Vaccines, tobacco taxes 'best buys' for health: WHO

September 27, 2006

The simplest and most effective measure they can take is to support and

facilitate universal breastfeeding. And far from being the " biggest bang

for the buck " it doesn't cost a single penny.... It saddens me to see that

it doesn't even get a mention.

6-09-27T234553Z_01_N27300411_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-BEST-DC.XML & src=rss

Vaccines, tobacco taxes 'best buys' for health: WHO

Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:48 AM BST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vaccines, taxes on tobacco and condom distribution

are among the " best buys " for improving health in developing countries, the

Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday.

These measures, as well as preventing and treating childhood pneumonia,

diarrhea and malaria and giving vitamins and iron to children and pregnant

women, can provide the biggest bang for the buck, according to the

organization's newly released Disease Control Priorities project.

" In far too many countries, unnecessary poor health conditions persist, " Dr.

Alleyne, the Pan American Health Organization's former director and

an editor of the project, said in a statement.

Dr. Julio Frenk, Mexico's health minister, added, " Health care is one of the

most effective means of fighting poverty. "

Other common-sense measures that do not cost much but have big effects

include providing insecticide-treated bed nets in malaria-endemic areas,

enforcing traffic regulations and speed bumps at dangerous intersections to

reduce traffic-related injuries and treating tuberculosis patients.

Pan American Health Organization is part of the United Nations' World Health

Organization.

September 27, 2006

And heaven forbid that we get our overly-processed westernized food out

of there and encourage them to return to their native diets.

Judy

mum2mishka wrote:

> The simplest and most effective measure they can take is to support and

> facilitate universal breastfeeding. And far from being the " biggest bang

> for the buck " it doesn't cost a single penny.... It saddens me to see that

> it doesn't even get a mention.

>

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