Archives: Morning Breakouts

"With the HIV prevalence rate higher among women than men in Zambia, experts say the epidemic now has a women's face here and, therefore, requires more specialized intervention programs," and "[w]omen living with HIV say that women must be taught how to live positively with it," the Global Press Institute reports in a story examining the epidemic among women in Zambia. The article looks at factors influencing higher HIV rates among women and government efforts to provide treatment and prevention programs, and includes comments from Nkandu Luo, a Zambian HIV/AIDS advocate and researcher; Viola Morgan, U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) country director; and Clementine Mumba, executive secretary for the Network of ARV Users, a support and advocacy group for people living with HIV/AIDS (Katongo, 11/10).

"[A] lack of action on climate change and habitat destruction will threaten the progress of developing countries," because environmental sustainability affects "a wide range of social issues," including "health, education, income, gender disparities and energy production, combined with protection of the ecosystem," according to the U.N. Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Report 2011, titled, "Sustainability and Equity: a Better Future for All," VOA News reports. The report "argues that if you invest in people's health and schooling, the population will be a better keeper of its environmental resources over the long term," according to the news service (Lewis, 11/8).

As part of its U.S. Global Health Policy: In Focus webcast series, the Kaiser Family Foundation on Wednesday hosted a panel of experts to discuss outcomes of the Cannes G20 Summit meetings on infrastructure development, food security and innovative financing options for development and the implications for global health. Panelists also discussed the current state of global health funding from donor countries, including the United States and European community, as well as a range of new financing mechanisms under consideration to supplement funding from traditional channels.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking at the NIH on Tuesday, "called on the world to create the first 'AIDS-free generation' by using antiviral drugs, condoms, circumcision and other approaches to stem the spread of HIV," the Washington Post reports. "Taken together, mathematical models show that these strategies could significantly reduce the spread of the virus by another 40 percent to 60 percent, she said," the newspaper writes (Stein, 11/8).

PlusNews examines the difficulties in diagnosing and treating multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in children, writing, "With weaker immune systems, children who contract TB -- most often from parents -- progress to active disease in about a year. But just how many children are affected is not known as there is almost no research into children and MDR-TB -- and very little useful guidance on how to treat them."

Frank Carlucci, former national security adviser and secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan; Lee Hamilton, a retired Democratic congressman and former vice chair of the 9/11 Commission; and Tom Ridge, former homeland security secretary under President George W. Bush -- all members of the Advisory Council for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition -- write in this Washington Times editorial, "At a time of economic distress and huge deficits that demand tough choices, it is tempting for elected officials to scale back this country's engagement around the globe, in particular by making cuts to programs that support diplomacy and international development. Yet too much is at stake to diminish America's leadership and competitiveness in a world that is growing more interconnected and interdependent -- as well as more turbulent -- virtually every day."

Natasha Bilimoria, president of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, writes about a report (.pdf) issued in September by an independent high-level panel commissioned by the Global Fund in a post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, saying the report "focuses on the Global Fund's transition from a highly effective emergency response to the three pandemics, to a long-term sustainable mechanism for ensuring that its lifesaving work can continue in times of limited resources." She continues, "As it heads toward its 10-year anniversary, the Global Fund is embracing the panel's recommendations, strengthening its commitment to best practices and 'turning the page' in its fight against the three diseases."

Also in the news from Capitol Hill, the Senate appears poised to fix the Medicaid glitch that allowed middle-income couples to qualify for Medicaid, and a bill to repeal the health law runs afoul of some conservatives.

Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg on Tuesday "urged donors to give generously to assist Nicaragua and El Salvador cope with the aftermath of the recent floods, saying that the scale of the disaster is beyond what the small Central American nations can handle on their own," the U.N. News Centre reports. According to the news service, approximately 1.2 million people in the region are affected by flooding, "[t]housands of homes have been damaged and hundreds of schools, roads and health facilities are closed," and [w]ater-borne diseases are spreading ..., she added." Bragg also said food security was a concern, as thousands of acres of crops were destroyed, "'making it increasingly difficult for people to get enough food for the next six months,' she stated," the news service notes (11/8).

The U.N. and several other international aid groups, including Oxfam, Save the Children, Care and ACTED, on Wednesday "warn[ed] they are running short of money and supplies to help millions of people affected by floods in Pakistan," the Associated Press reports (11/9). "Floods in August hit Sindh province in the south, killing at least 430 people and disrupting the lives of nine million. Many people are still camping out in the open with little food, water or shelter," Reuters writes, adding "agencies fear flood victims could suffer from a major outbreak of dengue fever, malaria and acute respiratory infection" (Conway, 11/9). The U.N., which has raised just $96.5 million of the $357 million it wants for flood relief, called the appeal 'distressingly underfunded,'" the Guardian notes (Ford, 11/9).