The latest news from RSM Global Health http://www.rsm.ac.uk/innovations/ 23 May 2013

During the past three years, the proportion of Egyptians experiencing food insecurity has risen according to a UN report. Malnutrition has also increased since 2005 with 31% of children under five stunted, which is categorised as in the “high” range of 30-39% by the World Health Organization. The deterioration has been attributed to a succession of crises in the country, both health and financial, and the current ‘challenging macroeconomic context’.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44961&Cr=egypt&Cr1=#.UZ1B67U3t8E 23 May 2013

Recent data collected as part of the global burden of disease study has shown that men experience a higher burden of disease and die younger than women. It has been suggested that perhaps it is gender norms, such as the acceptability in society for men to partake in risk behaviours such as smoking- that are adversely affecting men. Global health policies must ‘mainstream’ gender- which is clearly not just about women- into health policy research and implementation and begin to address poor health outcomes that are due to gender.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)60253-6/fulltext 22 May 2013

In an interview with the Washington Post, Bill Gates discusses the problems faced by rich and poor countries alike when deciding on which health interventions to finance and how best to deliver healthcare. He discusses the way in which data is used to make decisions about how best to allocate finite resources, mentioning in particular the DALY disability-adjusted life year. He also discusses his own personal goal of eradicating polio.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/17/bill-gates-death-is-something-we-really-understand-extremely-well/ 21 May 2013

For the next nine days delegates from 194 countries will meet in Geneva for this year’s World Health Assembly. The issues on this year’s agenda include prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, pandemic influenza preparedness and universal health coverage amongst many others. In addition to coming to a consensus on the policies of the WHO, the new Director General will also be appointed and the year’s budget approved.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2013/wha66/en/index.html 20 May 2013

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released its annual World Health Statistics. Its key finding was that the countries with the poorest health status have made significant progress in improving the health of their populations; narrowing the overall gap between the healthiest countries and the least healthy countries. The report also states that global tuberculosis deaths have fallen since 1990, the baseline year taken in the report. However, it was also found that almost 10% of the world’s population has diabetes, as measured by elevated fasting blood glucose. Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director General of the WHO, has indicated that the global endeavour to achieve Millennium Development Goals has contributed to the improvement in health for people around the world.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2013/world_health_statistics_20130515/en/index.html 16 May 2013

The rate of malnutrition of children in India is almost five times that of China and double that of Sub-Saharan Africa. 60% of India’s children are underweight. Whilst previous programmes addressing this have focussed on providing nutritional supplements to children, the World Bank is supporting the Indian government in restructuring its programme so that supplements are provided for pregnant women as well as children under three years old. It will also educate women about feeding practices and will promote growth monitoring. It is hoped the programme will go some way to breaking the intergenerational cycle of under nutrition.

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/05/13/helping-india-combat-persistently-high-rates-of-malnutrition 15 May 2013

A new report compiled by the WHO and UNICEF has warned that the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the proportion of the population without sanitation will be missed by 8%, or around half a billion people, if current trends continue. The sanitation target is one of the MDGs for which progress has stalled. The global head of UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme described the situation as “an emergency no less horrifying than a massive earthquake or tsunami.”

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44883&Cr=sanitation&Cr1= 14 May 2013

There is great potential for mobile technology to be harnessed in the control and elimination of NTDs. A recent example of innovation in this area has included turning the lens of an iPhone camera into a field microscope to detect intestinal worms (soil transmitted helminths) which reduces the cost of diagnostic testing. Other ways in which mobile technology may be exploited includes informing communities when and where treatments will be provided, sharing information about the causes of infection and how to prevent them, and collecting and reporting data.

http://blog.usaid.gov/2013/05/using-technology-for-sth-control/ 13 May 2013

A lower price for the vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which can cause cervical cancer has been agreed by the GAVI alliance and pharmaceutical companies. This will help increase the numbers of women vaccinated, particularly in developing countries where 85% of deaths due to cervical cancer occur. However, some organisations such as Médecins sans Frontières, believe the price that developing countries have to pay for the vaccine is still too high.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2013/may/09/vaccines-pharmaceuticals-industry 10 May 2013

In its annual State of the World’s Mothers report, the charity Save the Children has found the most dangerous time for a baby is the day the baby is born. 3 million newborn babies die every year, with a third of these dying on the first day of life. According to the report, 98% of newborn deaths occur in developing countries. Save the Children has identified the causes of these deaths - which are mostly preventable - and the interventions that can help to reduce their number. The interventions put forward by Save the Children include investing in training more healthcare workers so that everyone has access to obstetric care.

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/State_of_World_Mothers_2013.pdf 9 May 2013

As part of the second annual Global Road Safety Week, the UN is calling for governments around the world to improve pedestrian safety. More than 270,000 pedestrians are killed on the world’s roads each year - 22% of the total 1.24 million road traffic deaths. Measures advocated by the WHO to protect pedestrians include implementing and enforcing legislation such as speed limits and creating pedestrian zones in city centres. The overall aim is to save 5 million lives, a goal set out in the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.

http://www.who.int/roadsafety/week/2013/en/index.html 7 May 2013

UK researchers are collaborating with the Brazilian ministry of health to learn from their community health worker (CHW) healthcare strategy. In Brazil, lay community health workers are recruited and trained in health promotion and in providing advice on interventions such as immunization and breastfeeding. Each household receives a visit from their CHW once a month. The strategy has led to reduced infant mortality, hospitalizations for chronic diseases and improvement in screening uptake amongst other outcomes. In the UK, pilot projects are currently being planned for North Wales and will further strengthen an emerging health link between Brazil and the UK.

http://www.ttwud.org/casestudy/uk-learning-brazil-community-health-workers-brazilian-family-health-strategy#.UYLKjLU3t8E 3 May 2013

A new law is being proposed which aims to compensate local indigenous people who have shared knowledge about traditional resources with pharmaceutical companies which have then exploited this knowledge for commercial development. A cited example of this is a German pharmaceutical company profiting from a product derived from geranium, traditionally used in South Africa as an antimicrobial. The new law would ensure that local people would be adequately compensated in such a situation and would protect biodiversity allowing for more medical uses of local resources to be developed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/may/01/eu-biopiracy-protect-indigenous-people 2 May 2013

UNICEF has increased vaccination campaigns as a number of measles outbreaks have occurred in the region affected by the conflict in Syria. Since the conflict began 1.4 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt. On average 8,000 Syrians are currently fleeing the country daily according to UNICEF. Large population movements and lack of basic health provision are the factors thought to have contributed to causing the outbreaks.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44792&Cr=syria&Cr1=#.UYAzDrU3t8E 1 May 2013

Food prices have risen significantly in Mali as the continuing conflict there has impaired food security. The UN World Food Programme and USAID are currently distributing food in the country in advance of the upcoming dry season. Last week the UN Security Council approved a peacekeeping operation to take over from the African-led mission in Mali in July which will help facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/apr/29/mali-food-shortages-conflict?CMP=twt_fd 30 April 2013

In advance of next month’s meeting about the Global Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, the WHO’s mental health policy coordinator has discussed the aims of the plan which member states agreed to draw up last year. The plan aims to promote mental health, to promote the human rights of those with mental health conditions and to support those people in accessing other services during their period of treatment.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/mental-health-moves-up-global-agenda/ 26 April 2013

Much progress has been made in combating malaria in the last decade: the WHO estimates that more than 274 million cases and 1.1 million deaths have been averted between 2001 and 2010. However, malaria still causes more than 600,000 deaths annually, mostly in young children. As yet there is no vaccine, but research continues with a phase three clinical trial currently underway. A malaria vaccine, however, would likely not be a replacement for other interventions such as bed nets but would be used in conjunction with these.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development-professionals-network/2013/apr/24/malaria-vaccine-optimism-challenges 25 April 2013

The former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan writes about the significant impact global disease initiatives have made, in particular the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, such that the eradication of the disease is “tantalising within our reach”. The last push will come from redoubled efforts in marginalised communities such as migrants. This will avoid the new outbreaks and financial cost of continuing polio infection and is why continuing efforts to eradicate the disease are so important.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/22/polio-vaccinations-success 23 April 2013

As part of this year’s campaign, the WHO is highlighting the logistical challenges of supplying vaccines to the 22 million children who are still not fully immunized. The WHO and other organisations such as the GAVI Alliance are aiming to strengthen delivery systems which will help to overcome the practical challenges of delivery, such as transporting and storing the vaccines. The WHO is also aiming to better communicate the health benefits of vaccination. More than 1.5 million children under five died in 2011 from diseases that could be prevented by existing vaccines.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2013/world_immunization_week_20130418/en/index.html 22 April 2013

A new report from the World Bank and the IMF- a report card on the progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals - has highlighted the disparity in poverty rates between urban and rural areas. It has cited urbanization as having had a role in effectively reducing poverty; however, the urban poor living in the world’s city slums serve as a reminder that city living does provide some health challenges.

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/04/17/developing-countries-need-to-harness-urbanization-to-achieve-mdgs-imf-world-bank-report 18 April 2013

In countries where the burden of malaria has already been successfully reduced, there is new evidence that it is not women and children who are now at greatest risk of contracting malaria, but men. The men tend to work and sleep outdoors and therefore interventions such as bed nets are unlikely to have a significant effect. There is also new evidence that a different species of the malaria parasite is causing an increasing proportion of malaria cases outside sub-Saharan Africa. New strategies must therefore be developed which better match the changing epidemiology of the disease.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22120936 17 April 2013

2 million children a year could be saved from deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea according to the WHO and UNICEF; after launching a new global action plan which aims to tackle the two biggest causes of child mortality. The target is near-elimination of deaths from both diseases in the under 5s by 2025. The plan outlines ways to tackle these diseases by integrating interventions, which it is thought will provide better outcomes than interventions offered in parallel.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2013/apr/12/vaccines-child-mortality 15 April 2013

As celebrated recently, World Health Day marks the anniversary of the founding of the WHO. Each year a different theme highlights a pressing global health concern. This year the WHO has chosen to campaign about high blood pressure, which affects nearly one in three adults worldwide and is treatable and preventable. The aim of this year’s campaign is to raise awareness of the causes and consequences of high blood pressure - with the overall goal being to reduce the incidences of these consequences - which includes fatal heart attacks and strokes.

http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2013/en/index.html 11 April 2013

The most important barrier to preventing famine early is a lack of political will, according to a report from the think tank Chatham House. This is in part due to prioritisation of domestic and foreign policy over humanitarian needs. Technological advances enabling famines to be more accurately predicted, such as more sophisticated climate and weather models, have not translated into early action.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/apr/09/politics-prevaricate-famine-looms 10 April 2013

The ‘BRICS’ countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have entered into formal negotiations to establish a new development bank. The bank will fund infrastructure and development projects in countries with emerging economies. It could in future become a financial institution with power comparable to the World Bank. For this reason, many would like to see global health issues discussed during the negotiations, else a unique opportunity be missed.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2813%2960781-3/fulltext?elsca1=TW&elsca2=socialmedia 9 April 2013

9 April 2013

Scientists in the US have been able to “map out the arms race of both virus and antibody” as part of research into the interactions between HIV and the immune system. The researchers tracked the progressive mutations in the virus and recorded the process by which the highly effective antibodies evolved in response. It is hoped that recreating the process can provide a blueprint for a HIV vaccine. Globally, there are approximately 34 million people living with HIV.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22002455 5 April 2013

Yesterday the WHO was notified of four new cases of patients infected with influenza A(H7N9) in China. A total of seven cases have been confirmed and there have been two deaths. Currently there is no evidence of ongoing human-to-human transmission, but it is not known how the virus was transmitted. The WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry and has not recommended that any travel or trade restrictions be applied. The Chinese government has increased surveillance and infection control measures.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22016945 4 April 2013

The UN General Assembly has voted in approval of a global arms treaty which aims to prevent weapons from being sold on illicit markets and to impede weapons being acquired by warlords. The treaty asks States to explicitly consider the risk that exportation of arms could facilitate violence against women and children before permitting it. Weapons are now one of the leading causes of death of children and adolescents in many countries.

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_68553.html 3 April 2013

At a UN high level meeting on the post-2015 development agenda in Bali, the UK’s international development secretary Justine Greening has espoused the benefits of private sector engagement in development. Whilst some NGOs are concerned that private sector involvement might exacerbate inequalities, Save the Children’s latest policy briefing supports the private sector having a role in post-2015 development. It is hoped the meeting will go some way to improving global tax laws, ensuring that global corporations pay their fair share of tax.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/mar/26/bali-post-2015-private-sector 27 March 2013

Researchers in the U.S analysed 247 surveys of adult sodium intake - as part of the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases Study - and analysed how the amount of sodium consumed affected the risk of cardiovascular disease. 40% of these deaths occurred in people aged 69 and younger. Heart attacks caused 42% of the deaths and strokes 41%. The remainder resulted from other types of cardiovascular disease. Eighty-four percent of these deaths due to consuming too much sodium were in low and middle-income countries.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/salt-consumption-heart-deaths/ 26 March 2013

A Lancet report published on World TB Day yesterday has warned about the possibility of TB becoming untreatable, due to the emergence of another strain of TB known as XDR-TB (extensively drug resistant tuberculosis). The report stated that, “with the ease of international travel and increased rates of MDR in eastern Europe, central Asia and elsewhere, the threat and range of untreatable tuberculosis is very real."

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/uk-risks-time-bomb-of-untreatable-tb-as-number-of-drugresistant-cases-rises-rapidly-8547108.html 25 March 2013

There are 2.5 billion people without basic sanitation; more people have mobile phones than access to toilets and clean water. The UN Deputy Secretary General describes the issue as “at the heart of ensuring good health, a clean environment and fundamental human dignity for billions of people”. The call to action has included an aim to end open defecation by 2025 estimating it will contribute to a 36 per cent reduction in diarrhoea, which kills three quarters of a million children under five each year.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44452&Cr=sanitation&Cr1=#.UUuIuBzwl8E 22 March 2013

In the UK budget yesterday, the Chancellor announced that the UK will become the first country in the G8 to meet the UN target of spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on aid. Many NGOs welcomed the news as it would mean 'stable, predictable financing’ for development. However many still debate the effectiveness of aid as a means of achieving development and poverty reduction and also question the relevance of the 0.7% target.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/mar/20/uk-aid-spend-important-works?CMP=twt_gu 21 March 2013

The WHO and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria have identified a US$ 1.6 billion shortfall in international funding for treatment and prevention of TB, particularly multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The WHO has highlighted the sluggish 2% decrease in the incidence of TB each year, and has stated that Africa and Europe are not on track to achieve the global target of halving the TB death rate between 1990 and 2015.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2013/tuberculosis_threat_20130318/en/index.html 20 March 2013

We are facing demographic disaster due to overpopulation but why is this important topic rarely discussed, asks Michael Buerk? He also discusses what might be done about this complex issue.

This lecture was filmed at an event called 'The Jephcott Lecture: The people problem; the danger of human sucess' at the Royal Society of Medicine in London.

http://www.rsmvideos.com/videoPlayer/?vid=360&class=videoThumb 18 March 2013

According the UN 2013 Human Development Report, released recently, the number of people in extreme poverty could increase by up to three billion by 2050 unless action is taken to prevent environmental disasters. It also warns that inaction on challenges such as climate change and water pollution could reverse development progress. The title of the report –‘The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World’ reflects what it has found to be unprecedented development improvements for developing countries of the global South.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/mar/14/environmental-threats-extreme-poverty-un 15 March 2013

A report released from the international charity Save the Children has cited evidence detailing the “collapse of childhood” in Syria since the uprising against Assad two years ago. Since then the price of food has increased by 500% and sanitation systems have been destroyed. The report also found that one in three children have been hit, kicked or shot. Overall the violence is affecting 2 million children.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/13/syrian-civil-war-child-victims?INTCMP=SRCH 14 March 2013

At the opening of a high-level international meeting on National Drought Policy Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon has called for countries to work together to minimise the impacts of water scarcity: “No single nation can insulate itself from global shocks. The only way to respond is through cooperation – between countries and among civil society, government and business.” The meeting aims to share drought preparedness measures. Drought is one of the most common causes of severe food shortages, particularly in developing countries.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44339&Cr=water&Cr1=#.UT8Hllb9WW- 12 March 2013

The world’s leading cancer research institutes, including Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US have stated in a paper published this month that a new way forward for cancer research is required so that more people benefit and less expensive treatments are developed. Countries need to come together rather than focus only on the cancers which affect their citizens, and, as stated by Hazel Nunn, head of health and evidence and information at Cancer Research UK, countries must “ensure the scourge of tobacco-related cancers doesn't engulf the poorest countries of the world”.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2013/mar/06/cancer-health 11 March 2013

Ahead of tomorrow’s International Women’s Day, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development Lynne Featherstone blogs about how the UK government is investing in a Violence Against Women and Girls Research and Innovation Fund. Eliminating violence against women is the theme of this years’ UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/lynne-featherstone/domestic-violence-against-women_b_2810488.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=UK 7 March 2013

According to the latest report from the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) there has been an “unprecedented surge” in the abuse of “legal highs” with one new substance appearing every week in Europe alone. The INCB is the independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body for the implementation of the United Nations international drug control conventions. The president of the INCB emphasised the global nature of the problem in the report and reiterated the need to comply with existing international drug control conventions to prevent drug-related trafficking.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44277&Cr=drugs&Cr1=#.UTcVI1b9WW8 6 March 2013

Today the 16th round of negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) begins in Singapore. The TPP is a regional trading bloc consisting of 11 countries including China and the USA. The power imbalance that exists in such regional agreements may exacerbate health inequalities, according to researchers writing in the Lancet. These negotiations are feared to lead to a reduction in access to medicines and a restriction on the ability of governments to implement regulatory policies to tackle the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673613603128 4 March 2013

Public environmental concern amongst is at a twenty year low according to a survey carried out by Canadian researchers GlobeScan. 22,812 people in 22 countries were interviewed. Twelve of these countries have been polled on environmental issues since 1992. The poll asked participants to rate the seriousness of six environmental issues: air pollution, water pollution, species loss, automobile emissions, fresh water shortages and climate change. 51% considered air pollution as “very serious” which is the lowest percentage of reported serious concern since the first survey in 1992. This is despite the impact environmental issues such as air quality can have on human health.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/28/public-concern-environment 1 March 2013

In a speech to delegates yesterday at the Global MDG Conference, held in Bogota, Columbia, the UN Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark warned that inequality was a significant problem that has “stood in the way” of reaching the targets. With less than 1000 days before the 2015 deadline, Helen Clark has emphasised that despite the remarkable progress that has been made, countries should focus on the goals where less progress has been made, such as the goal to reduce maternal mortality. Today is the second and final day of the conference.

28 February 2013

Up to 5 million children up to the age of 14 will be vaccinated in Rwanda against both measles and rubella as part of a three day campaign starting in March. Rwanda’s successful measles vaccination campaign saw more than 90% of Rwandan children vaccinated against measles in 2011. Rwanda will be the first country in Africa to introduce the more expensive dual vaccine

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/health/after-measles-success-rwanda-to-get-rubella-vaccine.html?_r=1& 27 February 2013

Russia’s President signed the law on Saturday, which will come into effect on June 1st. Smoking will be banned in public places such as subways and schools and a ban on smoking in places such as restaurants and cafes will be brought in a year later. Cigarette sales, advertising and sponsorship of events by tobacco companies will also be restricted. Russia has one of the highest proportions of people who say they are regular smokers. It is hoped the legislation will improve public health and economic productivity.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/us-russia-smoking-idUKBRE91O0MW20130225 26 February 2013

The WHO has been informed of 13 cases of novel coronavirus so far including 7 deaths. It is a virus which, based on current clinical evidence, presents as pneumonia. The WHO continues with its monitoring whilst encouraging its member states to be vigilant. Other countries which have so far been affected include Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_02_21/en/index.html 25 February 2013

At a ministerial meeting this week the Director General of the WHO Dr. Margaret Chan spoke of the progresses and the challenges facing countries aspiring to universal healthcare coverage, including rising healthcare costs. Dr. Chan emphasised that “universal care provides a solid platform for tackling all health problems, for reaching all health goals, in a fair, integrated, and efficient way”. It was stated that each country must choose its own way of achieving universal coverage hand in hand with a primary health approach.

http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2013/universal_health_coverage/en/ 21 February 2013

A representative from the UN Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) has stated that conflict and instability in the Central African Republic has left land unprepared for the growing season this year. The renewed fighting has also impeded trade leading to increased food prices. A representative from the World Food Programme is also calling for humanitarian access to avoid a crisis.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44157&Cr=central+african+republic&Cr1=#.USC7O6XQDE2 18 February 2013

A new TV series is to be launched in Ghana with the aim of highlighting the reasons why many women are still dying in childbirth. Ghana is unlikely to meet its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing maternal deaths by 75%, from 560 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2003 to 185 in 2015. If current trends continue, the expected number is 340 per 100,000. The TV series will encompass documentaries following the lives of women across the country in addition to studio discussions and special reports.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/feb/13/ghana-tv-maternal-health 15 February 2013

Access to essential medicines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low and middle income countries is a significant global health problem that was addressed by the UN in a political declaration in 2011. In the Lancet’s series on NCDs, specific measures are outlined which will help improve access to medicines. The lessons learned from extending access to lifesaving HIV medication are emphasised, as well as the need for an NCD specific approach.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2812%2962128-X/abstract 14 February 2013

As governments around the world start to take note of how our environment affects our health, join a panel of experts discuss the impact that city living has on your heart tomorrow at 11.30 am via the Guardian. This issue has become increasingly pertinent, with Beijing’s inhabitants experiencing historic levels of air pollution and other cities such as New York experiencing increases in life expectancy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/heart-healthy-cities-live-discussion 13 February 2013

New research by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has found that the growth in levels of global health spending seen since 1990 stopped in 2011 as spending decreased. But what the IMHE described as a ‘stagnation’ of funds has not been equal across all donors, with funding by bilateral donors decreasing and that of the multilateral GAVI alliance significantly increasing.

http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/sites/default/files/policy_report/2011/FGH_2012_overview_IHME.pdf 12 February 2013

Yesterday saw the main bathing day during the the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu religious festival held in India every three years and dubbed the ‘biggest gathering on Earth’. A team of U.S researchers are collecting data from five nearby hospitals with the aim of carrying out health surveillance which could help health care providers plan for future mass gatherings as well as provide a large data set for future public health researchers.

http://southasiainstitute.harvard.edu/website/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mapping-the-Kumbh-Mela-Press-Release-1.31.131.pdf 11 February 2013

In recent decades Rwanda has gone from being one of the poorest nations in the world to being the only sub-Saharan African country to be on track for meeting the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. Its success, such as the stark reductions in the maternal mortality ratio and the probability that a child dies by the age of 5, could be emulated in other developing nations, according to Dr. Paul Farmer, writing in the BMJ.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/science/rwandas-health-care-success-story.html?_r=2& 8 February 2013

In the fight against infectious diseases, the pursuit of a more effective vaccination against TB is a significant research avenue. The results published from the latest clinical trial show little evidence of efficacy in preventing Tuberculosis or infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in infants who had previously received the BCG vaccination. It is acknowledged, however, that further research needs to be conducted to fully interpret these findings.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)60177-4/abstract 7 February 2013

In the Foundation’s annual letter, the importance of measurement and how setting goals can drive progress in global health is emphasised. One of the Foundation’s primary goals is polio eradication. The letter outlines the progress toward achieving this goal, in addition to the obstacles to eradication faced, particularly in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

http://annualletter.gatesfoundation.org/2013.aspx?loc=en#nav=intro 5 February 2013

In time for World Cancer Day, the WHO highlights the difference between countries’ abilities to prevent and manage cancer, estimating that 50% of countries are unprepared. Approximately 70% of cancer deaths occur in low and middle income countries.

http://blogs.plos.org/globalhealth/2013/02/01/wcd_13/ 4 February 2013

The grave health threats facing civilians and refugees fleeing fighting in two Southern states of Sudan are reported.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)60118-X/fulltext 1 February 2013

As the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals approaches, the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee publishes a report on post- 2015 development goals, with consequences for global health.

http://ht.ly/h18G2 31 January 2013

A year ago today politicians and representatives from pharmaceutical companies and global health organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation united at the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) to make a commitment to combating ten NTDs by the end of this decade. This year the first annual progress report was released.

http://www.unitingtocombatntds.org/reports/promises-to-progress-EN.pdf 30 January 2013

Ambitious plans to eradicate malaria involve tackling the disease on all fronts, as Professor Hilary Hurd, of Keele University's School of Life Sciences, explains…

Malaria has been a scourge of mankind since prehistory. The introduction of a quinine-based herbal remedy into Europe in the early 17th Century marked the beginning of effective treatment methods, but not until the 1880s, when Ronald Ross demonstrated that the disease was transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes, were disease prevention methods based on vector control employed. Malaria was finally eliminated from southern Europe in the 1950s, however the challenging goal of global malaria eradication was soon abandoned in favour of one of control. A recent revival of this ambitious goal has imbued the malaria research community with optimism, but the task is still immense.

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/article.asp?publication=UK%20Science%20and%20Technology&id=600&content_name=Health&article=21668 29 January 2013

Today in the United Arab Emirates health representatives from the Eastern Mediterranean region - which includes the ten priority countries identified under the WHO Secretary General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health - are meeting to discuss ways to accelerate progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

http://www.emro.who.int/about-who/mothers-and-children/ 29 January 2013

Last week saw the launch of the ‘Enough food for Everyone IF’ campaign to end world hunger, supported by more than 100 aid organisations. The Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening discusses tackling tax evasion and avoidance as one way to ensure countries receive greater incomes to feed their populations.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/we-can-help-poorer-countries-by-tackling-tax-evasion-and-avoidance-8468506.html 28 January 2013

World Cancer Day 2013 will focus on Target 5 of the World Cancer Declaration by dispelling damaging myths and misconceptions about cancer.

http://www.worldcancerday.org/ 28 January 2013

http:// 28 January 2013

Two systematic reviews have found little evidence that mobile phone technology is effective at managing disease in low- and middle-income countries

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/jan/16/mobile-phones-health-challenges-poor-countries?CMP=twt_fd 17 January 2013

I sought to complement my Global Health BSc with some on-the-ground experience. Throughout the BSc, I was very fortunate to devote some time to an empirical-evidence-based approach towards Global Health and sought to infuse that study with some experience in the field by way of an elective in Tanzania. Owing to my pre-existing interest in Paediatrics and HIV, I applied to undertake an elective at the Muhimbili National Hospital to explore the interface between these two and specifically the health of children affected by HIV and malnutrition. I was specifically interest in the on-the-ground implementation and uptake of initiatives such as Test and Treat and the availability of HAART.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/award-winner-2012.php 15 January 2013

During the past decade, a concerted effort by endemic countries, donors and global malaria partners led to strengthened malaria control around the world. The scale-up of malaria prevention and control interventions had the greatest impact in countries with high malaria transmission; 58% of the 1.1 million lives saved during this period were in the ten highest burden countries.

http://reliefweb.int/report/world/world-malaria-report-2012 18 December 2012

MSF Scientific Day: Call for abstracts
MSF has issued a call for abstracts for posters and oral presentations for the 2013 Scientific Day. The deadline for abstract submission is 19th February 2013. Follow the link for information about how to submit an abstract.

http://www.msf.org.uk/Scientific_Day.aspx 11 December 2012

Congratulations to this year’s winner Miss Emma Firth from Sheffield University for her elective report from Australasia.

Thanks to everyone who submitted an essay and shared their elective experiences! There were a total of 28 submissions from 18 universities. The judges were extremely impressed with the quality of the essays as well as the Facebook activity generated by the reports.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/elective_reports.php?report=8 5 December 2012

On 22 November, The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation decided to confer this year’s Prince Mahidol Award in the field of medicine to RSM President Sir Michael Rawlins. In the field of public health, the award is conferred to Dr. Uche Veronica Amazigo of Nigeria, Former Director of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) of the WHO. There were a total of 75 nominations from 34 countries. Each year, the Foundation confers two Prince Mahidol Awards upon individuals or institutions which have demonstrated outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of the world’s medical and public health services.

http://www.princemahidolaward.org/display-news.en.php?id=2012-11-22%2019:17:13 27 November 2012

See the latest response to the JRSM short report 'Negative health system effects of Global Fund's investments in AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria from 2002 to 2009: systematic review'

http://shortreports.rsmjournals.com/content/3/10/70.full/reply#rsmshorts_el_177 21 November 2012

Anticipated changes in sexual risk behaviour following vaccination with a low-efficacy HIV vaccine: survey results from a South African township.

http://ijsa.rsmjournals.com/content/23/10/736.full 9 November 2012

An evaluation of the scientific evidence on the effects of global health initiatives on the health systems of developing countries concludes that the harmful effects have been exaggerated. The systematic review found that much of the research literature did not fulfil the requirements of rigorous scientific evidence. Published today by JRSM Short Reports, the review focused on negative health system effects because these have been a source of criticism for global health initiatives and if true, have important implications for policy-makers. Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money are channelled as aid through these initiatives.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr308.php 24 October 2012

Nearly 450 million people have mental health disorders and more than three-quarters live in developing countries.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), eight in every 10 of those living in developing nations receive no treatment at all.

Many are the survivors of infectious diseases, natural disasters and war.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19883226 10 October 2012

Pakistan is set to become the first country in south Asia to introduce the pneumococcal vaccine to protect children against pneumonia, one of the biggest killers of children under five in the developing world.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/09/pakistan-pneumonia-vaccine-child-deaths?intcmp=122 9 October 2012

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine are working along the Thai-Cambodian border: the 'epicentre' of resistance to artemisinin combination therapy - the newest, and so far most effective, treatment for malaria. Dr Shunmay Yeung talks about the importance of collecting scientific data rigorously to document what is happening - not only for the benefit of Cambodians but for the good of other countries facing similar threats.

http://vimeo.com/50298965 2 October 2012

One in four people in Africa infected with the strain died.

It is thought to be the first time a single strain of an infection has spread so widely in the wake of HIV.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19727630 1 October 2012

The KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH) will open a 40,000 square feet research building in Durban, South Africa, next month (October) — the latest example of a trend of pouring investment into fighting Africa's HIV epidemic, according to experts.

http://www.scidev.net/en/health/news/south-africa-to-open-us-8-million-hiv-tb-facility.html 27 September 2012

The organisations awarded funding through the Health Partnership Scheme to improve the maintenance and management of medical equipment across five countries in sub-Saharan Africa were announced today by Lord Nigel Crisp at the International Conference on Appropriate Healthcare Technologies for Developing Countries hosted by the Institute of Engineering & Technology (IET).

http://www.thet.org/hps/news/thet-launches-medical-equipment-programme 20 September 2012

Rachel Adams is the winner of the photography competition organised by THET. Rachel submitted a photo entitled: "Comparing traditional and modern sexual health education techniques in Mtwara, Tanzania". She took the photo while volunteering with the Partnerships London Mtwara (PaLM), a link between professionals and students in London and Southern Tanzania.

11 September 2012

EuWHO is a simulation of a WHO World Health Assembly. Delegates discuss health issues from the point of view of designated UN member states or NGOs in regional and plenary sessions. The event is a rare and exciting opportunity for students and junior professionals to develop public speaking skills, discuss key issues in global health and contribute to a written declaration that will be submitted to the WHO in Geneva. You will meet students from across the world and we have organised a social programme alongside the meeting. The focus for this simulation will be "Population and reproductive health: Addressing the unmet need".

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/euwho/index.htm 11 September 2012

Weaknesses in South Africa's public health system have been cited as being among the reasons tuberculosis has increased four-fold in the past 15 years. Addressing the country's failure to control and cure TB, Veloshnee Govender of the University of Cape Town's health economics unit told a major conference on poverty alleviation that there has been a 400% increase in TB incidence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/sep/10/tuberculosis-south-africa-weak-public-health?CMP=twt_gu 10 September 2012

The cost of a highly accurate, rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) has been reduced by 40% under a new agreement between the US government, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the health financing mechanism, Unitaid.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/aug/29/price-cut-tuberculosis-developing-world?CMP=twt_fd 29 August 2012

The parasitic infection, which has sickened millions, mostly in Asia and Africa, is on the verge of being done in not by sophisticated medicine but by aggressive public health efforts in some of the poorest and most remote parts of the world.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/guinea-worm-is-poised-to-become-the-second-human-disease-to-be-eradicated/2012/08/27/6b3452f4-dbdc-11e1-af1d-753c613ff6d8_story.html 28 August 2012

In November 2011 the HIV Modelling Consortium held a meeting in South Africa to focus on the cross-cutting issues of the impact of new scientific findings about HIV treatment preventing new infections. The group considered the feasibility of interventions, potential epidemiological impact, affordability, and new scientific observational studies and community trials. The nine reviews and one research article which comprise this collection arose from that meeting and provide insights into the factors which will support evidence-based decision-making in HIV prevention, with a focus on the use of antiretroviral treatment to prevent HIV transmission.

The collection is produced with support from the HIV Modelling Consortium, which was funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Collection Editor is Dr. Kamran Abbasi, and the Academic Editors are Dr. John Bartlett and Dr. David R. Bangsberg.

www.ploscollections.org/downloads/PLOS_Medicine_TasP2012_collection.pdf 22 August 2012

To investigate these causes international researchers led by Dr Tanya Marchant analysed data on 4,843 live births from studies in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. They found that overall, 9% of babies were low birth weight, 4% were premature, and 20% were small for gestational age.

http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2012/increased_risk_of_death_among_premature_and_small_babies_in_east_africa.html 15 August 2012

In sharp contrast to the situation in developed countries, infectious diseases in resource-poor settings are still a major cause of maternal, fetal, and newborn morbidity. In developed countries, screening for certain bacteria during the later stages of pregnancy (group B streptococcus, Escherichia coli) has improved the early detection and treatment of infection and decreased mother to child transmission, thereby reducing both child morbidity and mortality.

http://www.isglobal.org/en/web/guest/project/-/asset_publisher/qf6QOKuKkIC3/content/bacterial-infections-in-pregnant-women-and-newborns-in-mozambique-and-morocco 13 August 2012

Malaria is one of the world's biggest killers, but now scientists in Australia say they have made a breakthrough which could lead to a malaria vaccine.

They have discovered that some people in Kenya who contract the disease and recover, develop an immunity against subsequent attacks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19126303 9 August 2012

Dr Omar Saleh, a surgeon working for the World Health Organization, says many of his patients had never seen a doctor before he and his team arrive.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-19060390 3 August 2012

Fourteen people have now died since the outbreak began in western Uganda three weeks ago, he said in a broadcast.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19048998 30 July 2012

The researchers, from the World Health Organization (WHO) and University College London (UCL) found the most rapid increase in drug resistance occurred in East Africa, at 29% per year. In Southern Africa, it was 14% per year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18924648 23 July 2012

Farmer is Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard, chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and UN Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti under UN Special Envoy for Haiti Bill Clinton. He spoke about “Global Health Equity and the Challenges of Unequal Modernity” in the first installment of HSPH’s Hot Topics summer lecture series.

http://ht.ly/cnur4 20 July 2012

In an analysis of 25 years' worth of data from 50 981 women at antenatal clinics at the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, researchers found that the number of deaths from Plasmodium falciparum malaria fell from an estimated 1000 deaths per 100 000 pregnant women before the introduction of screening to zero in 2005.

http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2012/WTVM055928.htm 19 July 2012

The Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance (MESA) has released a call for proposals with the objective of funding research projects. Researchers are invited to apply for grants until Aug 21st 2012. Building on the Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA) and in collaboration with the community, MESA monitors progress and catalyses research critical for understanding the science of malaria eradication.

http://www.isglobal.org/en/web/guest/new/-/asset_publisher/JZ9fGljXnWpI/content/la-alianza-cientifica-para-la-erradicacion-de-la-malaria-mesa-lanza-una-convocatoria-de-ayudas 13 July 2012

'Art in Global Health' has set up six artist residencies in six Wellcome Trust-funded research centres as a way of teasing out some of the more personal, philosophical, cultural and political dimensions of health research. This exciting project is born out of Wellcome Collection’s desire to engage the curious public globally with the health research that the Trust funds – in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and the UK.

http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/art-in-global-health.aspx 11 July 2012

GENEVA, 6 July 2012 — For the second year in a row, an additional 1.1 million people in sub-Saharan Africa received antiretroviral therapy, reaching a total of 6.2 million people across the region in 2011. In less than a decade, access to HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa has increased more than 100-fold.

http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2012/july/20120706prafricatreatment/ 10 July 2012

The accomplishments of 2011 illustrate the many contributions and value added by the Alliance over the past years, and are intrinsically linked to the contributions of more than 300 member and partner organizations that, together, constitute the global network of the Alliance.

http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/knowledge/resources/annualreport2011/en/index.html 6 July 2012

The one important outcome of the Rio+20 summit was the agreement to develop a new set of goals to succeed the millennium development goals (MDGs) in 2015.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jul/03/sustainable-development-goals-un-approach?intcmp=122 3 July 2012

The modified Anopheles stephensi mosquito — one of 30–40 mosquito species that commonly transmit malaria — releases antibodies that either kill or stall the development of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite which causes the most severe form of malaria in humans.

http://www.scidev.net/en/science-and-innovation-policy/r-d/news/scientists-design-malaria-resistant-gm-mosquito.html#.T-xhw-KgSZg.twitter 28 June 2012

Professor Parveen Kumar, the RSM President, visited Liberia in October 2010 and as a result of the visit and the shocking conditions she witnessed, launched an appeal which raised enough funds for a new maternal health clinic to be run by the charity Merlin. We now have news that work on the construction of the foundations and superstructure will begin shortly following the selection of contractor, completion of an adjacent staff house and engaging the local community who have cleared the ground for the building. If all goes well then the building will be completed and formally handed over to the County Health Team by the end of August.

http:// 27 June 2012

Research published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine raises further questions about a trial of HPV vaccines in India.

The trial, which has now been halted and is the subject of an investigation by the Indian government, was examining the safety and feasibility of offering a vaccine against the virus associated with cervical cancer.

The new study by researchers at Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Edinburgh suggests that lack of data on cervical cancer in India does not support a trial of the vaccine to prevent the disease.

http://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/smd/77823.html 26 June 2012

For some years, point-of-care tests (POCTs) have been available as an alternative to rapid plasma reagin (RPR) testing for syphilis. Unlike RPR, POCTs do not require specialist training or laboratory equipment, and results are available immediately, allowing swift treatment and ending the need for patients to return to the clinic to get test results.

http://www.scidev.net/en/science-and-innovation-policy/gender/news/countries-rush-rapid-maternal-syphilis-tests-into-service.html 22 June 2012

May 18, 2012 – Chicago, IL – Successful multi-sector global health programs engage partners and policymakers early, communicate openly and frequently with relevant stakeholders, and empower and involve communities, according to a website relaunched this week, Case Studies for Global Health, www.casestudiesforglobalhealth.org.
The site provides a searchable collection of case studies, which illustrate that meaningful and lasting progress in addressing global health challenges cannot be achieved without these partnerships and collaborations.

http://www.globalhealthprogress.org/case-studies-focus-role-multi-sector-collaborations-address-global-health-challenges 18 June 2012

CBM is part of a global initiative to make clubfoot treatment available worldwide. CBM consultant surgeon Steve Mannion talks about his orthopaedic work overseas; specifically clubfoot treatment.
Steve Mannion MA Mchir DTM&H DMCC FRCS (Tr & Orth) Hon. Fellow RSM is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with CBM. Steve promotes the use of the Ponseti method – a manipulative, rather than surgical, technique that can be used to treat clubfoot in young children.

The programme will air on BBC Radio 4 again on the 14th June at 3:27 PM.

http://www.cbmuk.org.uk/radio4 11 June 2012

A slim but substantial swathe of Africa stands to gain from a new strategy in malaria control. Pre-emptive treatment of children living in regions where the mosquito-transmitted disease is prevalent only during the rainy season could avert 11 million cases and 50,000 deaths a year.

http://www.nature.com/news/mapping-identifies-best-targets-for-malaria-prevention-1.10781 7 June 2012

Reshaping Global Health
by Mark Dybul; Peter Piot; and Julio Frenk

Movement along the arc of development has been propelled by new worldviews and the creation of institutions to respond to them. In the 19th and 20th centuries, development efforts evolved from colonial expansion to missionary zeal, the aftermath of two world wars, the Cold War, economic self-interest, and postcolonial guilt. Numerous private and public organizations were created to respond to shifting demands, including multilateral and bilateral organizations wholly or partially dedicated to global health.

http://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/118116 6 June 2012

57 countries are considered by the World Health Organisation to have critical health worker shortages, which means that they have fewer than the recommended 23 health workers per 10,000 people.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-health-workers/interactive/infographic-mortatlity-rates-health-workers-uk-us-worlld?CMP=twt_gu 1 June 2012

This year, the MSF Scientific Day took place on 25th May at our premises and was live-streamed for the first time. You can now watch videos from all presentations.

http://www.msf.org.uk/Scientific_Day.aspx 31 May 2012

Call for Abstracts

The Royal Society of Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, National Heart Forum, and The Lancet invite abstract submissions for oral or poster presentations at Public Health Science: A national conference dedicated to new research in public health to be held on Friday 23 November 2012, at the Royal Society of Medicine, London.

The peer-review process will be organised by The Lancet. Accepted abstracts will be published in a booklet and on The Lancet's website.

Submission deadline: Friday 6 July 2012

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/epd01.php 30 May 2012

The Sixty-fifth session of the World Health Assembly is taking place in Geneva during 21–26 May 2012. At this session, the Health Assembly will discuss a number of public health issues such as universal health coverage, Millennium Development Goals, noncommunicable diseases, mental disorders, nutrition and adolescent pregnancy.

The nomination of Dr Margaret Chan to be WHO Director-General for a second term will be submitted for approval.

The Health Assembly will also discuss the programme budget, administration and management matters of WHO.

http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA65/A65_1-en.pdf 21 May 2012

Clinical trials are underway to test a new treatment for pregnant women, which could tackle some of the leading preventable causes of death for babies in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have

Each year an estimated 25 million women in sub-Saharan Africa are at high risk of malaria infection during pregnancy, the study said. Malarial infection heightens the risk of miscarriage, still births, or premature birth and death.

http://blogs.reuters.com/the-human-impact/2012/05/15/researchers-hope-to-reduce-sub-saharan-africa-newborn-deaths/ 16 May 2012

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has boosted its coffers and will resume funding new grants following the launch of a management overhaul prompted by a slowdown in donations and past disclosures of some misused grant money.

The Geneva-based organization, one of the world's biggest financiers of programs to combat the three infectious diseases, also has cut its work force 7.3% and reorganized to dedicate 75% of its staff to managing grants, up from 40% before the reorganization.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304203604577393732617886576.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet 10 May 2012

In Ethiopia, a lack of awareness of the importance of skilled hospital deliveries, cultural beliefs and transport challenges in rural areas are causing a high number of deaths during childbirth, say officials. Only 10% of deliveries take place within health facilities, according to the Ethiopia's latest demographic health survey results. Nevertheless, the figure is a significant improvement on 6% in the previous survey, in 2005.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/may/05/ethiopia-deaths-childbirth-women-healthcare?intcmp=122 8 May 2012

The exhibition is open to the public and takes place in the Auchi Foyer until the end of June.

The images were commissioned by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and their display here is supported by the Palliative Care Section of the Royal Society of Medicine. Names have been changed where necessary within the exhibit.

THE DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES MEMORIAL FUND

The Fund has been a leading donor and advocate for palliative care in sub-Saharan Africa since 2001, committing more than £13 million towards integrating palliative care into national health systems and ensuring it is available to all those with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-limiting illnesses who need it.

NADIA BETTEGA

Nadia Bettega is a freelance reportage/portrait photographer with a strong interest in community participation.

In addition to this work, Nadia has recently completed commissions for Art on the Underground and The British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) and the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). She is now working on a project, funded by the Arts Council, exploring of attitudes and experiences of death and palliative care in communities across Britain. For more information please visit www.nadiabettega.com.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/plc05.php 2 May 2012

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/plc05.php 2 May 2012

A team from the University of Southampton has developed an in-service midwifery training programme.

It was appointed by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to design a comprehensive midwifery training programme for the newly developed Ministry of Health, Government of South Sudan.

http://www.rcm.org.uk/midwives/news/uk-training-for-south-sudan-midwives/ 26 April 2012

This year’s world malaria day has the global theme: Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria. This message could not come at a better time. The global effort to tackle malaria has picked up pace in recent years and impressive achievements in reducing the impact of malaria on some of the world’s poorest people have been made. Since 2000, malaria deaths - mostly among young children - are estimated to have fallen by 20 percent. But this impetus must be maintained or there is a very serious risk of these gains being lost.

On this World Malaria Day 2012, Malaria Consortium would like to celebrate those who have helped bring about the fall in the number of malaria deaths, particularly among young children in Africa.

http://www.malariaconsortium.org/news-centre/world-malaria-day-2012.htm 24 April 2012

In the current financial and political climate, it is brave — some might say foolhardy — to propose a binding international treaty on the funding and coordination of research into health problems facing the developing world.
Nevertheless this is what the World Health Assembly (WHA), the body responsible for the policies of the WHO, is being asked to consider at its annual meeting in Geneva next month (21–26 May).

http://www.scidev.net/en/health/editorials/we-need-a-global-treaty-on-health-research-for-the-poor-1.html 23 April 2012

The Global Health Film Club presents the award-winning documentary "Mother: Caring for 7 Billion", a film that brings to light an issue that silently fuels our most pressing environmental, humanitarian and social crises - population growth. In 2011 the world population reached 7 billion, a startling seven-fold increase since the first billion occurred 200 years ago.

6.00 pm Registration

6.30 pm Film Screening

7.40 pm Chaired discussion
(Panellists include author Lionel Shriver and Dr Rip Hayes)

8.20 pm Networking reception

***This screening is organised in association with Population Matters. Please visit populationmatters.org for more information***

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/ghc07.php 13 April 2012

THET is pleased to announce a call for applications for Medium Paired Institutional Medical Equipment Grants as part of the Health Partnership Scheme (HPS).

Medical Equipment Grant funding is available for clearly defined projects run by institutional partnerships where the ultimate goal is to improve the state of medical equipment. These grants are not intended to fund the provision of medical equipment. They are designed to increase the capacity of developing countries to maintain and manage existing equipment through skills transfer and capacity development of maintenance staff, clinical staff and administrators.

http://www.thet.org/hps/news/call-for-applications-for-medium-paired-institutional-medical-equipment-grants 10 April 2012

Saturday 7 April marks the WHO's World Health Day in 2012. This year's topic is "Ageing and Health" with the theme "Good health adds life to years". The focus is how good health throughout life can help older men and women lead full and productive lives and be a resource for their families and communities. Ageing concerns each and every one of us – whether young or old, male or female, rich or poor – no matter where we live.

http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/ 2 April 2012

World TB Day raises awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease. One-third of the world's population is currently infected with TB. The Stop TB Partnership, a network of organizations and countries fighting TB, organizes the Day to highlight the scope of the disease and how to prevent and cure it.

http://www.stoptb.org/news/stories/2012/ns12_027.asp 23 March 2012

A two day conference organised by the Royal Society of Medicine in association with the Royal Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH.

We are delighted to announce that HRH The Princess Royal will be attending this conference.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/evc07.php 16 March 2012

The 10 shortlisted essays were carefully reviewed by the RSM Global Health Steering Group which includes RSM President Professor Parveen Kumar, RSM Dean Professor John Betteridge and RSM Lead for Global Health, Mr B. Sethia.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/award.php 15 March 2012

Professor Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, told the Today programme's Justin Webb that, due to lack of funding and research, dementia could be "the next global health time bomb".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9703000/9703264.stm 7 March 2012

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world's nations achieved a U.N. goal of cutting in half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water five years ahead of the 2015 target, the United Nations announced Tuesday.

A report issued by the U.N. children's agency and the World Health Organization said over 2 billion people gained access to safe drinking water between 1990 and 2010.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5igd18-ifJ1PZWM5wQEahkQIuFYhQ?docId=296c00f6850847c3b89f2dbec6205f8c 6 March 2012

QUESTION: What are the challenges of being HIV positive in this part of the world?
ANSWER: Stigma and discrimination toward HIV/Aids, coupled with the challenges associated with operating in resource-limited settings, are setbacks to ensuring universal provision as well as uptake of effective HIV preventive and treatment services.

http://thecitizen.co.tz/business/-/20255-hiv-free-generation-efforts-gaining-tempo 5 March 2012

It was a much-anticipated moment. Weeks after India marked 12 months in which no Indian child had been paralyzed by polio, the World Health Organization notified the national authorities on 25 February that India was officially removed from the list of countries with active transmission of endemic polio. India’s success leaves only three countries remaining polio-endemic - meaning they have never stopped indigenous wild poliovirus transmission: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.

http://www.polioeradication.org/tabid/461/iid/201/Default.aspx 2 March 2012

Whoever invented the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” must have been thinking of typhoid fever. With the exception of a few hardy travellers, the disease has dropped out of sight and out of mind in the rich countries of the world. Gone are the days when the disease decimated armies and rampaged through the filthy streets of 19th century London, New York, and other large cities of the western world, taking the lives of rich and poor alike. Today, it is the poor, the poorest of the poor, living in the slums of the developing world, who bear the full brunt of the mortality and morbidity—216 000 deaths and about 21 million cases a year—wrought by Salmonella typhi.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2812%2960294-3/fulltext 28 February 2012

Across many malaria-endemic areas in rural Africa, health systems are weak, infrastructure is poor, and poverty is widespread. Traditionally, the communication gap between managers of health services, health workers at the periphery, and the patient population they serve has been a barrier to efficient service delivery. This gap, however, has the potential to be bridged through the rapid expansion of mobile network coverage, availability of inexpensive handsets, and decreasing costs of mobile phone services.

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001176 24 February 2012

About Action For Global Health:
AFGH is a broad European network of NGOs advocating for Europe to play a more proactive role in enabling developing countries to meet the Health Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Countries which have suffered, or are still suffering, from severe crises, need to re-establish destroyed infrastructure and systems. Human resources are a critical part of this at all levels. As well as doctors, mid level health care providers such as nurses and midwives, health managers, and community health workers are needed to make vital
contributions. Too often however, health workers are underemphasised in current investments.

http://www.actionforglobalhealth.eu/fileadmin/AfGH_Intranet/United_Kingdom/Publications/AFGH_Health_Works_4pp_A4__2_.pdf 22 February 2012

THET is pleased to announce a call for applications for Start-up Grants.
The grants form part of the Health Partnership Scheme (HPS) which is a four-year programme that funds health partnerships to carry out training and capacity-building projects in low-income countries. The Scheme is funded by the UK Department for International Development. It is managed by THET in a consortium with HLSP to deliver the programme.

What are Health Partnerships?
Health Partnerships (or “Health Links”) are formalised voluntary partnerships between health institutions in developing countries and their counterparts in the UK. They can support a wide variety of activities to help strengthen the training of health staff and enhance the capacity of health systems in developing countries. Partnerships also benefit the UK partners, developing skills and increasing understanding of global health issues.

http://www.thet.org/hps/news/call-for-applications-for-start-up-grants-under-the-health-partnership-scheme 15 February 2012

The BMA International Department runs the BMA Humanitarian Fund which offers grants of up to £3,000 for projects taking place in developing countries.

Projects must offer clear health benefits to the local population, must involve at least one current NHS employee and should have a sustainable impact. The grants will cover incidental costs such as travel and accommodation only (not equipment or drugs).

Who can apply?

Any current NHS employee who is planning to participate or run a project taking place between May 2012 - May 2013 can apply for funding.

http://www.bma.org.uk/international/international_development/charitable/humanitarianfund.jsp 14 February 2012

Madan Keshav, a shy 11-year-old, looks tired as he waits for the optometrist to examine his eyes. He says he and his father travelled by bus for two hours to reach the LV Prasad Eye Institute's (LVPEI) hospital in Mudhol, a tiny village in southern India. He perks up a little when he is asked to read aloud from the eye chart.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/feb/08/india-tiered-pricing-combat-blindness?intcmp=122 8 February 2012

At Davos last week, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria received an unexpected birthday gift from Bill Gates in the form of a $750m "promissory note" to help shore up its faltering finances.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/feb/02/future-global-fund-aids-tb-malaria?intcmp=122 2 February 2012

At Davos last week, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria received an unexpected birthday gift from Bill Gates in the form of a $750m "promissory note" to help shore up its faltering finances.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/feb/02/future-global-fund-aids-tb-malaria?intcmp=122 2 February 2012

Over the last decade, West Africa has made encouraging progress. Violent conflicts that had blighted the region for many years have been ended. There have been real advances in development, health and education. Economic growth is accelerating. Democratic practice, although still not the norm everywhere in the region, is taking root.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/29/kofi-annan-drugs-west-africa 30 January 2012

Research led by scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has exploited a revolutionary genetic technique to discover how human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) drugs target the parasite which causes the disease. The new knowledge could help lead to the development of better treatments for the tens of thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa who are affected each year.

http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/genetic_screens_bring_new_hope_for_tackling_sleeping_sickness.html 26 January 2012

In a study published in 'Malaria Journal', a multinational team of researchers from the Malaria Atlas Project (MAP), funded mainly by the Wellcome Trust, present the results of a two-year effort to assemble all available data worldwide on the risk of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the most deadly form of the disease. Using computer modelling and data on climate and human populations, they have revealed the complex landscape of malaria across the globe. The maps build on the first ever Atlas of Malaria-Eliminating Countries published earlier this year.

http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2012/WTVM054208.htm 24 January 2012

The Red Cross is carrying out assessments in the Sahel region of west Africa where millions of people are at risk of a food crisis this year.

Low and erratic rainfall and insect infestations have led to poor harvests and lack of pasture in parts of Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Communities are also dealing with high food prices and reduced cash flow from migrant workers sending money back to their families from Libya and the Ivory Coast.

http://blogs.redcross.org.uk/emergencies/2012/01/food-crisis-looms-in-west-africa/?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitterfeed_blog 23 January 2012

Our team arrived to start working at the Lulimba hospital at the height of the malaria season. We barely had time to unpack our boxes because we were greeted by a crowd of sick children, and more have been arriving in ever-greater numbers since. We also found out very quickly that the hospital had only one thermometer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jan/18/battling-malaria-season-congo-shortages 18 January 2012

The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 was to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa’s first democratically elected female president. Since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women. Leymah Gbowee mobilized and organized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women’s participation in elections. She has since worked to enhance the influence of women in West Africa during and after war. In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the “Arab spring”, Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2011/johnson_sirleaf-lecture_en.html 17 January 2012

Malaria patients are at high risk of developing fatal bacterial infections, especially salmonella infections. This is commonly believed to be due to generalised immunosuppression by malaria, whereby the entire immune system is weakened and compromised.

However, researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have discovered that the increased vulnerability to salmonella infections is a side effect of the body’s attempts to protect itself from the damaging effects of the malaria infection.

http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/pressoffice/press_releases/2011/salmonella.html 16 January 2012

NEW DELHI — Roughly 42 percent of all Indian children under age 5 suffer from malnutrition, a sobering reminder of the persistence of poverty and hunger in the world’s largest democracy, according to a major report released on Tuesday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/world/asia/malnutrition-in-india-is-widespread-report-finds.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto 11 January 2012

A vaccine that may prevent HIV has been given the green light by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials in humans, according to Canadian researchers.

The announcement was made on the campus of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/12/20/hiv-vaccine-western.html 21 December 2011

UN's warning of 'gathering storm of hunger' tempers focus on foreign investment agenda at two-day conference

Speaking at a two-day development and investment conference for South Sudan in Washington DC, Hillary Clinton said the newly-independent country had the potential to be "one of Africa's breadbaskets".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/dec/16/south-sudan-humanitarian-needs-investment-agenda?CMP=twt_gu 19 December 2011

Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization bringing together voices from around the world to call for action against maternal death.

“Delivering Cervical Cancer Prevention in the Developing World” highlights exciting new partnerships and innovations in cervical cancer prevention and treatment.
The report includes profiles of success in increasing access to HPV vaccines and treatment from around the world, with country spotlights on Mexico, Thailand, Bolivia and Rwanda.

http://www.womendeliver.org/assets/CervicalCancer_final.pdf 13 December 2011

Paul Brockmann, MSF project coordinator in Mweso, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), describes the difficulties Congolese people face in getting even the most basic health care.

People living in this area of eastern DRC have to contend with ongoing insecurity and outbreaks of violence that push them out of their homes. They suffer from preventable diseases like cholera, measles and malaria. They are often unable to access medical care, which is why MSF has been working there for 30 years.

http://www.msf.org.uk/articledetail.aspx?fId=Podcast_The_struggle_for_basic_care_in_Northern_Kivu_DRC_20111207&utm_campaign=congo-podcast&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social 7 December 2011

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for you to learn the facts about HIV and put your knowledge into action.

For more information on how you can support the cause visit the link below:

http://www.worldaidsday.org/ 1 December 2011

CAMBRIDGE - It’s no one’s idea of an MIT laboratory: not a beaker or an oscilloscope in sight. But in a wood-paneled suite, on the third floor of a bland, concrete building, researchers are tackling problems as complex and vexing as any in technology, science, or medicine.

This is the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, or J-PAL, where economists through precise, detailed studies are trying to find ways to alleviate poverty.

Read the full article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 29 November 2011

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 1.3 million people die every year because of the reuse of syringes.

Marc Koska has worked for 27 years to stop the reuse of syringes. He designed the self-destructing K1 syringe, set up Star Syringe to manufacture it and runs the charity SafePoint, which campaigns against unsafe injections.

Read the full interview here >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 24 November 2011

Jane Cockerell takes up the post of Acting Chief Executive at THET as a replacement for Pia MacRae, who served that role for the past two years.

THET, the Tropical Health and Education Trust, is an international development organisation working to improve the health of people in Africa and Asia. Based in the UK, THET have over twenty years experience working with health institutions around the world, promoting action that is practical, sustainable and responsive.

Visit THET.org >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 23 November 2011

A controversial new book produced by one of the world's best-known aid agencies, Médecins sans Frontières, lifts the lid on the often deeply uncomfortable compromises aid organisations are forced to make while working in conflicts.

Read the full article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 21 November 2011

Glance at the timetable for the Caravan of Hope – a two-week campaigning road trip across 10 African countries, covering more than 7,000km (4,350 miles) – and it resembles the kind of frantic continental tour where countries flash past the coach window and any more meaningful engagement is off the itinerary.

Read the full article >>>

To find more about the Caravan of Hope visit their website >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 16 November 2011

The Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia was established in April 2009 to raise awareness about the toll of pneumonia, the world's leading killer of children, and to advocate for global action to protect against, effectively treat and help prevent this deadly disease.

The Coalition is a global network of more than 125 NGOs, community‐based organizations, academic institutions, government agencies and foundations who together provide leadership for World Pneumonia Day, marked each year on November 12 to encourage efforts to combat the disease among donors, policy makers, healthcare professionals and the general public.

Visit their website >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 9 November 2011

Malaria Day in the Americas, which is observed on November 6 of every year, is envisioned to be the platform upon which countries of the Region can engage in a year-round aggressive campaign against the disease.

Read the full article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 2 November 2011

Chad has the highest number of reported polio cases of any country in the world this year. In spite of monthly campaigns, transmission is now widespread with wild poliovirus now detected in 14 out of 21 regions.

Watch the video >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 31 October 2011

Merlin is the UK's leading charity specialising in international health, sending medical experts to the frontline of global emergencies. When disaster strikes we deliver emergency medical relief and then we stay; taking countries shattered by war, earthquake or floods from emergency to recovery, working with communities and host governments to rebuild health services.

Merlin has been in Liberia since 1997, and is currently working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) to improve the health system in six of Liberia’s 15 counties.

In 2010 Professor Parveen Kumar, president of the Royal Society of Medicine, visited Liberia with Merlin, and saw at first-hand the need for medical text books in the Monrovia medical school. On her return she asked Elsevier (whose mission statement includes a commitment to ‘work in partnership with the communities we serve to advance scholarship and improve lives’) if they could help.

Elsevier responded with a very generous donation of 2,500 medical text books, which have now been sent to Liberia.

The shipment was organised by Merlin and Elsevier, and paid for by the MOHSW Pool Fund.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 24 October 2011

When it comes to conditions of aid, evidence of democracy and good governance now appear high on the list of requirements from donor countries (the EU being the latest donor to announce its intentions in this regard). But how do you square these ideals with leaders whose countries are hitting development targets and showing economic growth, but who play fast and loose with the notion of human rights and freedoms?

Read the full article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 21 October 2011

Millions of children's lives could be saved by a new vaccine shown to halve the risk of malaria in the first large-scale trials across seven African countries.

Read the full article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 19 October 2011

MDG 3:Promote gender equality and empower women

To eliminate gender disparity in all levels of education by 2015, based on the ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education, increase the number of women in paid employment outside the agricultural sector, and increase the number of female MPs. Visit the UN webpage to read more about MDG3 and its progress.

Read more about the MDG3, on the Guardian's Global Development microsite.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 18 October 2011

The number of people falling ill with tuberculosis has declined for the first time, according to the World Health Organization.

New figures show the global death toll has also fallen, to its lowest level in a decade, with major headway made in China, Brazil, Kenya and Tanzania.

Read the full article on the BBC website >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 12 October 2011

A variety of public private partnering arrangements and innovative financing mechanisms has begun to change the neglected disease landscape over the last decade. How significant are these public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements? Are these players likely to endure? Do they deserve the continued support of development donors? How do they relate to broader shifts in the pharmaceutical industry?

Read the full brief >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 10 October 2011

The Global Fund Round 11 Call for Proposals is now open, with a submission date of 15 December 2011. Women and children bear a heavy burden of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and malaria: more than two million women and children die every year from AIDS, TB and malaria. There is potential to expand the impact of Global Fund investments to improve the health of women and children even further.

Read more>>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 6 October 2011

MDG2: Universal primary education

To ensure that by 2015 children everywhere, boys and girls alike, complete a full course of primary education. Success is measured based on the number of children enrolled in primary education, the proportion who reach the last grade of primary school, and literacy rates for those aged 15-24.

Read the full article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 3 October 2011

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates there are 55,000 rabies deaths every year. According to the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, the total is 70,000, with 10 million treated for bites from potentially infected dogs. India has the highest annual rate of deaths in Asia: 20,000. The majority of victims are under 15. Around the world, rabies kills around 100 children every day. In Africa and Asia alone, the disease (the most potently lethal known on earth) threatens 3.3 billion people – just under half the world's population.

Read the full article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 26 September 2011

View the video of the lecture on www.rsmvideos.com

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/videopodcast.html 21 September 2011

MDG1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

To halve the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day, to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, and to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Hunger figures are based on the number of underweight children under five, and the proportion of the population below the minimum level of dietary energy consumption. Visit the UN webpage to find out more about MDG1 and its progress.

Read more about the MDG1, on the Guardian's Global Development microsite.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 20 September 2011

This exhibition demonstrates the work of Small Steps Project, a humanitarian project that delivers shoes, aid and medical care to children on inhabited rubbish dumps/landfill sites all over the world.
The images were taken by SSP photographer and videographer, Lucas Orme.

For more information about the exhbition, please visit our web site >>>

The exhibition will culminate in a fundraising Celebrity Shoe Auction and premiere of the latest film 'Small Steps: Nicaragua', at the Royal Society of Medicine on Wednesday 12 October, 7.00pm.
If you would like to attend the event, bid for some of the auction lots or purchase a limited edition print, please visit www.smallstepsproject.org where you can also view the first documentary online and see the celebrity shoes or email info@smallstepsproject.org

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 19 September 2011

In 11 years, Deradjat Ginanjar Koesmayad has gone from a hopeless, homeless, thieving HIV-positive drug addict to a respected community mobiliser and adviser to his country's government. It is a transformation Ginan – as he is more commonly called – attributes, in no small measure, to an unusual quarter.

Read the full article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 15 September 2011

This report summarises some of the key challenges facing civil society in engaging with the Global Fund to Fight AID, TB and Malaria, and sets out recommendations to improve civial society participation and success in Global Fund proposal development, Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) engagement, and grant implementation.

Aimed at all key stakeholders including the Global Fund, grant recipients and potential recipients, and technical support providers, the report reflects the experience of civil society across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Read the report >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 13 September 2011

We are delighted to share with you this very well-made video exploring the complex and tragic story of fake medicines in the developing world.

View the video >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 8 September 2011

Access the portal >>>

http://www.thelancet.com/global-health 7 September 2011

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/bookmonth.html 6 September 2011

29-30 September 2011
BMA House
London

NICE International and the BMJ Group are hosting a global event, to be hosted at the BMA House, that will bring together policy-makers and researchers from around the world to discuss and promote, cost-effective and evidence-informed policy-making as a means of improving global health outcomes.

View the full programme >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 30 August 2011

Through its Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been closely following the developments in the world of access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics.

Among the positive stories of the past year: new tools were developed for Meningitis A and for tuberculosis, promising research was published on severe malaria, an innovative mechanism was created to make lifesaving HIV medicines more affordable, and the quality of food aid is progressively improving.

But it wasn’t all good news in 2010: donors are turning their back on AIDS, and pursuing a number of policies that threaten access to generic medicines (here and here). At the same time, measles is making a comeback, and neglected tropical diseases continue to take a heavy toll.

<a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/article.cfm?id=4936&cat=special-report" target="_blank">Read the full report >>> </a>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 24 August 2011

This paper promotes the perception of health both as a global public good and as a developmental issue and why a focus on poverty is essential to the address of global health issues.

It sees the designing of appropriate strategies and partnerships towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals as an important first step for achieving successful address to global public health issues.

Read the full text article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 22 August 2011

International funding for HIV fell by 10 percent in 2010 from the previous year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS; activists worry that a continued reduction will undermine progress in global HIV prevention and treatment efforts.

For complete article, click here >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 18 August 2011

This report compares the foreign and domestic policies regarding health workers in the five EU countries home to the Action for Global Health (AfGH) network, which have some of the highest densities of doctors and nurses in the world.

It looks at the reasons for health shortages in both source and destination countries, exploring what needs to change or to be put into practice in order to fulfill the requirements of the WHO Code of Practice and to strengthen health systems in the developing world.

Readd the full report >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 5 August 2011

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), principally heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, are a global crisis and require a global response.

In this report, the authors present the realities of the situation by answering four questions: is there really a global crisis of NCDs; how is NCD a development issue; are affordable and cost-effective interventions available; and do we really need high-level leadership and accountability?

Read the full text article on the Lancet's website.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 3 August 2011

View the pictures >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 1 August 2011

More videos are available on RSMvideos.com

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/videopodcast.html 29 July 2011

HUBRIS is always dangerous. In 1977 smallpox was eradicated and—an accidental infection in a British laboratory a year later aside—that claim has stood the test of time. Having eliminated one viral disease, the authorities decided they ought to be able to get rid of another: polio. That, though, proved a tougher opponent. The World Health Organisation’s original target, set in 1988—a polio-free world by 2000—proved illusory.

Read the article >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 28 July 2011

Right now, today, children in East Africa are facing a desperate crisis caused by prolonged drought, soaring food prices and conflict. The United Nations has formally declared a famine in parts of southern Somalia.

This crisis is getting worse and we need to act now to save lives.

Children and women are the most vulnerable. More than 2 million children under five in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are acutely malnourished, including almost 500,000 children suffering from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.

Please DONATE now

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 25 July 2011

This paper briefly assesses the “Health Systems Funding Platform” and argues that the way the initiative is proceeding differs little from prior initiatives, such as sector wide approaches and budget support.

However, the initiative does represent an opportunity to make global health aid more effective if it were to deepen its commitment to improving information for policy, link funding explicitly to well-chosen independently verified indicators, and establish an evaluation strategy to learn from its experience.

Read more >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 20 July 2011

In global public health, disease-fighting tools that are cheap, available and sustainable are the Holy Grail. It might be hard to top the one being tested in Tanzania as a way to prevent malaria: smelly socks.

Experiments in three villages where people get about 350 bites a year from malaria-infected mosquitoes are using dirty socks to lure the insects into traps, where they become contaminated with poisons and ultimately die.

Read the article on the Washington Post >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 14 July 2011

Dr André Briend is the inventor of Plumpy'nut, a ready-to-use food which has transformed the campaign against severe acute malnutrition.

He was invited to discuss the development process and the difficulties encountered before its wide-spread implementation and acclamation at our Medical Innovations Summit, last June.

View the video on RSMvideos.com >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 13 July 2011

THET, a UK-based international development charity, announced they had been awarded the contract for a major new programme to help develop the skills of health workers in some of the world’s poorest countries. They will be working in consortium with HLSP, an international health sector consultancy, for the delivery of the Health Partnership Scheme.

Funded by the UK government’s Department for International Development, the Health Partnership Scheme will harness the expertise of UK health professionals to improve health outcomes by transferring skills and supporting skills development in low income countries, as well as through promoting UK involvement in volunteering. Activities will be wide-ranging and include training and capacity-building for staff, providing practical skills, continuing professional development, and curriculum development.

Read More >>>

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 12 July 2011

https://handsupforhealthworkers.wufoo.com/forms/health-workers-call-for-peace-join-them/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Merlin&utm_campaign=Peace+Day+action+launch&utm_content=httpshandsupforhealthworkerswufoocomformshealth-workers-call-for-peace-join-them&d 11 July 2011

Photo exhibition - Purple Hearts by Nina Berman
In the RSM Auchi Foyer, throughout July 2011 - Free entry

Nina Berman began to photograph and interview wounded American soldiers after their return from Iraq in 2003. This endeavour has resulted in a series of intimate portraits showing the soldiers in their private spaces or in military hospitals or bases, away from the ceremonies and parades.

For more information, please visit the RSM's website

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 5 July 2011

That number has more than doubled in three decades, jumping to an estimated 347 million, a new study says. And with the numbers climbing almost everywhere, experts said the disease is no longer limited to rich countries and is now a global problem.

“Diabetes may well become the defining issue of global health for the next decade,” said Majid Ezzati, chair of global environmental health at Imperial College London, one of the study authors.

Read more...

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 29 June 2011

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/videopodcast.html 21 June 2011

The Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunisation says this funding milestone will save more than four million lives in the next four years.

The donations exceeded expectations - GAVI asked for $3.7bn.

Read more on the BBC website

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 15 June 2011

Small Steps Project is a humanitarian project dedicated to supporting the children living on rubbish dumps around the world and raising awareness of the unacceptable hardships faced by them through film.

View their short promo film about how they are trying to raise money for children living on inhabited landfill sites through documentary films. It was shot at The Hampstead Film Society (Exchange Studios), Camp Bestival and uses footage shot in Phnom Penh from the documentary Small Steps: Cambodia, Directed and Produced by Amy Hanson.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 13 June 2011

The meeting came 10 years after the Declaration of Commitment and 5 years after the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, and reunited UN member states to review progress and renew declarations for sustained global commitments in response to the pandemic.

Read more...

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 9 June 2011

'Global Health Alerts' is a news series of RSM evening events.

In this new series well respected speakers are being asked to address controversial issues and current challenges in their areas of activity. Following the presentation, attendees will be able to share some refreshments and network with colleagues.

Book your free place

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 7 June 2011

Food prices could double in the next 20 years and demand in 2050 will be 70 percent higher than now, UK charity Oxfam said on Tuesday, warning of worsening hunger as the global food economy stumbles close to breakdown.

Read the full article

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 31 May 2011

This May Merlin’s Hands Up For Health Workers campaign team attended the World Health Assembly alongside Merlin campaign ambassador Miatta, a health worker from Liberia who has worked in some of the world’s toughest places, including Darfur and the DR Congo.

Miatta spoke at an event where Merlin was a contributor, calling for better protection of health workers caught up in conflict – increasingly the targets in the fight to secure territory, resources and power.

Click here to read more about Miatta and the event and to join Merlin’s call for better protection of health workers.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 25 May 2011

Professor Parveen Kumar, the RSM President, visited Liberia last October and as a result of the visit and the shocking conditions she witnessed, the RSM is launching an appeal - The Birth of Hope Appeal - to raise £25,000 for a maternal health clinic run by Merlin, who have worked in the country for the last 13 years.

Members have already donated nearly £23,000. For more information, please contact Paul Summerfield: paul.summerfield@rsm.ac.uk

http:// 17 May 2011

RedR is an international charity that provides training and recruitment services for the humanitarian sector, improving emergency response worldwide.

Are you thinking about a new career direction? Or simply
interested in learning more about working in the humanitarian
sector?

If so this introductory one day workshop is for you.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 12 May 2011

Mr Kofi Annan was at the RSM where the Royal African Society held their inaugural annual lecture. He spoke about Africa and the World Food Security System. You can now view the video on our YouTube channel.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 5 May 2011

Mr Kofi Annan was at the RSM where the Royal African Society held their inaugural annual lecture. He spoke about Africa and the World Food Security System. You can now view the video on our YouTube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalSocietyMedicine#p/a/u/0/AVY-xrQozw0 5 May 2011

View the pictures of the events.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/siddharthkhajuria/sets/72157626279291703/?page=1 12 April 2011

Antimicrobial resistance is not a new problem but one that is becoming more dangerous; urgent and consolidated efforts are needed to avoid regressing to the pre-antibiotic era.

For World Health Day 2011, WHO is introducing a six-point policy package to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Visit WHO website for more information.

View the WHO brohure

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 7 April 2011

The Welbodi Partnership is a young charity supporting child health care in Sierra Leone, a small West Africa country where one in seven children die before the age of five, mostly from preventable and treatable infections. They are currently looking for two volunteer programme managers and a consultant subspecialist paediatrician. All the positions are based in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Click on the job description for more details and to apply.

Programme Manager (Healthcare Professional)

Programme Manager (Hospital Management)

Consultant Subspecialist Paediatrician

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/engagement.html 28 March 2011

The day is aimed at young people (clinicians and non-clinicians) interested in finding out more about how to have a career in clinical trials and epidemiology (the study of the distribution and determinants of population health). The invited speakers will provide an overview of potential career pathways and how to progress in this relatively new area. There will also be numerous opportunities throughout the day to allow people to interact more informally with the speakers and other relevant parties in order to get further information and guidance.

Event date: Friday 8 July
Venue: The Royal Society of Medicine

View the full programme and register

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 25 March 2011

Click here to view the video.

http://www.rcog.org.uk/presentation/26 21 March 2011

Professor Parveen Kumar, the RSM President, visited Liberia last October and as a result of the visit and the shocking conditions she witnessed, the RSM is launching an appeal - The Birth of Hope Appeal - to raise £25,000 for a maternal health clinic run by Merlin, who have worked in the country for the last 13 years.

For more information about the exhibition, click here, or make a donation.

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/exhibitions.php 18 March 2011

On 14 March the RSM Global Health programme hosted the First International RSM symposium on Global Health in association with THET. Entitled 'Engaging in Global Health: Controversies and Solutions', the event attracted a packed house who listend to presentations from a distinguished group of national and international experts in the field.

We were fortunate to have secured the attendance of Prof 'Zeke' Emanuel who currently advises President Obama on aspects of his new Global Health programme and who gave an excellent presentation entitled 'What the Global Community should be doing to improve health' (this talk can be viewed on the RSM Global Health website). Plans for the 2012 RSM symposium 'Shaping the Global Health Agenda: Women, Children and Society' being held on 27/28 March 2012 are progressing rapidly. Put these dates in your diary!

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/globalhealth/news.php 18 March 2011