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TB and HIV/AIDS control programmes: the need for greater collaboration  new

Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV and AIDS affect each other strongly. Control programmes for the two diseases should also interact. This paper explores options for linking TB and HIV and AIDS programmes, concluding that a universal model is unlikely to suit all contexts.

http://www.id21.org/health/h5yw1g1.html

(Added: Fri May 16 2008   Hits: 2)

The Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis (2006-2015)  new

Published by the Stop TB Partnership, this report offers a comprehensive assessment of the action and resources needed to implement the Stop TB strategy and make an impact on fighting TB.

http://www.comminit.com/en/node/219202/38

(Added: Thu May 15 2008   Hits: 2)

Time to get serious about sanitation and hygiene in Madagascar  new

This paper from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Tearfund, both in the UK, draws on interviews with residents of seven villages and one peri-urban area and meetings with government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and donor decision-makers in the Madagascar sanitation sector. The research was carried out in 2006 by the Malagasy Biblical Baptist Churches Association, the University of Antananarivo, and ODI.

http://www.id21.org/rural/r4pn1g1.html

(Added: Thu May 15 2008   Hits: 1)

A scramble in India to limit polio

NEW DELHI The head of the World Health Organization's polio eradication team has warned that India could reinfect the rest of the world with polio if a new outbreak of the disease is not rapidly brought under control. Officials are concerned by an "alarming" rise in the number of polio cases in the impoverished northern state of Uttar Pradesh. (Amelia Gentleman, International Herald Tribune, 1 August 2006)

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/01/news/polio.php

(Added: Mon Aug 07 2006   Hits: 70)

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria: Performance and Vision

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) was established very quickly in 2001 in response to a widespread perception that a rapid scale-up in financing was critical in the fight against the three diseases. While the Fund has made important progress, it faces significant challenges. The process of starting programs and disbursing funds has been slow in many countries. Certain GFATM procedures are adding to recipient burdens and fragmentation, and there are major challenges in integrating GFATM finances with existing mechanisms such as SWAps (sector-wide approaches). This paper suggests ley changes that can make GFATM stronger and more effective. (Steve Radelet, Center for Global Development, 17 February 2005)

http://www.cgdev.org/content/opinion/detail/5983/

(Added: Fri Oct 27 2006   Hits: 174)

A Simple Solution

Despite a cheap and effective rehydration treatment made of salt, sugar and clean water, 3 million people -- including 1.9 million children younger than five -- die every year of complications from chronic diarrhea, according to the World Health Organization. This article examines why the simple, inexpensive solution to diarrhea is not more widely used -- namely because of a lack of treatment availability and publicity. (Andrea Gerlin, Time Europe, 11 October 2006)

http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901061016-1543876,00.html

(Added: Thu Oct 12 2006   Hits: 88)

Cambodia suffers worst dengue epidemic, 407 dead

Cambodia suffered its worst ever outbreak of dengue fever last year and it killed 407 people, most of them children, the highest toll in nearly a decade. (Reuters, 4 January 2008)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK133167.htm

(Added: Mon Jan 07 2008   Hits: 36)

Case study on the Compliance Service

Dr. David Green's Compliance Service uses the Short Message Service (SMS) to alert tuberculosis (TB) patients to take their medication. The initiative has led to a significant increase in the recovery rate of patients and could lead to savings for healthcare authorities.

http://www.bridges.org/case_studies/137

(Added: Sat Mar 15 2003   Modified: Mon Sep 11 2006   Hits: 357)

End of Polio

Polio has disabled nearly 20 million people living today. But the world is poised to ensure that not one more person ever suffers such a fate. Since its creation in 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has helped cut the global toll of polio paralysis from an estimated 350,000 to fewer than 500 in 2001. Thanks to the hard work of millions of volunteers, the commitment of governments everywhere and the dedication of international partners, nearly four million people have been spared crippling lifelong disability. Very soon we will live in a polio-free world. The Initiative demonstrates how much can be achieved when the world pulls together to help all its citizens. This site, featuring the work of renowned Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Salgado, tells the epic story of how this disease is being eradicated. It also provides ways you can help fight this crippling virus.

http://www.endofpolio.org/

(Added: Thu Aug 01 2002   Modified: Mon Sep 04 2006   Hits: 296)

Enduring Neglect: The World Bank's Inadequate Response to Africa's TB Emergency

Of the World Bank's total global spending on TB - the world's second leading infectious killer of adults - less than 5 percent goes to Africa. To put it in other terms, the Bank spends about $9.80 for each TB case outside of Africa. It spends only 80 cents per TB case inside Africa. Yet Africa is the only region in the world where rates of TB are still increasing, at an alarming 5 percent per year. The report recommends that the World Bank dramatically increase its TB funding in Africa - providing a billion dollars over the coming decade, beginning with $100 million in 2007. The economic benefit of controlling TB is undeniable. By keeping working-age adults productive, the World Bank estimates that in China, every dollar invested in TB returned $60. (Results International, September 2006)

http://www.results.org/website/navdispatch.asp?id=2365

(Added: Tue Dec 05 2006   Hits: 69)

Fight against polio has to continue

The effort to eradicate polio in India is gaining momentum, with more women participating and improving attitudes seen among families with children getting vaccinated. (The Times of India, 30 May 2006)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1593123,curpg-1.cms

(Added: Thu Jun 01 2006   Hits: 70)

GAVI Alliance

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization aims to widen access to children's vaccines. Our focus is on a selected list of vaccines that could make a major impact on global disease burden if they were universally available. In this section, we provide basic information about the diseases and vaccines and links to other sites.

http://www.gavialliance.org/

(Added: Tue Nov 12 2002   Modified: Wed Jan 10 2007   Hits: 258)

Global Polio Eradication Initiative

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), spearheaded by national governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF, is the largest public health initiative the world has ever known. The goal of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is to ensure that no child will ever again know the crippling effects of polio. Back when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched, wild poliovirus was endemic in more than 125 countries on five continents, paralyzing more than 1000 children every day. Today, polio is endemic in Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Niger, Afghanistan and Egypt.

http://www.polioeradication.org/

(Added: Wed May 03 2006   Hits: 252)

Global tuberculosis control - surveillance, planning, financing

WHO's report on Global TB Control compiles data from over 200 countries and territories each year, monitoring the scale and direction of TB epidemics, implementation and impact of the Stop TB Strategy, and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (WHO, 2008).

http://www.who.int/tb/publications/global_report/2008/en/index.html

(Added: Wed Mar 19 2008   Hits: 40)

Hepatitis A in New Caledonia - Summary report

In late April 2005, the New Caledonia Pasteur Institute alerted the DASS-NC (New Caledonia Health and Social Affairs Office) Health Activities Department of an unusually high number of Hepatitis Apositive serum tests since the beginning of the year as compared to previous years. An investigation was conducted following this alert, and this is its summary report. (InformAction, December 2005)

http://www.spc.int/phs/ENGLISH/Publications/InformACTION/IA22/hepatitisA-NC-6Dec.pdf

(Added: Mon May 01 2006   Modified: Wed Feb 14 2007   Hits: 83)

Measles deaths drop by 60 percent worldwide, health officials say

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases that exists. Though it is no longer a major problem in the West, in poor countries, the disease can kill as many as 30 percent of the children it infects, particularly in those with weakened immune systems. But in a historic victory for global public health, nearly 7.5 million children were saved from dying of measles between 1999 and 2005, thanks to increased immunization campaigns, the World Health Organization said. (International Herald Tribune, 18 January 2007).

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/19/europe/EU-MED-Britain-Measles.php

(Added: Thu Jan 25 2007   Hits: 99)

Millions Saved: Proven Successes in Global Health

One of the greatest human accomplishments has been the spectacular improvement in health since 1950. This site looks at success: 17 cases in which large-scale efforts to improve health in developing countries have succeeded - saving millions of lives and preserving the livelihoods and social fabric of entire communities. Eradicating smallpox worldwide. Preventing HIV and sexually transmitted infections in Thailand. Controlling tuberculosis in China. Eliminating polio in Latin America and the Caribbean. Saving mothers' lives in Sri Lanka. Controlling onchocerciasis in sub-Saharan Africa. Preventing diarrheal deaths in Egypt. Improving the health of the poor in Mexico. Controlling trachoma in Morocco. Reducing guinea worm in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Controlling Chagas disease in the southern cone of South America. Reducing fertility in Bangladesh. Curbing tobacco use in Poland. Preventing iodine deficiency disease in China. Eliminating measles in southern Africa. Preventing dental caries in Jamaica. Preventing Hib disease in Chile and The Gambia. Learn about what made these efforts so successful. (Ruth Levine, Centre for Global Development, 2006)

http://www.cgdev.org/section/initiatives/_active/millionssaved/

(Added: Thu Jun 15 2006   Hits: 126)

Only a fraction of TB patients get the best care

New WHO report also finds low income countries pay 70% of their TB bill A strategy that can cure up to 90% of all tuberculosis cases, and thus is the best chance for controlling the global TB epidemic, is reaching only 27% of the world's TB patients. Press Release WHO/21 22 March 2002.

http://www.stoptb.org/news/archives/press/AfricaNews_020325.htm

(Added: Thu Aug 01 2002   Modified: Thu Jan 11 2007   Hits: 151)

Polio Eradication: Is It Time to Give Up?

Recently, long-time supporters of the campaign to eradicate polio have questioned the wisdom of this approach, arguing that as it may never be wiped out, attention should instead be turned to effective control. This article outlines the campaign's problems and why the critics have called for a reassessment. (Leslie Roberts, Science, 12 May 2006)

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/312/5775/832?ijkey=/sA5D9EBeXK0M&keytype=ref&siteid=sci

(Added: Tue Jun 20 2006   Hits: 58)

Simple measures could radically reduce TB

PlusNews, 14 November 2007. Better healthcare measures could curb the tide of tuberculosis (TB) and other lung diseases, even with existing drugs and technology. This was the final message from the 38th World Conference on Lung Health, in Cape Town. At the conclusion of the 4-day meeting this week, Nils Billo, executive director of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (The Union), said that improving infection control, even using simple and cheap methods, could significantly reduce the spread of tuberculosis (TB) and its death toll, especially among people with HIV.

http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75304

(Added: Mon Nov 19 2007   Hits: 33)

Stop the Export of U.S.-Funded Abstinence-Only HIV/AIDS Programs

'Abstinence-only' programs teach that abstaining from sex until marriage is the only effective way to prevent contracting HIV through sex. They deny young people critical information about condoms and other safer sex strategies, and promote marriage as a safeguard against HIV infection. These programs do not work, they violate kids' right to complete information about HIV/AIDS and leave young people at risk of contracting HIV in marriage, particularly women and girls. But the U.S. government is exporting them all over the world as part of President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Support Ugandan AIDS activists by adding your name to a sign-on letter to their Ministry of Health. Write to President Bush and Ambassador Randall Tobias

http://hrw.org/campaigns/aids/2005/uganda/

(Added: Tue Oct 03 2006   Hits: 314)

The New face of TB: Drug resistance and HIV

Tuberculosis (TB) has made a come back. The combination of the HIV epidemic with new strains of the disease that are resistant to the existing drugs has seen new TB cases and TB-related deaths escalate in the ten years. (Plus-News In Depth, 18 November, 2007)

http://www.plusnews.org/IndepthMain.aspx?IndepthId=37&ReportId=70871

(Added: Mon Nov 19 2007   Modified: Thu Nov 29 2007   Hits: 55)

Unequal Impact: Māori and Non-Māori Cancer Statistics 1996-2001

This is the first cancer chartbook of Māori and Non-Māori cancer statistics. This chartbook of Māori and non-Māori cancer statistics provides comprehensive analysis of differences in cancer incidences, mortality, stage of diagnosis and survival in New Zealand using national cancer registrations, deaths data and hospital admissions data for the six-year period 1996-2001 (inclusive). The statistics in this cancer chart book are presented by gender and by total population, and are also age standardised and age specific. The results provide insights into the nature and extent of cancer disparities between Māori and non-Māori and potential points of action for improving Māori cancer outcomes. (MInistry of Health, May 2006)

http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/by+unid/D43AB8463C97D9A4CC25716F001354AA?Open

(Added: Wed May 17 2006   Hits: 93)

WHO Board Urged to Act on Worrying Smallpox Research Trends

The issue of destruction of smallpox virus stocks has been heatedly discussed at the World Health Assembly (WHA) for several years, particularly following recommendations from a WHO advisory committee in 2004 to greatly expand dangerous smallpox research, including genetic engineering experiments. The 2006 WHA was unable to agree upon the text of a resolution on destruction of variola virus stocks, which are held in WHO authorized repositories in the US and Russia. Many developing countries, led by Africa, sought a resolution that established a destruction date for the virus (in June 2010), a prohibition on genetic engineering, annual substantive WHA review of virus research, and strengthened WHO oversight. The US refusal to consider fixing a new destruction date was problematic, and developing county offers of a compromise were also rejected. As a result, the WHO Executive Board is considering the draft resolution as it meets from 22-30 January 2007. NGOs are urging the Board to produce a strong resolution, given increasing indications that the US is expanding or intending to expand research with the smallpox virus and with smallpox genes. This article comments. (Lim Li Ching, Oakland Institute, January 2007)

http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/?q=node/view/408

(Added: Wed Jan 31 2007   Hits: 58)