patients who engaged in moderate physical activity were 53 percent more likely to be alive and free of the disease than those who were less physically active. The benefit of exercise was seen regardless of age, how advanced the cancer, weight and any history of previous physical activity.

“Moderate exercise has now been incorporated in some guidelines for colorectal cancer survivors and this new research should further reinforce to oncologists that they should discuss this in their survivorship plan,” says Meyerhardt. “However, while our work found a significant benefit for patients who exercise, it’s important that exercise still be seen as a supplement to, not a replacement for, standard therapies.”

More than 148,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year and, despite advances in screening and treatment, the disease causes almost 50,000 deaths annually.

The senior author of the study is Dana-Farber’s Charles Fuchs, MD. Co-authors included other researchers at Dana-Farber, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Source
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Seroproection rates (antibody levels) of H1N1 have been analyzed and Canadian scientists say that a third wave of the H1N1 (swine flu) is highly improbable for 2010. Their research can be viewed in the latest issue of CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The scientists stress, though, that individuals aged 50 or over, especially people with chronic conditions and diseases should make sure they are vaccinated.

The authors, from the BC Centre for Disease Control, University of British Columbia and BC Biomedical Laboratories, carried out a study involving 1,1127 individuals from British Columbia’s Lower Mainland comparing antibody blood levels against H1N1 influenza prior to the 2009 pandemic as well as after it.

They found that:

Before the pandemic 10% all people under 70 years of age had levels of H1N1 antibodies deemed as protective
77% of individuals over 80 years of age had H1N1 antibody protective levels before the pandemic
After the pandemic, in the autumn (fall) of 2009, 70% of people under 20, 44% of those aged between 20 and 49, and 30% of those aged between 50 and 79 had levels of H1N1 antibodies deemed as protective. Only 21% of those aged 70 to 79 years had adequate protection levels. Higher rates were identified among people aged at least 80 years.

The authors wrote:

The higher percentage with seroprotection we observed in the young may have resulted from higher pandemic H1N1 infection rates and earlier prioritization of pandemic H1N1 vaccine to young children.

In order to prevent a serious epidemic in a population, community-level protection needs to be above 40%, the scientists explain, especially if kids of school age are protected. School age children are major contributors to an epidemic.

The current seroprotection rate is 70% among schoolchildren and 46% overall (in the community in general).

Referring to current schoolchildren and overall seroprotection rates, the authors write:

..these findings reassure against the likelihood of a substantial third pandemic H1N1 wave during the 2010-11 season, unless there is a significant waning of antibody or change in the virus.

Immunization needs to focus on older people.

The researchers add:

Adults 50-79 years exhibited the lowest seroprotection and also remain at higher risk of severe outcomes if infected. Our findings support a shift from the prioritized immunization of the young that occurred in fall 2009 to prioritized immunization of older adults for the coming 2010-11 influenza season to protect against severe outcomes due to both pandemic and seasonal influenza.

“Prevalence of seroprotection against the pandemic (H1N1) virus after the 2009 pandemic”
Danuta M. Skowronski, Travis S. Hottes, Naveed Z. Janjua, Dale Purych, Suzana Sabaiduc, Tracy Chan, Gaston De Serres, Jennifer Gardy, Janet E. McElhaney, David M. Patrick, Martin Petric
Published online ahead of print October 18, 2010
CMAJ 10.1503/cmaj.100910

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the availability of the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa that evaluates the potential environmental effects of deregulating alfalfa engineered to be resistant to the herbicide glyphosate. (This GE alfalfa is commonly referred to as Roundup Ready or “RR” alfalfa.)

The Secretary of Agriculture also called for a dialogue among stakeholders to discuss coexistence solutions.

Jim Greenwood, president and chief executive officer for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), issued the following statement in response to the announcement:

“We welcome USDA’s efforts to move forward on this issue.

“Our agriculture regulatory system provides for the thorough and science-based review of agricultural biotechnology products, and has enabled these products to come to market and provide our nation’s farmers with the tools to grow crops more sustainably.

“But our regulatory system has become hindered by legal challenges, and farmers are ultimately the ones who pay the price. We are more than ready to sit down with the Secretary and other stakeholder groups to discuss these issues.

“One thing we know for sure is that farmers already practice coexistence, and have been doing so successfully for decades. Biotech crops (grown on 154 million acres of U.S. land) and organic crops (grown on 2.5 million acres of U.S. land) play an important role in providing healthful foods and in helping farmers provide for a growing population and meet the diverse needs of consumers.

“Workable agriculture policy must be science-based and inclusive – rather than exclusive – of all the farming practices that help to provide the food, fuel and fiber for our world.”

Source:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

The group Cures Without Cloning on Friday in Cole County, Mo., Circuit Court filed a lawsuit against Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D) claiming her office wrote an inaccurate summary of the group’s proposal to modify a state constitutional amendment that protects human embryonic stem cell research, the Kansas City Business Journal reports (Roberts, Kansas City Business Journal, 10/22). In addition, the group Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, which supported passage of the amendment last year, recently filed a separate lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court challenging the fiscal note summary to Cures Without Cloning’s proposal approved by State Auditor Susan Montee (D), the AP/Columbia Tribune reports (AP/Columbia Tribune, 10/20).

Background
The Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, which was approved by Missouri voters in November 2006, ensures that stem cell research permitted under federal law is protected in the state and prohibits human cloning. It also allows stem cell research that involves somatic cell nuclear transfer, which some opponents consider a type of human cloning. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is conducted by inserting the genetic material from a patient’s cell — usually from a skin cell — into an unfertilized egg from another person. The patient’s genetic material incorporates into the egg and causes it to develop into an embryo that is a genetic match to the skin cell patient.

Cures Without Cloning in August filed a ballot proposal with Carnahan for the November 2008 election that would create a new definition of cloning to ban somatic cell nuclear transfer and bar tax dollars from funding research using techniques prohibited by the definition. The ballot summary says the proposal would “repeal the current ban on human cloning” and “limit patients’ access to stem cell research, therapies and cures approved by voters in November 2006″ by redefining the cloning ban to criminalize some procedures that currently are allowed (Kaiser Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, 10/12).

Lawsuits, Reaction
Cures Without Cloning’s lawsuit asks the court to rule Carnahan’s summary invalid and replace it on the ballot with new language proposed by the group. The group’s petition said that the ballot summary “reflects the secretary of state’s bias and prejudice against the Cures Without Cloning amendment, and concomitant favoritism toward proponents of human (embryonic) cloning and stem cell research on human embryos.” Carnahan refuted the group’s statements. “It is our legal obligation to make sure that Missouri voters always have a fair, accurate and concise summary of what they are voting on — regardless of the issue,” Carnahan said in a statement, adding that the summary is “fair, accurate and reflects how the constitution would be changed by this initiative if it got on the ballot and was passed” (Kansas City Business Journal, 10/22).

Meanwhile, MCLC’s lawsuit, filed by plaintiffs Robert Pund and Susan Baier, claims that the fiscal note summary underestimates the proposal’s potential cost to taxpayers, the AP/Tribune reports. Montee’s summary says that the proposal “could have a significant negative fiscal impact on state and local governmental entities due to its prohibition of certain research activities” but adds that actual costs are unknown. MCLC said the summary should state that at least $200 million in state funding and at least $25 million in local government funding would be lost if the proposal passes (AP/Columbia Tribune, 10/20). Cures Without Cloning’s suit also challenges Montee’s summary, but its petition states that “the only fair statement the auditor can make is that the fiscal impact on state and local government is unknown” (Kansas City Business Journal, 10/22).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

The cost of caring for aging U.S. residents by 2030 will add 25% to the nation’s overall health care costs unless those residents actively work to stay healthy and preventive services are provided to help them, according to a CDC report released Thursday, Reuters reports. The report, titled “The State of Aging and Health in America 2007″ and funded by Merck’s charitable foundation, found that 80% of U.S. residents age 65 or older have at least one chronic condition that could lead to early death or disability. The report also found that the cost of caring for older U.S. residents is three to five times greater than the cost of caring for younger adults, indicating the increased need for preventive health care directed toward elderly U.S. residents, researchers said (Steenhuysen, Reuters, 3/8). According to the report, the U.S. is meeting federal benchmarks for the care of elderly residents in four of 11 categories. Those four categories include smoking cessation, mammogram screening, colorectal screening and cholesterol monitoring. The U.S. does not meet goals for improved oral health, physical activity promotion, flu and pneumonia vaccination, and hip fracture prevention. Thirty-nine percent of elderly whites, 29% of elderly Hispanics and 24% of elderly blacks say their health is very good or excellent (Ritter, Chicago Sun-Times, 3/9). The report also found that across the 50 states, Hawaii provided the best health care for its elderly residents, ranking highest in overall health, mental health and disability, and it had the lowest percentage of obese elderly residents. West Virginia ranked the worst for overall health, oral health and disability in its elderly residents. Kentucky had the highest number of elderly residents with mental health problems. Louisiana reported the highest levels of obesity, with 25% of its elderly residents considered obese.

Comments
Lynda Anderson, a chronic disease and aging expert at CDC, said, “You have some regions that are doing extremely well in a lot of areas and others that are struggling to get these services to older adults.” She added, “There are certainly areas that we need to really pay attention to.” Bill Benson, a health care benefits and policy analyst who advised CDC on the report, said, “We are going to see an increase in health care costs, but the goal has to be to restrain the rate of increase. Prevention is the key to that.” Richard Murray, a vice president at Merck, said, “We have the opportunity for prevention. We need to be serious about it” (Steenhuysen, Reuters, 3/8). James Firman, president of the National Council on Aging, said the report “confronts brutal facts for all of us” (Chicago Sun-Times, 3/9).


The report is available online. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat to view this report.

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Eight Sarah Lawrence College graduate students are assisting the residents of Mossville, LA, suffering illnesses in highly disproportionate numbers to the general population from the effects of air and ground water pollution.

The students, who will travel to Mossville for the third time on March 19 during their spring break, will provide the advocacy group, Mossville Environmental Action Now (M.E.A.N.), with its first set of comprehensive and impartial empirical data showing the lack of access to health care, the poor quality treatment for the complex conditions many people suffer, and the unwillingness of the local health care system to fully investigate the cause of illnesses among the residents

Mossville is situated in an area with an extraordinary concentration of toxic petrochemical factories: 53 industrial factories, of which more than forty are within a 10-mile radius and 13 within a half mile of the residential community.

Though signs that residents of the relatively poor city of 700 families were absorbing the toxins and becoming sick have been clear for over 15 years, the residents’ efforts to seek solutions to their problems through M.E.A.N., a grassroots organization, are only now being addressed by the EPA.

Under the direction of Rebecca O. Johnson, a member of the graduate faculty in the Health Advocacy Program, who consulted with M.E.A.N. after the devastation of Hurricane Rita, the SLC Health Advocacy graduate students are creating a comprehensive participatory community health needs assessment. They will also develop a concept paper for the establishment of a free health clinic that will provide toxicological evaluations and address residents’ health issues related to air and water pollution, ignored by existing health facilities that are funded by the corporations that have created the environmental contamination.

From March 19 to 27 the students will continue the fieldwork activities they have already begun, which include surveying the residents’ reported health issues and needs, and creating an overall environmental scan of factors that have caused and continue to contribute to the current situation.

Between visits, when they are back at the College, the students are analyzing the data and working on the collaborative concept paper they will present at the end of the semester and which will serve as a platform for advocating the establishment of the free health clinic.

Sarah Lawrence College is a coeducational liberal arts college, founded in 1926, with a distinctive system of education. It is known for having one of the lowest student-faculty ratios in the country. At the core of the system are small classes, regular one-on-one student-faculty conferences, cross-disciplinary approaches and the integration of the creative arts within the curriculum. In addition to the 1,200-student undergraduate program, the College has eight master’s degree programs and a center for adults returning to school to complete their bachelor’s degrees.

Source: Sarah Lawrence College

Ivermectin, the standard drug for treating river blindness (onchocerciasis), is causing genetic changes in the parasite that causes the disease, according to a new study by Roger Prichard (McGill University, Canada) and colleagues, published in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. These genetic changes have previously been linked with parasites becoming resistant to ivermectin.

The study is being published as a “sneak preview” research article ahead of the official launch of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases later this year.

Recent reports of patients failing to respond to ivermectin treatment have suggested the emergence of drug-resistant Onchocerca volvulus (the parasite that causes river blindness), and recent studies have associated ivermectin resistance with certain genetic markers, particularly the Гў-tubulin gene. In Prichard and colleagues’ study, genetic changes in Гў-tubulin were seen in parasites obtained from patients exposed to repeated ivermectin treatment when compared with parasites obtained from the same patients before any exposure to ivermectin. Furthermore, the researchers found that the extent of the genetic changes was dependent on the level of ivermectin treatment exposure.

Ivermectin has been used for mass treatment of river blindness for up to 18 years and is currently the only safe drug available for mass treatment of the estimated 37 million people infected with the O. volvulus parasite. According to this study, the genetic selection shown “could have implications for the development of ivermectin resistance in O. volvulus and for the ongoing onchocerciasis control programmes.”

In a related commentary article, publishing in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Sara Lustigman (New York Blood Center) and James McCarter (Washington University School of Medicine), who were not involved in Prichard and colleagues’ study, say that the study is “a wake-up call for onchocerciasis control programs to select their treatment regimens carefully and to develop plans for detecting ivermectin resistance and the associated genetic markers.”

###

These two articles are the first to be released by PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the Public Library of Science’s newest journal. The journal will be the first publication devoted entirely to neglected tropical diseases such as elephantiasis, Chagas disease, leprosy, hookworm, schistosomiasis, and African sleeping sickness. All papers published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases will be freely available online, and published under a license that allows readers to freely distribute and translate them and create derivative works.

Click here for link to published article.

Citations:

Bourguinat C, Pion SDS, Kamgno J, Gardon J, Duke BOL, et al (2007) Genetic Selection of Low Fertile Onchocerca volvulus by Ivermectin Treatment. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 1(1): e72. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000072 Lustigman S, McCarter JP (2007) Ivermectin Resistance in Onchocerca volvulus: Toward a Genetic Basis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 1(1): e76. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000076

Contact:

Roger K. Prichard

McGill University

Institute of Parasitology

21111 Lakeshore Road

Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X3V9

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (plosntds/) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published weekly by the Public Library of Science (PLoS).

Source: Johanna Dehlinger
Public Library of Science

Five Law Lords in the UK have ruled that families can legally create babies to help their sick brother or sister, the
authority would come from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, UK.

This ruling is the result of an appeal by the Hashmi family, whose son who was born with thalassaemia major. The Hashmi’s
say the only hope for their son, who is now six years old, is to create a child with the same tissue type.

Zain (the son) has to have regular transfusions plus loads of medications throughout the day. Thalassaemia major is s
serious genetic disorder. Patients with thalassaemia major doe not produce enough red blood cells.

Doctors aim to take stem cells from the newborn’s umbilical cord and transplant them into Zain.

Mrs Hashmi was overjoyed with the new ruling, she said “It is nice to know that society has now embraced the technology to
cure the sick and take away the pain. It has been a long and hard battle for all the family and we have finally heard the
news we wanted to hear.”

Making ‘designer babies’ is a controversial subject throughout the world. Many scientists and doctors say it would cure many
sick children. Some worry that this could be the beginning of more ominous things to come.

Information about Thalassaemia
From the NHS, UK

Thalassaemia is a disorder of the blood. Blood contains three types of cells, red cells which carry oxygen from the lungs to
the tissues, white cells which act against infections and platelets which help blood to clot. In thalassaemia the white cells
and platelets are normal, but the red cells are small and too few in number. It is a form of anaemia. As a result someone
with a severe form of thalassaemia gets tired very easily, and needs blood transfusions to remain healthy.

Thalassaemia Major

There are many different types of thalassaemia and many different degrees of severity. The full name of the commonest form of
severe thalassaemia is beta thalassaemia major, which affects boys and girls equally. Babies are well at birth, but as months
go by they become pale and tired, feed poorly and fail to get on. Blood transfusions restore them to health by correcting the
anaemia, but as the transfused red cells are used up, the anaemia returns. So children with thalassaemia major need a blood
transfusion every few weeks.

If a child with thalassaemia major is not treated the liver and the spleen in the abdomen becomes very large and the abdomen
swells. The heart does not work well. As the years go by, the bones grow abnormally, and the head and face develop a
characteristic appearance in severe cases. There are many other complications. Many affected children die as babies, if they
do not receive regular blood transfusion.

How does a baby get Thalassaemia?

Thalassaemia is an inherited disease. Each parent of a child with thalassaemia major has a slight change in the blood, which
is called thalassaemia minor. This is not really an illness. The red cells are a little smaller than usual, but there are
plenty of them and they work normally. People with thalassaemia minor are not usually anaemic. They are not ill and many are
unaware that their blood is different from normal in any way. However if two people with thalassaemia minor have children,
there is a 1 in 4 chance that the baby will inherit the thalassaemia characteristic from each parent and will get a ‘double
dose’, which causes thalassaemia major. There is a 50:50 chance that the baby will have thalassaemia minor like its mother
and father, in which case it will develop normally. There is also a 1 in 4 chance that its blood will be completely normal.

Where both parents are found to carry thalassaemia, it is possible to do a test on the unborn baby in early pregnancy to find
out whether the baby is affected by thalassaemia major. This option is fully explained at the time and it is entirely up to
the parents to decide whether to take the test or not. As well as this people with thalassaemia are most likely to have other
family members who are also carriers of thalassaemia. This means that they too are at risk of passing thalassaemia on to
their children. This is a particular problem when cousins marry. So if a person is found to have thalassaemia it is sensible
to test other members of the family to see if they are affected, and if they too are at risk of having children with
thalassaemia major.

Testing for Thalassaemia

Anyone can be tested for thalassaemia at any time. Women will be offered the test along with all the routine tests in
pregnancy. As thalassaemia is inherited, the result of the test will not change throughout a person’s life.

Treatment of Thalassaemia Major

Most children with thalassaemia major need blood transfusions every four to six weeks for the rest of their lives. With the
regular transfusions, children grow normally, and are able to do all the things the other children do. Unfortunately blood
contains iron which the body cannot get rid of naturally. The iron in the transfused cells builds up in the body. After ten
or more years, this iron may cause complications which result in poor growth and development, liver and heart disease, and
even death.

To prevent these problems, children with thalassaemia major need regular treatment to remove the excess iron from the body.
Two drugs are used: Desferral (desferrioxamine) and Ferriprox (deferiprone). Desferral is given by injection, usually under
the skin. The injections need to be given every day, usually over several hours, using a special syringe driver (the “pump”).
Ferriprox is taken as a tablet every day. Expert advice is needed regarding the choice of drug. Most children have received
Desferral in the past. Ferriprox may be more beneficial in some situations. Some patients take both drugs.

In the past before the blood donors were screened other complications of blood transfusion included infections such as
hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), caused by viruses. This very rarely occurs nowadays due to better screening for these
viruses.

Thalassaemia cannot be cured by drugs, but may be cured by a bone marrow transplant. This is a painful and dangerous
treatment, and the patients can die from complications. Bone marrow transplant is best done when a child is fairly young,
before the iron build up. However to have a successful bone marrow transplant, there must be a suitable donor who is usually
a brother or sister. Many children with thalassaemia cannot have a transplant because they do not have a donor.

Thalassaemia Minor

Thalassaemia Minor is not an illness. Many people have thalassaemia minor and do not know they are different in any way from
everyone else. Thalassaemia produces a similar effect on blood tests to iron deficiency and the two are often mixed up.
People with thalassaemia minor do not need iron tablets unless they are found to have iron deficiency as well. Women may also
become anaemic when they are pregnant, in which case they must consult their doctor for advice on taking iron tablets and
improving their iron deficiency. Thalassaemia is found all over the world, but it is most common in the Far East, Middle East
and Mediterranean countries, such as Cyprus.

The condition has existed for hundreds of years as it is passed from either parent to their children. It is found all around
the world, but is most common in people whose families originate from hot countries. It is thought that it is common because
in the past, people with thalassaemia minor were less likely to die from malaria, than non-carriers. Being a carrier
therefore offered some protection, which allowed the condition to persist. Today malaria is treated with drugs, so this
advantage is no longer important.

Other forms of Thalassaemia

Most of what is described above refers to what the doctors call beta-thalassaemia. However, there are many types of
thalassaemia, all of which vary in their severity, and in the effects they produce. The other common type is
alpha-thalassaemia, which is described in a separate leaflet.

The Los Angeles Times on Thursday examined how “with the economy collapsing,” the relatives of many elderly immigrants “who sponsored them for green cards and agreed to be financially responsible for them are increasingly having trouble doing so.” Federal law limits access to benefits — including Supplemental Security Income, health coverage or cash assistance — to newly arrived documented elderly immigrants. Although accessing federal benefits becomes “much easier” once they become citizens, many elderly immigrants are “reluctant to ask for it because of the perceived shame or stigma,” according to the Times. Of the more than one million immigrants in fiscal year 2007, about 58,500 were ages 65 and older, according to the Office of Immigrant Statistics.

The eligibility requirements for the elderly immigrants are “really draconian,” according to Gerald McIntire, directing attorney at the National Senior Law Center. “Even people who have demonstrated need are often not able to qualify for subsistence benefits,” he added. Rick Oltman of Californians for Population Stabilization said that taxpayers should not have to support elderly immigrants, even if they are in the country legally. “Nobody wants to leave senior citizens out in the cold,” he said, adding, “But the government needs to do everything it can to enforce these agreements. The last resort for supporting these immigrants should be the taxpayer.”

In the meantime, the restrictions often result in more financial pressure on sponsoring family members, the Times reports. According to Steven Wallace, professor at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Public Health, economic resources are “shared at the household level” in many immigrant communities. He added, “If one or more of the parents loses a job, that squeezes everybody in the family.”

Furthermore, elderly immigrants have a more difficult time assimilating to U.S. culture than younger immigrants, and they also lack a social network, according to the Times. Many elderly immigrants also “struggle with the loss of their independence when they arrive in the U.S.” and have to rely on family members to drive them to doctor appointments and other necessary places, the Times reports.

“They are very isolated,” according to Farhana Shahid of the South Asian Network, who provides therapy for elderly immigrants and helps them apply for federal benefits. She said, “They think they are going to have a great life,” adding, “When they come over here, there is nothing for the older people” (Gorman, Los Angeles Times, 2/12).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.