Update on the Global Health Blogging Experiment

Thank you to all who participated in our little "global health blogging experiment." Nine posts on "prevention vs. treatment" were published--out of an expected 12. Respectable numbers for an all-volunteer effort.

I do not have much time to write today, alas, but wanted to leave you with at least one thought. I was particularly intrigued that Liz Borkowski pointed us to a larger story--the gradual abandonment of anti-tobacco/anti-smoking programs in the U.S. That's the kind of piece--big and slow-moving--that can be very hard to get a grip on in the traditional media. And precisely the sort of thing that can thrive on the web.

An example comes to mind from well outside the global health sphere--how the folks at Talking Points Memo aggregated their own reporting with that of disparate professional journalists to tell the story of the number of US attorneys who had been fired under the Bush Administration for not toeing the line politically. (The TPM, incidentally, also won a George Polk Award for Journalism for its work.)

Anyway, I hope folks look at the other entries and post their own responses/analyses/constructive critiques. So, without further ado, here are the other global health posts on "prevention vs. treatment."

Healthtwine: Prevention vs. Treatment
On why "we tend to value current health more than future health."

Superbug: Prevention v. treatment (1st Global Health Blog Carnival!)
On the need for a vaccine against methicillin resistant staph aureus.

Perspectives: Prevention vs. Treatment
On why prevention vs. treatment is the wrong way to think about drug resistance to malaria.

Karen Grepin's Blog: Prevention vs. Treament in HIV: Have we given prevention a chance to shine?
Proving prevention works is a lot harder than you might think. Maybe that is another reason why there are so few studies on the effectiveness of prevention.

The Pump Handle: For Whom Prevention Pays
On one of the bigger, overlooked stories of public health in the U.S.--the faltering anti-tobacco struggle, another victim of the economic crisis.

HIV Information for Myanmar: Two Quotes from Bogyoke
A few words on the greater good from the late Bogyoke (General) Aung San, who led the fight for Burmese independence after World War II.

Health Reform Watch: Health Care, "Common Sense" and a Global Health Blogging Experiment
A bit off-topic and somewhat rambling (the French revolution?), but a look at whether concerns over health reform in the U.S. will crowd out discussion of global health.

Global Health at Change.org: Prevention vs. Treatment--an Eternal Debate?
On why good decisions in public health "are about balance, and looking for long-term systemic solutions instead of the quick fix."

And from a public relations perspective:

Ruder Finn's DotOrg (U.K.): The Lazarus Effect
Lucy asks "Are there are any differences between ’selling-in’ stories that have a prevention angle over those that emphasise treatment."