Also in Global Health news: Tanzania's health care; polio, diarrhea in India; ITNs in Nigeria; health in Sudan

Sep 17 2009

NewsHour Examines Health Care In Tanzania

PBS' NewsHour is airing a three-part series from Sept. 15 - Sept. 17 examining new models of health care delivery in Tanzania, which could provide a model for the rest of the world. The videos examine health worker shortages, the country's program to fight river blindness and malaria eradication (Suarez, 9/09).

Rotary International, India To Fight Diarrhea, Prevent Polio

Rotary International recently started working with the Indian government to fight diarrhea, which can make polio immunizations ineffective, IANS/Thaindian News reports. Deepak Kapur, chairman of the India National PolioPlus Society of Rotary International, said the plan is to educate people about the use of use of zinc tablets and oral rehydration therapy to prevent diarrhea, which kills almost 500,000 children per year in the country (Khan, 9/16).

CNN Video Examines ITN Distribution In Nigeria

A CNN video examines how aid agencies are distributing insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to prevent malaria in Nigeria. The video includes an interview with a Nigerian man who lost two of his children to malaria and addresses the challenges associated with maintaining ITN coverage (Purefoy, 9/15).

Escalating Violence, Late Rains Contribute To 'Health Catastrophe' For People Of Southern Sudan

Escalating violence across southern Sudan is creating what experts in the region call a "health catastrophe," the British Medical Journal reports. According to Lise Grande, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in southern Sudan, the region's "massive food deficits [were the result of a] combination of late rains, high levels of insecurity and displacement, disruptions to trade, and high food prices," the journal writes. Additionally, "Khartoum's expulsion of aid agencies in March … resulted in large parts of the population being cut off from emergency relief and health care," BMJ notes (Moszynski, 9/15).