Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

• World Earth Day was celebrated on April 22^nd.
• World Primary Immunodeficiency week is celebrated from April 22- 29^th, 2012.

Politics and Policies

• The Ministry of Health (Angola) with World Bank and Total E&P Angola has launched a project for the Reinforcement of Municipal Health Services. It aims to contribute to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality rate in the country.
• American Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d’lviore, has sponsored the project launched by the Ministry of Health – HIV/AIDS hotline- to enable the public- especially the youth-to get information about the disease.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new guidelines for couples in which one partner is HIV positive and the other is not. The guidelines for so-called “discordant” couples are being praised by UNAID, Doctors without Borders and others.
• Federal health officials endorsed a decision by their advisor to let publication of two controversial bird flu studies to prepare the world against a possible deadly pandemic.
• Indonesian tobacco companies will be forced by the government to place photos of horrific health problems caused by smoking on ever pack and advisers will be banned from showing cigarettes under a planned governmental regulation.

Programs

• Jeffrey Model Foundation joins 20 countries to Launch World Primary Immunodeficiency Week from April 22- 29. The campaign focuses on early diagnosis and access to appropriate treatment, through public awareness and physician education.
• Eurostat Press Office has released Health in the EU27 in 2010. According to it, at the age of 65, both men and women in the member states are expected to live a further 9 years in a healthy condition.
• Edo (state in Nigeria) receives N1.8 Billion cervical cancer vaccines from an international donor agency. The vaccines will be administered to the girl’s ages between 9 and 13 years in the state.
• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that obesity and diet related illness could emerge as major challenges for Europe and Central Asia while hunger will only be a minor problem.
• Latest findings in Breastfeeding Science presented at Medela’s 7^th international breastfeeding and lactation symposium in Vienna, Austria on April 20-21, 2012. Presentations include insights into the unique properties of human milk, breastfeeding and medication, and stem cells in human milk.

Research

• Scientists of University of Edinburgh have found a key protein which is common to many potentially fatal forms of malaria. It could help to develop vaccines or drugs against life-threatening cases of the infection.
• A study by U.S. National Institute on Aging showed that more daily exercises, even doing housework can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This prospective, observational cohort study involved 716 participants without dementia who participated in the Rush Memory and Aging Project.
• A survey has revealed the misuse of pesticides, some of them banned, in northern Ghana is affecting the health of the farmers, sometimes with fatal consequences, and contaminating the crops.
• A research study shows Ayurvedic cure of HIV/ AIDS might be possible by the Neem tree.
• A study suggests second-generation drug used for hypertension aids heart function independent of blood pressure effect.
• A study done by the Japanese scientists raise hope for treatment of baldness.
• Report shows a link between money, education and life expectancy.
• University of Illinois researchers have shown how soy protein could significantly reduce fat accumulation and triglycerides in the livers of obese patients by partially restoring the function of a key signaling pathway in the organ.
• An Irish medical study confirms swine flu jab caused increased narcolepsy among those with age groups between five to nineteen years. International experts suggest a number of factors might have contributed to this increased risk.
• Discovery of a yeast prion which helps cells to survive.
• A study published in the journal Biofabrication, describes a new method for making medical devices called nerve guidance conduits or NGC’s which may help severely damaged nerves to regrow and restore function.
• Neuroscientists have discovered key protein responsible for controlling nerve cell protection. It is responsible for controlling the chemical process which reduce or enhance protection mechanism for nerve cells in the brain.
• The researchers at Columbia Medical Center have identified a molecular pathway that controls the retention and release of the brain’s stem cells- ‘Housekeeping’ mechanism.
• A team of scientists have shown that the vessels grown from donor cells are good and natural alternative to synthetic vessels. Animal trials have shown promising results.

Diseases and Disasters

• Earthquake in Chile. Two people died of heart attack.
• Mexico’s Popo volcano throws glowing rocks. Residents of the semirural communities near the volcano have reported hearing hours of ‘low-pitched roaring’.
• About 14 students in Bangladesh have been reported suffering from H1N1.
• In Sri Lanka, dengue fever killed 38, infects 10,000 in a few months.
• A mystery skin disease killed 19 in Vietnam. Officials seeking international assistance on this issue.

 

WHO Videos for World Immunization Week 2012

Here is the English short made by the WHO for World Immunization Week 2012. It is available in other languages (Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese) on their YouTube Channel.

Immunization saves between 2 and 3 million lives each year. Vaccines are relatively inexpensive and extremely powerful weapons against disease, disability and death. They protect people of all ages, from babies to senior citizens, against life-threatening diseases. For the first time ever, from 21-28 April, countries across the world are participating in a World Immunization Week sponsored by the World Health Organization, to raise awareness on how immunization saves lives and to make sure that the poorest and hardest to reach communities get the vaccinations they need to protect their health. Follow us on Twitter @WHO http://twitter.com/#!/who #vaccineswork … and share this video.

Here is a message from Dr. Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean:

And here is one from Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa:

Global Health Weekly News Round-Up

Politics and Policies:

• Ban placed on the sale of ‘synthetic marijuana’ in New York (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/30/ban-placed-on-sell-synthetic-marijuana-in-new-york/ ).
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejects petition to ban BPA, a chemical found in food packaging including plastic bottles and canned food (Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57407289-10391704/fda-rejects-petition-to-ban-bpa-in-food-packaging/ ).

Programs

• The United Nations and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPD) agency have partnered together to advance sustainable responses to HIV/ AIDS, health and development across the continent (Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41655&Cr=HIV/AIDS&Cr1=).

Research

• A study indicates that pregnancy and hormonal changes that continue 12 weeks after giving birth increases women’s risk of heart attack (Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-heart-pregnancy-idUSBRE82O0FZ20120325 ).
• The findings of a research presented at American Chemical Society meeting at San Diego shows that the popcorn has antioxidants (Source: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/story/2012-03-25/Popcorn-packed-with-antioxidants-hidden-health-benefits/53777198/1 ).
• A research indicates a risk of the spread of Flu pandemic during the London Olympics (Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/new-research-warns-of-olympics-flu-pandemic-risk-7606577.html )
• According to a team at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) , an antidepressant together with a drug derived from Vitamin A can be used to treat an adult form of leukemia- acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312003050.htm ).
• According to a study there is a link between the genetic variants  in an area of genome and risk of developing Podoconiosis (Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/03/28/podoconiosis-genes-idINDEE82R0I920120328 )
• A research indicates that HIV super infection may help to develop vaccines against this deadly infection (Source: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/03/29/superinfected-patients-give-clues-to-fighting-hiv ).
• Researchers at University of Melbourne have identified a mutation linked to breast cancer attached to the newly identified gene called XRCC2 (Source: http://www.smh.com.au/national/new-breast-cancer-gene-discovered-20120330-1w1xt.html ).
• Finnish researchers have found that the children vaccinated with the pandemic H1N1 swine flu shot were 13 times more likely to develop narcolepsy, a condition characterized  by excessive sleepiness, even during the day time (Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/swine-flu-shot-may-hasten-sleeping-disorder_16290.html ).
• A study shows that those patients, who had surgery to remove a gastrointestinal stromal tumor and have a high risk of cancer recurrence, have improved survival rates when they undergo treatment with anticancer drugs (Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_123476.html ).
• Researchers have found that a commonly used drug Metformin, for treatment of type II Diabetes may help to prevent liver cancer (Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Diabetes-drug-may-help-prevent-liver-cancer/articleshow/12491050.cms ).
• The researchers at Lund University, Sweden are working to make the vaccines available in the market in five years, which will target the build-up of fatty deposits in arteries (plaques) to prevent heart attacks (Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/vaccines-for-heart-attacks-to-be-ready-within-5-years_16333.html ).
• Researchers show how vitamin D slows the growth of prostate cancer. These supplements lower levels of a key protein called Ki67 (Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/researchers-uncover-how-vitamin-d-slows-prostate-cancer ).
• Depression is linked with sleep breathing disorder. Women with sleep apnea have 5.2 times more chances of developing depression (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/30/depression-linked-with-sleep-breathing-problems-study-finds/ ).
• The researchers at University of Sydney through their study indicate that people who sit for a longer time have a shorter life span (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/30/too-much-sitting-linked-to-shortened-lives/ ).
• A survey by the researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore and John Hopkins University, finds 63% of children with autism are bullied (Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57406540/survey-finds-63-of-children-with-autism-bullied/ ).

Diseases & Disasters

• An explosion at Evonik Degussa chemical plant in the west town of Mari (Germany) has killed one person. Residents were asked to stay indoors with their door closed (Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5giWW7i_NwjgXDhsZFMKd0LRjl6dQ?docId=CNG.65605d82f9e8f0788a078c1a4655b4de.171 ).
• An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck central Chile on Sunday night (Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jsZz0L80EJKEWngc0ohu3woJDhPA?docId=97f8310de8f24dd48602b01296ea290b ).
• The deadliest form of malaria on rise in Banke district of Nepal. Fifteen people have already been detected with the plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax (Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Malaria+on+rise+in+Nepalgunj&NewsID=325903 ).
• Fentanyl, a synthetic form of heroin causes overdose boom in Estonia (Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17524945 ).
• Washoe County health officials have reported 30 cases of childhood illness of hand, foot and mouth disease (Source:  http://www.examiner.com/infectious-disease-in-national/washoe-county-health-officials-report-30-cases-of-hfmd ).
• Cholera grips Haiti (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/world/americas/haitis-cholera-outraced-the-experts-and-tainted-the-un.html?ref=todayspaper )

 

 

CSIS Video – The Strategic Power of Vaccines in Zambia

Video: The Strategic Power of Vaccines in Zambia (CSIS)

In November 2011, a team from CSIS traveled to Zambia to produce a video on vaccination efforts – their value, their long-term sustainability, and the challenges to their implementation. The video aims to portray the complexities of immunization in Zambia and to make broader points about global immunization efforts.

Global Health Vaccines: Shaping Policy to Accelerate R&D (ASTMH/GHC Lecture in Philadelphia, PA)

Featuring the 4th Annual Beth Waters Memorial Lecture
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2011
Time: 12:30-5pm
Location: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
1201 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA
Franklin Hall 11 & 12

At Global Health Vaccines: Shaping Policy to Accelerate R&D, public and private stakeholders will examine current barriers to vaccine research and development, especially those that disproportionately affect vaccines for use in developing countries. Discussions will focus on regulatory issues, innovative financing and incentives, and partnerships. The event will serve as an opportunity for stakeholders to collaboratively identify common obstacles and propose unified solutions to stimulate vaccine R&D for global health vaccines.

Dr. Peter Hotez, President, ASTMH and Founding Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, will begin the summit by delivering the 4th Annual Beth Waters Memorial Lecture. This will be followed by an interactive panel discussion and breakout groups that will develop policy recommendations surrounding vaccine R&D issues. The recommendations will then be presented to all attendees for discussion.

This event is open to all ASTMH Annual Meeting registrants and Global Health Council members. Please register using the link below.

Lunch will be provided at 12:30pm and the Beth Waters Memorial Lecture will begin promptly at 1:00pm.
To register, click here: http://my.globalhealth.org/ebusiness/events/default.aspx?pid=573

Global Health News Last Week

Note: There will be no news round-up next week, as the IH section will be conducting its usual array of activities during APHA’s Annual Meeting.  Please tune in for updates on section sessions and activites at the conference.  Meanwhile, you can get your global health news fix from the DAWNS digest, Humanosphere, or the Healthy Dose.

October 16 was World Food Day.
October 17 was International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

POLITICS AND POLICY

• Scientists are warning officials negotiating a global treaty on mercury that banning the deadly chemical completely would be dangerous for public health because of the chemical’s use in vaccines. 
• The Washington Post runs an editorial critical of the GOP presidential candidates’ hostility toward foreign aid.
• An influential panel of MPs warned that changes in UK aid policies may make overseas aid more prone to corruption and misuse.
• Attendees at the Asia Pacific Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights have called on countries in the region to introduce comprehensive sexuality education in schools.
• The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a report which finds that global HIV/AIDS funding dropped by 10% in 2010.

PROGRAMS

• HP Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with USAID to collaborate in the fight against global poverty through initiatives directed at issues such as public health.
• GAVI CEO Seth Berkley pens an op-ed in Huffington Post on the economic value of childhood vaccines.
• The Pan African Parliament has passed a resolution that urges African nations to prioritize maternal, newborn and child health programs.
• USAID is initiating research to find out whether developing world families will adopt a new cooking technology and adapt their cooking methods to save their health.
• At an event in Washington, the Aspen Institute’s Global Leaders Council called for increased accessed to contraception worldwide. 
• Microfinance initiatives to fund development could benefit from reinvigorating their aims and taking on new, integrated approaches, according to experts at the 2011 International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy in Montreal.

RESEARCH

• A new study, by researchers from the National Institutes of Health, Gilead Sciences Inc. and universities in Belgium and Italy, suggests that a microbicide gel, which was originally developed to fight AIDS in Africa, could lower the incidence of herpes in many women.
• RTS,S a malaria vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is showing great of promise in the early stages of its huge clinical trial.  The American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Council Member and Science Director at the PATH Malaria Control Program, Rick Steketee, explores the impact of the new RTS,S clinical trial results and what this breakthrough means for science and neglected tropical disease research. On the other hand, Sarah Boseley wonders where the money will come from once the vaccine has passed its trials, and Karen Grepin is not as excited about the new GSK malaria trial results as many others.
• Adults who have fallen behind on mortgage payments exhibited higher rates of depression and are skipping meals and medications because they cannot pay the bills, a study published in the American Journal of Public Health found.
• Teenage drivers have fewer crashes after they’ve been driving for a while, but new research in the American Journal of Public Health suggests that a few months behind the wheel do not improve their driving skills much.
• A recent study finds that the best way to fight TB in patients with HIV is to treat as early as possible.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

• The famine in Somalia isn’t getting much public attention, but not because things are improving. Aid workers predict things will get worse before they get better. Much-needed rain is coming, but the rainfall could deepen the crisis for the four million people there who need help.
• Numerous UN agencies are ready to be deployed if Southeast Asian nations ravaged by flooding request for assistance.
• A report by Roll Back Malaria Partnership released at the start of the Gates Foundation’s Global Malaria Forum says that the world is making positive steps towards eradicating malaria. Specifically, 29 countries are on track to stop malaria within a decade.
• Environmental hazards sicken or kill millions of people — soot or smog in the air, for example, or pollutants in drinking water. But the most dangerous stuff happens where the food is made — in peoples’ kitchens.
• World Health Organization officials say the rapid and extensive globalization of food production has increased the incidence of food contamination worldwide.
• Speculators in the agricultural commodities markets are forcing grocery prices to rise too quickly and erratically, according to some top economists marking World Food Day Sunday.
• Climate change poses an immediate and serious threat to global health and stability, as floods and droughts destroy people’s homes and food supplies and increase mass migration, experts warn.
• A survey of 87 countries showed more than half the countries reported more or much more awareness of mental illnesses in the past three years. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of new money behind that awareness.

The News We All Wish Were a Conspiracy Theory

I would bet my next paycheck that there is not a global health blogger out there who has not expressed his or her outrage at the recent revelation that the CIA used a hepatitis vaccination campaign in Abbottabad as a front for an operation to obtain a blood sample from bin Laden’s children, in order to verify that he was, in fact, hiding out there.  If this sounds like something out of the movie Conspiracy Theory to you, you are not alone – alas, it is unfortunately, tragically true, and could be potentially disastrous.

Anyone who knows anything about the importance of, and difficulty in implementing, vaccination campaigns understands what an atrocious idea this was and what a mess it could leave behind. Vaccine advocates have spent many years and millions of dollars debunking myths and misinformation, informing people of the benefits of vaccines, and working to gain the trust of political and religious leaders and their communities.  You would think it would be obvious that no one is going to let anybody stick a needle in their kid’s arm unless they have good reason to believe it will help and not harm them – and all it takes is one bad PR move to earn the distrust of parents.  Hell, look at the damage one study did to childhood vaccinations in the U.S. and the UK.  Even after the Wakefield study was proven flawed, dozens of other studies disproved it, and the doctor himself was shown guilty of misconduct, many parents still believe vaccines may cause autism (my mother included). Apparently, the CIA did not bother to check with anyone on the collateral damage they might have caused – or, if they did, they simply did not care.

Brett Keller sums it up beautifully:

This is absolutely terrible, and not just because the kids originally involved might not have gotten the second round of vaccine (which is bad) or because it will make the work of legitimate public health officials in Pakistan even harder (which is very bad). Vaccines are amazing innovations that save millions of lives, and they are so widely respected that combatants have gone to extraordinary lengths to allow vaccination campaigns to proceed in the midst of war. For instance, UNICEF has brokered ceasefires in Afghanistan and Pakistan for polio vaccine campaigns which are essential since those are two of the four countries where polio transmission has never been interrupted.

He also has a great round-up at the bottom of his post of the other blogs that have covered it.

The greatest irony of all may be that the scheme did not even work – sources suggest that the doctor who spearheaded the project did not get what he was after.  Regardless of the project’s “success,” it is a slap in the face to public health professionals who have devoted their careers to promoting vaccination as a way to protect children (and adults) from the world’s most devastating diseases.

Global Health News Last Week

SECTION NEWS

The IH Section hosted its third topic-focused conference call, on Current Developments in MCNH, took place on Monday, June 27, 2011 from 1:00 to 2:00 EST. We had several members of the IH section offer their commentary and expertise on current issues concerning maternal and child health.  Speakers included Laura Altobelli, Elvira Beracochea, Carol Dabbs, Miriam Labbock, and Mary Anne Mercer.  Read the summary here.

IH Section Communications Chair Jessica Keralis attended APHA’s Mid-Year Meeting on healthcare reform.  There were several interesting sessions on technology implications of reform, the public health workforce, advocacy, and others.  Read all about it on the IH Blog.

---

POLITICS AND POLICY

• In the first part of a two-part series called “The great billion dollar drug scam,” investigative journalist Khadija Sharife questions the accuracy of figures given by the pharmaceutical industry to justify the high cost of drugs.
•  The American Chronicle reports how Brazil has been implementing numerous programs to reduce the rate of HIV infection within the country.

PROGRAMS

• Nearly six months after it began operations, UN Women appears to be struggling due to lack of donor funding.

RESEARCH

• At the 7th annual meeting of the World Conference of Science Journalists, several speakers said clinical research trials done in the developing world lack adequate patient protections as well as an ethical and legal framework.
•  Arizona State University Scientists have developed recombinant attenuated salmonella vaccines which they believe will make vaccines more effective.
•  A test for dengue through saliva has been developed by researchers from Singapore.
• Researchers believe that they have discovered the precise mechanism by which drugs attack and beat malaria. In doing so, they believe that they can gain a more precise understanding of how resistances are forming and develop better malaria medicines.
• A recently published report on research and development by the Malaria Research Initiative examines the current state of malaria research and offers six recommendations in going forward to improve R&D.
• A dramatic increase in support for malaria R&D since the mid-1990s puts the world well on the way to achieving global malaria control, treatment and elimination goals in the next five to six years.
• A study has found that AIDS patients who take nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitors experience premature aging.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

• The WHO has put together a series of graphs based on 2008 global health data to illustrate the 10 leading causes of death by broad income group. Heart disease, stroke and other cerebrovascular disease represent the top two killers in middle and high-income nations while they sit as number three and five respectively for low-income countries.
•  A report published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the CDC, has determined that UN peacekeepers from Nepal brought cholera to Haiti, which led to an outbreak last fall.
• More than 350,000 women die in childbirth every year and 8 million children will die of preventable diseases before their fifth birthday. A new report concludes that more trained midwives could help save prevent millions of such deaths.
• In a recently released report, UNICEF says as many as 70% of the world’s children are exposed to violence amounting to 1.5 billion children each year.
• The drug misoprostol is saving women’s lives around the world by preventing excessive bleeding after childbirth, the leading cause of maternal death in the developing world; it is also causing controversy, as the drug can also be used to induce abortion.
• Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is on the rise and hard to cure. Médecins Sans Frontières wants people with the disease to blog about it, to find out what they really need.
• A new study in The Lancet shows that over the past thirty years the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has doubled to 350 million.
• Ghana’s Food and Drugs Board (FDB) issued a statement to warn the public against the sale of counterfeit Artesunate tablets on the market, which it claims are from China; laboratory analysis had confirmed that contained no active anti-malaria ingredient.

Many thanks, as usual, to the Toms – Tom Murphy and Tom Paulson.

CGDev Video: Innovation in Vaccine Financing

Gates Foundation Video: Vaccines Save Lives – An Illustration

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

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.

Pushing for Polio Eradication: Does a Vertical Approach Make Sense in a Horizontal World?

The global polio eradication effort suffered an unexpected setback this year.  An outbreak began in February in Tajikistan, which had not seen a case of polio in 19 years, and 452 cases have been confirmed as of August 5.¹  From there, it has migrated to Russia, where it has infected seven individuals.^1,2  Russia’s last confirmed case of polio was in 1996.  This outbreak is a discouraging reality check for a two-decade eradication effort that hovers on the edge of success but cannot quite seem to reach it.

Image taken from the 2009 Annual Letter from Bill Gates. Available at: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/annual-letter/Pages/2009-polio-eradication.aspx

After the successful eradication of smallpox in 1979, global health organizations have pushed a similar “vertical” approach to eradicate other disease.³  The polio eradication campaign, which began in 1988, has been aggressively carried out with a similar mindset and has been largely successful.  Incidence has been reduced by over 99%, with less than 1,000 cases reported in the year 2000 compared to 350,000 in 1988.  In Africa, ten of the 15 previously polio countries re-infected in 2009 successfully halted their outbreaks.⁴  It is currently only endemic in Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.^2,4  For the last ten years, however, the initiative has “hovered on the verge of victory” without being able to reach it.⁵  There were 1,604 cases in 2009, and 576 cases have been confirmed globally so far this year.²  The effort has cost approximated $8.2 to date.³ 

The long-standing fight against polio has raised an interesting discussion about this and similar approaches to public health: are singularly-focused health efforts such as disease eradication the best way to work toward health improvement?  Large scale donors, such as the Gates Foundation and Rotary, typically prefer these “vertical” strategies because the benefits seem clearer and more immediate; “horizontal” strategies, on the other hand, such as strengthening health systems, training workers, and increasing supplies, have less well-defined goals, and long-term change is much more difficult to measure.³  The ongoing struggle for polio eradication has re-energized this debate.  Global health stakeholders responded in June with a new Strategic Plan, which builds on findings from a recent independent evaluation of the eradication effort and proposes a combined approach of  area-specific strategies to target remaining reservoirs of polio and targeting health system weaknesses.⁴  This plan will hopefully inspire organizations working in the effort to make the final push toward wiping out polio for good.  When the plan was unveiled in Geneva, however, Dr. Margaret Chan of WHO called on the international funding community “stand tall for polio eradication,” reminding us that the effort can still falter in the face of economic crisis if funding lapses.  It will be interesting to see how much longer smallpox will stand alone on the list of eradicated diseases.

If he could speak, what would he tell our leaders? Tell them for him.

If he could speak, what would he tell our leaders? Tell them for him.

Posted using ShareThis

Rotavirus—the most common and lethal form of diarrhea—deadly for children

Rotavirus—the most common and lethal form of diarrhea—is one of the most deadly diseases facing children

By Dr. John Wecker, director of the Vaccine Access and Delivery Global Program at PATH

Whether you have heard of rotavirus before or not, it may surprise you to know that you’ve probably had it. Nearly everyone in the world will have at least one rotavirus infection by age 3.

In wealthy countries, ready access to medical care means that few children will die from rotavirus. And with the recent availability of vaccines, the risk of dying, or of ever having to be hospitalized because of rotavirus, has dropped dramatically.

In the developing world, the situation is completely different. Rotavirus—the most common and lethal form of diarrhea—is one of the most deadly diseases a child will face.

This global health crisis can be solved by making rotavirus vaccines widely available in the developing world. The World Health Organization recommends that these vaccines be included in every country’s immunization program. What is lacking is the political will at all levels to make this happen.

Raising awareness about the toll of this disease and the promise that vaccines hold to save lives is critical for building political will. Recently, the scientific Journal of Infectious Diseases released a special supplement on rotavirus, Global Rotavirus Surveillance: Preparing for the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccines. It provides a comprehensive review of the latest information about rotavirus disease and the role that vaccination can play.

Not only is rotavirus not well known as a major killer of children worldwide, but the fact that diarrheal disease is responsible for the death of 1.5 million young children each year in developing countries is lost on a world that takes for granted access to sanitation, clean water and basic health services. In a recent New York Times story the chief of health at UNICEF, Mickey Chopra, was quoted as saying, “All the attention has gone to more glamorous diseases, but this basic thing has been left behind. It’s a forgotten disease.”

Included below is a short release on the special rotavirus supplement.

To access the supplement, please visit: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/jid/200/s1.

For more information on rotavirus, read: Common Virus and Senseless Killer: Briefing Paper on Rotavirus

Learn more at www.PATH.org or www.EDDControl.org