Associated Press: Sierra Leone: Officials confirm new Ebola death
“Health officials in Sierra Leone on Sunday confirmed an Ebola death less than a week after the country’s last known patient was discharged from a hospital. Samples from the body of a 67-year-old woman who died recently in Kambia district in the country’s north came back positive for the deadly disease, said chief medical officer Dr. Brima Kargbo…” (Roy-Macaulay, 8/30).

Reuters: Dead woman tests positive for Ebola in Sierra Leone
“…The new death, if confirmed, would represent a setback for efforts to end an 18-month regional epidemic that has infected more than 28,000 people and killed more than a third of them…” (Fofana, 8/30).

Link to individual story

Associated Press: Singapore softens ban on HIV-positive visitors
“Singapore said Monday it has lifted a two-decade ban on HIV-infected people from entering the country, but will limit their stay to a maximum of three months. The Health Ministry said the ban was lifted on April 1, ‘given the current context with more than 5,000 Singapore residents living with HIV and the availability of effective treatment for the disease’…” (Liang, 8/31).

Straits Times: Ban on entry into Singapore eased for foreigners with HIV
“…The ban remains for long-term visitors, such as those looking to work in Singapore or those who want to accompany a child studying here, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed…” (Han, 8/31).

Link to individual story

VOA News: WHO: Tanzania Cholera Epidemic Worsens
“The World Health Organization and Tanzanian Ministry of Health are stepping up efforts to contain and discover the source of a cholera epidemic that so far has killed eight people and infected more than 400 others. WHO data indicate the fast-spreading epidemic broke out in the Dar es Salaam and Morogoro regions nearly two weeks ago; the Dar es Salaam region has been most adversely affected with 354 cases and seven deaths…” (Schlein, 8/28).

Xinhua News/GlobalPost: WHO gives Tanzania medical supplies to check spread of cholera
“The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday donated medical supplies worth 100,000 U.S. dollars to the government of Tanzania to help check the spread of the deadly cholera disease…” (8/28).

Link to individual story

New York Times: India Virtually Eliminates Tetanus as a Killer
“A year after eliminating polio, India has scored another public health victory. Following a 15-year campaign, the country has virtually eliminated tetanus as a killer of newborns and mothers…” (McNeil, 8/28).

Link to individual story

International Business Times: India: New Delhi reports highest number of dengue fever cases in five years
“The Indian capital of New Delhi reported 477 cases of dengue fever in August, the highest number since 2010, bringing the total number of cases this year to more than 530, according to local health authorities…” (8/28).

Link to individual story

U.N. News Centre: Security Council condemns use of sexual violence as ‘tactic of war’ in Iraq and Syria
“The United Nations Security Council [on Friday] condemned the use of sexual violence, in particular sexual enslavement and sexual violence ‘related to or resulting from forced marriage, committee, including as a tactic of war, in Syria and Iraq,’ and urged all parties to armed conflict to take all feasible steps to protect civilians from such ‘abhorrent’ acts…” (8/28).

Link to individual story

U.N. News Centre: U.N. relief wing cites major access challenges in eastern Ukraine, where millions need supplies ahead of winter
“Sounding the alarm on behalf of relief agencies working to meet ongoing needs and jump-start critical preparations for winter in strife-riven eastern Ukraine, the United Nations humanitarian wing has reported that aid organizations are facing major challenges in getting access to the most vulnerable of an estimated five million people affected by the conflict that began in the region in April 2014…” (8/30).

Link to individual story

SciDev.Net: Focus on Private Sector: India’s generic drug wars
Maha Rafi Atal, PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge

“…Indian companies provide cheap generic drugs to countries across the world and account for 80 percent of donor-funded HIV treatment — a set-up now threatened by U.S. pressure [to introduce ‘data exclusivity,’ which could restrict generic versions of off-patent drugs]. But Big Pharma should work with Indian companies and could even benefit by doing so. … It is crucial the Indian drug industry isn’t crippled by extreme patent reforms. The country should remind the U.S. that, as India’s generics are largely sold in poor countries, the trade will hardly damage major U.S. pharmaceutical firms in the core markets of North America, Europe, and Japan. And there might actually be lucrative partnership opportunities within this generic drug trade, with Indian firms offering expertise about trading in Africa in exchange for Western research and development resources” (8/28).

Link to individual story

Xinhua News: Commentary: Global parliamentary summit important platform to promote peace, development
Editorial Board

“…While contributing their wisdom to post-MDG development strategies, representatives [of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting this week at the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament] should be reminded they must listen to the voices of developing nations and the least-developed nations so as to push global growth toward more balanced, inclusive, and equitable development. As a member of the IPU, China has attached great importance to inter-parliamentary exchanges with other countries and within multilateral frameworks. … With many members willing to share experiences in various fields, the IPU actually ‘brings together the best practices from around the world,’ as IPU President Saber Chowdhury said. And there is good reason that this bonanza will substantially boost the development of the human society as a whole” (8/30).

Link to individual story

Huffington Post: Childhood Under Attack in Yemen
David Bull, executive director of UNICEF U.K.

“…Yemen’s children did not start this war, but are bearing the worst of its terrible impact. Despite the grave needs, [UNICEF U.K.’s] response is woefully underfunded. We have only 16 percent of the funds we require — and need more than that if we are to keep the hopes of Yemen’s children’s alive. We desperately need generous members of the U.K. public to contribute to our appeal at this critical time. … We need to do what we can to lessen the suffering of children in Yemen and prevent their situation getting worse” (8/30).

Link to individual story

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: Around the World in Videos: How USAID is Helping Curb Child and Maternal Deaths
Alfonso E. Lenhardt, deputy administrator and acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), discusses USAID’s efforts to curb maternal and child deaths globally and presents four videos that represent snapshots of USAID’s efforts in India, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Nepal (8/28).

Link to individual story

USAID: USAID Announces $10 Million in New Global Research Collaboration
“The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) U.S. Global Development Lab [on Friday] announced $10 million for 45 new research projects that will address evidence gaps and advance technical capacity in critical areas of development. Spanning 23 USAID partner countries, the 45 new projects are funded through the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program, an initiative designed to foster collaborative global research. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine implements the program…” (8/28).

Link to individual story

Humanosphere: Visualizing the disturbing trend of aid workers under attack
Humanosphere founder Tom Paulson and Mugdha Galande, a Masters student at the University of Washington, present information and data visualizations on attacks on aid workers. “…As the interactive map below illustrates (based on data from the Aid Worker Security Database), these kind of attacks are more prevalent in violent regions or nations,” they note (8/28).

Humanosphere: Aid groups under attack in Yemen as specter of famine looms
Humanosphere reporter Tom Murphy writes, “A violent attack on its office forced the International Committee of the Red Cross to suspend its activities in the Yemeni city of Aden. It is the latest pressure on humanitarian groups struggling to provide assistance in a country that may be on the brink of famine…” (8/28).

Link to individual story

PLOS ONE: Has Wild Poliovirus Been Eliminated from Nigeria?
Michael Famulare of the Institute for Disease Modeling “provides estimates for the probabilities of poliovirus elimination in Nigeria” using data based on a poliovirus disease transmission model. The results of the study suggest “the probability of [wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)] elimination in Nigeria is 84 percent, and that if WPV1 has not been eliminated, a new case will be detected with 99 percent probability by the end of 2015. The probability of [wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3)] elimination (and thus global eradication) is > 99 percent. However, it is unlikely that the ongoing transmission of cVDPV2 has been interrupted; the probability of cVDPV2 elimination rises to 83 percent if no new cases are detected by April 2016…” (8/28).

Link to individual story