The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) has released a report on food, agriculture, and sustainability ahead of the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Although “Food and Agriculture: The Future of Sustainability” focuses primarily on environmental issues, it draws attention to the health implications related to the current global food system. More than one […]
Last week’s print edition of the Economist reports “the best story in development,” which describes huge declines in child mortality across Africa. Too often, good stories about Africa are buried in the back pages of newspapers and magazines. In this case, the headline is sensationalist but true. The trends of child mortality in a majority of African […]
At the GBCHealth Conference in New York last week, business, civil society, government, and other key stakeholders gathered to discuss the role of business in global health. Topics discussed included HIV/AIDS thirty years into the epidemic, health programs in the workplace, and women’s health. The GBCHealth Conference is a major forum for global health experts, […]
An advisory panel for the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (F.D.A.) voted 19-3 to recommend the use of Truvada, a combination antiretroviral drug, for the prevention of HIV among people at high risk of infection. Although this is not a full F.D.A. approval, it paves the way for a decision in mid-June. The endorsement follows a […]
In a positive turn, the Global Fund announced on Wednesday that it has more funding to give out than it originally anticipated. To the tune of $1.6 billion. Where, you might ask, did that come from? In their “news flash” released yesterday, they write: There were many factors that piled up on the plus side of the […]
Last week, I wrote about new findings on the precarious well-being of adolescents worldwide. The studies in The Lancet and UNICEF’s “report card” were released in advance of last week’s United Nations Committee on Population and Development (CPD) session, which focused on adolescents this year. On Friday, the CPD adopted a resolution affirming the sexual and […]
On April 20th, the Global Health Council created shockwaves in the global health community by announcing that it will close its doors in “the coming months”. This was only 1 week after announcing the cancellation of its flagship conference. As I read the reports, I kept asking myself, is this yet another casualty of recent funding […]
A series published in The Lancet last Wednesday found that adolescents today face greater risks to their physical and mental health than in the past. The success of childhood survival programs and a greater focus on children’s health means that more youths are entering adolescence. Although this is clearly outstanding news, it means that the programmatic […]
A report released last month discussed the rising profile of BRICS countries–Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa–in health and development assistance and called upon the group to further their cooperation for better global health in the developing world. “Shifting Paradigm: How the BRICS are Shaping Global Health and Development” (PDF), written by the NGO […]
At a TEDxChange webcast event last week, Melinda Gates announced that she would dedicate the next 30 years of her life to advocate for and support family planning. Asserting that birth control should not be a controversial issue, Gates discussed the implications of the dearth of family planning programs and services in the developing world–particularly […]
Time for reform: 1200 pages – an application to the Global Fund As I wrote last week, the recent appointment of Gabriel Jaramillo as General Manager to The Global Fund signals the international community’s conclusion that the Fund is “too big to fail”. A former banker, Jaramillo has wasted no time in making promised changes to […]
Earlier this year, the global health community watched with bated breath as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria stood at a precipice. The chain of events was like a series of dominoes falling. Earlier, in October 2011, cash-strapped donor countries with austerity budgets said “no” when the Fund asked for $20 billion in replenishment […]
Meningococcal disease, or meningitis, is a bacterial infection of the meninges, or lining around the brain and spinal cord. If left untreated, it has a 50% mortality rate, and it spreads most easily through crowded areas where people are in close and prolonged contact, from college dorms to informal settlements. Meningococcal disease can result in severe, permanent […]
In a second post on global health news for this week, U.S. President Barack Obama’s budget request for next year has reduced funding for neglected tropical diseases. This decrease may have wide-reaching effects on one-sixth of the world’s population. Additionally, a writer tells his story of life in a serodiscordant relationship and navigating the American health care […]
In post one of two on global health news this week, a new study found that malaria prevention efforts over the last decade have saved the lives of almost one million children. The Global Fund’s new General Manager, Gabriel Jaramillo, discusses his plans for the organization going forward in an interview with Spanish newspaper El […]