Brian Greenwood

Brian Greenwood and David Conway tell Peter Goodwin how the incidence of malaria has fallen dramatically in The Gambia following the use of simple interventions such as insecticide-treated bed nets, and resistance-free drugs. The question now being asked is: Can malaria be eradicated? Isobel dos Santos Silva explains how birth-weight affects your risk of developing breast cancer later in life; Astrid Fletcher describes the way anti-oxidants from fruit and vegetables in a normal diet (as reported in the EUREYE study conducted in seven centres in Europe from Bergen in Norway to Alicante in Spain) may be protecting our eyes against macular degeneration and possible blindness caused by strong sunlight.

David Conway

Isobel dos Santos Silva

Astrid Fletcher

Val Curtis

Global Handwashing Day is October 15th, 2008: an opportunity to remind everybody that millions of lives, especially children’s lives, can be saved by avoiding diarrhoea and other diseases spread when mothers, fathers, family members and friends fail to wash their hands with both soap and water. Derek Thorne hears from Val Curtis and Robert Aunger at the London School who are spearheading initiatives all over the world to reduce this loss of life by persuading people to get into the habit of washing their hands after using the toilet.

Peter Goodwin learns from Kaye Wellings of the School about the latest phase of her massive study of sexual attitudes, behaviour and health which for the first time is looking at over 60s, and also at positive, as well as negative sexual health outcomes. Also: Martin McKee talks about the way TB has spread in the community at large as prison populations have increased in countries of the former Soviet Union. And Michel Coleman discusses with Peter Goodwin (during the NCRI Cancer Conference in Birmingham) his data showing that organisation and resources in cancer care are more significant determinants of survival than specific drugs used on patients.

Robert Aunger

Kaye Wellings

Martin McKee

Michel Coleman

Gill Walt

Two important symposia have been held in London to discuss healthcare issues posing significant dilemmas to world leaders in the 21st Century. “The Future of Primary Health Care” was attended by public health experts from around the Globe to assess the best options for improving primary health care in the future. It was held on the 30th anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration made in 1977 which was intended as a blueprint for health provision and identified primary health care as the means through which the global goal of “Health for All” could be achieved. The second meeting, on “Mental Health in Fragile States”, was held to raise the profile of mental health care in zones where conflict has taken place or is still happening. Analyses of the key issues and how to deal with them effectively were discussed by top experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and associated organisations. Peter Goodwin attended both meetings and talked with some of the key speakers.

Astrid Fletcher

Peter Goodwin hears from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine experts speaking at the annual science festival of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held in Liverpool, September 6-10, 2008, and from recent scientific publications on: the health impact of global warming, a tropical virus reaching temperate zones, inequalities in cancer outcomes, how eating oily fish can save your eyesight, and free internet publishing scientific journals.

INTERVIEWS:
Astrid Fletcher: Eating Oily Fish Protects Your Eyesight
Jo Lines: Chikungunya Virus Danger Beyond The Tropics
Sari Kovats: Global Warming’s Heatwave Health Hazard
Colin Sutherland: Open Access Publishing: Fair Play For Scientists
Michel Coleman: Cancer Survival: Big International Differences

Bayard Roberts

Derek Thorne and Peter Goodwin talk with Bayard Roberts, Siân Clarke, Sandy Cairncross, Claire Bertschinger and Virginia Berridge of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine about:
- depression and post traumatic stress disorder in war-torn northern Uganda and the lessons to be drawn from a research project there;

- the unexpected additional value of using malaria drugs at regular intervals among school children in Kenya;

- the key role of sanitation in preventing infant deaths all over the world and what is being done to improve it;

- the life and work of the nurse who inspired Band Aid and Live Aid, as she receives an honorary doctorate;

- the “marketing” of health to the British public, as illustrated by the way attitudes to smoking have changed over the years.

Virginia Berridge

Virginia Berridge, Jerry Morris, Nick Mays, and Nick Black of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
LSHTM Audio News
British National Health Service is 60!
July 5th, 2008 is the 60th birthday of the British National Health Service. Peter Goodwin talks to four experts at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to find out how it achieved the almost universal approval it enjoys in the UK, while asking what the future holds in store.

Phil Edwards

Phil Edwards, London School of Hyugiene and Tropical Medicine
LSHTM Audio News
Obesity Linked to Motor Transport And Climate Change
Peter Goodwin questions Phil Edwards of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine about “competition between stomachs and petrol tanks” discussed in a letter he and his colleague Ian Roberts have written to the medical magazine: The Lancet.

Hessom Razavi, Puneet Sayal, Claire Gilbert

Hessom Razavi, Puneet Sayal, Claire Gilbert, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Eye doctor Hessom Razavi volunteered to go about his usual studies at the London School blindfold for 24 hours to give publicity to the need to prevent childhood blindness all over the world, especially in developing countries. The “Blind For Blindness” initiative was taken as part of the “Vision 2020″ project at the London School, with the help of Goodenough College, London.

Brian Greenwood

Brian Greenwood, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Brian Greenwood has won the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize for his numerous achievements in tropical disease research. He talked with Derek Thorne about his work, including the pivotal research proving that bed nets can help prevent malaria.

Giovanni Apolone

Sandy Cairncross

Michel Coleman

Michel Coleman (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) explains how cancer will become a new priority in the EU.