Global Health News and Research

RSS

South Africa's evolving HIV/AIDS policy

In this interview in World Politics Review's "Trend Lines," Peter Navario, an adjunct associate professor of public policy at New York University and a former global health fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the evolution South Africa's HIV/AIDS policy over the last decade, the country's current relationship with pharmaceutical companies, and how South African President Jacob Zuma's HIV/AIDS policy is received in the region and by international donors.

10 Mar 2012

Global burden of disease revision covers 225 health conditions, 50 risk factors

At a plenary session Thursday at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Christopher Murray of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) "presented preliminary data from the 2010 revision of the Global Burden of Disease," which "is aimed at analyzing global health trends to quantify the comparative magnitude of health loss due to diseases, injuries and risk factors by age, sex and geography for specific points in time," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

10 Mar 2012

GHI, Uganda working together to improve maternal, child health outcomes

A feature article in the Ugandan Observer examines a recent agreement signed by the U.S. and Ugandan governments "to drum up more support for maternal and reproductive health in Uganda." U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI) Executive Director Lois Quam spoke at the signing, saying, "Investment in health in Uganda is one of the largest we make anywhere else in the world. Government must do more.

10 Mar 2012

Two-part blog series details Haiti cholera outbreak, response

In the first part of a two-part series in the Center for Strategic & International Studies' (CSIS) "Smart Global Health" blog, Alisha Kramer, an intern with the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, and Matt Fisher, project coordinator of the CSIS Project on Global Water Policy and a research assistant at the Global Health Policy Center, provide a brief history of Haiti's cholera outbreak, noting, "Ultimately, by the end of 2011, the outbreak had resulted in over 500,000 infections and 7,000 deaths."

9 Mar 2012

Integration of HIV, family planning services will 'save women's lives'

"Women who are at risk of unplanned pregnancy are also at risk of HIV, and vice-versa so separation of these services no longer makes sense. The global health community must work to bring family planning and HIV services together -- and quickly -- to save women's lives," Dana Hovig, chief executive of Marie Stopes International, and Alvaro Bermejo, executive director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, write in this RH Reality Check blog post marking International Women's Day.

9 Mar 2012

Challenges to achieving an AIDS-free generation

In a plenary presentation at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle on Wednesday, Dorothy Mbori-Ngacha of UNICEF examined the challenges to reaching the goal of an AIDS-free generation, by "eliminating 90 percent of HIV infections among children by 2015," and "outlined the four pillars of achieving that goal," including preventing HIV among women, preventing unintended pregnancies, preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), and supporting HIV-positive women and their families, the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" reports.

9 Mar 2012

Studies presented at CROI examine voluntary medical male circumcision

"HIV incidence among non-Muslim men has decreased with greater uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision (MMC) in Uganda, according to data presented Tuesday" by Ronald Gray of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, HIV Medicine Association Executive Director Andrea Weddle writes in this guest post on the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog.

9 Mar 2012

PMI successfully generating 'value for money,' according to external evaluation

"While PEPFAR and the Global Health Initiative (GHI) have dominated the global health community's attention over the past few years, the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) has largely flown under the radar," Rachel Silverman, a research assistant for the Center for Global Development's (CGD) global health team, and Victoria Fan, a research fellow at CGD, write in this post in the CGD's "Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog."

9 Mar 2012

CSIS report examines link between Palestinian bid for statehood, U.S. global health policy

A report published on Wednesday by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) -- titled "U.S. Global Health Policy in Palestinian Hands?" and written by J. Stephen Morrison, senior vice president and director of the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS, and Haim Malka, senior fellow and deputy director of the CSIS Middle East Program -- examines the relationship between Palestine's bid for statehood and potential membership in U.N. bodies -- including the WHO -- and U.S. global health policy, according to the report summary.

9 Mar 2012

Enhanced linkage-to-care strategy helps HIV patients receive, remain in care, study shows

At the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) on Wednesday, Gabriel Chamie of the University of California, San Francisco "discussed outcomes in a routine linkage-to-care strategy versus and an enhanced strategy for accelerated antiretroviral therapy (ART) start in rural Uganda," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

9 Mar 2012

Odds of adult mortality lower in PEPFAR focus countries compared with non-focus countries, study shows

"In an attempt to assess the impact of U.S. international assistance for AIDS, researchers from Stanford University carried out a review of the relationship between U.S. support provided through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and adult mortality in PEPFAR focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and whether there were differences in outcome between these countries and other African countries which did not receive PEPFAR support," NAM's Aidsmap reports.

9 Mar 2012

Elsevier to publish new journal of FPM, Health Policy and Technology

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announces that it will publish the new journal of the Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine (FPM), Health Policy and Technology.

9 Mar 2012

Infection with M. genitalium may double African women's HIV risk

A common sexually transmitted bacterial infection more than doubles the risk of HIV infection in African women, reports a study in the March issue of AIDS.

9 Mar 2012

Bioethicist calls on Congress to protect physicians in war zones

Greater leadership is needed from the U.S. government to protect physicians and health facilities from increased attacks in armed conflict zones like Syria, experts told members of Congress in a special briefing today.

8 Mar 2012

Patients with advanced Alzheimer’s benefit from drugs: Study finds

According to new developments patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease could benefit from drug treatment to slow its progression. Scientists have shown for the first time that drugs used to slow the disease in its early stages also work when the condition is advanced, greatly extending the population who could be treated.

8 Mar 2012

Africare hosts panel discussion on issues of health care, women and economic development

In honor of International Women's Day, Africare in partnership with Global Health & Diplomacy (GHD) and the United Nations Foundation (UNF), hosted a panel discussion and press conference focused on issues of health care, women and economic development in Africa and the developing world.

8 Mar 2012

Preliminary results of Partners PrEP Study show promise, investigators report at CROI

"Investigators gave more details about the positive results of the Partners PrEP Study Tuesday at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

8 Mar 2012

Study highlights challenges of adherence in successful deployment of PrEP interventions

"Data presented from the FEM-PrEP trial by Dr. Lut Van Damme Tuesday at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle highlighted the challenge that adherence plays in successfully deploying effective Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) interventions," HIV Medicine Association Executive Director Andrea Weddle writes in this guest post in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog.

8 Mar 2012

Study suggests onchocerciasis can be eliminated with sustained distribution of treatment

"New research supported by Sightsavers and the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) shows that yes, onchocerciasis really can be eliminated when treatment is distributed in an area for a sustained period" and "found that the disease may already be eliminated in one Nigerian state, marking a significant milestone for onchocerciasis control programs," the Global Network for Neglected Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog writes.

8 Mar 2012

Global health community marks passing of U.S. Rep. Donald Payne

Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.), the first African American elected to Congress from New Jersey, died of complications from colon cancer on Tuesday at age 77, VOA News reports.

8 Mar 2012