Category Archives: Politics

NTDs and the US elections

NTDs, Politics2012 Presidential Election, , ,

By: Alanna Shaikh

The United States is the largest supporter of neglected tropical disease programs in the world. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) administers a long standing – and successful – program for NTD control, with a particular focus on rapid impact packages of NTD drugs. , Dr. Peter Hotez points out that if we want to maintain the global leadership, NTD advocates have some work to do.

If President Obama is elected to a second term, we can safely assume that support for NTD programs will continue. Both he and Secretary Clinton have shown their commitment to fighting neglected tropical diseases. However, there is no guarantee of re-election. The Republican presidential candidates will need to be educated on the importance of addressing NTDs, as well as being made aware of the vital role that the US plays in combating them.

Dr. Hotez is right, of course. The NTDs are, well, neglected. Your average presidential candidate is unlikely to know much about this particular corner of global health. Worms and obscure bacterial infections aren’t exactly glamorous. I think, too, that this would be a great opportunity to educate the general public about neglected tropical diseases and why we should support the programs that combat them. The Republican presidential candidates are likely to share the same general concerns and questions about NTDs as interested members of the public have as well.

The question is, how do we do that?

 

Alanna Shaikh is an expert in health consulting, writing about global health for UN Dispatch and about international relief and development at Blood & Milk. She also serves as a frequently contributing blogger to ‘End the Neglect.’ The views and opinions expressed by guest bloggers are not necessarily the views and opinions of the Global Network. All opinions expressed here are Alanna’s own and not those of any employer or the US government.

Africa Looks to the East

Africa and China, brain food, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, opinion, Politics

By: Charles Ebikeme

In April, China released its first white paper on foreign aid, detailing and outlining its strategy
on aid towards Africa, from financial resources, debt relief, humanitarian aid, and infrastructure
projects. Some saw the white paper as a response to claims of self-serving neocolonialist
tactics by the Chinese, driven by the need for China to sustain its economic development.

While much of the debate on international interest in Africa as an investment destination has
focused on China, India is also showing increased engagement on the African continent. In
May, India offered loans totaling US$5 billion. This came at the top of the second India-Africa
Forum Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The extent of India’s involvement in Africa, looking to
match China’s stake-hold, ranges from a new Ethio-Djibouti railway, increased African airline
access to Indian cities, new institutions, as well as lines of credit. India, like China, are also
looking towards political and diplomatic alignment.

China and India, tout a shared common interest with their foreign aid, as both donor and recipients are themselves developing countries. The Indian Prime Minister commenting on a shared former colonial past; “India-Africa partnership is unique and owes its origins to history and our common struggles against colonialism, apartheid, poverty, disease.”

The “post-American world” is seeing the rise of this brand of South-South development cooperation. Indeed, the development landscape is changing as emerging countries become more prominent. In a development aid will be ruled by China, India and Brazil. However, not often enough does the aid debate focus on disease. Aid seems to be still fueled by an interest to grow markets. At a time when some nations in Africa are calling on in fighting tropical diseases.

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Global Network Ambassador Continues to Make the Case for Global Health

Africa, Global Health, NTDs, policy, Politics, U.S GovernmentAdvocacy ambassador, , Michelle Larcheveque

Tommy G. Thompson, former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and former Governor of Wisconsin (1987-2001) spoke out about global health as a key lever in foreign policy on Wednesday in an editorial published by the Huffington Post. Secretary Thompson acknowledges the difficult foreign policy issues facing the 112th Congress and offers up a solution: use health diplomacy to improve international health conditions in order to bolster the U.S. economy and strengthen foreign policy.

He states that health diplomacy involves “winning the hearts and minds of those abroad by strategically exporting medical care and humanitarian aid, building in-country capacity, and providing health education, training and personnel.” By using this deliberately the U.S. can engage in measures to reduce terrorism, increase the number of productive workers, and ultimately “secure our nation’s future and build a strong, stable global community.”

Drawing on his experience, he says: “Health diplomacy must be institutionalized as a critical component of U.S. diplomatic, defense and foreign policy. Global health is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue. It’s not even exclusively an American issue. It is the moral responsibility and strategic concern of every freedom-loving citizen of the world.”

Governor Thompson has been a Global Network Ambassador since 2008 and a vital voice for NTDs. In August 2008 he traveled throughout Rwanda and joined the Rwandan Ministry of Health in launching their first-ever national deworming campaign. Yesterday’s post follows a 2009 editorial co-authored with Dr. Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute in which they examine NTD control as a means of U.S. foreign policy.

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Modest Increases Proposed for U.S. Global Health Program Funding

Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Obama Administration, policy, Politics, poverty, U.S Government, dr. raj shah, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yesterday, the Obama administration released its budget request for fiscal year 2012. The Administration is proposing a 2% increase towards the Global Health Initiative (GHI), raising their U.S. investment to $9.8 billion. However, despite these increases, John Cohen of ScienceMag posts about the injurious nature of the proposed cuts by the House of Representatives.

“The continuing resolution reductions introduced by the chair of the appropriations committee, Representative Hal Rogers (R-KY), would cut $783.5 million from the main component of GHI, the Global Health and Child Survival effort, which supports treatment and prevention programs for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), family planning, and nutrition efforts. The continuing resolution would take away another $300 million in contributions to the Global Fund.”

Deep cuts in funding will have a pernicious impact on NTD research and resource mobilization. The FY2010 budget appropriated only $65 million for NTDs. While Obama’s proposed FY11 budget promised to raise that amount to $155 million, the proposed FY12 budget would drop that amount to $100 million. Peter Hotez , President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, specializes in vaccine development for NTDs. Dr.Hotez expresses that “[NTD control is] such a good buy for public health,” emphasizing that increasing GHI funds would further the United State’s efforts to expand NTD control and elimination programs past the dozen countries the U.S now helps.

The proposed House cuts will be extremely harmful to the well-being of global health. Millions of people would die from preventable diseases due to lack of treatment and access to drugs. According to Helene Gayle, head of CARE USA, “such drastic cuts in GHI funding will contribute to pushing more people around the world in poverty this year, with Africa expected to be the hardest hit.”

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