Posts Tagged ‘GHI’

« Older Entries

GHI Funding Demographics

February 17th, 2011

Graphics taken from www.shawnann.com

Kaiser Family Foundation released new reports examining monetary and demographic data for countries receiving support under the Global Health Initiative (GHI).

“The new analysis evaluates data from FY10 for six programs in the GHI: HIV/AIDS; TB; malaria; maternal, newborn, and child health; family planning and reproductive health; and nutrition. These six program areas, along with health systems and neglected tropical diseases, were identified as the key target areas under the GHI when the $63 billion effort was first announced in 2009.”

The report also incorporates a special spotlight on the  “GHI Plus” countries, which are eight countries selected by the Administration to serve as “learning laboratories.”

Read more!

No comments »

Posted in Global Health, policy

Tags:

NTDs Creep into Conversations at the UN Week Digital Media Lounge

September 22nd, 2010

Armed with my trusty flipcam, I am determined to get a few video clips this week  while at the UN Week Digital Media Lounge with some panelists as well as other experts talking about NTDs and MDGs. Yesterday, during a panel on integration with water, sanitation, nutrition and hunger, Dr. Samuel Kargbo from the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone made a great comment about the success of  immunization programs for children that also include deworming activities. It’s been a bit disappointing that I haven’t heard many people talk about NTDs here, but everyone I have met at the lounge has been extremely interested in learning more!

I caught up with Dr. Kargbo on the UN Week Digital Media Lounge “step and repeat” to talk a little more about it:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M616vohOVZc

Following my exciting interaction with Dr. Kargbo on NTDs, I was introduced to Dr. Kevin M. DeCock, Director for the Center for Global Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. DeCock has been at the forefront of the battle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic for more than a decade. Prior to this new role, he served as director of the World Health Organization’s Department of HIV/AIDS from 2006-2009, where he oversaw all of WHO’s work assisting low- and middle-income countries to scale up treatment, prevention, and support programs.  He also served briefly as Director of CDC’s Kenya office. Click herefor more information on Dr. DeCock and a very informative Q&A with him on his new role at the CDC.

I sat down with Dr. DeCock to talk about NTDs and Obama’s Global Health Initiative. We also talked a bit about the The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and whether it should/can be expanded to include NTDs:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXTaI0rITAQ

Stay with us! At 1:00pm today I will be listening in on a keynote speech live streamed at the Digital Media Lounge directly from the UN:  Saving 16 million lives – the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. Eager to see if NTDs will be on the agenda!

 

No comments »

Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Obama Administration

Tags:

Reading List 6/30/2010

June 30th, 2010

New list of reads to help get you through the week! Today we’re reading about great strides and advances in the control and elimination of NTDs – such as the substantial drop in human African trypanosomiasis cases over the last five decades – as well as other developments that pose more as obstacles, such as the re-emergence of Dengue in the U.S. Take a look:

Human African trypanosomiasis: number of new cases drops to lowest level in 50 years, WHO
Community-Based Education Strengthens Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis, Science Daily
Pharmacy students work to close the gap, Charles Sturt University
Foreign Policy Examines GHI, PEPFAR, Kaiser Family Foundation
Researchers In Australia Make Important Malaria Breakthrough, Government of Australia
Do Parasites Make You Dumber?, Cassandra Willyard, ScienceNOW
Dengue Re-emerges in U.S., Spurring Race for Vaccine, Gayathri Vaidyanathan, The New York Times

No comments »

Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, malaria, NTDs, poverty, Public Health, reading list

Tags:

Global Network Ambassador Tommy Thompson Urges Congress to Fully Fund NTDs

June 29th, 2010

Today, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson, who also serves as an Ambassador for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, submitted a letter to Congress asking for the full funding for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The letter, addressed to Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs and Ranking Member Kay Granger (R-TX), called on Congress to support the president’s full request of $155 million for the treatment of the seven most common NTDs. Thompson noted that after seeing the debilitating effects these diseases have, especially on children whom are “constantly sick….cannot regularly attend school… [and whose] future earning potential can be curtailed by up to 40 percent” as a result of these diseases action must be taken. His request is one that the Global Network, and the entire NTD community, hopes will be granted. The Global Network’s Policy Director, Michelle Brooks stated, “that progress made toward the prevention, control, and elimination of the seven most common NTDs is undeniable, but we are far from our goal of eliminating the world’s seven most common NTDs and need the sustained support and commitment of the United States Government in our global health efforts.” Since 2007, under USAID’s NTD control program over 55 million people in 14 countries have received 221 million NTD treatments. The NTD Initiative is part of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative (GHI) unveiled in May 2009 as a comprehensive whole-of-government approach to meeting global health needs. A leading target of GHI is to reduce the prevalence of NTDs throughout the world by clamping down on the seven most common NTDs.

The Global Network would like to thank Governor Thompson, Congresswoman Lowey, and Congresswoman Granger for their unwavering dedication to global public health and the fight against NTDs. Now everyone will watch and see how Congress in this current budget climate will balance the myriad of competing foreign aid issues—particularly those in global health.

To read Governor Thompson’s letter in its entirety, please visit the Global Network’s website.

No comments »

Posted in Global Development, Obama Administration, policy, Politics, Public Health

Tags: