KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report

In The News

Obama Calls For Strengthened Outbreak Preparedness At Global Health Security Agenda Meeting

News outlets report on a meeting among world leaders and public health officials held on Friday at the White House to discuss the Global Health Security Agenda. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry called for more preparations for disease outbreaks, including long-term strategic planning.

The Hill: Obama urges global commitment to fight Ebola outbreak
“President Obama urged dozens of the world’s top health and security officials on Friday to join the fight against Ebola and take steps to improve their own countries’ health systems to ‘make sure we never see a tragedy on this scale again’…” (Ferris, 9/26).

The Hill: U.S. urges global effort to prevent future outbreaks
“…Speaking to health and security officials from 44 countries, Secretary of State John Kerry [at the meeting] said all nations depend on each other to detect and contain outbreaks within their borders and must make public health a long-term priority…” (Ferris, 9/26).

The Hill: Week ahead: Health officials race to contain Ebola
“…President Obama is pressuring health and security officials across the globe to join the effort, urging them to dedicate any resource they can, from basic supplies to advanced medical technologies. Obama is also challenging countries to use the momentum surrounding Ebola to prevent future outbreaks…” (Ferris, 9/29).

New York Times: Obama Urges Global Effort to Help Prevent Epidemics
“…Mr. Obama’s remarks were the centerpiece of a daylong meeting the White House organized in February, before the current Ebola outbreak. Mr. Obama’s aides said the goal was to persuade other countries to treat biological threats — whether manufactured or natural — as national security issues that need to be prevented or contained…” (Shear, 9/26).

Politico: President Obama: Ebola a U.S. ‘national security priority’
“…The world’s lack of preparedness for outbreaks like Ebola is ‘unacceptable,’ Obama declared at a Global Health Security Agenda Summit at the White House. Obama said nations must address disease outbreaks and other biological dangers ‘as the security threats that they are’ and not just as humanitarian and economic concerns…” (Levine, 9/26).

Reuters: U.S. says diseases like Ebola should be viewed as security threats
“…Top U.S. officials from the White House, Pentagon, and State Department met with representatives from 44 countries and multilateral agencies, including the United Nations and World Bank, to call for implementation of seven-year-old global standards for dealing with deadly epidemics and other health dangers, including biological attacks…” (Morgan, 9/26).

Wall Street Journal: Ebola Crisis: Obama Says World Needs to Better Prepare for Outbreaks
“…In comments that echoed a speech at the United Nations on Thursday, Mr. Obama called on world leaders to do more to combat Ebola and prepare for future outbreaks of diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and swine flu…” (Sparshott, 9/26).

Washington Post: Global leaders ‘answer call’ against deadly outbreaks such as Ebola
“…Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the United States and other nations need to ‘help countries in West Africa beat back the epidemic, which we can do if we respond properly, but we also need to look ahead and think about what this means … and think about the long-term imperatives’…” (Eilperin, 9/26).

Washington Post: Obama issues health gear challenge to innovators
“…During the Global Health Security Agenda Summit held at the White House on Friday, President Obama encouraged the global community to see epidemics as security issues. He issued a challenge to innovators to create protective health gear that would be less hot…” (9/26).

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Ebola Death Toll Surpasses 3,000, WHO Says

News outlets report on the WHO’s announcement that the Ebola death toll in West Africa has surpassed 3,000.

Reuters: West Africa Ebola death toll passes 3,000 — WHO
“The death toll from an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has risen to at least 3,091 out of 6,574 probable, suspected, and confirmed cases, the World Health Organization said on Friday…” (Lewis, 9/26).

U.N. News Centre: Ebola: U.N. mission readies to start work as virus death toll surpasses 3,000
“The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) [Friday] said it is intensifying its cooperation with a wide range of partners trying to accelerate work on experimental therapies and vaccines as it announced that Ebola has now sickened more than 6,500 and killed more than 3,000…” (9/26).

Wall Street Journal: Ebola Virus Has Killed More Than 3,000 People, Says WHO
“More than 3,000 people have died from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the World Health Organization said, as the deadly virus showed signs of spreading in the region…” (Morse, 9/28).

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Thousands Of Experimental Ebola Vaccine Doses Expected To Be Available Early 2015, WHO Says

News outlets report on efforts to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Ebola.

Agence France-Presse: Experimental Ebola vaccines ready by 2015: WHO
“Thousands of doses of experimental Ebola vaccines could be ready for use in African countries badly hit by the deadly virus early next year, the World Health Organization said Friday…” (Larson, 9/26).

Associated Press: WHO: 1000s of Ebola vaccine doses in coming months
“Thousands of doses of experimental Ebola vaccines should be available in the coming months and could eventually be given to health care workers and other people at high risk of the deadly disease, the World Health Organization said Friday…” (DiLorenzo/Cheng, 9/26).

DoD News: Hagel: DoD to Begin Safety Testing for Ebola Vaccine Candidate
“The Defense Department has made critical contributions to the fight against the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and [Friday] Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described additional ways the Pentagon is helping in the broader battle against infectious disease outbreaks of the future…” (Pellerin, 9/26).

Reuters: WHO sees small-scale use of experimental Ebola vaccines in January
“The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday it expected to begin small-scale use of two experimental Ebola vaccines in West Africa early next year and in the meantime, transfusions of survivors’ blood may offer the best hope of treatment…” (Nebehay, 9/26).

Reuters: European agency collects data on experimental Ebola treatments
“The European Medicines Agency said on Friday it had started collecting data from pharmaceutical companies trialing experimental medicines to treat Ebola in a bid to speed up the process to find an approved cure for the virus…” (Schaps, 9/26).

Reuters: Scientists grapple with ethics in rush to release Ebola vaccines
“Normally it takes years to prove a new vaccine is both safe and effective before it can be used in the field. But with hundreds of people dying a day in the worst ever outbreak of Ebola, there is no time to wait…” (Kelland, 9/28).

SciDev.Net: Q&A on fast-tracking Ebola vaccine human trials
“…SciDev.Net spoke to Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford and lead researcher for the U.K.-based [Ebola vaccine] trials. He told us about the exceptionally fast review process that enabled scientists to start the trials within a few weeks rather than the usual six to 12 months, the international collaboration driving the fight against Ebola, and his hope that a vaccine could be available by the end of the year…” (Mathers, 9/26).

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Politico Examines Leadership In Ebola Response, Launches New Series With Bill Gates Interview

Politico examined leadership in the Ebola outbreak response and launched a new series on Monday, titled “Lessons From Leaders,” opening with a discussion with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Politico: The Ebola leadership gap
“…Even if the worst-case scenario [in the Ebola outbreak] can be avoided, the increasingly dire predictions are a good reason to examine every aspect of the Ebola response to see what needs to change next time. That will be the focus of Monday’s launch of POLITICO’s Lessons from Leaders, an editorial series that will bring together national and global leaders to examine the challenges of leadership in political life. The series kicks off with a discussion with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, about the Ebola crisis and what political and private-sector leaders should learn from it. There were elements of the outbreak that surprised even the savviest infectious disease experts, so it’s not just an issue of poor leadership. And not everyone fell down on the job…” (Nather, 9/29).

Politico: Bill Gates: U.S. leading on Ebola fight
“The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a ‘great example’ of how the world must come together to tackle a global health issue, Bill Gates said Monday, and despite the widespread criticism of a slow early international response, the billionaire philanthropist noted that what’s taking place now is ‘quite impressive’…” (Levine, 9/29).

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IMF Approves $130M For West African Nations' Ebola Efforts

News outlets report on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) approval to fast-track $130 million in aid to fight Ebola in West Africa.

Agence France-Presse: IMF fast-tracks $130 mn for Ebola fight in West Africa
“The International Monetary Fund fast-tracked $130 million in aid Friday to fight the Ebola epidemic in the worst-hit countries in West Africa…” (9/26).

Agence France-Presse: IMF unblocks cash as desperate West Africa awaits Ebola aid
“The International Monetary Fund fast-tracked $130 million (102.5 million euros) in aid to fight the Ebola epidemic after the governments of the worst-hit countries in West Africa said they were desperately counting on promises of global aid to be backed up with cash…” (Dosso, 9/27).

The Hill: IMF offers $130M to fight Ebola in West Africa
“…IMF’s executive board approved about $48 million for Liberia, $41 million for Guinea, and $40 million for Sierra Leone — three countries hit hard by the deadly disease…” (Shabad, 9/26).

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Australia Rules Out Sending Ebola Doctors To W. Africa; Cuban, Other Volunteers Step Forward To Combat Virus

News outlets report on issues surrounding the insufficient health workforce to fight Ebola in West Africa and steps the international community is taking to send doctors and volunteers to the affected regions.

Associated Press: Australia won’t send Ebola doctors to West Africa
“Australia on Monday ruled out sending doctors to West Africa to help fight the Ebola outbreak there because of logistical problems in repatriating any Australian who became infected with the deadly virus…” (9/29).

New York Times: Ebola Doctor Shortage Eases as Volunteers Step Forward
“Doctors and nurses are finally volunteering to fight the Ebola virus in West Africa after a long period of paralyzing fear in which almost none stepped forward. But, experts say, even though money is now pouring in from the World Bank, the Gates Foundation and elsewhere, and the United States Army is to start erecting field hospitals soon, there is likely to be a long gap before those hospitals can be fully staffed to care for the growing numbers of people with Ebola…” (McNeil, 9/26).

Reuters: Cuba sending 300 more doctors, nurses to fight Ebola in West Africa
“Cuba will send nearly 300 more doctors and nurses to West Africa to help combat the Ebola virus, raising to 461 the number of its medical professionals joining world efforts to contain an outbreak that has killed more than 3,000 people…” (9/27).

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Increasing Pledges To Fight Ebola Not Translating To Aid Implementation

News outlets report pledges to assist in the West African Ebola outbreak are increasing, but aid is slow to be implemented.

Inter Press Service: Despite New Pledges, Aid to Fight Ebola Lagging
“Despite mounting pledges of assistance, the continuing spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa is outpacing regional and international efforts to stop it, according to world leaders and global health experts…” (Lobe, 9/26).

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Troops Battling Ebola Get Off to Slow Start in Africa
“The American military effort against history’s deadliest Ebola outbreak is taking shape in West Africa, but concerns are mounting that the pace isn’t fast enough to check a virus that is spreading at a terrifying clip…” (Hinshaw/McKay, 9/28).

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Liberia's Health Systems, Civil Society Struggle With Ebola; Lead Doctor Under Quarantine

News outlets address various issues related to the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.

Associated Press: Ebola clinics fill up as Liberia awaits aid
“Doctors are in short supply. So are beds for patients. Six months after the Ebola outbreak emerged for the first time in an unprepared West Africa and eventually became the worst-ever outbreak, the gap between what has been sent by other countries and private groups and what is needed is huge…” (Larson/Cheng, 9/28).

Agence France-Presse: Liberia: Top doctor goes under Ebola quarantine
“Liberia’s chief medical officer is placing herself under quarantine for 21 days after her office assistant died of Ebola…” (Paye-Layleh, 9/27).

Reuters: Liberia’s top doctor in quarantine after assistant dies of Ebola
“…Bernice Dahn is the latest senior West African medical official to be directly affected by an outbreak of Ebola, which has killed over 3,000 people as it spreads across most of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone…” (Giahyue/Lewis, 9/27).

Wall Street Journal: In Liberia, Ebola Takes a Heavy Toll on Civic Life
“The cartoon posters read: ‘Vote wisely to elect the Senator of your choice on Election Day October 14, 2014.’ Workers at Liberia’s National Elections Commission shoved them into a corner to clear space for 3,600 sacks of intravenous fluid that arrived this month. There will be no election come October in Liberia, just as a myriad of nation-building endeavors from college political debates to the girls’ kickball season are on pause here. … The outbreak has also taken a heavy toll on civic life in West Africa, particularly Liberia…” (Hinshaw, 9/26).

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U.S. Doctor Exposed To Ebola In West Africa Arrives At NIH For Observation

News outlets report on the admission of a U.S. doctor who was exposed to Ebola in West Africa to the NIH in Maryland for observation and enrollment in a clinical study.

The Hill: NIH to admit patient exposed to Ebola
“The National Institutes of Health will admit a patient who was exposed to Ebola in the next few days, the organization said on Saturday. The health facility did not disclose the patient’s name, but said the American doctor came into contact with the virus while volunteering at an Ebola treatment center in Sierra Leone…” (Hattem, 9/27).

Politico: U.S. doc exposed to Ebola now at NIH
“An American physician exposed to Ebola while caring for patients in West Africa has arrived at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, Sunday afternoon, the NIH confirmed…” (Levine, 9/27).

Reuters: Maryland hospital to care for U.S. doctor exposed to Ebola in West Africa
“…The patient, who has not been identified, was expected to be admitted on Sunday to the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for observation and to enroll in a clinical study, the institute said...” (Herskovitz, 9/28).

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U.N. Council Calls Upon Countries To Respect Human Rights In Ebola Efforts

Agence France-Presse: U.N. watchdog says rights must be respected in Ebola fight
“The U.N.’s top watchdog on Friday said that countries must not trample over human rights during the battle against Ebola. … In a unanimous decision, the [U.N. Human Rights Council] said that it was calling upon countries to ‘respect, protect, and promote all human rights on the basis of equality while combating the epidemic on the ground’…” (9/26).

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How 'Big Data' Missed Early Warning Signs Of Ebola

Foreign Policy: Why Big Data Missed the Early Warning Signs of Ebola
“With the Centers for Disease Control now forecasting up to 1.4 million new infections from the current Ebola outbreak, what could ‘big data’ do to help us identify the earliest warnings of future outbreaks and track the movements of the current outbreak in realtime? It turns out that monitoring the spread of Ebola can teach us a lot about what we missed — and how data mining, translation, and the non-Western world can help to provide better early warning tools…” (Leetaru, 9/26).

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Medill-USA Today Investigation Finds Inefficiencies In U.S. Food Aid Program

USA Today: Hunger pains: U.S. food program struggles to move forward
“After more than 60 years of feeding the world’s hungry overseas, the U.S. Agency for International Development is scrambling to overhaul the world’s largest government food assistance program. The U.S. spends more than half of its international food aid budget transporting life-saving commodities through a tangled system of special interests and government bureaucracy — more than $9 billion in taxpayer dollars over a recent 10-year period, finds a Medill/USA TODAY investigation…” (Allen et al., 9/26).

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U.N. Human Rights Council Approves LGBT Anti-Discrimination Resolution

News outlets report on the U.N. Human Rights Council’s approval of an LGBT anti-discrimination resolution.

Agence France-Presse: U.N. rights body calls for end to anti-gay discrimination
“The U.N.’s top human rights body called on Friday for nations to protect the rights of individuals regardless of sexual orientation, in a vote that exposed global fault lines over gay rights. The 47-nation Human Rights Council resolution expressed ‘grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity’…” (9/26).

Washington Blade: U.N. Human Rights Council adopts LGBT resolution
“…The body approved the resolution by a 25-14 vote margin after more than an hour of debate. … ‘We are pleased to see that today the international community is visibly and publicly upholding the rights of LGBT individuals, and thereby we demonstrate ourselves as a global community respecting the rights of all,’ said Ambassador Keith Harper, who represents the U.S. on the U.N. Human Rights Council…” (Lavers, 9/26).

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Protecting Women From Abortion Injuries May Take More Than Laws, Experts Suggest

NPR: What Drives Abortion: The Law or Income?
“About 50,000 women worldwide die because of unsafe abortions. Five million more are admitted to hospitals with complications after the procedure. Activists and researchers on both sides of the abortion debate agree that these ‘back-alley’ operations are dangerous for women. It’s figuring out the best way to stop them that has been contentious…” (Doucleff, 9/28).

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NGOs Work With African Pharmacies To Stop Malaria

Newsweek: Can We Rely on the Private Sector to Halt Malaria in Africa?
“…In the U.S., if you want an antimalarial, you have to go see a doctor and get a prescription; this ensures that Americans are treated with only the best malaria drugs. But not in most African countries, where private doctors are rare and public hospitals are often far away, and frequently lack supplies and staff. Here, parents with sick children go up to their local [market] and take whatever they’re selling. That makes for an unregulated market in which shop owners will sell their sick customers anything they will buy, whether it’s the best choice or not…” (Maxmen, 9/27).

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The Atlantic Examines Challenges Surrounding TB Vaccine Development

The Atlantic: Toward an Effective Tuberculosis Vaccine
“…While we have vaccines to thank for the decline of global diseases like measles and smallpox, vaccination’s role in the worldwide battle against TB has been comparatively minimal. … So, what is it about a TB vaccine that’s had science stymied for over a century?…” (Shure, 9/26).

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Editorials and Opinions

Editorial, Opinion Pieces Address Various Aspects Of Ebola Outbreak

The following editorial and opinion pieces address various aspects of the West African Ebola outbreak and the international community’s response.

New York Times: Losing the Race Against Ebola
Editorial Board
“…[Confronting the Ebola outbreak] is a task of mind-boggling complexity, requiring international assistance on a massive scale. … Faster action is desperately needed to prevent hundreds of thousands or even a million deaths” (9/26).

Washington Post: Leaving Ebola fighters behind to die
Karen Attiah, Washington Post opinions deputy digital editor

“…We cannot allow ‘medical apartheid’ to characterize the international treatment of the African medical personnel and health workers from Europe or the United States. After all, the African doctors will be the ones to be on the front lines to help their countries against malaria, child mortality, malnutrition, and other diseases that threaten African nations but not foreign workers…” (9/28).

Globe and Mail: If the WHO can’t stop Ebola, find someone who can
Derek Burney, Canada’s ambassador to the United States from 1989 to 1993, and Fen Osler Hampson, a distinguished fellow and director of global security at the Centre for International Governance Innovation

“…Noble commitments led by the United States and private foundations with a higher tolerance for risk and a stronger desire to serve are certainly better than the typical sclerotic response from agencies that slip-slide away from their intended duties. If the WHO is not up to the task, we clearly need to know why, and to determine how the world community can better manage the next epidemic” (9/26).

TIME: We Need a Global Health Emergency Corps to Fight Ebola
Jack Chow, professor of global health at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College for Public Policy

“…To counter the potency of Ebola and other powerful diseases, a new health defense strategy is needed that brings immediate, concerted interventions across whole regions. Waiting for individual governments to act alone is simply too risky. Creating a new global health emergency corps should be a top priority for world leaders” (9/25).

Epoch Times: How to Fund the Ebola Fight
Paula Kavathas, professor of laboratory medicine and of immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine

“…One approach to fight pandemics would be to establish a fund earmarked for two purposes: An immediate-response fund would provide assistance to countries with weaker health infrastructure to fight present outbreaks while other funds would be channeled for research and development of vaccines, therapeutics, or diagnostics for emerging diseases such as Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and Chikungunya. The United States should take the lead in establishing such a fund by requiring a tax on airline tickets for all passengers traveling in and out of the country…” (9/25).

New England Journal of Medicine: Doing Today’s Work Superbly Well — Treating Ebola with Current Tools
François Lamontagne of the Center for Research at the University of Sherbrooke, et al.

“…Although infection prevention and outbreak control are essential components of the Ebola response, they need not be at odds with equally essential syndrome-specific therapy for people who are already infected. Excellent clinical care and improved outcomes will result in improved community compliance, will help to break transmission chains, and will lead to a greater willingness of health care workers to engage in care delivery…” (9/24).

The Guardian: Liberian Senate calls for more transparency over Ebola funds
Robtel Neajai Pailey, a Liberian academic, activist, and author based at SOAS a the University of London, and Blair Glencorse, founder and executive director of the Accountability Lab

“…In West Africa, we must act now to avoid the problems of past humanitarian relief efforts. … One solution would be the immediate establishment of a centralized Ebola relief aid tracking system through which West African governments and donors would provide regular accounts of aid disbursals, in the same way that Ebola cases are reported in real time. … The government of Liberia has already begun discussions around the idea of a multi-agency special taskforce to monitor corruption within Ebola funding streams, which is a step in the right direction…” (9/26).

Bloomberg: The Magic Number That Could End the Ebola Epidemic
Tom Randall, deputy editor of Bloomberg’s “The Grid” blog

“…Despite its reputation as a killer, Ebola isn’t very good at reproducing itself. The virus is spread through body fluids, not air, and it often kills patients before they have a chance to spread the disease widely. When 70 percent of patients are isolated, the disease no longer spreads fast enough to replace dying or recovering patients. It burns itself out…” (9/26).

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Improving Maternal, Child Health Remains Vital MDG, Post-2015 Development Focus

The following editorials and opinion piece address issues surrounding maternal and child health care.

The Lancet: Women, children, and adolescents: the post-2015 agenda
Editorial Board

“…A new concept of health that moves away from the notions of absence of disease and survival towards wellbeing, resilience, and capability could be integral to, and unify the many domains of, the currently proposed SDGs. However, [the independent Expert Review Group on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s health (iERG)] warns that we cannot afford to wait for the SDGs to be fully developed and agreed, and argues for a more inclusive Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health now. Starting this agenda now, with women, children, and adolescent girls at the center of sustainable development, and the discussions about goals taking this into account, would be a truly remarkable step towards a sustainable future” (9/27).

Toronto Star: A welcome call to boost women’s health
Editorial Board

While the global fight against the brutal Islamic State dominated deliberations at the United Nations, Prime Minister Stephen Harper took a moment to remind world leaders that saving lives is also within their power. … His words would have carried more weight if Harper had topped up Canada’s existing contribution. His appeal would have been more persuasive if his government weren’t cutting Canada’s foreign assistance budget, shifting its focus from aid to trade, and denying women access to safe abortions in countries where rape, HIV, and adolescent pregnancies are prevalent. … ‘We have it in our power to create a better kind of world for our children’s children than we have today,’ he told the assembly. Those are sentiments all Canadians can endorse, even those who wish Harper’s actions better matched his compassionate words” (9/28).

Huffington Post: Why The Fight For Maternal and Child Health Is A Race Against Time
Sharon D’Agostino, vice president of corporate citizenship at Johnson & Johnson

“…The most vulnerable mothers, infants, and children need our steadfast, collective commitment through 2015 and beyond. Despite the efforts of governments, U.N. agencies, NGOs, foundations, health care associations, academic institutions, and private sector companies, maternal and child health will remain the ‘unfinished agenda’ of the MDGs. … Together we must ensure that women’s and children’s health and survival remain at the forefront of the global health agenda. We cannot move on before we complete the work begun at the start of the new millennium. Families and communities everywhere will be stronger because we do” (9/29).

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Opinion Pieces Discuss Importance Of Investing In Family Planning

In recognition of World Contraception Day, which takes place each year on September 26, the following opinion pieces discuss the importance of family planning on society’s health.

Devex: Why contraceptives? Here are the top 5 benefits
Katja Iversen, CEO of Women Deliver, and Jill Sheffield, founder and president of Women Deliver

“…As the world celebrates World Contraception Day on Sept. 26, it’s worth reviewing some of the ways that access to modern contraception improves not only the lives of girls and women, but also men, boys, and society in general. Here are the top five benefits, in reverse order of importance…” (9/26).

The Hill: Time to invest in international family planning
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)

“…The evidence makes this abundantly clear: family planning is a simple, cost-effective solution that can save lives today, and create a better world for tomorrow. As we honor World Contraception Day, we’re reminded that it’s time to rally bipartisan support for increased funding for international family planning, a human rights cause the United States should back robustly. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the smart thing to do. By improving access to basic and critical services for girls and women, we can create healthier families, stronger communities, and a better world for tomorrow. Now that’s a return on investment” (9/26).

Devex: In family planning, no one-size-fits-all approach
Kellie Sloan, director of family planning at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“On World Contraception Day, it’s important to know where we stand — and where we need to make more progress. Kellie Sloan, newly appointed director of family planning at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, addresses six questions based on feedback from the international development community…” (9/26).

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From the Global Health Policy Community

Kaiser Family Foundation Analysis Examines Ebola Epidemiology Data, Epidemic Projections

Kaiser Family Foundation: Measuring the Impact of Ebola: Will it Reach 1.4 Million?
In the latest post in the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Policy Insights series, Jen Kates, vice president and director of global health and HIV policy for the foundation, and Josh Michaud, associate director for global health policy at the foundation, examine several key measures of the Ebola epidemic’s impact and assess future projections of Ebola’s burden in the months to come (9/29).

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U.S. Officials Discuss Global Health Security In Relation To Ebola

In blog posts, U.S. officials discuss U.S. and international efforts to contain the Ebola epidemic.

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: A Grand Challenge To Help Health Care Workers Fight Ebola
USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah discusses President Obama’s announcement of a “new Grand Challenge for Development to generate pioneering solutions that help health care workers provide better care in the midst of the epidemic…” (9/26).

CDC’s “Our Global Voices”: Ebola Requires the World’s United Action
CDC Director Tom Frieden discusses the importance of the White House’s Global Health Security Agenda on controlling the Ebola epidemic and protecting the world from other infectious disease outbreaks (9/26).

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Polio Vaccination Campaign Shows How Prevention Is Key To Public Health

World Economic Forum: Why it pays to invest in disease prevention
John Hewko, general secretary of Rotary International, discusses the importance of prevention in public health, using the success of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative as an example (9/28).

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WHO Statement Says Incorrect Drug Use Cause Of Death Of Vaccinated Syrian Children

WHO: Statement regarding interim findings of WHO assessment of deaths of children in Idleb Governorate, Syria
“A WHO assessment of the cause of the death of 15 children in rural Idleb, northern Syria has concluded that the most likely cause of the event was the incorrect use of a drug called Atracurium as a diluent for Measles/Rubella vaccine. There is no evidence that the Measles/Rubella vaccine itself or its correct diluent were the cause of this tragic event…” (9/27).

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Improving Data On Community HCWs Would Help To Achieve Health Goals

Frontline Health Workers Coalition: Improved Data on Community Health Workers Critical to Achieving Global Health Goals
“A new report [from the coalition] finds that developing nations’ ability to deal with pressing health challenges like HIV/AIDS and ensuring maternal and newborn survival will be strengthened by creating a common definition for community health workers, as well as a core set of skills and competencies that would help ensure they are optimally trained, supported, and deployed to provide care and treatment when and where it is needed most…” (9/29).

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