The first child in Sudan to be vaccinated against rotavirus drew a big crowd at Samir Health Center.

KHARTOUM, Sudan — The day that we were waiting for arrived. The children of Sudan have long suffered terrible, sometimes deadly, diarrhea caused by rotavirus. Fortunately, there is a vaccine that can save our children from so much suffering. After years of waiting, it was finally delivered to Sudan.

The first stop was the Khartoum International Airport. It was a great event.

The Martinair flight landed at 7:45 at night. The media with their cameras huddled in the non-permitted area where the flights land. They were accompanied by cars with generators to light up the runway. Those of us on Sudan’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) team crowded into the packed VIP hall. We had the challenging and exciting job of making sure this new vaccine travels the length and breadth of the country to reach all the children. At that moment, we wanted to be as close as possible to watch the vaccine coming to Sudan.

In the airport, everyone was asking, “Who is coming?”

It was a good question. Some of us said, “It is a force to fight back diarrhea in Sudanese children.” Others said, “It is Mrs. Health.”

Arrangements were made with the manager of the customs department to release the vaccine directly from under the flight. It was packed in three refrigerated vehicles and, accompanied by the convoy, moved directly to the central cold warehouse. There, the packages were unloaded and checked. Everything had arrived safely. At last, the vaccine was in our hands.

Nineteen days later, on July 17, the EPI team arrived early at the Ministry of Health. Wearing special green uniforms to honor the day, they looked like children at a festival. It was a day of festivities — it was launching day for the rotavirus vaccine.

The team distributed sweets and educational notes about the vaccine to Ministry of Health staff who came out of their offices when they heard music. The official military band circled the Ministry of Health inside and out to attract everybody’s attention.

Then we all left in a big convoy for the official launching site at the Samir Health Center. Representatives from all the partner organizations who had contributed to this achievement came. His Excellency the Minister of Health arrived with His Excellency the President’s Advisor and Representative. Speeches were made and a special song sung about rotavirus.

Reporters from TV channels, radio stations and newspapers gathered around as the Minister of Health cut the ribbon to the entrance of the vaccination room. Inside, mothers and children were waiting.

The first child to be vaccinated was a boy named Jasir Tarig. His mother looked scared of all the people and the picture-taking. I asked her the age of her child. “He is 43 days,” she said proudly.

Without anybody noticing, I put my hand over Jasir’s head and recited some Quran statements that we Muslims say when we want to protect our children from harm. I prayed to God in my heart that the vaccine would keep him well. I prayed that the vaccine would give health and protection to all our children.

The baby was so calm and beautiful as the President’s Advisor gave him his rotavirus vaccination. We congratulated his mother and wished that the boy would be the first in his school, too.

Truly, the arrival of the rotavirus vaccine recharged our spirits. It will keep our momentum high to continue with our efforts. Now I am thinking about the new vaccine against pneumonia. I hope it will come soon to protect our children from another deadly disease.

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May 5-6
Save the Children
Advocacy Day 2010

May 11-12
CARE
2010 National Conference and Celebration

June 2-4
InterAction
Forum 2010: Moving at the Speed of Change

June 14-18
Global Health Council
Dateline 2010: Global Health Goals & Metrics

June 15
Bread for the World
Lobby Day 2010

June 20-22
RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund
Celebrating the Past, Shaping the Future: 30 Year of RESULTS

July 21-22
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
2010 Washington Conference

With the rise of HIV infection, instances of tuberculosis have also increased as those with weakened immune systems cannot fight off the disease. Dr. Sizulu of the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative pointed out that in 2007, 73% of new Tuberculosis infections were in those who already had HIV. She also reminded the audience that this is no longer a disease only affecting the developing world as the bacteria can easily be carried, spread through the air, and contracted without the carriers expressing symptoms.

A new tuberculosis vaccine is vital. Diagnostics for the illness are over 100 years old and the current vaccine for TB is 90 years old and protects only some children and no adolescents or adults. However, investigations for a new vaccine are making progress. Dr. Nduba of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is hopeful that a vaccine may be available as early as 2016. KEMRI along with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also use mobile facilities, mobile ex-ray trucks, and laptops to screen thousands of adolescents and infants in Kenya for TB. Dr. Mayanja-Kizza, Professor of Medicine at Makerere Uninversity in Uganda, spoke of the University’s partnership with AERAS Global TB Vaccination Foundation. Along with building clinics, the organizations train field workers, nurses, and community leaders to ride motorcycles into communities to screen infants for the disease and sensitize communities to information on TB.

The South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) established in 2001, is at the forefront of vaccine research in developing a safer, more effective TB vaccine. Dr. Sizulu mentioned that such a discovery between 2014 and 2018 could reduce TB in Africa and Asia up to 40% by 2050. There is still much work to be done but the fight against tuberculosis is gaining ground in Africa.

Especially with the availability of the HPV vaccine, there is incredible potential for improving prevention. Global Health Council members PATH and GSK have partnered to create a pilot project in Uganda, distributing the vaccine to rural populations. A high rate of acceptability of the vaccine in rural areas is a promising start to better prevention against cervical cancer.

Read the whole post and check out the Global Health Magazine blog here.

Here are some highlights:

Her Excellency Amina Salum Ali: The Day of the African Child marks the third year celebration of good practices in Africa. During the past 5-7 years many countries, including Malawi, Botswana, Libya, and Ethiopia, have seen a reduction in child mortality. If Africa continues in this way, it will be on its way to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. However efforts on the ground need to be strengthened; Africa is capable of even more.

Her Excellency Hawa Olga Ndilowe: Africa has faced many challenges in health care and although there has been progress, more work lies ahead. Over the past few years Malawi has mainly focused on reducing child mortality and morbidity. To do this, the country has adopted three main community-level areas of focus:

• Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS
• Breast feeding: Generally, the recommendation in Malawi is that women living with HIV should not breast feed. This proves to be a big challenge as breastfeeding is usually the most affordable option.
• Increased access to clean water and sanitation, medications and education.

These strategies have been successful. Malawi has witnessed significant improvements in its mortality rates: maternal mortality has reduced from 234 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1992 to 122 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2006. In addition, infant mortality has reduced from 134 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1999 to 69 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006. These figures are proof that we have the tools to save the lives of millions of women and children, we only have to reach them.

His Excellency Abdoulaye Diop: Through partnerships with UNICEF and Save the Children, the Ministry of Health is embarking on a national child survival strategy. Vulnerable groups – particularly mothers and newborns – will be a focus of integrated care at the community level. To care for both mother and child, community health care should be strengthened and focused on child immunizations, bed nets, and treatment. The Ministry of Health is eager to strengthen international partnerships, such as with Save the Children, and not only increase the frequency of care, but also the quality.

Gloria Steele: Many advocates have moved beyond rhetoric and into action and are getting results: there is renewed support for maternal and child health care – Congress increased its budget by 25% last year. Additionally, in 2008, the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) reached 25 million people in one year alone. However, there is still a long way to go – 50 million children still suffer from malaria. Using resources more efficiently and integrating all our initiatives – including education, food security, and global health – can yield more results. Also, building capacity in these regions, including health systems, will help produce sustainable results.

Liya Kebede: “No woman should die giving life.” 99% percent of maternal deaths occur in developing countries, and about half of these deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. and 45% of women in sub-Saharan Africa deliver their babies in the absence of skilled attendance. The death of a mother severely affects the lives of her children: children who lose their mothers are five times more likely to die in infancy, more likely to miss out on life saving vaccinations, and less likely to go to school. Action is important now, especially as the H.R. 1410 Bill: Newborn, Child and Mother Survival Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Betty McCollum, is on the agenda for Congress.

-Pooja Gupta & Eloho Ovhori

• April 21-22: Save the Children’s Advocacy Day 2009
• April 26-29: Sojourner’s Mobilization to End Poverty
• May 5-6: CARE’s National Conference and Celebration
• May 26-30: Global Health Council’s 36th Annual International Conference on Global Health
• June 14-16: Bread for the World’s Gathering: Rejoice. Hope. Act.
• June 20-23: RESULTS’ International Conference: Empowering People to End Poverty

–Margaret McDonnell, US NGO Partnerships and Faith Relations Team, ONE

First ladies from across Africa will meet with a range of top experts in a first-ever U.S. summit to develop and improve locally-run programs that benefit mothers and children throughout the African continent. The Leadership for Health Summit, to take place April 20 and 21 in Los Angeles is a joint effort of U.S. Doctors for Africa and African Synergy, a group formed by 22 first ladies from Africa.

Political leaders and policy experts, as well as representatives from aid organizations, charitable foundations and key businesses, will join the first ladies for the summit. The goal is to forge new partnerships to expand and enhance locally-run programs started by African first ladies. By linking the first ladies with the expertise and resources, organizers hope to improve the health of millions of mothers and children across Africa, saving hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

“Empowering Africa’s first ladies is an innovative approach to bettering the lives of millions of Africans. These are some of Africa’s most important leaders and aiding their efforts is critical,” said Ted Alemayhu, founder of U.S. Doctors for Africa.

During the invitation-only summit, the first ladies of Africa will introduce their domestic and region-wide efforts across Africa, engage in dialogues with other leaders from the field of global health, and set actionable goals for the coming year.

As an organizing partner for the summit, ONE is working to promote the first ladies’ work and leadership and to help develop sustainable partnerships towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The other organizing partners are allAfrica.com, Africare, Global Health Council, the David & Lucille Packard Foundation, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, Until There’s A Cure Foundation, Vital Voices Global Partnership, White Ribbon Alliance, Women Deliver and the World Health Organization as well as corporate sponsors, Chevron, General Electric, ExxonMobil and the RAND Corporation.

This group of partners looks forward to building greater partnerships around the first ladies’ objectives, as laid out in African Synergy’s founding Statute: “strengthening the spirit of co-operation, partnership and collaboration among stakeholders at national, regional and international levels through a new approach and more active solidarity”; and of “pooling our efforts for more concerted and concrete action in order to alleviate suffering and effectively combat HIV/AIDS (and other scourges)”.

African Synergy’s collaborations include the opening of maternal health clinics, HIV treatment centers, orphan care programs and vocational training schools in Guinea, Niger, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Mali and Cameroon; as well as numerous other initiatives and advocacy efforts throughout all 22 member countries.

Immediately following the summit, the first ladies of Africa will be honored for their leadership at a gala benefit the evening of April 21, hosted by a committee of Hollywood activists and featuring musical performances by Natalie Cole and South African legendary musician Vusi Mahlasela.

ONE is honored to work in partnership with African SynergyUS Doctors for Africa, a humanitarian organization committed to increasing access to medical care for diseases and conditions affecting the people of Africa. Most of us can echo USDFA’s vision statement — We envision a future for Africa, free from the burden of preventable and treatable diseases and conditions, in which its people can prosper.

To learn more about the Leadership for Health Summit, go to: http://leadershipforhealth.org/. To purchase a ticket for the Gala, go to: http://www.usdfa.org/gala2009/.

-Margaret McDonnell, NGO Partnerships and Faith Relations Team

Dr. Benn was proud to announce that HIV/AIDS treatment has expanded; however, prevention remains the dominant challenge. TB poses its own obstacles due to its extreme drug resistance and its complex/ expensive treatment. However, the Global Fund is beginning to see a decline in infection in Asia, though progress in Africa is slower. This may be in relation to the high prevalence of HIV in Africa; in effect weakening people’s immune systems and making them more susceptible to TB. Child mortality due to Malaria decreased 50- 70% in some countries thanks to mosquito net disbursement and increased access to affordable treatment and disease control mechanisms. We are making progress, and looking to the future, it is no secret that we are accelerating.

The demand for Global Fund grants is increasing at unprecedented levels, but with the global economic downturn tightening public budgets, the Fund is now facing critical funding gaps. As ONE members, will need to get out and make their voices heard!

-Ian McGroarty

Lisa Bohmer (Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation), Maurice Middleberg (Global Health Council), Jeff Richardson (Abbott Fund) and Jane Kambalame (Embassy of the Republic of Malawi) held a hearing illustrating the necessity of PEPFAR as vital to the effectiveness of each organization.

Many of these groups are funded and supported by PEPFAR and are examples of what the bill has done and can do in the future – increased support will allow them to reach more men, women and children with HIV/AIDS. The reauthorize PEPFAR bill will double the number of people on retroviral treatment to 3 million, including over 450,000 children.

All the information you need to make your call is here.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation began its international programs in 1999 with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and have since been aided by PEPFAR and other private-public funds. Their programs have helped over 4.8 million women prevent transmission of HIV to their children in over 2,800 sites around the world. Bohmer states than an essential component of effective Public-Private partnerships is strong leadership and governance on the national level.

The Abbott Fund partnered with the PEPFAR Partnership for Pediatric AIDS Treatment and the Government of Tanzania, and has trained over 7,600 health care workers in Tanzania and provided over 50 million rapid HIV tests throughout Africa. Richardson reminded the audience that “no one can do it alone,” hence the need for effective partnerships. He concluded by listing the 3 C’s essential to fighting the HIV epidemic. “If we can collaborate, coordinate and cooperate with good partners then we will be able to turn the epidemic around”

The Global Health Council has been providing NGOs and local communities with the funding and resources they need to combat preventable diseases for over 35 years. Middleberg stated that there must be clear consensus on goals, articulated strategies, defined roles and responsibilities, and transparency for any partnership to work.

Jane Kambalame from the Republic of Malawi, where 900,000 men, women and children live with HIV/AIDS, noted how global advocacy partnerships have improved medical care via investment in technology, infrastructure and direct treatment. The shortage of facilities and doctors delay the treatment and care of HIV/AIDS. However, Kambalame believes the Public- Private Partnerships in Malawi have helped fill the resource gap and have led to visible improvements. She stressed the importance of the reauthorization of the PEPFAR bill and the expansion of PEPFAR to new countries is essential to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Learn more about PEPFAR here.

-Betsy Avila, with Olutosin Akinyode

May 27-31: Global Health Council: 35th Annual International Conference: “Community Health: Delivering, Serving, Engaging, Leading”

June 11-12: Save the Children: Advocacy Day 2008

June 13-15: Sojourners: Pentecost 2008: “Training for Change”

June 17: Bread for the World: Lobby Day 2008

June 18-19: CARE: 2008 National Conference

July 12-16: RESULTS Educational Fund: International Conference to End Poverty

July 15-16: U.S. Global Leadership Campaign and Center for U.S. Global Engagement: Washington Conference

-Margaret McDonnell, US NGO Partnerships and Faith Relations Team, ONE