KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report

In The News

India PM Modi Opens Call To Action Summit 2015 Aimed At Ending Preventable Child, Maternal Deaths

News outlets report on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s opening address at the Call to Action Summit 2015.

DNA India: Want to ensure that no child in India dies due to lack of vaccination: PM Modi at Global Call to Action Summit
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the ‘Global Call to Action Summit-2015’ in Delhi. At the summit, PM Modi said, ‘We will ensure every woman and child that can be saved, will be saved’…” (8/27).

IANS/Times of India: India declared maternal and neonatal tetanus free: PM Modi
“The WHO has declared that mothers and newborns are free from tetanus at the time of birth in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Thursday. He was inaugurating the Call to Action Summit 2015 — an initiative to reduce child and maternal deaths across the world — and said the event will help the developing countries to tackle health challenges related to women and child…” (8/27).

Zee News: Historic accomplishment as India has been the victory power over Polio: PM Modi
“Speaking at the inauguration of the Global Call to Action Summit 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that, ‘This is a landmark occasion and for the first time this summit is being held outside USA.’ The summit that is being co-hosted by WHO, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Tata Trusts will act as a foundation to decide strategies related to ending preventable child and maternal deaths…” (8/27).

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Botswana Court Of Appeal Upholds High Court Ruling Stating Government Must Provide Free HIV Treatment To Foreign Prisoners

BBC News: Botswana prisons: Foreign inmates win case for free HIV treatment
“Botswana’s court of appeal has upheld a ruling that foreign prisoners should receive free treatment for HIV/AIDS, rights lawyers say. Foreign prisoners were previously expected to pay for their own medication, unlike local inmates…” (8/26).

International Business Times: African Court of Appeal rules in favor of HIV-positive foreign prisoners receiving free treatment
“…Two HIV-positive foreign prisoners had moved court against the practice and won the case in 2014. They were backed by the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA). The High Court maintained that the current policy was unlawful and that the foreign prisoners must start receiving treatment for free immediately. But the state government appealed against the judgement…” (Sarkar, 8/27).

VOA News: Botswana Issues Historic HIV Ruling
“…Activists say this represents a major victory in a country that has one of the world’s highest HIV rates. The United Nations AIDS agency estimates that as many as 25 percent of adults in the country are HIV-positive. Most of those patients are female…” (Powell, 8/26).

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Humanitarian Situation In Northeastern Nigeria 'Particularly Worrying,' U.N.'s Ban Says During Country Visit

Inter Press Service: U.N. Chief Warns of Growing Humanitarian Crisis in Northeastern Nigeria
“With over 1.5 million displaced, 800,000 of whom are children, and continuously escalating violence in northeastern Nigeria, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the humanitarian situation as ‘particularly worrying’ during a visit to the country…” (Yakupitiyage, 8/26).

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U.N. Humanitarian Senior Official Urges Countries To Step Up Aid In Order To Cut Migration

New York Times: U.N. Says Aid Increase Would Cut Migration
“The new top emergency relief official [at the U.N.] urged the world’s rich countries on Wednesday to step up aid to war zones in the Middle East and Africa so that refugees are not forced to seek safety in Europe. … Stephen O’Brien, the under secretary general for humanitarian affairs, [spoke] in an interview, having recently returned from his first visits to Syria, Iraq, and Yemen…” (Sengupta/Gladstone, 8/26).

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As Saudi Arabia's Number Of MERS Cases Rises, Jordan Reports Travel-Linked Case

CIDRAP News: Jordan reports travel-linked MERS case, Riyadh outbreak total grows
“Jordan’s health ministry [Tuesday] announced a MERS-CoV detection in a man who had recently traveled from Saudi Arabia, where the number of newly confirmed cases grew by three, including two that are likely part of a large hospital-linked outbreak in Riyadh…” (Schnirring, 8/26).

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Global Life Expectancy Rising But People Living Longer With More Illness, Study Shows

News outlets report on a study published in The Lancet showing global life expectancy is rising but people suffer more disability and illness.

Deutsche Welle: Study: Global life expectancy rises
“…Theo Vos, a professor at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington who led the analysis, noted that great strides had been made in global health, particularly in the fight against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. ‘But now the challenge is to invest in finding more effective ways of preventing or treating the major causes of illness and disability,’ he said…” (8/27).

Reuters: Global life expectancy rises, but people live sicker for longer
“…The study’s main findings were that global life expectancy at birth for both sexes rose by 6.2 years — from 65.3 in 1990 to 71.5 in 2013. Healthy life expectancy at birth rose by 5.4 years — from 56.9 in 1990 to 62.3 in 2013…” (Kelland, 8/27).

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More Support, Training Needed To Better Report, Investigate, Prosecute Sexual Violence Crimes Committed During Conflict, Report Says

The Guardian: Local support key to achieving justice in sexual violence cases, claim researchers
“Greater support and training is needed at national level[s] to increase the chances of prosecuting crimes of sexual violence in conflict, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. Efforts to prosecute perpetrators of sexual violence during conflict are being undermined by the inability of local investigators and prosecutors to support victims, collect evidence, and protect witnesses, said a report titled The Long Road: Accountability for Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict Settings, launched on Wednesday by Berkeley’s Human Rights Center’s sexual violence program…” (Ford/Opara, 8/26).

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The Guardian Examines Reasons Behind High Rates Of Sexual Violence, Pregnancy Among Girls In Guatemala

The Guardian: Rape, ignorance, repression: why early pregnancy is endemic in Guatemala
“…Cultural practices, endemic violence, and the hold of the Catholic church over decisions on reproductive health make girls in Guatemala easy prey for abuse and vulnerable to early pregnancy…” (Forsell/Lyche, 8/27).

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Sentencing Of Men To Prison For Homosexuality Could Damage Senegal's HIV Prevention Strategies, Activists Say

Reuters: Jailing of gay men in Senegal poses setback to HIV fight in Africa
“It took less than a minute for a panel of judges in Senegal to sentence seven men to six months in prison for homosexuality last week, but campaigners say the harm to the African nation’s anti-HIV efforts could last much longer. … Campaigners warned that Friday’s verdict, based on a police discovery of condoms and lubricant in the house where the men were arrested, was a hammer blow to groups promoting safe sex…” (Brice, 8/26).

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Study Calls For Integration Of Anti-Smoking Strategies Into TB, HIV Care

VOA News: Study: Anti-smoking Strategies Critical to TB and HIV Care
“…The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease released a report recently arguing that second-hand smoke must be addressed in the treatment of patients with TB and HIV. The research identifies a critical missed opportunity in TB and HIV programs: smoking and exposure to second hand smoke are known to exacerbate these diseases…” (Lewis, 8/26).

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Single Dose Of Cholera Vaccine Might Be Nearly As Effective As 2 Doses In Halting Outbreaks, Study Shows

VOA News: Single Cholera Vaccine Dose May Slow Cholera Epidemics
“When it comes to a vaccine to prevent cholera, one dose may be as good as two. That is the finding of a new study whose authors say the strategy would make a new vaccine that is in short supply go further. … Using a mathematical model, the researchers found that a vaccination campaign in Haiti using two doses would have protected five percent fewer people than the single-dose strategy…” (Berman, 8/26).

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New Analysis Shows Regions, Countries Most Vulnerable To Water Stress

Washington Post: These countries will be hit hardest by water stress in the future
“…A new analysis from the World Resources Institute (WRI) shows which regions are most vulnerable to water stress — in other words, the places where demand for water will be highest and supply lowest. The rankings, published on Wednesday, are based on climate models, global population projections, and other socioeconomic predictions…” (Harvey, 8/26).

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Editorials and Opinions

Fears Of MERS Outbreak During Hajj Pilgrimage 'Probably Overblown'

Vox: Why worries about a MERS virus outbreak at the Hajj are probably overblown
Julia Belluz, health reporter at Vox

“…There are a few reasons fears about a deadly outbreak [of MERS] are overblown. … Heading up to this year’s Hajj, [a pilgrimage taken by millions to Saudi Arabia’s Mecca,]  the MERS situation looks pretty familiar. This isn’t the first time there’s been a rapid upturn in cases in the Arabian Peninsula just before the Hajj. … [T]here’s no reason to believe the virus has mutated to become any more contagious than before. What’s more, the virus has never been shown to spread for any sustained period of time outside of health care facilities. … There’s no reason to believe this year will be any different from the last, though outbreaks can always take the world by surprise…” (8/25).

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All Sectors Must Work Together To Create Nutrient-Rich, Sustainable Diets To Meet World Demand

Huffington Post: The Problem With Protein
Amy R. Beaudreault, associate director of the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences

“Will growing hamburgers in Petri dishes be the solution to our future food demand? … While a focus on nutrients is important to create a food system that can sustain the future population, an equal emphasis should be placed on sustainable diets. … Sustainability must be a key factor when considering animal-source protein production methods. … Ultimately, the food may look (and taste) a little different, but if the nutrition, agriculture, economics, and social and behavioral sciences fields work together, we can create sustainable solutions that will enable us to proactively tackle malnutrition and create enough nutrient-rich food to serve the growing world demand” (8/26).

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From the Global Health Policy Community

Aid, Advocacy Groups Can Use Global Burden Of Disease Data To Advance Public Health

ONE Campaign: The greatest possible good: How big data is transforming global health
David Kortava, ONE’s U.S. press coordinator, speaks to journalist Jeremy N. Smith about the significance of the Global Burden of Disease study on advancing public health. Smith says, “Using the Global Burden of Disease study, we can bring [chronic diseases or other diseases that do not receive sufficient policy attention] to people’s attention, foster public sympathy, and drive funding for these other causes as well” (8/26).

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Amid Controversy, Amnesty International Adopts Policy Supporting Decriminalization Of Sex Work

Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks”: Amnesty International adopts sex work decriminalization policy
Rabita Aziz, policy research coordinator for the Center for Global Health Policy, discusses Amnesty International’s recent adoption of a policy that supports the full decriminalization of sex work and highlights the controversy surrounding the new policy (8/26).

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