Insights into Pandemics

Sun, 2009-03-08 17:36 — JRees

There is a great interview entitled On the Front Lines of the Next Pandemic on O'Reilly Radar under the "Emerging Technology" tab (dated Feb 23, 2009... you may need to scroll to find it). It features Dr. Nathan Wolfe founder and director of the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative which monitors the transfer of new diseases from animals to humans. Interviewer is James Turner. Out takes below:

Dean under consideration for surgeon general: report

Sat, 2009-03-07 04:54 — admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Vermont governor Howard Dean was under consideration by the Obama administration for U.S. surgeon general, CNN reported on Friday, but a source said he was not interested in the post.

Dean, a practicing physician before he entered politics, recently wrapped up a four-year term as Democratic Party chairman, has been a supporter of health reform.

CNN said he had privately made clear that he is interested in the job. But a source close to Dean told Reuters he was not.

Enabling Environmental Justice: Assessment of Participatory Tools

Fri, 2009-03-06 20:26 — admin

Background Report Prepared for: Environmental Department
United Nations Institute for Training and Research

Manjula Amerasinghe, Leanne Farrell, SheeShee Jin, Nah-yoon Shin, Kristen Stelljes
Department of Urban Studies and Planning - Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT - 2008

Executive Summary [78p.] at: http://web.mit.edu/jcarmin/www/carmin/EnablingEJ.pdf

HHS Issues Special Report on Health Reform and Launches New healthreform.gov Web Site

Fri, 2009-03-06 20:24 — admin

“…American People Say Health Care System is Broken, Highlight Need for Action This Year on Health Reform..”

March 5, 2009 Press release: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/03/20090305a.html

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a report, Americans Speak on Health Reform: Report on Health Care Community Discussions. The report summarizes comments from Americans who hosted and participated in Health Care Community Discussions across the country and highlights the need for immediate action to reform health care.

Zimbabwe Cholera Cases Top 80,000: WHO

Tue, 2009-03-03 10:34 — speel

Zimbabwe Cholera Cases Top 80,000: WHO

Feb. 20, 2009

More than 80,000 people have now been infected with cholera in Zimbabwe's six-month-old outbreak which has killed 3,759, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
About half of the patients who died from the water-borne diarrheal disease failed to reach any of the country's 365 cholera treatment centers, the United Nations agency said.

The proportion of deaths has been decreasing steadily since early January, but the fatality rate remains above the acceptable level in such an epidemic, according to the WHO.

© 2009 Reuters

Van Jones on Green-Collar Jobs

Mon, 2009-03-02 14:49 — speel

Saving the Economy and the Environment with Green-Collar Jobs

Van Jones has been a critical bridge between the environmental and social justice worlds through his call for green collar jobs. This is one of the key promises of the Obama campaign, so in this interview, conducted on November 12, 2008, I asked him how can turn his idea into a real policy.

But this interview by Sarah van Gelder, which has just appeared in full in the Spring issue of YES! Magazine, shows Van’s leadership extends far beyond a single issue.

Several videos can be viewed at

America’s Global Health Programs at a Crossroads - Moore of GHC

Sun, 2009-03-01 15:40 — speel

America’s Global Health Programs at a Crossroads
By: Allen Moore

President Obama thrilled the global health community during his campaign—he pledged to double foreign aid by 2012, including $50 billion over five years to fight HIV/AIDS. Although he backed off his timetable for doubling aid during the Presidential Debates, it was still rare for a presidential candidate to talk so boldly about the benefits of foreign aid to a skeptical public. The President believes strongly that America’s global interests are best served with a better balance of foreign aid, diplomacy, and defense.

Senator Feingold Calls for Comprehensive U.S. Global Health Strategy

Fri, 2009-02-27 08:05 — admin

From the Global Health Council
ttp://www.globalhealth.org/view_top.php3?id=48#022309

The Global Health Council applauds Sen. Russ Feingold's, D-WI, remarks on the Senate floor on Monday Feb. 23, 2009, in which the Senator called on President Obama to put in place an "all inclusive and robust" strategy for global health. Feingold – Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs – said in tough economic times, it is vitally important for the United States to lead in global health with a strategy that is "all inclusive, integrated and sustainable."

Foreign Affairs Budget Boost Provides Funding for Vital Programs, Berman Says

Thu, 2009-02-26 19:01 — admin

February 26, 2009

Washington, DC – Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee, has issued the following statement on the foreign affairs portion of the budget outline that the Obama Administration submitted to Congress today:

Reducing the Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases: Addressing the Causes of the Causes

Thu, 2009-02-26 16:58 — admin

Venice, Italy - From 7th to 12th June 2009
University of Padua - Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia - Università degli Studi di Padova

Course participants will enhance their skills in analyzing the determinants of NCD, in working across sectors, and in promoting interventions to reduce the burden of NCD and health inequities.

http://www.medicina.unipd.it/on-line/Home/International/News/articolo921.html
and http://www.sabiwork.it/show_details.php?id=150

“..... there is an urgent need globally to focus on the upstream causes of ill-health, and addressing the “causes of the causes” is probably the most efficient way of prevention of chronic diseases. Tackling health’s social and economic determinants also means reorienting efforts within the health sector, working with other sectors, including finance and education, and engaging the civil society, thus adopting a “health-in-all-policies” approach.

What is Multi-Track Diplomacy

Wed, 2009-02-25 06:52 — admin

In interacting with the Center for American Progress in regards to their work on Sustainable Security, we were also referred to Louise Diamond's and John McDonald's work on Multi-Track Diplomacy.

http://imtd.org/cgi-bin/imtd.cgi

Multi-Track Diplomacy is a conceptual way to view the process of international peacemaking as a living system. It looks at the web of interconnected activities, individuals, institutions, and communities that operate together for a common goal: a world at peace.

World Day of Social Justice

Tue, 2009-02-24 17:38 — admin

The General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 20 February as World Day of Social Justice. The day was to be observed for the first time in 2009.

Website: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntlJustice/index.html

The General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 20 February as World Day of Social Justice. The day was to be observed for the first time in 2009.

Website: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntlJustice/index.html

Member states were invited to devote this special day to the promotion of concrete national activities in accordance with the objectives and goals of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly, entitled “World Summit for Social Development and beyond: achieving social development for all in a globalizing world”.

KNOWLEDGE TO POLICY - Making the Most of Development Research

Tue, 2009-02-24 17:36 — admin

“……Does research influence public policy and decision-making and, if so, how? This book is the most recent to address this question, investigating the effects of research in the field of international development. It starts from a sophisticated understanding about how research influences public policy and decision-making. It shows how research can contribute to better governance in at least three ways:
- by encouraging open inquiry and debate,
- by empowering people with the knowledge to hold governments accountable, and
- by enlarging the array of policy options and solutions available to the policy process.

Fred Carden, currently the Director of Evaluation at the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada.
Sage/IDRC 2009 ISBN 978-81-7829-930-3 e-ISBN 978-1-55250-417-8
International Development Research Centre (IDRC), 2009

IDRC website: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-135779-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

Impact of global economic crisis on health - WHO Report

Tue, 2009-02-24 10:21 — speel

To address the growing concerns about the potential impact of the financial and economic crisis on global health, WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan convened a high-level consultation on 19 January 2009. Based on evidence from previous economic crises, the consultation aimed to:

- build awareness of the possible ways in which an economic downturn may have impact on health spending, health services and health outcomes;
- make the case to a wider audience for sustaining investment in health; and

Zimbabwe ripe for new epidemics

Mon, 2009-02-23 20:50 — speel

Doctors group: Zimbabwe ripe for new epidemics
By DONNA BRYSON
The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 17, 2009; 10:42 AM

JOHANNESBURG -- Zimbabwe's entire health system has collapsed and the southern African nation now overwhelmed by cholera will soon see other epidemics, a worsening AIDS crisis and the effects of widespread malnutrition, an international doctors group said Tuesday.

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