Syrian Government Forces Deliberately Target Hospitals, U.N. Report Says February 23, 2016 News Summary New York Times: U.N. Finds ‘Deliberate’ Destruction of Hospitals in Syria “First, the government soldiers made sure no food could get into rebel-held towns. Then, government planes bombed what health centers remained in those towns, making sure that those who got sick from hunger had no medical care to save…
1.5M Somalis Lose Health Care Access Amid Donor Funding Cuts, Aid Agencies Say February 23, 2016 News Summary Thomson Reuters Foundation: Aid cuts trigger health crisis in Somalia, say relief agencies “Some 1.5 million Somalis have lost access to health care over the last two years as around 10 hospitals have closed or cut back their services due to aid shortages, relief agencies said on Monday. … Donor…
Ethiopia Facing Serious Food Insecurity Due To El Niño February 23, 2016 News Summary Washington Post: History repeats itself in Ethiopia “Ethiopia is in the grip of a devastating drought sparked by the worst El Niño in a generation, and aid agencies warn that food aid could run out as soon as May. Unlike in the past, the government and aid groups have kept…
Young People Have Power To Solve World’s Energy, Gender Equality Challenges February 23, 2016 News Summary CNN: Bill and Melinda Gates: What superpower do you wish you had? Bill and Melinda Gates, co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “…[F]or billions of families around the world, the challenges of energy and time are very different from ours — and these challenges have a huge impact…
Global Health Initiatives, Practitioners Must Collaborate On TB ‘From Prevention To Cure’ February 23, 2016 News Summary Devex: Working to close the TB diagnostics and treatment gap Wim Parys, head of research and development at Janssen’s global public health group, and Claudia Denkinger, head of the tuberculosis and hepatitis program at FIND “…[H]ow can it be that TB remains one of the world’s biggest health threats, ranking…
Opinion Pieces Discuss Various Aspects Of Zika Response February 23, 2016 News Summary The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Zika virus in the dock Editorial Board “…At the moment, the causal link between Zika virus and microcephaly is speculative. The position taken by WHO on the reported microcephaly cases will help to guarantee accurate investigations based on standardized parameters, to promote case-control studies, and to…
Health Care Workers Attend To Mothers, Newborns Even In Face Of Ebola Threat February 23, 2016 News Summary The Guardian: Sierra Leone: we save lives of women in childbirth — while fighting Ebola Benjamin Black, obstetrician and gynecologist for Médecins Sans Frontières “…When Ebola first visited in 2014 no one knew what to expect. Paranoia was rife, and the death toll soared. At our previous hospital we tried…
Vaginal Ring Could Protect Women Against HIV, Studies Suggest February 23, 2016 News Summary USAID’s “IMPACTblog”: Innovative HIV-Prevention Product for Women Could Be New Tool in the Fight for an AIDS-Free Gen Elizabeth Russell, senior adviser for biomedical prevention technologies in the research division of USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS, discusses the results and implications of the ASPIRE trial and The Ring Study that tested…
Zika Outbreak Highlights Importance Of Access To Sexual, Reproductive Health Care In Latin America February 23, 2016 News Summary PLOS “Translational Global Health”: Let’s talk about sex: Why the Zika outbreak is really about reproductive rights for Latin American women Sarah Borg, a junior medical doctor and intern in the reproductive health and research department at the WHO, discusses how the “Zika outbreak has highlighted a dire need for…
Meningitis A Vaccine Helping African Nations Pursue Disease’s Elimination February 23, 2016 News Summary PATH Blog: Celebrating in Africa: the end of the reign of meningitis Steve Davis, president and CEO of PATH, discusses progress against meningitis A in Africa, saying the bacterial infection has been nearly eliminated with the development and widespread use of the MenAfriVac vaccine (2/22).