Blog Contributor:
Rena Pacheco-Theard
Apr 22nd, 2010 5:00 PM UTC
By Rena Pacheco-Theard
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 On Monday I was in New York City for the launch of an important report charting Africa’s progress in the fight against malaria and the major efforts still needed. Released by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) and UNICEF, World Malaria Day 2010: Africa Update shows that increased funding for malaria control programs has resulted in significant reductions in the malaria burden in a number of countries, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Zambia, and Zanzibar.
Global malaria control funding has jumped from $0.3 billion in 2003 to nearly $1.7 billion in 2009. The report credits the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the single largest funder of malaria control efforts at 2/3 of all resources), the World Bank, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and others for this significant increase in resources. However, the report also highlights the fact that funding still falls short of the $6 billion required in 2010 by the Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP) for the implementation of global malaria control interventions.
Over the period 2004 to 2009, malaria investments have helped to increase the global production of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) five-fold to 150 million, and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) procurement 30-fold to 160 million.
There were approximately 250 million cases of malaria in 2008, resulting in 850,000 deaths, 90 percent of which occurred in Africa, mainly among children under five years of age. An estimated 1 in every 6 child deaths (16 percent) in Africa is due to malaria.
Panelists at the event, including Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer, Head of the President’s Malaria Initiative and U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator, and Dr. Robert Newman, Director of the World Health Organization’s Global Malaria Program, called for expanded access to rapid diagnostic tests for malaria and effective ACT treatment, in addition to preventative interventions. Dr. Newman reported that 29 countries were still using ineffective monotherapeis, and he called this the greatest threat to increasing drug resistance.
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Apr 16th, 2010 1:57 PM UTC
By Rena Pacheco-Theard
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A study published in The Lancet this week reports that maternal mortality has declined significantly for the first time in decades. The study, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and conducted by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle and the University of Queensland in Brisbane, found that the number of women who died during pregnancy annually fell to an estimated 342,900 (uncertainty interval 302,100—394,300) in 2008 from 526,300 (446,400—629,600) in 1980, representing a 1.3 (1.0—1.5) percent drop in maternal deaths each year since 1990. These findings come after years of no perceived progress.
The divide between these estimates and those reported earlier by the UN (which still estimates around half a million maternal deaths annually, but is expected to release new data later this year), underscores the need for better development statistics and consistent measurement methodologies. When we have accurate statistics, we can effectively target interventions and tailor our approach to priority areas.
Despite the wide uncertainty intervals surrounding the numbers, the message of progress is clear. The study credits a number of factors for the drop in maternal mortality, including lower birth rates, increased educational attainment for women, higher incomes, and better care during delivery.
Six countries were found to account for over half of all maternal deaths: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Additional, targeted efforts are needed in these priority areas.
This study also emphasizes the link between HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health, finding that one in every five maternal deaths in 2008 was related to HIV. In the absence of HIV, annual maternal mortality would have dropped to 281,500 in 2008, supporting arguments for the increased integration of maternal and child survival programs into mechanisms like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Some countries showed an unexpected increase in maternal mortality, partially attributed to better reporting, such as the U.S., Canada and Norway.
These new data should drive accelerated efforts to use proven interventions to save the lives of mothers around the world. The study should also call attention to the importance of better development statistics to target interventions, and the need for those interventions to reflect the integrated nature of health issues on the ground.
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Mar 26th, 2010 4:54 PM UTC
By Rena Pacheco-Theard
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Monday was World Water Day, but if you are still thirsty for more information on this critical issue, take a look at the Pulitzer Center’s online water gateway, DOWNSTREAM: Our Water, Our Lives.
This interactive site houses a wealth of information on water. Among many features, DOWNSTREAM examine water in terms of health, economics, conflict/cooperation, and climate. Each topic is analyzed and accompanied with reporting from around the world. You can share your story on water, meet the journalists, and watch video reports and clips from a World Water Day event in DC (including a speech by Secretary Hillary Clinton).
This compelling and informative site is produced by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Report, in partnership with PBS NewsHour, the Under-Told Stories Project, National Geographic, and the Common Language Project.
Don’t wait any longer, dive in now!
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Mar 25th, 2010 12:54 PM UTC
By Rena Pacheco-Theard
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 Chad, along with eighteen other African countries, began immunization of 85 million children against polio in a massive immunization campaign. The campaign has high level support and was launched by Heads of State and Health Ministers across the continent on March 6.
President Idris Deby Itno of Chad initiated the campaign by immunizing a child and announcing, “I am personally declaring war on polio.” He called on the entire nation to stop “this terrible disease,” emphasizing that it is “about the lives of our children.” His leadership is especially important given that Chad had been unable to stop polio outbreaks within its borders for more than two years, resulting in the spread of the disease to neighboring countries including Sudan, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.
As UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow shared with you earlier, she was in Chad for her eleventh visit to the country to help with their polio vaccination campaign, highlighting the need for vaccinations to reach the most vulnerable children.
This impressive, synchronized campaign is made possible in large part by the support of $30 million in funding from Rotary International.
Photo Credit: WHO/UNICEF
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Mar 24th, 2010 5:47 PM UTC
By Rena Pacheco-Theard
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 The WHO just released its 2010 report on multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB) surveillance and response, providing the latest information on the status of this global epidemic.
The alarming news from this report is that in some areas of the world, one in four people who were infected with tuberculosis became ill with a form of the disease that can no longer be treated with standard drug regimens. A region in Russia reported that 28% of those diagnosed with TB had the multidrug-resistant form – the highest level ever reported to WHO.
As background, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is difficult and expensive to treat, frequently failing to respond to standard first-line drugs. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is a deadlier strain, resistant to even more of the existing tuberculosis treatment.
Of the estimated 9.4 million new TB cases in 2008, approximately 440,000 were MDR-TB, and a third of those infected with this form died. It is estimated that 69,000 cases of MDR-TB occurred in Africa, with the vast majority going undiagnosed due partly to limited labratory capacity. There are no official estimated on the number of XDR-TB cases, but the WHO still suggests it may be around 25,000 annually with most cases being fatal. 58 countries have reported at least one case of XDR-TB since 2006.
Strong tuberculosis programs can have a significant impact on reducing MDR-TB rates, as seen in countries like Estonia, Latvia, the U.S. and China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Additionally, new technologies that can cut the diagnosis time to two days from up to four months, offer hope in the fight against TB.
As we observe World TB Day 2010, it’s important to reflect on the progress being made in combating this disease (36 million people have been cured of tuberculosis in the last fifteen years), while acknowledging the challenges that remain, particularly in the growing area of drug resistance.
You can download the full report here.
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Mar 8th, 2010 5:19 PM UTC
By Rena Pacheco-Theard
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Today, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria released its annual results report, tracking progress in the fight against these three diseases and forecasting future global health progress.
According to the report, “The Global Fund 2010: Innovation and Impact,” programs supported by the Global Fund save at least 3,600 lives every day, and have saved an estimated total of 4.9 million lives since the Fund’s creation in 2002. In terms of funding, the Global Fund has approved $19.2 billion in proposals to 144 countries and disbursed $10 billion so far.
Here is a closer look at the Global Fund’s progress to date in fighting these three diseases:
HIV
- 2.5 million on antiretroviral therapy,
- 790,000 HIV-positive pregnant women provided with treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV,
- 4.5 million basic care and support services provided to orphans and children made vulnerable by AIDS,
- 105 million HIV counseling and testing sessions conducted.
Tuberculosis
- 6 million provided with treatment for active TB,
- 1.8 million TB/HIV services provided.
Malaria
- 104 million insecticide-treated nets distributed,
- Indoor residual spraying in dwellings more than 19 million times,
- Treatment for 108 million cases of malaria.
Importantly, more progress is on the way. Financing approved by the Global Fund in the last two rounds (rounds 8 and 9) will reach countries in 2010 and 2011 and deliver with it a significant boost to health outcomes.
The Global Fund projects that if the current scale-up of health investments for these diseases continues or is ideally accelerated, impressive achievements are possible. Executive Director of the Global Fund observed, “A world where no children are born with HIV is truly possible by 2015.” Additionally, the Global Fund predicts that with continued momentum, malaria can be eliminated as a public health problem in most endemic countries and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) can be contained.
ONE released a press statement earlier today, highlighting how the Global Fund’s report demonstrates that U.S. investments fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and child mortality are working.
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Mar 5th, 2010 5:58 PM UTC
By Rena Pacheco-Theard
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 Q. What is ALL CAPS, as easy as a click, and can help the world be healthier?
A. MASSIVEGOOD.
MASSIVEGOOD, an initiative that asks for small donations that go towards improving global health, was launched by the United Nations and former President Bill Clinton on Thursday in New York City.
Harnessing the power of social media, the MASSIVEGOOD initiative allows travelers to donate $2 or more when purchasing flight tickets through some online sites, like Travelocity, or through a travel agent. The money generated will help supply HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria medications and improve child and maternal health in the developing world.
As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted at the launch, “Through this partnership between UN agencies and the travel business, ordinary people will have the opportunity to do massive good for global health.”
Bernard Salomé, Managing Director of the Millennium Foundation for Innovative Finance for Health, highlighted that “Five clicks will save a life.” Five little clicks would equal enough money to buy a bed net to protect against malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
The MASSIVEGOOD program will be administered by the Millennium Foundation for Innovative Finance for Health, which raises money for UN health programs, and by UNITAID, an international drug-purchasing facility.
The launch of this innovative mechanism for financing global health has generated a lot of buzz – BusinessWeek, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Forbes, Voice of America and others have all taken note.
(Photo Credit: MASSIVEGOOD).
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