Mark Green Confirmed By U.S. Senate To Lead USAID August 4, 2017 News Summary Reuters: Senate confirms new USAID administrator Mark Green “The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed former congressman Mark Green as President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development at a time the administration is proposing cuts in foreign aid and a reorganization of the agency. … Green’s…
Community Health Volunteers Help Diagnose, Treat Malaria In Rural Kenya August 3, 2017 News Summary Thomson Reuters Foundation: As warming brings more malaria, Kenya moves treatment closer to home “…Malaria cases are on the increase in Kenya, and experts attribute the upsurge to changes in the climate. … To tackle the problem, for the past two years county governments in malaria-prone areas have worked with…
Devex Examines Best Indicators To Measure Progress In Maternal Health Interventions August 3, 2017 News Summary Devex: SDG indicators shape maternal health interventions. Is it for the best? “…As the global health community now turns its focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, aid workers in Afghanistan and its least-developed peers are asking whether the best measure of progress is the number of births attended by skilled…
EGPAF CEO Chip Lyons Discusses Efforts To Shorten HIV Test Times, Get More Infants On Treatment In Devex Interview August 3, 2017 News Summary Devex: Q&A: Cutting testing wait times to get more infants on HIV treatment “…The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, with a four-year, $63 million grant from Unitaid, is piloting a project to shorten that waiting period [between HIV testing and receiving results]. … Charles ‘Chip’ Lyons, EGPAF’s president and chief…
Global Number Of New Leprosy Cases Likely Double 200K-300K Reported Annually, WHO Says August 3, 2017 News Summary The Guardian: Shadow of leprosy falls again as experts claim millions of cases go undiagnosed “Millions of new leprosy cases are going undiagnosed and untreated, 15 years after one of the world’s most feared and infamous diseases was declared to be virtually eliminated. … The WHO reports that there have…
Bolivia Trains Midwives To Help Lower Maternal Mortality August 3, 2017 News Summary Associated Press: Bolivia’s midwives help reduce maternal mortality “…[M]any indigenous women [in Bolivia] distrust hospitals and cesarean births. They prefer to rely on traditional midwives, who they often refer to as ‘aunt.’ Led by Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, the government has tapped into this strong cultural bond to…
Cholera, Malnutrition Rampant In Yemen As Conflict Destroys Sanitation, Health Care Systems, NGOs, U.N. Warn August 3, 2017 News Summary CNN: Yemen: Million children at risk from cholera, charity says “More than a million children already suffering from acute malnutrition are at risk from a cholera outbreak sweeping war-torn Yemen, charity Save the Children warned Wednesday…” (Smith-Spark, 8/2). NPR: 1 Million Malnourished Children At Risk Of Cholera In Yemen “…Oxfam…
WhatsApp-Based Tool Aims To Track, Document Attacks On Health Care Facilities, Workers In Conflict Zones August 3, 2017 News Summary Thomson Reuters Foundation: FEATURE–Staying alive: WhatsApp finds new uses in conflict zones “…Keeping a standardized track of attacks on health facilities and workers has been a major challenge in conflict zones. But a new digital instant messaging tool that relies on smartphone application WhatsApp has been developed by the WHO…
Breastfeeding Positively Impacts Individuals, Communities, Nations August 3, 2017 News Summary Devex: Opinion: Breastfeeding for economic growth and prosperity Toyin Ojora Saraki, founder and president of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa “…World Breastfeeding Week presents an opportunity to showcase the evidence, unveil misconceptions, and discuss recommendations on the practice of breastfeeding around the world. The positive effects of breastfeeding can be seen…