malaria Archives - Page 7 of 8

(AP) –

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says a massive malaria control program since 2008 has helped reduce infections across Africa and eradicate the disease in Morocco and Turkmenistan.

The U.N. health agency says the billions of dollars poured into the program have helped buy anti-malaria nets for almost 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa.

It said this has contributed to a drop of over 50 percent in malaria cases in 11 African countries, and two-thirds of the 56 malaria-endemic countries outside Africa. Malaria cases, however, increased in parts of Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe and Zambia.

S. African to double HIV patient treatment

(AP)

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s health minister says he has brought down the cost of HIV drugs by 53 percent, enabling the government to treat twice as many patients in the next two years.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said in a statement Tuesday that the government saved 4.7 billion rand ($689 million) by encouraging potential suppliers to participate in the bidding process, requesting a breakdown of costs from suppliers and monitoring price changes.

South Africa has the largest anti-retroviral distribution program in the world but pays significantly higher drug prices than other countries, Motsoaledi says. South Africa has more people living with HIV than anywhere else in the world, with 5.7 million of 50 million people infected

New UN partnership seeks to promote reproductive health in Africa

http://www.un.org

December 2010 – The United Nations has teamed up with the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) to promote universal access to reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing mainly on young mothers.

The partnership between the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and MVP will use the Project’s primary health-care provision strategy and the UN agency’s expertise to promote reproductive rights and sexual and reproductive health.

The MVP initiative seeks to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline – in African countries within five years through community-led development.

Infant mortality rates are almost double among women who have children before the age of 20, compared to mothers in other age groups, a factor that makes it necessary to improve maternal and child health by providing voluntary family planning, medical supplies, training and education among younger women.

The UNFPA-MVP partnership will help local governments to provide supplies to clinics and hospitals in Millennium Village clusters. It will also identify trainers for health personnel.

“We look forward to joining forces with the Millennium Villages Project to widen the availability of sexual and reproductive health services – including family planning, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care and prenatal and postnatal care – across sub-Saharan Africa,” said UNFPA’s Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.

“This partnership will go a long way in saving the lives of more mothers, and allowing more families to enjoy a life of prosperity and good health,” she added.

Jeffrey Sachs, the Director of the Earth Institute, said: “Many programmes such as those in the Millennium Villages show that scaling up primary health systems in rural and remote areas plays a decisive role in reducing child and maternal mortality.

“It is partnerships like these that will make a difference and enable us to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in the toughest parts of Africa,” Mr. Sachs added.

MVP, a partnership between the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Millennium Promise, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and governments, provides a new approach to fighting poverty.

Currently covering approximately 500,000 people, the Project has shown that an integrated package of development interventions, supported by a modest financial investment, about $110 per person annually over 5 to 10 years, can facilitate the achievement of the MDGs.

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December 13, 2010January 2, 2011

Africa has potential to solve own problems, Canadian Researchers say

Amy Husser, Postmedia News

A young girl receives a vaccine on November 23, 2009 in Monrovia, Liberia in a file photo. Photograph by: Glenna Gordon, AFP/Getty Images

In spite of a global perception as being “dependent, pestilence-ridden and suffering,” Africa has the ingenuity and conviction to solve its own health problems, Canadian researchers say in a sweeping new look at the continent.

A team of researchers conducted hundreds of interviews in nearly 100 locations across sub-Saharan Africa to offer a “unique microscope” on neglected health problems for Afica.

The “landmark collection” of papers — published Sunday in the U.K.-based BioMed Central — outlines 25 innovative health technologies they say deserve more attention.

The researchers paint Africa as a hub of innovation, being held back only by finances and cultural biases, resulting in a lack of access to global markets.

“The bottom line is there’s a lot more ideas and talent in Africa . . . than there are products on the market helping people improve their health,” says Peter Singer, director of the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, which conducted the research.

“In the long term, the sustainable solutions to Africa’s health problems rest with the home team.”

According to lead researcher Ken Simiyu, the 25 technologies are considered “stagnant” because they languish in African health institutes instead of being converted into a viable product or service for local markets.

Examples include a portable medical-waste incinerator created in Kenya that can cut down on byproducts produced during mass vaccinations in rural areas, or a Ghana-developed diagnostic test for schistosoma, a parasitic disease that affects as much as 50 per cent of the population in some areas of Africa.

And in Kenya, scientists have isolated human odours that effectively repel mosquitos; an adapted insecticide could cut down on malaria, which kills nearly one million people — mostly African children — annually.

“What is holding them back is they have not been able to get a commercial partner who can transform these chemical entities . . . into a product that is really deliverable to the market,” said Simiyu.

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December 7, 2010January 6, 2011

Malian officials in trouble: Global Fund suspends malaria

While global campaigns are gathering momentum to raise funds for malaria research and prevention, Malian officials have their own plan. Read on.

(AP)

BAMAKO, Mali — The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said Tuesday that $4 million meant to fight disease in Mali has been misappropriated, prompting them to halt three grants.

The announcement came two days after Malian Health Minister Oumar Ibrahima Toure resigned without explanation on Sunday.

The Global Fund said Tuesday that Malian officials have arrested 15 people suspected of committing fraud; those include several senior health ministry officials.

The international fund said in a statement Tuesday that two malaria grants would be temporarily suspended and a tuberculosis grant would be terminated. Together the grants are worth $22.6 million. The fund has approved some $128 million in assistance for Mali since its creation in 2002. This has come in the form of eight grants – six of them administered by the government.

“The Global Fund tolerates no fraud, and we take public action to stop it, recover lost money and establish new and trustworthy channels for resources so they can reach those in need,” said Michel Kazatchkine, the fund’s executive director

Toure, the health minister, did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday, nor did Malian government officials. But he had faced several public calls to step down over the Global Fund investigation, and Mali‘s president Amadou Toumani Toure vowed earlier to seek those responsible.

“Whenever someone is accused of wrongdoing, we will do what’s needed so that justice is done,” the president said Saturday. “We must not condemn people too quickly, however. It’s my desire that everyone arrested in connection with this affair has the chance to defend themselves, protect themselves and possibly prove their innocence.”

The fund said the $4 million appeared to have been skimmed through false invoices, fake bid documents and overcharging for goods and services.

The grants provided anti-malarial bed nets, malaria drugs and tuberculosis treatment for prisoners, people in mining communities and patients with multidrug resistant TB.

The fund says the malaria grants will be transferred to another recipient in Mali and treatment will not be interrupted. The tuberculosis patients helped by the other grant will also continue to receive assistance, the fund said.

The poor, landlocked West African nation relies on international donors to fund its health system. In August another international body, the GAVI Alliance, which helps get vaccines to developing countries, also froze the funds it gives to Mali because of corruption fears.

December 5, 2010December 25, 2010

Hope for millions with a new meningitis vaccine

By Celia W. Dugger (The N.Y. Times)

For over a century, epidemics of bacterial meningitis have swept across Africa, arriving with the dry harmattan winds to kill with terrifying speed. But on Monday, a drive will start to inoculate tens of millions of West Africans with a new vaccine in what scientists hope will be the beginning of the end of ravaging meningitis epidemics.

The aim is for these immunization campaigns to spread from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east and bring the disease under control in a belt of 25 nations that girds the continent, saving an estimated 150,000 lives by 2015.

Hundreds of millions more dollars are still needed to accomplish that goal in coming years, public health officials say. But the meningitis vaccine itself is a major milestone in developing inexpensive immunizations against neglected diseases that afflict poor countries, experts say.

More than a million cases of meningitis have been reported in Africa over the past two decades. The vaccine works against the group A meningitis strain that causes more than 8 out of 10 cases on the continent. Moreover, it costs less than 50 cents a dose. In the United States, Novartis and Sanofi Pasteur market a single dose of meningitis vaccine against multiple strains of the disease for $80 to $100.

"Wow, that’s remarkable!" exclaimed Dr. Gregory Poland, head of vaccine research at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, when he heard how little the new vaccine would cost.

Bill Gates, whose foundation largely financed the endeavor, contrasted the undertaking with the development of vaccines for measles, smallpox and polio.

"All those things were created because rich people got sick," the billionaire Microsoft co-founder said. "This is the first vaccine that went through the whole process where there was no rich world market, and it had to be optimized at a very low price."

The meningitis vaccine relies on a technology that was devised by researchers at the Food and Drug Administration and donated by the U.S. government at the cost of only token royalties. It is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, a major vaccine producer, and it was developed independently of the major American and European pharmaceutical companies.

The meningitis vaccination drives will begin Monday in Burkina Faso and will also get under way in Mali and Niger this month, but public health experts caution that the promise of the meningitis vaccine should not be oversold. It will not eradicate the disease because it is effective only against the group A strain most common in Africa.

November 30, 2010April 1, 2011

Why African women are saying YES to the female condom

Female condoms campaign

An estimated 22.5 million people are living with HIV in the part of African below the Sahara – around two thirds of the global total. The use of condom during sex is one of several preventive measures against HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, in most communities, it is difficult to get the men to use the condom.

Some of the excuses men give against the use of condoms are:

it is a sin to use condoms

For these reasons, some anti-HIV campaigns have shifted focus onto the women and educating them to protect themselves if the men will not. The female condom has become and alternative to an increasing number of women which they resort to anytime their partners refuse to use the male condom.

The female condom is a thin, soft loose-fitting polyurethane plastic pouch that is used during intercourse to prevent pregnancy and reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. It has flexible rings at each end. Just before vaginal intercourse, it is inserted deep into the vagina. The ring at the closed end holds the pouch in the vagina. The ring at the open end stays outside the vaginal opening during intercourse. And during anal intercourse, it is inserted into the anus.

If women always use the female condom correctly only 5% of users will report unexpected pregnancy each year. It can even be made more effective if used with a spermicide

Warning: Most spermicides contain nonoxynol-9 which has certain risks. If it is used many times a day, or by people at risk for HIV, it may irritate tissue and increase the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

The major limitation of the female condom reported is the coverage of the external genitalia. This coverage had a particularly negative impact on the device’s aesthetics, and noise associated with use.

Again difficulties associated with insertion and removal, discomfort, messiness and inconvenience are easily reported issues.

With estimated 22.5 million people living with HIV in just the part of African below the Sahara, it’s highly welcomed that women are taking charge over their own health even if their male counterparts aren’t on board yet.

We hope our effort here contributes in some way to the campaign. Our hope is a world without HIV and Malaria.

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The penis is directed into the pouch through the ring at the end, which stays outside the vaginal during the intercourse. By covering the inside of the vagina or anus and keeping semen and pre-cum out, female condoms reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections.

The female condom was first made from polyuthrane. This version is officially called the FC FEMALE CONDOM. A newer version is made of nitrile rubber and called FC2. It is made from natural latex; the same material is used in male condoms.

The newer nitrile condoms are less likely to make potentially distracting crinkling noises. FC1 and FC2 are the only female condoms encouraged by the World Health Organization. They are sold under many brand names, including Reality Femidom, Dominique, Femy, My Femy, Protective and Care.

A target campaign to promote the female condom in some African communities is turning it into a mainstream women accessory; more and more now carries the female condom in their purse.

It is more acceptable to the men as it does not result in a significant decrease in sensation as with the male latex condom. Female condoms do not constrict the penis as do latex condoms. As a result, sensitivity of the male partner may not be substantially reduced.

it decreases pleasure or enjoyment of sex

it ruins the mood

I can’t feel anything when I’m wearing a condom

if a women loves me, then she you should just trust me

November 21, 2010January 6, 2011

Africa’s youth can do great things, says UN Chief

African graduate leaving the continent for greener pastures

Africa’s young population can drive the continent’s future development, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon told an international symposium taking place in Benin.

More than 60 per cent of Africa’s 1 billion people are under the age of 25 years, he noted in a message to the meeting in Cotonou.

“While it will be a tremendous undertaking to provide them with jobs and income opportunities, this energetic creative and vibrant workforce can do great things for African standards of living if only they are given the tools.

“Africa’s impressive economic growth during the past decade shows what is possible. The challenge now is to translate growth into improved social welfare for the people and faster progress towards the Millennium Development Goals,” Mr. Ban said, referring to the targets to slash hunger, poverty, disease and a host of other social and economic ills by 2015.

The other challenges the Secretary-General outlined for the continent to address included climate change, desertification and democratic backsliding, as well as continued armed conflict and sexual violence against women.

At the same time, he praised the achievements of African countries since their independence from colonial rule, with particular tribute paid to the African Union (AU), and the efforts it has made to improve the political and economic situation in the continent.

“Africa has taken charge of preventing and resolving its conflicts and promoting the economic and social development of its people,” he said.

Through African institutions, such as the AU, the continent had become less reliant on the international community for aid and support, Mr. Ban noted, while adding that the UN will continue to support Africa’s efforts to ensure stability and progress.

(United Nations)

November 20, 2010January 2, 2011

Africa can reach development targets if given a push-Migiro

Africa, with its immense human and material wealth, can achieve the globally agreed development targets world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told United Nations agencies working on the continent, while also stressing the need for strong support from the international community.

“The continent’s people need neither pity nor charity, but rather the tools, institutions, stability and freedoms to create incomes and jobs,” Ms. Migiro stated in her remarks to the Regional Coordination Mechanism meeting held yesterday in Addis Ababa.

“International solidarity and a level playing field – especially in global trade – will go a long way toward helping the continent realize its noble objectives for its people, its prosperity and its stability,” she told the meeting, which seeks to ensure that various UN departments and agencies work more effectively together in the region.

She noted that the broad impacts of climate change and the multiple crises, including those related to finance, food and energy, continue to hamper development efforts in Africa and threaten to scale back hard-won development gains.

In spite of these challenging trends, Africa’s economic performance rebounded and has remained steadfast, with growth projected to be 4.8 per cent in 2010, driven mainly by recovery in mineral exports, official development assistance (ODA) inflows, strong government expenditure on infrastructure development, and remittances.

In September, world leaders meeting in New York noted the remarkable achievements that have been made, especially in terms of reducing poverty and expanding education and access to clean water, just some of the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

They sent a clear message, said Ms. Migiro: “If we step up our efforts, the MDGs remain achievable by 2015, including in the least developed countries.

“However, the Summit also stressed that more concerted efforts are needed, particularly in Africa,” she pointed out, adding that the September summit’s outcome document set out some of the key challenges.

These include addressing climate change, reducing inequalities, advancing the well-being of vulnerable groups, and continuing to implement the global action plan for the least developed countries (LDCs), 33 of which are in Africa.

Addis Ababa is the last stop on the Deputy Secretary-General’s current three-nation trip, which also included visits to Lebanon and Laos.

(UN Release)

November 12, 2010December 22, 2012

G20 Leaders Must Renew Their Commitment to Global Development

By Kofi Annan

Ahead of today’s G20 Summit in South Korea, two issues stand out for those of us who take an interest in international

development.

First, the concepts of fairness, balance, and the common good have experienced a welcome renaissance as world leaders have had to remind each other of these universal principles to avoid a potentially devastating escalation of their disagreements on currency values and trade imbalances.

Second, while it remains to be seen to what extent it will help to bring countries’ contending economic strategies into line, this rediscovery of basic values comes just as the G20 is beginning to include international development issues in its deliberations. Naturally, it is my profound hope that the principles of fairness, balance and the common good which have become so popular with G20 leaders lately will also inform these discussions — and not only those on issues like undervalued currencies, lopsided trade statistics or skewed consumption patterns however important they may be.

Unfortunately, the signs are decidedly mixed. On the one hand, the global repercussions of the financial and economic crises have clearly nourished an understanding of the true extent and consequences of our interdependence. At least for a moment, there seems to have been a consensus that a world that restricts the benefits of globalization to a few at the expense of many is neither fair nor stable; that one cannot address trade imbalances without addressing the development imbalances that underlie them; and that it is in everyone’s interest to see the developing world graduate out of instability and economic dependence as soon as possible.

However, all these realizations have not yet led to the fundamentally different policies that are so urgently needed. In fact, in many G20 countries the crises, and particularly their effects on the world’s poor, appear already all but forgotten and business and politics have resumed with little regard to the damage caused, the trust destroyed, and the lessons learned. Several G20 members have even used the economic upheavals as an excuse to tighten protectionist policies in direct contrast to their repeated pledges to keep markets open. As so often, developing countries have been among the primary victims.

This is deeply unfortunate as, in my view, the G20 states, both individually and collectively, are the natural drivers of development. They are, by definition, the countries with the capacity, resources, influence and, thus, the moral obligation and responsibility to help those less fortunate.

Many of them have only recently graduated into major economies and their developmental experiences are still fresh. These countries understand that the key to development is not charity but equitable, job creating, and ideally green economic growth fueled by investment in the productive sectors, agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, trade, knowledge and technical skills. They also appreciate that the most important sources of development finance must be domestic revenues and private sector investment and that aid’s main value other than in meeting urgent humanitarian needs, is to increase capacities, reduce dependence upon external support, and to lubricate and leverage investment in the sources of growth and good governance.

It is thus encouraging that the development agenda proposed by the South Korean presidency speaks as much to these realities as to a new sense of partnership and genuine mutual accountability. The document, as far as it is known, covers all the right points, including the unblocking of existing initiatives and the need to complement the efforts of other actors such as the G8, the G77 and, of course, the United Nations. If the leaders assembled in Seoul decide to take it on with the same universal values in mind that they now invoke in the areas of trade and exchange rates, we will have gained much.

Having said all this, the implementation of the valuable ideas entailed in the Korean proposal should not be made dependent on the G20 taking them on as a group. While a renewed commitment to development by the world’s most powerful group would certainly be a major step in the right direction and send an important political signal to developing countries, it is of course not enough on its own to overcome the immense challenges that these countries face. Nor does it necessarily invalidate some of the concerns raised regarding the G20’s legitimacy and capacity.

What really counts is that each member of the group internalizes the concepts of fairness, balance, and the common good and adapts its behaviour accordingly. If the G20 setup can help them do so by playing to its unquestionable strengths of composition, reach and sheer economic prowess, this will be all the better and should not only be welcomed, but encouraged.

Kofi Annan is Former UN Secretary General & Chair of the Africa Progress Panel.

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