Europe

ENGLAND – While literary hero Harry Potter may be adept at fighting off the forces of darkness, researchers in Oxford discovered another magical power of the teenage wizard— keeeping his younger readers safe. According to the British Medical Journal, the number of pediatric admissions to emergency rooms plummeted during the days surrounding the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Reviews of hospital records following the release of previous Harry Potter novels show a similar drop in traumatic injuries such as sprains and broken bones. Researchers conclude that time spent reading the lengthy texts kept children from outdoor activities that often land them in the hospital, though they also caution that too much time spent reading could lead to reduced fitness and obesity— problems not even Harry Potter can spirit away.

FRANCE – A risky and controversial new surgical procedure has allowed a 38-year-old female dog bite victim to become the recipient of the first human face transplant. Despite the high risk of infection and tissue rejection, surgeons were able to successfully graft facial tissue from a brain-dead woman onto the patient’s nose, lips, and chin. The surgery provoked a host of ethical and psychological concerns, as well the fear of potentially cancerous long-term complications. After the swelling reduces, doctors say, the new face will likely appear as a combination of features from both the donor and recipient.

SPACE/MOSCOW – The phrase “it’s five o’clock somewhere” may soon extend its reach to the stars, as Russian and American space authorities consider a policy shift that would allow drinking in space. While consuming alcohol on board the International Space Station has been banned since the first crew arrived in 2000, new guidelines suggested by doctors and former astronauts provide for a drink after a hard day in orbit. Crewmembers routinely face six-month long missions punctuated by grueling spacewalks, during which several pounds can be lost in only a few hours. Proponents argue that moderate amounts of alcohol would restore strength and help astronauts deal with stress. Though unofficially tolerated aboard the former Russian space station Mir, alcohol has yet to be allowed on a NASA mission.

Asia

INDIA - India’s “girl deficit” is growing as families continue to abort female fetuses in favor of males, who provide more financial assistance in later years. Although an official tally does not exist, The Lancet recently estimated that 500,000 Indian females were aborted each year between 1978 and 1998, a total of 10 million girls in two decades. Women of all castes have engaged in the practice, but aborting females is more common among the upper classes, who have access to ultrasound equpiment and money for abortions. Although the federal government passed a law in 1994 making it illegal for ultrasound technicians to reveal the gender of fetuses, officials have neglected to enforce the law throughout most of the country. India’s society is slowly feeling the effects of the declining ratio of girls to boys. Many young men now set aside caste restrictions and travel to tribal areas to find marriageable women, and many grooms are now pay dowries to the families of their brides, reversing a tradition that has existed for centuries.

Americas

BRAZIL – In an effort to combat patent restrictions and high drug prices, nineteen Latin American and Caribbean nations have announced that they will work as a bloc to make AIDS medications more affordable fo those who need them. Arguing that price controls alone will not ensure long-term supplies, the group plans to focus on encouraging local producers to make generic versions of drugs whose production has previously been monopolized by foreigners.

HONDURAS – A new study reported in the British Medical Journal found that swimming with dolphins helps fight depression more than swimming alone. According to the researchers, nine out of ten people who swam with dolphins showed lasting improvement without the need for additional treatment, compared to only three people in the control group. The study, during which patients interacted with dolphins and their trainers for just one hour a day, lends support to the theory of biophilia, which holds that our relationship with nature affects our health. Depressive symptoms showed signs of improvement after only two weeks of swimming with dolphins, whereas conventional therapy usually takes at least four weeks to have any impact.

Africa

NIGERIA – With 703 of the 1,802 polio cases reported worldwide last year, Nigeria accounts for much of the 43% jump in polio cases between 2004 and 2005. Nigeria’s outbreak can be traced to the government’s decision in 2003 to suspend immunizations against polio for children, a move that helped spread a Nigerian strain of poliovirus to 18 other countries, including some that global health officials had previously declared polio-free. Global officials are confident that in 2006 they will be able to curtail the spread of polio in all countries except Nigeria, where the virus remains endemic.

UGANDA – Researchers at Makerere University are advising Ugandan officials to promote the indoor residual spraying of DDT in an effort ot advance the country’s campaign to eradicate malaria. Forty-five years ago, the WHO malaria control team sprayed two grams of DDT per square meter in households and kraals in Nigeria’s Kihihi region, and although researchers found trace amounts of DDT in urine, soil and foodstuffs, the concentration of DDT found in the bloodstream of European ministers was three times higher than in the Ugandans studied. Although it has never been proven that small amounts of DDT has any effect on the human body, many countries refuse to import agricultural produce from countries that use DDT. Since DDT is the most effective and cost-effective way of killing malarial mosquitoes, the Ugandan Ministry of Health has been eager to reintroduce DDT into their eradication and control programs. Although officials are waiting for the results of a group of environmental impact assessment reports, spraying only indoors could help prevent DDT’s feared environmental consequences.