The terrible earthquake in Pakistan is reported to have killed 18000 people and a mudslide in Guatemala has killed 1400. I haven’t found notices of any relief appeals yet, but there will certainly be a great need for aid in both the short and long term. Tragedies like this are both a challenge and an opportunity to demonstrate that rhetoric about our concern for people everywhere in the world has some basis in reality. And remember that, while dramatic events like this grab the headlines, malnutrition, malaria, HIV/AIDS and so on are killing every day.
On the good news front, a UQ research team claims to have developed a 100 per cent effective vaccine against cervical cancer. Assuming this works as promised, it will save many thousands of lives in the long run. The biggest benefits will be a long time coming it appears because of the time lag between infection with human papilloma virus and the development of the disease, but it’s still a marvellous discovery.
John Quiggin 
Some concerns about the bad news and the good.
Though, maybe, agnostics and atheist’s could come in to help out on what looks like yet another tragedy. Do you know of non-religious groups, that we might be able to chip into?
Isn’t there a Bird Flu virus vaccine in the pipeline, as well?
Helen, there are several H5N1 vaccines in the pipeline, as Google News reports. However, the ones we have so far aren’t very good, and in any case the mutations required for human-to-human transmission may well make the vaccine less effective. Nor can we produce nearly enough of the stuff in a global context; Australia will probably be OK, but the third world will be in big trouble as usual.
The 3rd world is ,indeed, in trouble “as usual”. Maybe, we could be thinking more about the plight of those in Pakistan and India who need lots of bucks, right now. Any suggestions, as to a group, that donations might be well directed?
joe2, Oxfam are running an appeal for the earthquake. I’m sure there are many other equally deserving charities who will make good use of your money.
Thanks, Alastair, for the link. It is a good one that seems to provide fairly safe security, for card based donations.
Heard today that Pakistan has accepted simple and basic aid from India in the hotly contested region of Kashmir. An area badly hit by the earthquake. Guess that is a little good news.
Just hope that this unfolding tragedy does not get lost in our media.