Watching the World
Blood Money
In 1994 the German public was aghast when they learned that some 2,500 persons had been infected with HIV through blood transfusions and blood products. (See Awake! of April 22, 1994, page 28.) In a parliamentary debate in January 1995, reports the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the federal minister of health asked the victims “for forgiveness in the name of the federal government” for errors that had increased their hardship. In the debate it was said that the pharmaceutical industry and the doctors were chiefly responsible and that the German Red Cross had damaged its image by striving too hard to become “a manufacturer of medicines from blood.” One woman who was infected with HIV by her late husband lamented: “At least 700 hemophiliacs could still be alive if the [pharmaceutical industry] had then thought about more than just making money.”
A Dearth of Priests
Once renowned for exporting Catholic missionaries, Spain is now struggling to supply sufficient priests for local needs. The Madrid newspaper El País reports that the total number of priests in Spain is shrinking by 150 each year. Church authorities fear that the 2,000 seminary students presently enrolled will not supply enough priests to cover future pastoral demands. Last year only 216 priests were ordained—73 fewer than in 1993—and 70 percent of the Spanish clergy are over 50 years of age. On the other hand, recently Jehovah’s Witnesses in Spain have seen their pioneer ranks increase by 300 every year. Pioneers are unpaid ministers who spend at least 90 hours each month preaching the good news of the Kingdom.
More Blood Transfusion Dangers
According to The Canberra Times of Australia, the Red Cross has warned doctors that contaminated blood can transmit a lethal bacterial infection and that to date there is no certain way to screen out the organism. Referring to an account in The Medical Journal of Australia, the Times says that four people in the state of New South Wales died from this bacterially infected blood between 1980 and 1989. The newspaper article further stated: “The problem is that the bacterium, Yersinia enterocolitica, can breed rapidly in packets of whole blood even when the blood is close to freezing. People who have had gastric infections weeks before donating blood can occasionally pass on the organism, which can then breed to great numbers while the blood is in storage and awaiting transfusion. Transfused patients can suffer rapid toxic shock and death.”
Canada’s Obese Children
“Many nutritionists, pediatricians and researchers” say that “frazzled parents are feeding their children unbalanced, overprocessed and high-fat meals,” reports The Globe and Mail. Often when both parents work, life is hectic, leaving very little time, if any, for the family to eat nutritious meals together. The result? According to expert estimates, “at least 20 per cent of Canadian children are obese because of a combination of a high-fat diet and lack of exercise,” says The Globe. Dr. Stan Kubow, associate professor in the school of dietetics and nutrition at McGill University in Montreal, says balance is needed. He said parents need to “make sure there are dairy products, protein, fruits, vegetables and fibre in their [children’s] diet.” One concerned researcher asked: “If you don’t care about your health, what do you care about?”
Asbestos Alert Continues
Thousands of British construction workers will die from asbestos-related cancers because of a miscalculation by safety authorities, reports the magazine New Scientist. Years ago, in the 1960’s, when medical experts were saying that asbestos fibers were a health hazard, the British government introduced factory regulations to limit the concentration of these fibers in the air. However, researchers now find that the employees at highest risk were carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and gas fitters, who worked unprotected with asbestos-related products. Since one type of lung cancer takes 30 years to develop, the error has only recently come to light. Presently it is unknown which building procedures or asbestos products are the most dangerous. Consequently, Britain’s Health and Safety Executive urges construction workers to exercise extreme caution if they discover a substance containing asbestos and to report their concerns to their employers, who should investigate the materials and provide adequate protection.
Who Is the Winner?
“In the gambling business, there is no crisis,” reports Veja. The magazine says that Brazilians spend about $4 billion (U.S.) annually on lotteries and other forms of gambling. That is more than the annual earnings of a gigantic national automobile industry! An attraction of bingo is said to be its social aspects. “In bingo it is possible to talk with strangers or acquaintances, eating, drinking, and cheering while trying one’s luck,” the magazine reported. But who is the winner? “In no other kind of gambling are the returns of the establishment so high,” claims mathematician Oswald de Souza. “The winner of the round [in bingo] receives only 45 percent of all the money spent on bets.”
Problems Outstrip Remedies
Despite the fact that the government of India finances the largest nutrition program in the world, there are still 250 million people in that country suffering from varying degrees of malnutrition. A United Nations Children’s Fund report shows that in spite of the efforts being made, 43.8 percent of the children in India suffer from moderate protein energy malnutrition. In addition, 6.6 million are mildly retarded and have some motor handicaps, 2.2 million are afflicted with cretinism, and each year 60,000 become blind due to vitamin deficiency. Among preschool children 56 percent have iron deficiency, and children are among the 40 million people who have goiter.
Buying Food in Dented Cans
“Grocery shoppers, trying to save money, might be buying or keeping cans which should be thrown out as potentially hazardous,” warns the Winnipeg Free Press. “A lot of dents on cans are acceptable, but some aren’t,” Peter Parys of the city’s health department said. “Usually the cans are safe at the time of packing; the damage comes further down the line.” A quick list of what to discard, according to the city’s health department, includes cans that have rust in their seams, rust on the can top or body that cannot be easily wiped off, or a squishy sound when shaken, as well as cans that are bulging or swollen in any way, cans with leaks, and cans with a missing or outdated label. The newspaper report cautions: “Once the seal is broken, cans become perfect breeding grounds for salmonella and staphylococcus. Each can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps.”
Low Birthrates
Many couples in Eastern Europe are putting child-bearing on hold because of their feelings of financial and employment insecurity. The New York Times notes that this “insecurity has led not only to a sharp decline in the birth rate but also to a drop in the marriage rate and a more than tenfold increase in sterilizations.” The Times adds that according to demographers “such precipitous declines have never before been seen except in times of war, plague or famine.” To stem a similar tide, the governments of Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary, Poland, and Portugal have for some time provided payments as an incentive to have babies. More recently, the government of the German state of Brandenburg began offering $650 for every newborn.
Long-Lasting War Effects
The casualties of war in former Yugoslavia include many more than those who have been killed or maimed by bullets or bombs. A recent study reveals that “the hundreds of tons of toxic substances released into the environment by fires, explosions and chemical leaks will have serious health effects,” says The Medical Post. These chemicals and toxic metals are polluting the rivers and may even be contaminating underground bodies of water. According to the Post, experts are warning that there will be “a significant increase in the number of children with congenital malformations as a result of their parents drinking water contaminated with toxic substances.”