Conflict-Ridden Eastern Ukraine’s Health System In Crisis, WHO Warns January 20, 2015 News Summary Agence France-Presse: WHO sounds alarm on Ukraine’s creaking health system “Fierce fighting in Eastern Ukraine has wreaked havoc on the health system, with more than five million people affected, the United Nations said on Friday. The World Health Organization said access to primary, secondary, and emergency health services was ‘critically…
Catholic Church’s Stance Against Contraception Not License For Large Families, Pope Says January 20, 2015 News Summary International Business Times: Pope Francis Suggests Natural Family Planning Instead Of Breeding ‘Like Rabbits’ “Pope Francis doesn’t want members of the Catholic faith to feel they have to ‘breed like rabbits’ because of the church’s contraception ban. Instead, he suggested natural family planning strategies…” (Elise, 1/19). Reuters: Pope says birth…
U.K. Launches $17.4M Effort To End TB January 20, 2015 News Summary Reuters: Europe’s tuberculosis hub Britain seeks to wipe out the disease “Health authorities launched an 11.5 million pounds ($17.4 million) plan on Monday to tackle Britain’s persistent tuberculosis (TB) problem, seeking to wipe the contagious lung disease out altogether. Britain has one of the highest TB rates in western Europe…
Despite Challenges Facing Health Workers, Pakistan Hopes To Eradicate Polio January 20, 2015 News Summary BBC News: What must Pakistan do to beat polio? “Pakistan has yet to report a new case of polio in 2015 — but officials are keeping their fingers crossed nonetheless. In recent years the Taliban have banned vaccinations in areas under their control, while scores of health workers or policemen…
Cambodian Villagers Angry Over Unlicensed Medical Practitioner Who Allegedly Infected More Than 200 With HIV January 20, 2015 News Summary New York Times: Shock and Anger in Cambodian Village Struck With HIV “…Even in a country inured to hardship and suffering, the [HIV] infection of such a large number of people within a radius of a few miles was shocking. … What the [more than 200] victims appear to have…
Obama Administration, Congress Should Allow U.S. Foreign Aid To Support Some Abortion Care January 20, 2015 News Summary The Hill: President Obama: Ensure U.S. foreign assistance supports safe abortion care Aram Schvey, senior policy counsel and manager of projects and operations at the Center for Reproductive Rights “…President Obama, like so many presidents before him, refuses to allow any U.S. foreign assistance to support safe abortion care for…
West Africa Needs ‘Capacity To Safely Deliver Excellent Supportive Care’ To End Ebola, Strengthen Health Systems January 20, 2015 News Summary Washington Post: The secret to curing West Africa from Ebola is no secret at all Paul Farmer, the Kolokotrones University professor at Harvard University and co-founder of Partners In Health “…Getting to zero new [Ebola] infections is the overarching goal of what is now the world’s largest public-health undertaking. But…
Investment In TB, Malaria, HIV Treatment And Prevention, Health Systems Saves Lives January 20, 2015 News Summary The Guardian: Ebola kills far fewer than AIDS, TB, and malaria. What should we prioritize? Bjorn Lomborg, director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and adjunct professor at Copenhagen Business School “…It may sound cold-hearted to set health priorities based on cost-effectiveness, but it’s actually the best way to do the…
Better Global Governance Important Component Of ‘Achieving Peace And Food Security For All’ January 20, 2015 News Summary Christian Science Monitor: Achieving peace and food security for all José Graziano da Silva, director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization “…[H]unger still persists due to two main reasons: At a global level, the poorest populations have limited access to food, not only because of their reduced purchasing…
U.S. Innovation Improving Global Response Against Ebola January 20, 2015 News Summary U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: How Innovation Is Transforming the Fight Against Ebola USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah writes about how “evidence, innovation, and data” are allowing the U.S. to help lead the global response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa (1/17).