U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: Reflections on World Health Day
Deborah L. Birx, ambassador-at-large and coordinator of the U.S. Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS, writes, “The 2015 World Health Day theme is food safety. At first glance, some may wonder how this theme fits with President Obama’s three global health priorities; however, by looking a bit deeper, one can see how food safety and security are linked with: 1) achieving an AIDS-free generation; 2) ending preventable maternal and child deaths; and 3) enhancing global health security by preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats…” (4/7).

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: World Health Day: Food Safety and Food Security
Julia Duncan and Elizabeth Buckingham of the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Food Security and Joshua Glasser of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs’ Office of International Health & Biodefense write, “Better food safety means better nutrition, and less waste. In turn, better nutrition and more efficient food systems pay strong, lifelong dividends for health, productivity, and economic growth. The United States is working to address both stunting and post-harvest loss through comprehensive strategies within President Obama’s signature food security initiative — Feed the Future. Significant progress has been made, but there is still work to be done…” (4/7).

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: Making Progress on Health Now and Post-2015
Tony Pipa, the U.S. special coordinator for the post-2015 development agenda, and Ariel Pablos-Mendez, USAID assistant administrator for global health and child and maternal survival coordinator, write, “President Obama called upon our nation to join with the world in ending extreme poverty in the next two decades. Today, we have new tools that enable us to achieve a goal that was simply unimaginable in the past: the eradication of extreme poverty and its most devastating corollaries, including widespread hunger, malnutrition, and preventable child and maternal death” (4/7).

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: The World Health Organization and the Fight Against Ebola
“April 7th is World Heath Day and each year on this day we remember the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948 by the United Nations. … The Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Doug Frantz, spoke with WHO Director-General Margaret Chan about the current status of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, lessons learned from the international response to contain the outbreak, and the organization’s reform agenda…” (4/7).