Tag: polio

Global Health News Last Week

by ihsection, posted in News

The PSI Healthy Lives Blog has begun running a daily global health news summary called “The Healthy Dose,” written by Mark Leon Goldberg and Tom Murphy (who also blogs about development at A View from the Cave).

STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: The Global Health Corps is currently accepting applications for its Global Health Fellows Program, which comes highly recommended by just about everyone I have heard mention it.

February 6 was International No Tolerance Day to Female Genital Mutilation.

The Vatican will host an international conference in May on preventing AIDS and caring for those afflicted with it amid continued confusion over its position concerning condoms as a way to prevent HIV transmission.

The Global Fund announced the launch of new anti-corruption measures after intense scrutiny from donors following stories on fraud investigations by The Associated Press. Meanwhile, debate and public controversy over the AP’s presentation of the story rages on.

The discovery of a new type of mosquito, a subgroup of Anopheles gambiae (the species which transmits malaria), is causing concern among scientists because it appears to be very susceptible to the malaria parasite.

Bill Gates is becoming frantic in his pursuit to eradicate polio. In addition to making it the cornerstone of his 2011 annual letter, he held a webcast event last week, campaigned for funds at Davos, and is needling governments to donate funds for a “final push.” He is also beginning to irk some, who say he is distorting other priorities.

Webcast: Polio Eradication and the Power of Vaccines (with Bill Gates)

by ihsection, posted in Information and Social Media

Please tune in for a special webcast featuring Bill Gates, ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Oshinsky, and a panel of experts on:

Polio Eradication and the Power of Vaccines

Monday, January 31, 9:30 a.m. ET at www.gatesfoundation.org

To launch Bill Gates’ 3rd annual letter, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invites you to join a conversation about the extraordinary progress in the fight to eradicate polio and the enormous lifesaving potential of vaccines.

Thanks to a global childhood immunization effort, polio has been reduced by 99% and we are on the cusp of eradicating only the second disease in history. This presents a powerful case for the value of vaccines.

Unique Perspectives
Bill Gates will join global leaders to discuss what the past can teach us about protecting children around the world from polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases. The event will be moderated by ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer, and speakers include:

Dr. David Oshinsky, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, “Polio: An American Story”
Professor Helen Rees, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; and Chair, WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization
Dr. Ciro de Quadros, Executive Vice President, Sabin Vaccine Institute

Panelists will discuss why now is the time to rid the world of polio and ensure all children have access to lifesaving vaccines. No child deserves to face the threat of preventable disease, whether it’s polio, measles, or pneumonia.

To watch the live webcast, please visit www.gatesfoundation.org on Monday, January 31 at 9:30 a.m. ET. It will also be available on demand following the event.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more at www.gatesfoundation.org.

Global Health News Last Week

by ihsection, posted in News

December 9 was Anti-Corruption Day.
December 10 was Human Rights Day.

A recently published research study reveals that aspirin can prevent cancer – to very little acclaim.

There is a new rapid diagnostic test for TB, though some argue that it may not be the best idea for developing countries.

There is a polio outbreak in the Congo, and cholera rages on in Haiti and the Dominican Repubic.

Global Health News This Week

by ihsection, posted in News

November 22 was Public Health Thank-You Day, and November 25 marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

UNAIDS released a report that said that we are finally making significant progress against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. In related news, an international trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that daily prophylaxis can prevent HIV infection in MSM.

The Bread for the World Institute released its 2011 Hunger Report, which says that global hunger is increasing as the global food crisis gets worse.

A study published in the Lancet found that the malaria death toll in India may be as much as 13 times higher than WHO estimates.

Another study published in the journal Vaccine estimated that global polio eradication could save the world $50 billion.

The strain responsible for the cholera outbreak in Haiti has been identified as one originating from southeast Asia, which has led many Haitians to blame the Nepalese UN peacekeepers and has sparked riots against the UN.