high. However, Mr. Evans says the United States did not do well in the area of financial fairness. He says many poor people in the United States do not have health insurance to help pay for medical costs. And rich people generally get better health care than poor people.
The new WHO report names countries that have the least fair financing of health systems. They include Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, China, Russia and Sierra Leone.
The report urges countries to expand health care to as much of the population as possible. WHO officials say this can be done with private insurance agreements, taxes or government programs.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))A new study has suggested that people recovering from a heart attack can be safety treated in a hospital for a shorter length of time. American research scientists found that most heart attack patients can be safely released from a hospital after only three days. The researchers say this would shorten the length of hospital stays by two or more days and reduce the cost of treatment.
Kristin Newby of the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina led the group that organized the study. She and her team examined medical records of more than twenty-two-thousand people who suffered a heart attack.
The researchers say each patient had a normal recovery during three days in the hospital after the heart attack. They did not suffer serious health problems, such as a second heart attack.Only sixteen of the twenty-two-thousand patients suffered serious heart problems during the fourth day in the hospital. Thirteen received emergency treatment and survived for at least twenty-four hours. Three others died. The researchers say the fourth day in the hospital produced only two more days in life expectancy for an average patient.
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The journal also published a commentary on the findings. Two doctors warned health care providers against using the study to limit hospital treatment for heart attack patients to three days. They said some patients might not be emotionally ready to leave the hospital after three days.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))You are listening to the Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS on VOA. This is Warren Scheer with Bob Doughty in Washington.
American officials have announced that production of a chemical commonly used to kill insects will be stopped. Studies have shown the substance could be harmful, especially to children.
The chemical, chlorpyrifos, (klor-PYE-ruh-fahs) has been widely used for more than thirty years. It is used in agriculture. And it is used in hundreds of products to kill insects in homes and gardens. About three-thousand six-hundred studies and reports have examined the health effects of chlorpyrifos -- also known by the name Dursban.
Carol Browner is the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. She noted that chlorpyrifos is part of a group of older pesticide products known to have health risks. Mizz Browner said people who live or work near areas treated with the chemical may develop disorders of the nervous system.Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency signed an agreement with six companies that make chlorpyrifos. Under the agreement, production of the chemical for use in homes, schools, hospitals, stores, parks and children's play areas will be halted by the end of this year. The agreement also cancels or sharply limits the amount of chlorpyrifos permitted on some foods eaten by children, such as tomatoes, apples and grapes.
Chlorpyrifos used in buildings to kill insects called termites will be banned by the end of next year. At that time, sales of chlorpyrifos products in the United States will be barred.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))An Israeli study has shown that air pollution from cities and industry can reduce rain and snowfall. It says the problem appears to be linked to the number of pollution particles in clouds. Daniel Rosenfeld of Hebrew University in Jerusalem organized the study. His findings were reported in the publication Science.
Mr. Rosenfeld observed air pollution over Austral