KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report
In The News
- Mapping Maternal, Child HIV Transmission Could Bolster Support For Programs, Shah Says
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Devex: USAID chief: Put maternal and childhood HIV on the map
“The global health community could be ‘under-reporting and under-recognizing’ HIV prevalence as a cause of child death due to a growing gap between child and adult diagnosis and treatment, according to an expert panel who spoke in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. … One possible solution, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah suggested, would be to invest more in mapping so global health programs and the national and sub-national governments they support can better ‘understand the market’ for the services they seek to provide…” (Igoe, 6/25).
- In Speech, Biden Says Gay Rights Trump National Culture, Traditions, Aims To End Anti-Gay Violence
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Associated Press: Biden: Gay rights take precedence over culture
“Vice President Joe Biden declared Tuesday that protecting gay rights is a defining mark of a civilized nation and must trump national cultures and social traditions as the Obama administration sought to mobilize a global front against anti-gay violence and discrimination…” (Kuhnhenn, 6/24).
- Anti-Gay Laws Likely To Reduce Access To HIV, TB Treatment, Prevention Programs, Essay Says
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Newsweek: How Anti-Gay Laws Worsen Diseases Like AIDS and TB
“Recent anti-homosexuality laws don’t just violate human rights — they might worsen the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a Johns Hopkins University epidemiologist warns in a PLOS Medicine essay published today…” (Bekiempis, 6/24).
- Humanitarian Relief Spending Reached Record High $22B In 2013, Report Says
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News outlets highlight the 2014 Global Humanitarian Assistance report, showing a record amount of humanitarian relief was disbursed in 2013.
The Guardian: Global humanitarian aid spending soars to record high
“Global spending on humanitarian relief soared to a record $22 billion (£12.93 billion) last year as conflicts in Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Syria, combined with natural disasters such as typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, drove donors to pay out more emergency aid than ever before…” (Anderson/Galatsidas, 6/24).Thomson Reuters Foundation: Humanitarian aid hits record $22 bln in 2013 amid major crises
“Humanitarian aid rose to a record $22 billion in 2013, in response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and major conflict-related crises in Syria and Central African Republic — but more than a third of needs were still left unmet, new data showed on Tuesday…” (Rowling, 6/24).
- U.S. To Boost Humanitarian Aid To $118M In CAR
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Agence France-Presse: U.S. boosts humanitarian aid to Central African Republic to $118 mln
“The United States on Monday said it was boosting its humanitarian aid to the Central African Republic to $118 million in fiscal 2014…” (6/24).
- U.N. Official Urges Strong Action To Ensure Women's Rights In CAR
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U.N. News Centre: Central African Republic: U.N. official urges strong action to protect women, girls
“With women and girls in Central African Republic (CAR) falling prey to a raft of ‘terrifying’ violations — perpetrated by armed groups — from rape to sexual slavery and forced marriage — the head of U.N. Women today urged the Security Council to take strong action to help restore the rule of law in the country and bolster women’s participation, leadership, and protection…” (6/24).
- U.K.'s Short-Term Approach To Aid Evaluation Criticized By Some, Devex Reports
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Devex: Global health expert to DfID: Do away with short-term fixes
“The U.K. Department for International Development has been focusing on results in its projects as a means to ensure value for money for every pound spent — but by taking this more short-term approach, some argue the British aid agency is often missing the opportunity to make a bigger impact…” (Ravelo, 6/24).
- Terror Groups Hindering Polio Eradication Efforts
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International Business Times: Boko Haram Versus Bill Gates: Terror Groups Battle Efforts To Eradicate Polio
“Despite more than $1 billion in annual funding from Bill Gates and others to eradicate polio, the disease is still endemic in some regions of the world that are dominated by anti-Western extremist groups like Nigeria’s Boko Haram…” (Caulderwood, 6/24).
Editorials and Opinions
- U.S., Other Nations Unite To Improve Child, Maternal Survival
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The following opinion pieces address child survival and “Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths,” a meeting taking place today in Washington, D.C., to mark the two-year anniversary of the “Child Survival Call to Action” and the launch of “Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed” — a global effort to accelerate declines in preventable newborn, child, and maternal deaths.
The Hill: Bipartisanship saves lives
Former Sens. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.)“…[T]his week, businesses, NGO, faith, civic, and philanthropic leaders are increasing their own investments, coming together to affirm their commitments of more than $2 billion of private resources to invest in ensuring children survive and thrive beyond their fifth birthday. The world knows what works to increase child survival rates, and we can do this. But doing it will require continue bipartisan cooperation and the energetic grassroots efforts that made the last 25 years of progress possible” (6/24).
Huffington Post: Preventing Malnutrition, One Child at a Time
Nan Dale, CEO of Action Against Hunger | ACF International“…Often, it’s basic information and instruction that make the biggest difference between whether a child will become malnourished, or thrive and grow up healthy. … Because whether we’re showing one father how to best care for his daughter, or strengthening a whole community’s resistance to malnutrition, we’re helping more children reach their second birthday and beyond” (6/24).
Huffington Post: The Strive for Five: In Support of Maintaining Foreign Assistance to Help Children Survive and Thrive
Anne Goddard, president and CEO of ChildFund International“…Thanks to the support of the American people, the U.S. government has been able to make huge investments in child survival, joining with other governments — including those in developing countries — in a global effort to reduce child mortality rates. … While the United States has taken a leading role in helping children living in poverty reach their fifth birthdays, a sustained commitment to foreign assistance is needed to ensure that we continue to move in the right direction…” (6/24).
- Building Intergenerational Synergies In Health Will Strengthen Future Generations
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Huffington Post: The Third Demographic Dividend and the Global Challenge of Longer Lives
Linda Fried, dean and DeLamer professor of public heath at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health“…In many countries the older adults are the best educated, healthiest, and wealthiest in the history of the world. … [T]hose benefits can be amplified further to enrich all generations … [by] investing in the old to help the young — and our whole society — to succeed, and designing institutions that create roles, responsibilities, meaning, and purpose for older age. It will also require investing in health and disease prevention across the whole life course, so that people are healthier in old age and able to remain engaged. Through these approaches, we will create the pathways to help young people be healthier and more productive for the long haul — and we will be designing for a new stage of life we have created, but never lived before…” (6/24).
- Sierra Leone Successfully Reducing NTD Rates For 7 Reasons
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The Guardian: 7 reasons why Sierra Leone is winning against neglected tropical diseases
Mary Hodges, Sierra Leone country director for Helen Keller International“…While sustained funding from USAID is one explanation behind the country’s success, other countries like Nigeria, with strong funding and better resourced health sectors and public communications systems, have not made the same level of progress. So why has progress in NTD control in Sierra Leone been so swift? Here are some key lessons behind Sierra Leone’s success…” Hodges lists seven reasons, from small geographic area to improving health leadership training (6/24).
From the Global Health Policy Community
- Blog Summarizes U.S. GAC's Comments At Kaiser Family Foundation Town Hall Forum
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Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks”: Birx: PEPFAR will do more with less
Rabita Aziz, policy research coordinator for the Center for Global Health Policy, summarizes comments made by U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Deborah Birx, who appeared on Monday at a town hall hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (6/24). A webcast of the event is available online (6/23).
- 5 Ways USAID Is Working To Prevent Hunger In The Sahel
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USAID’s “Impact”: Hunger Season Has Arrived: So What are We Doing?
Dina Esposito, director of USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, and Jeremy Konyndyk, director of USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, describe five ways USAID is working to prevent hunger and malnutrition in the Sahel, including building resiliency and teaching about health and sanitation (6/24).
- Biotechnology Has Potential To Accelerate Global Health Solutions
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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists”: How Biotechnology Can Accelerate Global Health Solutions that Save Lives
Trevor Mundel, president of global health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discusses the potential of biotechnology companies “to help develop new and better drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, and delivery systems for global health solutions” (6/24).