http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/ en Copyright 2012 2012-04-18T14:08:45+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/ghana-introduces-two-new-vaccines/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/ghana-introduces-two-new-vaccines/ Blog about World Immunization Week 2012 by Dan Thomas, Head of Media and Communications at the GAVI Alliance, a public-private partnership which aims to save children’s lives and protect people’s health by increasing access to vaccines in the world’s poorest countries. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Maternal & Child Health, Measurement & Accountability, Multimedia 2012-04-18T13:08:45+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-international-aids-conference-returns-to-the-united-states/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-international-aids-conference-returns-to-the-united-states/ This report examines the political history of the international AIDS conferences from 1985 to the present. It is less a survey of major public health achievements in the fight against HIV/AIDS than an examination of the politics of the conferences themselves. It provides insights into the ways the conferences have contributed to the mobilization of funding, research, and advocacy focused on ending the epidemic. 2012-03-29T14:26:47+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/vaccines-and-new-media-film-festival-recap/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/vaccines-and-new-media-film-festival-recap/ On March 16th, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center hosted a video “film festival” focusing on vaccines and new media. The event explored how global health organizations and private foundations are making the case for U.S. investments in global immunization, using internet videos and social media to reach U.S. policymakers and the American public. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Maternal & Child Health, Measurement & Accountability, Past Events, Multimedia 2012-03-22T15:50:18+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-strategic-power-of-vaccines-in-zambia/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-strategic-power-of-vaccines-in-zambia/ 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. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Maternal & Child Health, Measurement & Accountability, Travel Blog, Multimedia 2012-03-07T19:39:05+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/u.s.-global-health-policy-in-palestinian-hands/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/u.s.-global-health-policy-in-palestinian-hands/ Palestinians, Israelis, Americans and others are engaged in high-stakes brinkmanship over recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations. For the Palestinian leadership, pursuing UN statehood and membership in UN bodies holds out the prospect of greater international recognition and rare diplomatic leverage over both the United States and Israel. Membership may bring a visible political victory at a time when Palestinian victories are scarce. Measurement & Accountability, Publications 2012-03-07T18:45:54+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/an-epidemic-after-an-earthquake-the-cholera-outbreak-in-haiti-part-2/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/an-epidemic-after-an-earthquake-the-cholera-outbreak-in-haiti-part-2/ Ten months after suffering “the largest urban disaster in modern history” – a devastating 7.0-magnitude (MMS) earthquake on January 12, 2010 that killed over 316,000 and affected 3 million – Haiti faced an outbreak of cholera. In Part 2 of our look at Haiti's cholera outbreak, CSIS examines the Haitian government's response and the challenges that lie ahead. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Water & Sanitation, Measurement & Accountability 2012-03-07T12:54:28+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/cholera-in-the-dominican-republic-the-outbreak-and-response/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/cholera-in-the-dominican-republic-the-outbreak-and-response/ The Dominican Republic reported its first cholera cases in November, 2010 – just two months after the initial outbreak in neighboring Haiti. Two years later, the Dominican Republic has recorded far fewer cholera cases and related deaths than Haiti; the higher quality of the Dominican Republic’s water and sanitation infrastructure and its responsiveness to the cholera outbreak are important reasons for the lower numbers. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Water & Sanitation, Measurement & Accountability 2012-03-06T20:59:32+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-transmission-of-cholera/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-transmission-of-cholera/ In this blog post, CSIS looks at the science behind cholera: how it is transmitted and how it targets the human being. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Water & Sanitation, Measurement & Accountability 2012-03-06T20:11:44+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/an-epidemic-after-an-earthquake-the-cholera-outbreak-in-haiti/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/an-epidemic-after-an-earthquake-the-cholera-outbreak-in-haiti/ Ten months after suffering “the largest urban disaster in modern history” – a devastating 7.0-magnitude (MMS) earthquake on January 12, 2010 that killed over 316,000 and affected 3 million – Haiti faced an outbreak of cholera. In Part 1 of our look at Haiti's cholera outbreak, CSIS examines the origins of Haiti's cholera outbreak. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Water & Sanitation, Measurement & Accountability 2012-03-06T19:17:14+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/reflections-on-righting-the-global-fund/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/reflections-on-righting-the-global-fund/ As 2011 wound to a close the drama around the Global Fund intensified, as did the angst and uncertainty of its future, and prospects for a durable recovery. I began at that time a series of conversations with my co-author and friend, Todd Summers, with whom I had written about the Global Fund at its creation a decade ago, and who has remained integrally involved in the Fund’s work. We agreed it would be valuable to compose a candid, fair-minded look back at the root causes of the Fund's travails, combined with a positive but realistic look forward, focused on the emerging, fragile path to the Fund’s restabilization. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Reflections from J. Stephen Morrison, Measurement & Accountability, Publications 2012-02-28T19:52:55+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/neglected-diseases-take-the-spotlight/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/neglected-diseases-take-the-spotlight/ An end to Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) may be in sight. The London Declaration on NTDs, announced on January 30th 2012, may mark the beginning of a new era in which these neglected diseases share the spotlight. The London Declaration calls for the eradication, elimination, and control of many NTDs, with target dates set for the year 2020. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Water & Sanitation, Measurement & Accountability 2012-02-28T18:03:53+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/health-in-the-middle-east/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/health-in-the-middle-east/ The Global Health Policy Center recently published two reports centered on health in the Middle East: Egypt and U.S. Health Assistance, and Gaza's Health Sector under Hamas. Infectious Disease, Pandemic Preparedness, Humanitarian Aid, Maternal & Child Health, Noncommunicable Diseases, Measurement & Accountability, Publications 2012-02-23T15:47:40+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/aids2012-arrives-in-washington-dc-july-2012/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/aids2012-arrives-in-washington-dc-july-2012/ From July 22 to 27, 2012, Washington, DC will host the nineteenth international AIDS conference, known as AIDS 2012. The AIDS 2012 conference theme, “Turning the Tide Together,” reflects organizers’ recognition that in 2012 the global AIDS community finds itself at a unique juncture: research advances have made it possible to envision an end to the epidemic at the precise moment when funding challenges threaten to slow progress on scientific discovery and program implementation. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Maternal & Child Health, Measurement & Accountability, Multimedia, Publications 2012-02-21T14:55:31+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/ruffled-feathers-a-controversy-over-research-on-bird-flu/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/ruffled-feathers-a-controversy-over-research-on-bird-flu/ A debate has been raging the past few months over the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity’s (NSABB) unexpected request in December for two leading scientific journals, Nature and Science, to omit major details from soon to be published papers on the H5N1 influenza virus, commonly known as “bird flu.” This controversy encapsulates the continuing battle between short-term priorities of public health safety vs. the long term priorities of preparedness. Infectious Disease, Pandemic Preparedness, Measurement & Accountability 2012-02-13T18:32:50+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/a-history-of-the-ban-on-federal-funding-for-syringe-exchange-programs/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/a-history-of-the-ban-on-federal-funding-for-syringe-exchange-programs/ President Obama recently signed the FY2012 omnibus spending bill that, among other things, reinstated the ban on the use of federal funds for needle and syringe exchange programs (NSEPs); this step reversed the 111th Congress’ 2009 decision to allow federal funds to be used for these programs. Infectious Disease, Measurement & Accountability 2012-02-06T14:25:35+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/protection-of-health-care-in-armed-and-civil-conflict/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/protection-of-health-care-in-armed-and-civil-conflict/ 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. Humanitarian Aid, Measurement & Accountability, Publications 2012-02-01T13:10:55+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-american-faith-communitys-contributions-to-global-health/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-american-faith-communitys-contributions-to-global-health/ 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. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Maternal & Child Health, Measurement & Accountability, Past Events, Multimedia 2012-01-31T18:15:30+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/polio-eradication-in-india/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/polio-eradication-in-india/ There is a good chance that India's polio eradication campaign will tell an inspiring story. If this milestone endures, it will be the result of a persistent and focused effort and unprecedented collaboration among Indian scientists, administrators, and their international counterparts. The effort’s ultimate legacy—beyond the unquestioned benefit of reducing or eliminating paralytic polio—will depend on how India’s health leaders consolidate their victory, and how they embed the institutional sources of their apparent success into the country’s remarkably diverse health system. 2012-01-30T13:33:24+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/drug-resistant-tuberculosis-what-it-is-why-its-here-and-how-we-should-respo/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/drug-resistant-tuberculosis-what-it-is-why-its-here-and-how-we-should-respo/ Although tuberculosis mortality rates had fallen by over a third since 1990, the recent outbreak of the so-called totally-drug-resistant tuberculosis (TDR-TB) in India raises serious international health concerns. 2012-01-25T13:30:15+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-end-of-aids/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-end-of-aids/ Watch J. Stephen Morrison, Director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, discuss the "end of aids" and the 2012 global AIDS conference, back in the United States for the first time in 22 years, in the latest episode of Small Screen Sessions. 2012-01-04T15:05:08+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/report-terra-nova-how-to-achieve-a-successful-pepfar-transition-in-south-af/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/report-terra-nova-how-to-achieve-a-successful-pepfar-transition-in-south-af/ A period of major change is unfolding in health and HIV services in South Africa, carrying opportunities and risks for delivering effective, integrated health services that improve health outcomes and save lives. This report finds that the United States can find feasible, flexible ways to support this process, even though its health program through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is scaling down. 2011-12-20T15:36:37+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/report-roles-of-vaccines-and-immunization-programs-in-global-disease-preven/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/report-roles-of-vaccines-and-immunization-programs-in-global-disease-preven/ This brief report focuses on the “nuts and bolts” of the complex biological, epidemiologic, and risk management concepts that are the foundations of global and national “expert group” recommendations for specific target groups for currently available childhood vaccines and others. Using examples of specific vaccine successes and disease challenges, this report highlights the ongoing attention to detail required for the success of local, national, and global immunization efforts. 2011-12-13T18:54:24+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/report-the-future-of-global-immunization/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/report-the-future-of-global-immunization/ There is a tremendous opportunity for transforming global health and could have significant consequences for child survival while expanding the impact of vaccines across the lifespan, but there is no easy formula for success. How a number of challenges are addressed will be critical to success or failure in the next decade and to the most effective use of available resources. This report outlines 10 important issues facing the global vaccine and immunization agenda. 2011-12-13T18:47:13+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-strategic-power-of-vaccines/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-strategic-power-of-vaccines/ 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. Infectious Disease, Pandemic Preparedness, Humanitarian Aid, Maternal & Child Health, Measurement & Accountability, Past Events, Multimedia 2011-12-12T17:26:11+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/emerging-practices-in-global-health-cooperation/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/emerging-practices-in-global-health-cooperation/ 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. Infectious Disease, Pandemic Preparedness, Humanitarian Aid, Noncommunicable Diseases, Measurement & Accountability, Past Events 2011-12-08T13:41:52+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/extended-trailer/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/extended-trailer/ 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. Infectious Disease, Humanitarian Aid, Maternal & Child Health, Measurement & Accountability, Travel Blog, Multimedia 2011-12-07T17:38:05+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/reflections-on-health-reconstruction-on-japan-after-3-11/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/reflections-on-health-reconstruction-on-japan-after-3-11/ 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. Reflections from J. Stephen Morrison, Measurement & Accountability 2011-12-05T19:13:48+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-global-health-initiative-in-malawi/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/the-global-health-initiative-in-malawi/ The U.S. government has relatively balanced health and development funding in Malawi, which gives the GHI comparatively greater potential for impact than in neighboring countries where U.S. flexibility is limited because funding is effectively tied to PEPFAR. The value and impact of GHI�s new business model may ultimately be evaluated based on its outcomes for women and girls, given the prominence of the women, girls, and gender equality principle in GHI and the importance of cross-sectoral approaches to address their health and non-health needs. 2011-12-02T15:07:09+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/scaling-up-prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission-of-hiv/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/scaling-up-prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission-of-hiv/ The United States has an opportunity to make rapid progress on PMTCT in the 14 countries where PEPFAR is already partnering with governments to implement PMTCT Acceleration Plans. To facilitate progress more broadly, the United States should use its leadership role and influence in global health to encourage other donors, partner organizations, and institutions such as the Global Fund to do more to lower the incidence of mother-to-child transmission. Through its own programming and diplomatic partnerships, the United States can do better by addressing more aggressively stigma and gender inequity, integrating programs, and strategically targeting investments to address persistent obstacles. 2011-11-12T14:41:28+00:00 http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/pink-ribbon-red-ribbon-a-bold-initiative-to-advance-womens-health-in-the-de/ http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/pink-ribbon-red-ribbon-a-bold-initiative-to-advance-womens-health-in-the-de/ 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. Humanitarian Aid, Noncommunicable Diseases, Measurement & Accountability 2011-11-07T00:08:57+00:00