Global News Round Up

by abbhirami, posted in APHA IH Section, News

Politics & Policies

Donald Trump’s election to the US presidency marks a time of global transition, with singular importance to health. The world is witnessing the rise in populist movements characterized by concerns about trade, immigration, globalization, and international organizations.

Nearly a dozen members of Congress are urging the US Army not to issue an exclusive license to Sanofi Pasteur to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus over concerns the product may be priced too high for many Americans, even though it was developed with taxpayer funds.

Programs, Grants and Awards

The third annual World Birth Defects Day is March 3, 2017. The day is designed to raise global awareness of birth defects and increase opportunities for prevention.

The government of Botswana announced a new $100 million pediatric hematology-oncology initiative this week called Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence). The new public-private partnership aims to treat children with cancer and blood disorders, modeled after successful pediatric HIV/AIDS treatment programs in the region.

Srilanka hosted the 2nd Global Consultation on Migrant Health, Feb 21st- 23rd, to build solidarity to improve health and lives of migrants.

The February 16 Climate & Health Meeting in Atlanta brought together more than 350 scientists and public health professionals to explore the science of climate change, the consequences to public health and possible solutions.

The Institute for Global Health Innovation presented a selection of research focused on end-of-life care at February’s Global Health Forum, hosted by the Helix Centre for Design in Healthcare.

Research

A new study predicts that South Korean women would be among the first to have an average life expectancy above 90 by the year 2030.

In a study published in the journal AIDS Brown University researchers propose a “new system of understanding and implementing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programs in clinical practices”  According to the study, it is helpful to view PrEP care as a continuum with nine proposed steps.

Diseases & Disasters

Global health officials on Monday unveiled a first-of-its-kind Llist of the world’s most deadly “superbugs” in a bid to urge businesses and governments to get serious about developing new antibiotics.

Nearly 75 percent of all deaths in the United States are attributed to just 10 causes, with the top three of these accounting for over 50 percent of all deaths. Over the last 5 years, the main causes of death in the U.S. have remained fairly consistent.

Rambling and long-winded anecdotes could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research that suggests subtle changes in speech style occur years before the more serious mental decline takes hold.

Abortion and AIDS are the two most common causes of death among Cambodian female sex workers and AIDS is the most frequent cause of death among their children, according to a small new study.

Technology

A vital race is on in laboratories across the globe to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus.  However, even if a vaccine were available today, many of the world’s poorest people would not be able to receive it due to political and economic concerns surrounding vaccine injuries.

Environmental Health

Many lessons for addressing the effects of climate change were shared throughout the course of the Climate & Health Meeting, held Feb. 16 at the Carter Center in Atlanta, and one panel discussed ways we can find solutions from a less obvious source: low- and middle-income countries.

From Cambodia to California, industrial-scale sand mining is causing wildlife to die, local trade to wither and bridges to collapse. And booming urbanisation means the demand for this increasingly valuable resource is unlikely to let up.

Equity & Disparities

Sounding the alarm on behalf of more than 20 million people in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and north-east Nigeria facing devastating levels of food insecurity, Secretary-General António Guterres joined other top United Nations officials today calling for “strong and urgent” action from the international community to help the already-fragile countries avert catastrophe.

More than 3500 people in the DRC has suffered paralysis (konzo) in the last 20 years. Konzo is caused not just by eating cassava but also due to poverty and severe malnourishment among people living in DRC’s rural regions.

Maternal, Neonatal & Children’s Health

Access to healthcare for women in Cambodia has improved drastically in the last decade with the support of donor governments including the US and Australia. Maternal mortality rates have more than halved from 2005 to 2014. Yet those gains risk being undone by new restrictions that will lead to huge cuts in funds from the US, the biggest global donor on women’s health.

Fourteen social entrepreneurs completed training intended to improve maternal and child health outcomes in Africa and graduated from the GE and Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. This is the first cohort of healthymagination Mother and Child Program.

The Time to Advocate for Public Health is Now

by Jean Armas, posted in APHA IH Section, Policy and Advocacy, Section Announcements

APHA’s Government Relations staff recently hosted a webinar discussing APHA’s current advocacy priorities and how APHA members can get more involved with advocacy efforts to help advance and protect public health.  

In this challenging political climate, the need to advocate for public health could not be more urgent. Regardless of which public health issue you want to advocate for, the time to be an advocate is now. As public health experts, it is our duty to help inform not only our elected officials but also the general public about the vast number of public health challenges facing our world today.

Below are a handful of ways you can get involved:

  • Meet with your elected officials in Washington, DC or in your state. For tips and materials you can bring with you, click here.
  • Sign up to receive legislative updates and advocacy alerts on the APHA website.
  • Send a quick action alert message to your legislators through APHA’s Take Action! website.
  • Call your congressperson via the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.  
  • Attend a town hall or constituent meeting near you. Here are some tips on how to ask questions in a public forum.
  • Submit an opinion piece or a letter to the editor to your local paper. For a template letter or technical assistance, email mediarelations@apha.org.
  • Share articles and your opinions via social media and other communication channels to help educate your friends, family, and the general public. We encourage you to tag the IH section in your Facebook and Twitter posts on global health advocacy so we can share them with our followers.
  • Volunteer for the IH Section’s Advocacy/Policy Committee to assist with drafting Section policy proposals and contribute to goals and strategies to engage Section members in global health advocacy work. Email Kevin Sykes for more information.
  • And last but not least, consider lending your voice as a contributor to the APHA IH blog. Email ihsection.communications@gmail.com for more information.

The APHA website contains extensive resources to help you in your advocacy efforts. For more information, click here.

During the webinar, we were reminded that even though a legislator’s job is to do what’s best for this nation and its people, elected officials also depend on you to get re-elected. A Representative gets elected every two years and a Senator every six. As you can see in the graph below, your influence can make a difference.

abouteffectiveness_0

Source: Communicating with Congress, Perceptions of Citizen Advocacy on Capitol Hill 

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Learn more about this year’s Public Health Action (PHACT) campaign priority issues:

Exploring the role of corruption and democratic accountability on HIV/AIDS aid effectiveness

by scanyatonwu, posted in APHA IH Section

Over the past two decades, the role of good governance in aid effectiveness has been a topic of debate. Both donor and recipient countries have questioned why investments of official development assistance (ODA) over many years have not resulted in stronger economic and health outcomes. This blog post focuses on health aid (in particular HIV/AIDS aid) and the impact control of corruption and democratic accountability may have on improving health outcomes.

More than 95% of HIV infections are in developing countries. As a result, global communities have invested billions of dollars in the fight against HIV/AIDS using funding from ODA and other substantial donors. Although AIDs-related deaths have decreased by 35% and HIV infections have decreased by 40% since 2000, the decrease has not been significant and millions of new HIV cases are still diagnosed each year. The World Bank’s 1998, “Assessing Aid,” report is part of a body of literature that proposes that good economic policies in recipient countries are associated with (and may be necessary for) successful outcomes like preventing disease  and building stronger  economies. Furthermore, control of corruption in government leadership can be a major factor for growth and poverty reduction, due to good fiscal and trade policies that seek to invest in growth-promoting activities.

According to findings stated in the Hwa-Young Lee et al. article titled, “Control of corruption, democratic accountability,  and effectiveness of HIV/AIDS official development assistance,” control of corruption contributes to aid effectiveness in healthcare delivery. HIV/AIDS is a strong example of this since large amounts of funding are needed to control the illness due to the stigma associated with it, the price of drugs, and the breadth of the epidemic. Corruption at any level can weaken health outcomes by raising the price of services or weakening the quality of treatment . This can, in turn ,  discourage further investment from donors. Consequently, HIV/AIDS policies have to involve broad, democratic consensus about how to invest resources in a way that ensures improved health outcomes.

Hwa-Young Lee et al. used data from 2001-2010 to measure the role control of corruption and democratic accountability on improving HIV/AIDS outcomes. General Methods of Moments estimation showed that control of corruption and democratic accountability had independent effects on the amount of HIV/AIDS aid and the incidence of HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, democratic accountability had a negative interaction with the amount of HIV/AIDS aid on new cases of the disease. The results indicate that more funding may not lead to better outcomes in countries that do not have strong democratic accountability. The authors also propose that HIV/AIDS aid is effective because it focuses on preventing new   cases.  Although prevalence of HIV/AIDS was explored,  an increase in prevalence can be attributed to better treatments and prolonged life. As a result, looking at the relationship between HIV/AIDS prevalence and corruption or democratic accountability may not paint an accurate picture of aid effectiveness.

The debate over the effectiveness of aid in developing countries will likely not be going away soon. Now more than ever, it is important for recipient countries to share their success stories and for donors to work with them to deliver effective economic and health outcomes. At the same time, donors should evaluate their roles in helping alleviate or exacerbate corruption and democratic accountability in developing countries.

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According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s (IDEA’s) Democracy and Development programme, democratic accountability refers to: ways in which citizens, political parties, parliaments and other democratic actors can provide feedback to, reward or sanction officials in charge of setting and enacting public policy. Well functioning accountability mechanisms are believed to provide incentives for governments to work in the best interests of citizens…Read more in their discussion paper titled, “Democratic Accountability in Service Delivery: A Synthesis of Case Studies.”

 

 

Professional Certificate Program: Health & Humanitarian Supply Chain Management (May 15-20)

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, Education Opportunities (Workshops, Conferences, Etc)

Georgia Tech’s Center for Health and Humanitarian Services (CHHS) is offering an upcoming Professional Certificate Program in Health & Humanitarian Supply Chain Management, to be held May 15-20th, 2017 at GA Tech’s Global Learning Center. 

2017 courses include:

  • Pre-planning Strategy for Health and Humanitarian Organizations MAY 15-16
  • Tactical Decision Making in Public Health and Humanitarian Response MAY 17-18
  • Systems Operations in Health and Humanitarian Response MAY 19-20

Program overview:

The certificate program is designed for practitioners in private industry, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government, military, and others who are active participants or interested in health and humanitarian operations, including both disaster response and long-term development. The goal of the program is to enhance the knowledge and experience of participants on logistics and supply-chain topics related to a broad range of activities including preparation, response, and recovery from natural and man-made disasters as well as ongoing humanitarian crises due to war, famine, infectious diseases, and chronic health problems. Click here for a summary of the May 2016 certificate program with reviews from past participants or watch the course webinar for further details about the topics covered.

Courses include many interactive components, such as case studies, simulations and games, which help professionals to link the challenges and decision-making tradeoffs they face in everyday practice with the systematic approaches, tools, and techniques presented in the course. Upon completion of the requirements for the three courses, participants will receive an official certificate from Georgia Tech in Health & Humanitarian Supply Chain Management.

Attendees who complete the course series will be able to:

  • Provide immediate impact to their organization through knowledge gained from applied and real-world case studies Interact with others from NGOs, businesses, and/or government entities, enhancing collaboration, cooperation, and communication
  • Build a critical knowledge base to apply analytical models to aid in supply chain management decisions such as forecasting, inventory management, and distribution
  • Develop strategies for the management and allocation of scarce resources accounting for specific product characteristics and supply chain network structure
  • Deliver best-practices for improving system outcomes of humanitarian relief efforts through coordination and collaboration among strategic partners
  • Ultimately transform the humanitarian sector with increased capacity to participate in planning and strategic decision-making for effective supply chain management

Scholarships and Sponsors:

The HHS Center is fortunate to provide a limited number of scholarships for applicants from NGOs and developing countries only, which were made possible through the generosity of The UPS Foundation, Andrea L. Laliberte, and Richard E. and Charlene O. Zalesky. To apply for a scholarship for the 2017 program,  apply online here (CHHS is accepting scholarship applications beyond the 2/17 deadline, although priority will be assigned in the order they were received). If you would like to apply after the deadline, availability is not guaranteed, but you may email msmithgall@isye.gatech.edu to inquire.

To register:

Click Pre-Planning Strategy course and then add each of the other two courses in the certificate program (found on webpage at left side)to your virtual cart before payment. Please email msmithgall@isye.gatech.edu with any questions about registration. The full program is $6,000 ($2,000 per course) whereas each individual course fee is $2400 if taken separately outside of the 6-day certificate program. The program is offered once a year in May.  To sign up for all three courses and receive the discounted $6,000 rate for the full certificate program, please use this code at check-out: SCL-HHS.

Climate Justice Changes Health: Live Webinar on February 27th

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, Climate Change and Environment, Events and Webinars

The following message is from APHA’s environmental health team.

Climate Justice Changes Health

APHA has declared 2017 as the Year of Climate Change and Health. This very special kick-off webinar is being hosted by APHA, the Public Health Institute Center for Climate Change and Health, Island Press and Security & Sustainability Forum. During the webinar, you’ll hear from speakers who are engaged in the fight for climate justice and healthy communities, to explore how climate justice is the best strategy to address both climate change and health inequities here in the U.S. and around the world.

Date: February 27th, 2017, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EST

Moderators: 
Linda Rudolph, MD, MPH
Director, Center for Climate Change and Health, Public Health Institute

Surili Patel, MS
Senior Program Manager, Environmental Health APHA

Speakers: 
Jacqui Patterson, MSW, MPH
Director, Environmental and Climate Justice Program, NAACP

Patricia Cochran
Executive Director, Alaska Native Science Center

Renzo Guinto, MD
Healthy Energy Initiative, Health Care Without Harm, SE Asia

Lisa Hoyos
Director, Climate Parents

Amy Vanderwarker
Co-Director, California Environmental Justice Alliance

Please Register here!

Stay involved! Follow the conversation on social media using the hashtags #APHAwebinar and #ClimateChangesHealth. For more information on how climate change impacts health, please visit www.apha.org/climate.

Questions? Contact environment@apha.org.