WORLD POPULATION: 7,980,697,000
YEAR 2100 PROJECTION: 11,200,000,000
U.S. POPULATION: 330,000,000
POLITICS & POLICIES
September 28, 2022: A century ago, a global flu destroyed lives and shook economies. We believed that scientific and technological progress would protect us from another similar event. But the inequities that persisted in our global system kept the promise of good health and prosperity out of reach for many, which we see starkly in the consequences of COVID-19.
https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/opinion-reimagining-the-future-of-global-health-104087
September 27, 2022: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held the first U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue. Convened under the Biden-Harris Administration, the U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue provides a platform to maximize the longstanding U.S. government-WHO partnership, and to protect and promote the health of all people around the globe, including the American people. https://www.who.int/news/item/27-09-2022-joint-statement-of-the-united-states-of-america-and-the-world-health-organization-on-the-u.s.-who-strategic-dialogue
PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, CONFERENCES, GRANTS, AWARDS & EVENTS
The following grant was awarded by, is supported by, is administered by or is in partnership with the Fogarty International Center at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). https://www.fic.nih.gov/Grants/Search/Pages/GID-D43TW007585.aspx
HISTORICAL, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS, DATA & INDEXES
September 14, 2022: New Lancet Commission critically considers the global response to the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing widespread failures of prevention, transparency, rationality, basic public health practice, and operational cooperation and international solidarity that resulted in an estimated 17.7 million deaths (including those not reported). https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/964445
Although many countries were able to quickly develop capacities to address COVID-19, all countries remain dangerously unprepared for meeting future epidemic and pandemic threats. A great opportunity exists, however, to make new capacities more durable to further long-term gains in preparedness. https://www.ghsindex.org/report-model/
November 30, 2020: HIV is a virus spread through certain body fluids that attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells, often called T cells. These special cells help the immune system fight off infections. Left untreated, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight off infections and disease. For the first time in modern history, the world has the tools to control the HIV epidemic without a vaccine or cure, while laying the groundwork to eventually end HIV. Controlling the epidemic requires accelerating efforts at finding and linking those groups at greatest risk for HIV infection with treatment and prevention services. https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/newsroom/topics/hiv/index.html
In 2020, Hologic launched the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index — a multiyear, comprehensive global survey about women’s health — to help fill a critical gap in what the world knows about the health and wellbeing of the world’s women and girls. Conducted annually, the survey provides the most timely, globally comprehensive data from womens’ perspectives on their health and wellbeing. https://hologic.womenshealthindex.com/en
RESEARCH
September 13, 2022: When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in late February 2022, two years after the identification of SARS-CoV-2, the ensuing humanitarian crisis and upending of international law fractured the already fragile system of global health governance. Many have elaborated on the immediate health effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the face of an ongoing pandemic. The long term effects on global health governance are, however, underappreciated. These unprecedented challenges to global health infrastructure highlight an urgent need for systemwide reforms. https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2216
DISEASES & DISASTERS
October 4, 2022: We regularly answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you’d like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: “Weekly Coronavirus Questions.” See an archive of our FAQs here. A few weeks ago, my friend Ashley was preparing to take her final examinations for her Ph.D. and trying to take all the right precautions so that the exams would go smoothly. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/10/04/1126542224/coronavirus-booster-faq-can-it-cause-a-positive-test-when-should-you-get-it
September 27, 2022: New analysis by scientists at Scripps Research and University of Brussels finds that climate change and other factors could soon make deadly Lassa fever a much bigger public health problem in Africa. In the study, which appeared on September 27 in Nature Communications, scientists analyzed decades of environmental data associated with Lassa virus outbreaks, revealing temperature, rainfall and the presence of pastureland areas as key factors contributing to viral transmission. The researchers projected that areas hospitable to Lassa virus spread may extend from West Africa into Central and East Africa in the next several decades. With this expansion and expected African population growth, the human population living in the areas where the virus should—in theory—be able to circulate may rise by more than 600 million. https://globalhealthnewswire.com/diseases/2022/09/27/lassa-virus-endemic-area-may-expand-dramatically-in-coming-decades
September 22, 2022: A recently discovered virus in a Russian bat that is similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, is likely capable of infecting humans and, if it were to spillover, is resistant to current vaccines. A team lead by researchers in Washington State University’s Paul G. Allen School for Global Health found spike proteins from the bat virus, named Khosta-2, can infect human cells and is resistant to both the monoclonal antibodies and serum from individuals vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2. Both Khosta-2 and SARS- CoV-2 belong to the same sub-category of coronaviruses known as sarbecoviruses. https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/09/22/newly-discovered-covidlike-virus-could-infect-humans-resist-vaccines/
September 7, 2022: GENEVA (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases fell everywhere in the world last week by about 12%, according to the World Health Organization’s latest weekly review of the pandemic issued Wednesday. The U.N. health agency reported that there were just under 4.2 million new infections last week and about 13,700 deaths – a 5% drop. “This is very encouraging, but there is no guarantee these trends will persist,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press briefing. “The most dangerous thing is to assume (that) they will,” he said. He added that even though the number of weekly reported deaths have plummeted more than 80% since February (2022) a person still dies with COVID-19 every 44 seconds and that most of those deaths are avoidable. https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-united-nations-a56980ac42502852ada4f31df4bc9535
TECHNOLOGY
October 7, 2022: The Biden Administration blueprint outlines principles for the use of artificial intelligence and is meant to help government agencies level set – but it’s also an operational vision addressing automation in data-sensitive domains such as healthcare. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ai-bill-rights-defining-fairness-and-privacy-design
CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
October 12, 2022: Icebergs bigger than city blocks loom through the mist as Kaleeraq Mathaeussen reels in halibut from the frigid waters one by one. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63135211
October 5, 2022: Two substances in the saliva of wax worms — moth larvae that eat wax made by bees to build honeycombs — readily break down a common type of plastic, researchers said on Tuesday, in a potential advance in the global fight against plastic pollution. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/plastic-pollution-may-met-match-saliva-wax-worms-rcna50838
August 12, 2022: Globally, July 2022 was the sixth-warmest July in the 143-year NOAA record. The year-to-date (January-July) global surface temperature was also the sixth-warmest on record. According to NCEI’s Global Annual Temperature Outlook, there is a greater than 99% chance that 2022 will rank among the 10-warmest years on record but only an 11% chance that it will rank among the top five. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202207
EQUITY & DISPARITIES
September 19, 2022: NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–OurCrowd, a leading global venture firm, announced today the launch of a Global Health Equity Fund (GHEF) in collaboration with the WHO Foundation. The news was shared at the first major Clinton Global Initiative meeting convened since 2016, held in New York City alongside the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220919005064/en/OurCrowd-Launches-200-Million-Global-Health-Equity-Fund-in-collaboration-with-the-WHO-Foundation-at-the-Clinton-Global-Initiative
WOMEN, MATERNAL, NEONATAL & CHILDREN’S HEALTH
September 30, 2022: Hypertension while pregnant or postpartum can increase the risk of other complications that impact the mom and baby. Alison Williams, vice president of Clinical Quality Improvement at Missouri Hospital Association, and Kendell Farr, Women’s Health nurse practitioner at Hannibal Regional Healthcare System, discuss the launch of a home-based blood pressure monitoring program for at-risk patients, which was lauded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Million Hearts 2021 Hypertension Control Exemplar.
POVERTY ALLEVIATION & ERADICATION
April 1, 2022: BEIJING — Over the past 40 years, the number of people in China with incomes below $1.90 per day – the International Poverty Line as defined by the World Bank to track global extreme poverty– has fallen by close to 800 million. With this, China has contributed close to three-quarters of the global reduction in the number of people living in extreme poverty. At China’s current national poverty line, the number of poor fell by 770 million over the same period. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/04/01/lifting-800-million-people-out-of-poverty-new-report-looks-at-lessons-from-china-s-experience
Poverty entails more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making. Various social groups bear a disproportionate burden of poverty. https://www.un.org/development/desa/socialperspectiveondevelopment/issues/poverty-eradication.html
HUMANITARIAN, NONPROFITS, FOUNDATIONS & NGOS
October 5, 2022: One of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the U.S. is dealing with a wide-ranging IT security issue forcing it to shut off systems at some facilities.
CommonSpirit Health – which has more than 1,000 care sites and 140 hospitals in 21 states – said on Monday that it is “managing an IT security issue” impacting several electronic health record systems. The Chicago-based company did not respond to requests for comment but said in a statement that it is “following existing protocols for system outages and taking steps to minimize the disruption.” “As a result of this issue, we have rescheduled some patient appointments. Patients will be contacted directly by their provider and/or care facility if their appointment is impacted,” the company said. https://therecord.media/massive-u-s-nonprofit-health-care-system-grappling-with-it-security-issue/
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTHY LIVES AND THE PROMOTION OF WELL-BEING FOR EVERYONE AT EVERY AGE
https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal3
May 19, 2022: The World health statistics report is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual compilation of the most recent available data on health and health-related indicators for its 194 Member States. The 2022 edition features the latest data for 50+ indicators from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO Triple billion targets. A total of 35 indicators present at least 2020 data (from comparable estimates and primary data) and 16 indicators include data between 2017 and 2019.
IH CONNECT 