Author: ihsection

WORLD POPULATION:  7,945,471,541

POLITICS & POLICIES

April 21st, 2022: The White House, ahead of its May 12 virtual Global Covid-19 Summit, is asking countries, companies and philanthropies to help fight the pandemic worldwide. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-pulse/2022/04/21/what-the-white-house-wants-00026641 

April 7th, 2022: On Thursday, April 7, 2022, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a joint press conference on World Health Day. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/04/07/remarks-by-hhs-secretary-becerra-during-joint-press-conference-on-world-health-day-with-world-health-organization-director-general-dr-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus.html 

March 16th, 2022: Comparing responses to COVID-19 and the Ukraine war points to a difficult future for global health https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/four-failures-and-invasion 

PROGRAMS, CONFERENCES, GRANTS, AWARDS & EVENTS

April 27th, 2022: The University of Kentucky International Center’s Office of Global Health Initiatives hosted a virtual panel discussion noon Wednesday, April 27, focused on treating patients from Afghanistan and Ukraine. https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/office-global-health-initiatives-host-panel-treating-patients-ukraine-and 

April 19th, 2022: On Friday April 22nd, the State University of New York hosted a global health research symposium supported by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research of Downstate Health Sciences University. https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/briefs/2022/04/suny-global-health-conference.html 

April 7th, 2022: World Health Day on April 7 celebrates and advocates for health globally. For World Health Day 2022, the World Health Organization is highlighting Our Health, Our Planet and health as a human right. https://www.taskforce.org/why-we-care-about-our-health-our-planet/ 

HISTORICAL, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS, DATA & INDEXES

April 19th, 2022: India’s air quality data, removed at the last minute from the WHO Air Quality database update just prior to its launch two weeks ago, has been restored again to the online repository. https://healthpolicy-watch.news/india-air-pollution-data-restored-to-who-air-quality-database/ 

April 15th, 2022: Native American researchers are turning long-held traditions into novel public health solutions. https://magazine.jhsph.edu/2022/healing-historical-trauma 

RESEARCH

April 1st, 2022: The consequences of the dissemination of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines overflows distrust and hesitation into an entire public health project. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(22)00063-1/fulltext 

April 19th, 2022: Fractionating COVID-19 Vaccine Doses May Save Lives https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2791211 

DISEASES & DISASTERS

April 26th, 2022: Testing for COVID-19 has fallen by 70% to 90% across the world, making it more difficult for the global health community to monitor the evolution of the pandemic, treat patients, and track variants, according to Dr. Bill Rodriguez, chief executive officer of FIND, a co-convener of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator “diagnostics pillar.” https://www.devex.com/news/covid-19-testing-sees-massive-decline-leaving-countries-vulnerable-103128 

April 6th, 2022: As the COVID-19 Pandemic Enters the Third Year Most Adults Say They Have Not Fully Returned to Pre-Pandemic ‘Normal’ https://www.kff.org/other/press-release/as-the-covid-19-pandemic-enters-the-third-year-most-adults-say-they-have-not-fully-returned-to-pre-pandemic-normal/ 

TECHNOLOGY

April 26th, 2022: Vaccine-derived polio is on the rise. A new vaccine aims to stop the spread https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/04/26/1092867458/vaccine-derived-polio-is-on-the-rise-a-new-vaccine-aims-to-stop-the-spread 

April 12th, 2022: A single dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine provides as much protection against cervical cancer as the standard three-dose regimen, a new study finds. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-04-12/study-finds-just-one-dose-of-hpv-vaccine-may-be-enough 

CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

April 4th, 2022: Almost the entire global population (99%) breathes air that exceeds WHO air quality limits, and threatens their health. https://www.who.int/news/item/04-04-2022-billions-of-people-still-breathe-unhealthy-air-new-who-data 

EQUITY & DISPARITIES

April 14th, 2022: The Clinton Health Access Initiative selected Dr. Neil Buddy Shah as its new CEO Thursday, a sign of the global health organization’s move towards growth in low- and middle-income nations and use of new philanthropic efforts to help fund the expansion. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/clinton-health-access-initiative-names-shah-as-new-ceo/ 

April 5th, 2022: Global groups propose pandemic plan costing $10 billion a year. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/global-groups-propose-pandemic-plan-cost-10-bln-year-2022-04-05/ 

WOMEN, MATERNAL, NEONATAL & CHILDREN’S HEALTH

April 29th, 2022: A study recently completed at the University of Helsinki revealed that the fungal microbiota in the gut is more abundant and diverse in children treated with antibiotics compared with the control group even six weeks following the start of the antibiotic course. In light of the findings, a reduction in the number of gut bacteria as a result of antibiotic therapy reduces competition for space and leaves more room for fungi to multiply. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220429145038.htm

May 6th, 2022: Over the past three decades, birthrates have declined for women in their 20s and jumped for women in their late 30s and early 40s. Older mothers discuss the benefits of having children later in life, with more wisdom and resources to help them and their children. https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-05-06/motherhood-deferred-us-median-age-for-giving-birth-hits-30

April 4th, 2022: Physicians may be able to determine if menopause-related bone loss is already in progress or about to begin by measuring the level of a hormone that declines as women approach their final menstrual period, new UCLA research finds. https://scitechdaily.com/levels-of-a-hormone-could-predict-or-detect-bone-loss-in-premenopausal-women/

HUMANITARIAN, NONPROFITS, FOUNDATIONS & NGOS

April 30th, 2022: The UN’s Humanitarian Country Team in Yemen on Saturday, released its Response Plan (HRP) for this year, seeking nearly $4.3 billion to reverse a steady deterioration across the country, the grinding war there continues, despite a current pause in fighting. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1117332

WORLD POPULATION:  7,938,036,870

POLITICS & POLICIES

March 17th, 2022: The Biden administration wants the World Health Organization to improve global equity in the next public health emergency by pushing manufacturers to voluntarily share their products and technology. www.politico.com/news/2022/03/17/u-s-global-health-tech-sharing-next-pandemic-00017977 

March 17th, 2022: The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed unprecedented health and economic crises that put trade relations among countries under stress. A rush to secure essential supplies in the pandemic’s early stages prompted much hand-wringing over global interdependence and how it could undermine nascent efforts to respond to a once-in-a-century shock. Yet, two years on, the trading system has not only proved itself more resilient than many expected, but it has also emerged as a crucial ally in the fight against the pandemic. https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/three-lessons-trade-and-health 

March 17th, 2022: The dean of Brown University School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish K. Jha, M.D., a globally recognized expert on pandemic preparedness and response, will take leave for a temporary assignment to serve as the next White House coronavirus response coordinator.  In succeeding Jeffrey Zients, Jha will lead the response of the entire U.S. government to the COVID-19 pandemic, while also advancing the nation’s global health priorities and policies. https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-03-17/jha 

March 16th, 2022: Indonesia is calling on the International Monetary Fund to take on the role of preparing finances for the next global health emergency. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-16/indonesia-calls-on-imf-to-set-up-global-health-crisis-fund 

March 9th, 2022: Just as a large swath of the American public, 62%, said that the worst of the pandemic was behind us, nearly half were worried about easing covid-related restrictions — like indoor masking — too soon. The poll, conducted in February, found that 49% of adults were either “very worried” or “somewhat worried” that lifting pandemic restrictions would cause more virus-related deaths in their communities.  About 50% were “not too worried” or “not at all worried” that death tolls would rise in their communities. https://khn.org/news/article/covid-risk-new-cdc-guidelines-mixed-feelings-reaction/ 

March 7th, 2022: Just as a large swath of the American public, 62%, said that the worst of the pandemic was behind us, nearly half were worried about easing covid-related restrictions — like indoor masking — too soon. The poll, conducted in February, found that 49% of adults were either “very worried” or “somewhat worried” that lifting pandemic restrictions would cause more virus-related deaths in their communities. About 50% were “not too worried” or “not at all worried” that death tolls would rise in their communities. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/03/omicron-teaches-us-that-global-challenges-require-global-solutions-here-is-how-to-start/ 

March 3rd, 2022: Top U.S. federal health officials said Thursday that they intended to begin offering low and middle-income nations access to the technology developed by government scientists that might be used to prevent or treat COVID-19. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/covid-19-tests-cases-vaccine#fauci-us-health-officials-tech-covid 

PROGRAMS, CONFERENCES, GRANTS, AWARDS & EVENTS

March 8th, 2022: USAID announces $150 million to stimulate and accelerate the development of vaccines and other countermeasures against biological threats https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/mar-8-2022-usaid-announces-150-million-stimulate-and-accelerate-development

HISTORICAL, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS, DATA & INDEXES

October 27th, 2016: This PrimeView highlights the complex nature of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrdp201677 

October 26th, 2009: Renewed efforts in tuberculosis (TB) research have led to important new insights into the biology and epidemiology of this devastating disease. Yet, in the face of the modern epidemics of HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and multidrug resistance—all of which contribute to susceptibility to TB—global control of the disease will remain a formidable challenge for years to come. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2745564/ 

RESEARCH

April 1st, 2022: Scientists at Northwestern Medicine are using new advances in CRISPR gene-editing technology to uncover new biology that could lead to longer-lasting treatments and new therapeutic strategies for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220401160537.htm 

March 30th, 2022: Spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.1.529 (omicron) variant, which led to increased U.S. hospitalizations for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), generated concern about immune evasion and the duration of protection from vaccines in children and adolescents. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2202826?query=featured_coronavirus 

September 17th, 2021: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread disruptions to tuberculosis (TB) care and service delivery in 2020, setting back progress in the fight against TB by several years. https://jech.bmj.com/content/jech/76/3/310.full.pdf 

May 1st, 2021: Nature waded through the literature on the coronavirus — and summarized key papers as they appeared.  https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00502-w 

June 21st, 2018: By studying rats in a smarter way, scientists are finally learning something useful about why some drinkers become addicted and others don’t. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/a-landmark-study-in-the-origins-of-alcoholism/563372/ 

DISEASES & DISASTERS 

March 29th, 2022: A sub-variant of the highly transmissible Omicron version of coronavirus known as BA.2 is now dominant worldwide, prompting surges in many countries in Europe and Asia and raising concern over the potential for a new wave in the United States. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-stealth-covid-variant-ba2-now-dominant-globally-2022-03-29/ 

March 24th, 2022: Each year we commemorate World Tuberculosis Day to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-tb-day 

March 9th, 2022: Almost 500 million people have been infected with the coronavirus since March 2020 and new variants are still a threat. This Friday marks two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) characterized the global spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113632 

March 4th, 2022: According to recent data, more than one billion people worldwide are obese, including 650 million adults, 340 million adolescents and 39 million children. With the numbers still increasing, WHO estimates that by 2025, approximately 167 million people will become less healthy because they are overweight or obese. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113312 

TECHNOLOGY

March 8th, 2022: Prime Minister Boris Johnson today announced that DIOSynVax, a biotech spinout of the University of Cambridge, will receive $42 million to develop a vaccine candidate that could provide protection against both existing and future variants of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – as well as other major coronaviruses, including those that cause SARS and MERS. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220308/Biotech-spinout-receives-2442-million-to-develop-future-proofed-coronavirus-vaccines.aspx 

CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

March 8th, 2022: An under-researched field exploring the intersection of pollution and mental health is gaining momentum as evidence mounts that environmental pollutants damage every organ in our bodies—including our brains. https://www.ehn.org/air-pollution-and-mental-health-2656823544/water-pollution-and-mental-health   

March 2nd, 2022: Heads of State, environment ministers and other representatives from 175 nations, endorsed a historic resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi on Wednesday to end plastic pollution, and forge an international legally binding agreement, by the end of 2024. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113142 

EQUITY & DISPARITIES

March 10th, 2022: The World Health Organization’s new Global Health Facilities Database will be a key resource to help countries provide access to healthcare services for all populations.  The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed urgent gaps in countries’ current ability to locate health facilities, impeding progress to provide equitable access to therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccinations through the ACT-Accelerator and other initiatives. https://www.who.int/news/item/10-03-2022-who-global-health-facilities-database-ensuring-access-to-primary-healthcare-and-uhc 

March 10th, 2022: We still do not have the full picture of the nature and spread of COVID-19 in many low- and middle-income countries. What we do know is that their general population remains largely unvaccinated and susceptible to new variants, a situation that is exacerbated where there is rising conflict and population migration. https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-it-s-time-to-smash-the-bottlenecks-to-global-health-care-102795 

March 7th, 2022: People in poorer countries are still waiting for vaccines, but the leaders of global health organizations have a new priority: preparing for the next pandemic. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/03/07/covid-global-health-next-pandemic-00014384 

WOMEN, MATERNAL, NEONATAL, CHILDREN & ADOLESCENT HEALTH

March 30th, 2022: Research provides potential treatment opportunities for chorioamnionitis. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abl8574

March 29th, 2022: A major new study in Radiology shows that artificial intelligence (AI) is a promising tool for breast cancer detection in screening mammography programs. https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.212381

March 28th, 2022: Use of disinfectants by pregnant women may be a risk factor for asthma and eczema in their children, finds a population study, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. https://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2022/03/03/oemed-2021-108034

HUMANITARIAN, NONPROFITS, FOUNDATIONS & NGOS

March 15th, 2022: A mix of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and ongoing conflicts have fueled a substantial increase in the need for worldwide humanitarian assistance and protection. According to a recent United Nations (UN) overview, 274 million people will require aid in 2022, up from 235 million people last year. Assistance for 183 million people most in need across 63 countries will require $41 billion, according to the UN and its partners. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2789957\ 

March 8th, 2022: RIT and the Global Health Association @ RIT are partnering with humanitarian organization InterVol in an urgent donation drive to aid the people of Ukraine affected by the Russian invasion. https://www.rit.edu/news/global-health-association-holds-donation-drive-ukraine-intervol