Posted on Feb 01, 2012 at 09:10 am
During recent uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, and Libya, security forces obstructed access to health facilities; harassed, arrested, and prosecuted medical personnel; and even assaulted patients within hospitals. Assaults like these have long been part of the landscape of armed and civil conflict. Yet, for decades, a paucity of regular reporting on the frequency, dynamics, and impacts of these assaults; lack of attention to strategies to prevent attacks; and absence of accountability mechanisms for those who perpetrate assaults has allowed these assaults to continue with impunity.
Posted by CSIS Staff on Jan 31, 2012 at 02:15 pm
The Global Health Policy Center hosted a presentation highlighting the contributions faith-based-organizations make to global health including the fight against HIV/AIDS in particular.
Posted on Dec 12, 2011 at 01:26 pm
The second CSIS High-Level Forum on U.S. Leadership in Global Health placed a focus on vaccines as instruments of U.S. global leadership in pursuit of security and economic interests at home and abroad, in close enduring partnerships with corporations, foundations, multilateral organizations, and other countries.
Posted by Katherine Bliss on Dec 08, 2011 at 09:41 am
On December 6, 2011 the CSIS Global Health Policy Center hosted a half-day seminar focused on the activities, practices, and strategies that characterize the global health outreach of Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa, or the BRICS.
Posted on Dec 07, 2011 at 01:38 pm
In November 2011, a team from CSIS traveled to Zambia to produce a video on vaccination efforts - their value, their long-term sustainability, and the challenges to their implementation. The video aims to portray the complexities of immunization in Zambia and to make broader points about global immunization efforts. This five minute trailer is a preview of what we saw. Please stay tuned for the full video in early 2012.
Posted by J. Stephen Morrison on Dec 05, 2011 at 03:13 pm
In early November, I traveled to Tokyo and Fukushima City, Japan where I had the chance to meet with a diverse group of experts, both within and outside government, involved in the health reconstruction effort. From my visit, I took away four major impressions.
Posted on Nov 06, 2011 at 08:08 pm
Announced in mid-September at the “Summit to Save Lives,” hosted by the George W. Bush Institute, the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (PRRR) initiative aims to leverage the public health infrastructure established through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with new public and private investments to make progress in the early detection and treatment of cervical and breast cancer in the developing world. The initiative’s name highlights its linkage of cancer and HIV/AIDS programs: pink ribbons have traditionally denoted support for breast cancer research and awareness, and red ribbons have signified support for HIV/AIDS research and awareness.
Posted by J. Stephen Morrison on Nov 03, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Since April 2011, I organized a health working group that has examined the complex, evolving health situation in Japan, post-March 11, and weighed what would be the most appropriate and effective U.S. assistance in the medium term to support Japanese-led health recovery efforts. That working group contributed the health chapter contained in a broader CSIS effort – the ‘Partnership for Recovery and a Stronger Future: Standing with Japan after 3-11.’ In Chapter Four of the final report, entitled Health and Recovery, we identify three core issues that are most appropriate and effective for U.S. assistance over the next three years in support of Japanese-led reconstruction initiatives
Posted by Julia Nagel on Nov 02, 2011 at 01:35 pm
While there are numerous reasons to be optimistic about the future of malaria control efforts, there are also several challenges that stand in the way of eradication.
Posted by Julia Nagel on Sep 26, 2011 at 12:29 pm
As world leaders gathered in New York last week for the United Nations General Assembly, another group of representatives assembled in New York at the second annual Social Good Summit to discuss the power of new media and technology in solving the world’s greatest challenges. While the Social Good Summit caters to a new army of leaders – the blogger, the technologist, the activist – the mission of the conference is one that everyone should care about: how do we take new emerging technologies and harness them for social good? As Raj Shah, Administrator for USAID, said – governments cannot solve every problem alone. At a time when budgets are tight and debate abounds as to where precious resources should go, citizens need to think creatively, engage philanthropically, and actively participate to achieve broad gains in society.
Posted by J. Stephen Morrison on Sep 26, 2011 at 10:36 am
The September 19-20 High-Level Meeting at the UN General Assembly was a high-profile, somewhat risky and ultimately sobering test of the proposition that non-communicable disorders (NCDs) could become a new global health priority. Though the result last week for NCDs fell far short of a transformative moment, it was hardly a failure. Indeed there were many achievements. Outcomes were mixed, were largely predictable, and were shaped by a profoundly different set of economic and political factors at play in 2001.
Posted by Seth Gannon on Sep 23, 2011 at 12:40 pm
The conclusion this week of an unprecedented UN High-Level Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases offers an opportunity to take stock of U.S. efforts against chronic disease at home and abroad. Given the emphasis the Obama administration has placed on global health as a strategic priority, it is important that U.S. foreign policy reflect the common-sense principles that have led to smart tobacco control domestically.
Posted on Sep 16, 2011 at 01:30 pm
In the lead up to the UN High-Level Meeting that begins on Monday, September 19th 2011, major private sector partners have come together to support a robust agenda in the fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Among these private sector partners, Medtronic – a medical device company – has played an important leadership role. In this statement, introduced with a cover letter from J. Stephen Morrison, Medtronic and other leading business corporations express their commitment to providing assets and finding solutions to stem the tide of non-communicable diseases.
Posted on Sep 13, 2011 at 12:38 pm
One in four people in the Americas has a chronic disease. These diseases—mainly cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes—contribute to two thirds of U.S. healthcare costs. On September 12, CSIS senior fellow Katherine Bliss hosted Dr. Jon Andrus, deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to discuss how PAHO’s regional action strategy can inform the September 2011 high-level UN meeting on noncommunicable diseases.
Posted by Julia Nagel on Sep 08, 2011 at 02:57 pm
While all of there are several reasons why the HPV vaccine is not gaining widespread popular support, I believe that America’s highly partisan political environment and the upcoming Republican primary are reshaping the HPV vaccine debate. Instead of hearing about Gardasil as a life-saving vaccine, we are hearing arguments that mirror the platforms of our Republican presidential nominees: we don’t want government interfering in our lives.
Posted by J. Stephen Morrison on Sep 07, 2011 at 02:31 pm
The story of US engagement in South Africa to battle HIV/AIDS over the past decade is one of strategic choice, sustained commitment, and significant human impact, matched by recent strong action by the South African government to assert its leadership in reversing the course of its AIDS epidemic. The story unfolding today is of a delicate, complex transition in lead responsibilities – from the United States to South Africa -- that is highly fraught with risks. Several colleagues from CSIS visited South Africa in August to examine this change
Posted by Julia Nagel on Aug 16, 2011 at 02:03 pm
While most health-related news coverage on Somalia is linked to famine, cholera, and measles, mass vaccination campaigns are occurring throughout the country to ward against other infectious diseases. One disease officials are concerned about is polio. Though eradicated from Somalia in 2008, officials worry that mass migration could cause a reemergence of the virus.
Posted by CSIS Staff on Aug 05, 2011 at 10:28 am
In August 2011, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center will be traveling to South Africa to look at the major efforts underway to renew United States' bilateral relationship with South Africa. In lead up to the trip, we are publishing four articles summarizing the significant health challenges facing the country: HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Maternal and Child Health, and Noncommunicable Diseases. This piece on TB briefly depicts what the situation looks like in South Africa and how a growing TB epidemic is further affecting the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Posted by CSIS Staff on Aug 04, 2011 at 12:34 pm
In the complex world of global pandemic control, smallpox is the foremost medical success story, the only human disease ever eliminated from the natural world. For public health officials, smallpox’s 1977 eradication has become an inspirational touchstone for the elimination of other diseases such as polio, guinea worm disease, measles, and malaria. Yet the continued existence of live smallpox samples is the subject of intense debate and demonstrates that global health issues are neither isolated from political and security concerns nor can always be resolved quickly or easily.
Posted by CSIS Staff on Aug 03, 2011 at 09:19 am
In August 2011, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center will be traveling to South Africa to look at the major efforts underway to renew United States' bilateral relationship with South Africa. In lead up to the trip, we are publishing four articles summarizing the significant health challenges facing the country: HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Maternal and Child Health, and Noncommunicable Diseases. This piece on HIV/AIDS briefly depicts what the HIV/AIDS situation looks like in South Africa and what the government is doing to combat the challenge.
