WHO Addresses Financial Crisis' Global Health Impact

Impact of the global financial and economic crisis on health.

Statement by WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan
"We face a severe financial crisis of unprecedented dimensions in a world that has never before been so closely connected and interdependent. The consequences are global. The situation is volatile. The current financial crisis is rapidly becoming an economic crisis and threatens to become a social crisis in many countries.
The crisis comes at a time when commitment to global health has never been higher. It comes in the midst of the most ambitious drive in history to reduce poverty and distribute the benefits of our modern society, including those related to health, more evenly and fairly in this world - the Millennium Development Goals.

....(see):

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2008/s12/en/index.html

Young Voices on Global Health

The Lancet, together with the Geneva-based Global Forum for Health Research, have announced the winners of the 2008 essay competition entitled "Young Voices in Research for Health".

The 6 winners' essays are available at: http://www.thelancetglobalhealthnetwork.com/archives/487

VRGH in the WORLD MEDICAL JOURNAL

The World Medical Association has published in the last issue of its World Medical Journal (Vol.54, No.3, 2008) an article on the VRGH Initiative on pp. 83-84.

Link: http://www.wma.net/e/publications/index.htm

Europe reaffirms its supports for Global Health

The Belgian All Party Parliamentary Group on the MDGs in collaboration with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) organised an International High Level Conference on: “The Future of Parliamentary Involvement in Global Health and Development”.

As a key outcome of the Conference, Parliamentarians adopted a Declaration reaffirming that as the world’s largest donor, it is Europe’s responsibility to honor its commitments and highlighting the need for a continued, predictable and sustainable support for Global Health and Development.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htm

Providing toilets, safe water is top route to improve Global Health : UN University

Simply installing toilets where needed throughout the world and ensuring safe water supplies would do more to end crippling poverty and improve world health than any other possible measure, according to an analysis released today by the United Nations University.

Diseases due to poor water, sanitation and hygiene account for an estimated 10% of the total global burden of illness.

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/10/19/providing.toilets.safe.water.top.route.reducing.world.poverty.un.university

ASIA: Countries lagging in flu pandemic plans, UN warns

Most Asia-Pacific nations are making progress on avian flu control, but are lagging in plans to tackle the social and economic fallout of a human flu pandemic, a senior UN influenza specialist, David Nabarr, has warned. He said: "I'm impressed with progress, but I am saying a lot more needs to be done, particularly on multi-sectoral pandemic preparedness."

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=80878

WHO agreed on a research agenda on global climate change and public health

A meeting of experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Madrid agreed to a research agenda to develop an evidence-based framework for action on the human health implications of climate change.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr36/en/index.html

Discoverers of AIDS and Cancer Viruses Win Nobel 2008

Two French scientists who discovered the AIDS virus and a German who found the virus that causes cervical cancer were awarded the 2008 Nobel prize for medicine or physiology.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/health/07nobel.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Global Health Is a Hot Field

Recently, Washington Post published an article about the current popularity of global health studies among college students.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/18/AR2008091804145_pf.html

Report: Millennium Development Goals at midpoint

The European Union published a major report on the MDGs with recommendations to address slow progress and disparities.


http://ec.europa.eu/development/icenter/repository/2008%2008%2019%20MDG_Where%20do%20we%20stand_first_draft.pdf

UK DOH launched "Health is GLOBAL" Strategy

The UK Government launched a new strategy “Health is Global” which sets out the span of global health issues and the plan for tackling them across government and with other partners, including civil society organizations.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_072697

500,000 Women Die in Pregnancy, Childbirth

More than half a million women still die each year in pregnancy and childbirth, often bleeding to death because no emergency obstetrical care is available, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said.

Despite modest progress, particularly in Asia, the global maternal mortality toll remains stubbornly stable due to a lack of financial resources and political will, it said. More than 99 percent of the estimated 536,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2005 occurred in developing countries, half of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LJ594303.htm

Declining Global Number of Child Mortality.

UNICEF released new figures that show the rate of deaths of children under five continued to decline in 2007.

The new estimates show a 27 per cent decline in the under-five mortality rate, from 93 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990, to 68 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2007. In industrialized countries there are, on average, just six deaths for every 1,000 live births.
According to this data, 12.7 million children under five died around the world in 1990, and in 2007 child deaths declined to about 9.2 million.

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_45607.html

Global fight against malaria could be helped by virus that infects mosquitoes!

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found a new virus that infects the world’s most dangerous mosquito. In theory, this means it can be modified to kill the mosquito or prevent it from transmitting malaria . However, the authors cautioned, that could take 5 to 15 years of work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/health/research/26glob.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Water and sanitation crisis still a global health issue

Michele Barry, MD and James M. Hughes, MD underlined in a recent article that " Global health issue have captured the attention of gouvernements, global funds, and foundations ...on diseases such as malaria, TB, and AIDS which kill a fraction of the number of people who die from water-related diseases." .

These two authors called for an urgent focus on dirty water and sanitation in a world where 1,1 billion people still lack access to clean water and 2,6 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation.

Link to the article publish in New England Journal of Medicine : http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/8/784

US presidential candidates on Global health

In the run-up to the US presidential election, health care continues to dominate the debate. The Lancet reviewed Obama and McCain'pledges in the area of global-health issues.

Doc: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/0140-6736/PIIS0140673608612167.pdf

Global High food prices put pressure on HIV programmes

Steadily increasing prices could lead to a lack of affordable and nourishing food, endangering the lives of people living with HIV in the developing world.

"As prices continue to rise, people will start to buy cheaper, less nutritious food and may begin to skip meals – in Lesotho we are already seeing people skipping meals because they can't afford food," said Alan Whiteside, an economist with South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Link: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79749

Criticism against massive health program in Africa

Criticism is increasing against the many giant programmes to particularly tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa, which are said to deplete other African health programmes that may have a much greater effect on public health.

Link: http://www.afrol.com/articles/29927

Progress Slow in Global Fight against Tuberculosis

A new publication by the United Nations health agency finds that the pace of global efforts to control the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic slowed slightly in 2006, as did progress in diagnosing people with the airborne infectious disease that is both preventable and curable.
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Link: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26000&Cr=tuberculosis&Cr1

Maternal Mortality: Little Progress in Africa

Over half a million women die in childbirth annually around the world, according to the World Health Organisation. Nigeria alone accounts for 10 percent of these deaths.
According to the most recent estimates from the World Health Organisation, published in 2007, Nigeria's maternal mortality rate is the second highest in the world, after India: 1,100 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The country is home to two percent of the global population, but 10 percent of all maternal deaths take place here.
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Link : http://allafrica.com/stories/200807310015.html

XVII INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE, MEXICO

The XVII International AIDS Conference will be held in Mexico from August 3 to 8, 2008.

Press release and news concerning this crucial global meeting here: http://www.aids2008.org/start.aspx

Report on Global Health actors

The House of Lord Intergovernmental Organisations Committee (UK) published a report on global health actors.

This report reviews the interaction of the various actors on the international health stage, particularly those concerned with infectious disease control.

It looks in some detail at the role of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and then turn to address a number of the key issues which have arisen during our inquiry, including the synergy with which the various bodies are working under the existing system and the case and scope for some rationalisation of global health governance.

Link:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldselect/ldintergov/143/14306.htm

UNAIDS 2008 Report on Global AIDS Epidemic

The 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic is the most comprehensive report on the response to AIDS. It includes data from 147 countries against 25 core targets set in the UN declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted in 2001, and the political declaration adopted at the 2006 High Level Meeting on AIDS. The information presented in the report enables readers to assess progress made since 2001 and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the AIDS response to date.

Link to the report: http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories/archive/2008/20080728_New_Global_Report_2008.asp

Global Health courses for nurses in Tanzania

The Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science (MUHAS) (http://www.muchs.ac.tz/) through the School of Dentistry and the Finnish Medical Society has organized a three week training for nurses on global health themes in the country. The first course on global health to be conducted in the country started yesterday, slated to end August 15, with 20 nurses participating, along with ten nurses from Finland.

Link: http://thecitizen.co.tz/newe.php?id=7085

Joint efforts to combat the global tobacco epidemic

On July 23th, 2008, Michael Bloomberg and Bill Gates announced joint efforts to combat the global tobacco epidemic. A combined investment of $500 million will help governments in developing countries implement proven policies and increase funding for tobacco control. Unless urgent action is taken, as many as one billion people this century—more than two-thirds in the developing world—could die from tobacco-caused illnesses.

Link: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/Announcements/Announce-080723.htm

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Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGsyLkaKaFM

G8 Leaders Agree to $60B To Help Fight Disease in Africa

The Group of Eight leaders on Tuesday set a five-year deadline to provide 60 billion dollars to fight disease in Africa.

The leaders, holding a summit in Japan, also reconfirmed pledges made at its 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to increase aid to Africa by $25 billion by 2010.

Leaders also set a goal of providing 100 million insecticide-treated nets to curb the spread of malaria in developing countries by the end of 2010.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGfhs5CimUwdaQ8bV8t6-kkxlFyA

VRGH 2008 would like to share with you the speech made by Rev. Desmond Tutu, during the 61st WHA in Geneva, 20 may 2008

Reverend Desmond Tutu, Nobel Prize Laureate,

Speech made during the 61st WHA, 20 may 2008.

http://vrgh2008newsgh.blogspot.com/

VRGH Initiative Secretariat would like to bring to your attention the ‘Act Now for Health’ Campaign.

VRGH Initiative Secretariat brings to your attention the ‘Act Now for Health’ Campaign which is a joint initiative launched by Action for Global Health, the Global Movement for Children, Oxfam International, Save the Children UK and World Vision International, whose the main goal is to to get ministers from governments around the world to commit that health must be a priority in 2008.

For further information on this campaign: http://www.actnowforhealth.org/

Massive earthquake in China: The VRGH Initiative deeply concerned.

Following the massive earthquake in Central China which has killed thousands of people in Sichuan Province, the VRGH Initiative expresses its deep concern and shares its hope that those in need of help, notably in terms of healthcare services, will quickly benefit from the national and international emergency action.

The VRGH Initiative expresses its concern after the Cyclone Nargis in Burma

The VRGH Initiative Secretariat would like to express its concern about the situation in Burma after the Cyclone Nargis killed probably more than 30.000 people.

We deeply hope international aid will be able to reach the people in need as soon as possible to avoid critical health situation.

Mama Maria Clinic, Kenya. New E.C member.

The VRGH Initiative is honored to welcome the Mama Maria Clinic, Kenya as a E.C member.

Mama Maria Kenya is a grassroots organization dedicated to providing healthcare to the underserved communities of rural Africa, assisting them further through the development and implementation of sustainable village projects.

http://www.mamamaria.org/index.htm

VRGH 2008 has joined the UN 'Know your rights 2008' Campaign

Since April 22th, the VRGH 2008 Initiative is hounored to join the UN 'Know your Rights' Campaign and then appears on its webpage in the 'Global Projects-associative events' category:

http://www.knowyourrights2008.org/index.php?nav=campaign&key=2007121812535072

The GLOBAL SURVEY will be here
from June 1st, 2008

Please keep it in your agenda !

Please invite your colleagues to become EC members. Send us their names, affiliated institutions and e-mail by using the 'commentaires' function here below, we will contact them.

At the end of this webpage find

the ' Views and Perspectives on Global Health '

provided by the International Experts.

LAUCHING of the VRGH 2008 Initiative in Brussels, April 8th, 2008

On April 8th, the Vital Report on Global Health 2008 Initiative was launched in the European Parliament, in Brussels during the World Health Day, in front of an audience composed by several MEP and Delegates of civil societies who showed their enthusiastic support and involvement for the Initiative.

Presentation of the VRGH 2008

WELCOME to the VRGH 2008

The Initiative for Vital Report on Global Health, VRGH, joined and supervised by dozen’s health experts around the world, was first launched at the World Health Day, April 8th, in the European Parliament, in Brussels.

* What is the main purpose of Vital Report on Global Health?

This Initiative is to conduct a systemic international survey on global health needs and challenges through both public consultations and discussions around the globe, aiming to provide a comprehensive Report in late 2008.

The survey questionnaire will be open to the public through an internet-managed system from June 1st to the end of August 2008.

* Who are the main actors of this initiative?

This initiative rests on three interacting actors who agree to support, supervise, and to help operation of the survey and the report on a volunteer, free, and non-lucrative base.

> The International Experts and the Advisers gathering around 15 members belonging to different institutions (intergovernmental agencies, civil societies, academies or private sector) from around the world (cf. List).

They received the request to advise 10 key items related to global health (for example HIV/AIDS or maternal and child health) in order to elaborate into a questionnaire which will be the base of the survey and the report.

The questionnaire is expected to contain less than 30 questions under the above-mentioned 10 items.

> The Executive Committee (E.C) which will be composed of around 50 members coming from all over the world and belonging to the global health community (NGOs, academics, CEO, health journalists,…) [Cf. List].

The crucial role of the E.C members will rest on several functions:

- To advise composition of the questionnaire and to support the questionnaire

- To help establish the survey questionnaire to a web link on institution’s website

- To promote the survey among their colleagues, patients, members or friends by making the website’s address as visible as possible

- To serve as a supervisor of the good process of the survey, notably in term of geopolitics and economic distribution, to avoid any under-representation

- To inform directly, as a regional representative, those partners on questions related to the survey

- To contribute to the VRGH 2008 Report

> The Partners i.e participants and contributors who will fill the online questionnaire and provide opinions and comments based on their own experience.

* How the VRGH Report will be elaborated?

Once all data are collected, a first analysis, both quantitatively and qualitatively, will be conducted in 2 months by the Secretariat.

Then the analysis will be submitted for review by the International Experts and Advisers, as well as the EC members.
A draft report that will be presented by International Experts and Advisers, as well as the EC members in October 2008 during the planned international workshops.

* When the VRGH Report will be public?

The Report will be finalized on December 1st, 2008, simultaneously presented to the international, national and local medias around the world with the support of AC and EC members. Furthermore, the VRGH will be send to key agencies, including WHO, for reference.

* How to contact the Secretariat of this Initiative?

In order to conduct the necessary administration and technical support related to this Global Project, a Secretariat has been established by :
Prof. Peter Chang, MD and Mr. Vincent Rollet

You can contact them at: vrgh2008@gmail.com

Brussels Secretariat Office: +32 2289 1236 ; Fax:+32 2289 1249