Health, Education, Social Protection News & Notes 17/2012

A bi-weekly newsletter supported by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit)

12 August 2012
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Table of Contents: BOOKS ................................................................................ 4

The Growing Global Public Health Crisis and How to Address It ........................................... 4 The Conquest of Malaria: Italy, 1900-1962 ............................................................................. 4

ONLINE PUBLICATIONS .................................................... 4

Global Health.............................................................................................................. 4
Global Fund Governance Handbook....................................................................................... 4 Special issue on global health................................................................................................. 5 Technologies for Global Health ............................................................................................... 5 Global health policy coordination to address neglected tropical diseases.............................. 5

HIV - AIDS - STI ......................................................................................................... 6

Ethical Challenges of Preexposure Prophylaxis for HIV ......................................................... 6 Antiretroviral Preexposure Prophylaxis for Heterosexual HIV Transmission in Botswana ..... 6 Antiretroviral Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings 2012 .................................................. 6 HIV/AIDS Reporting Manual.................................................................................................... 7 Defining retention and attrition in pre-antiretroviral HIV care: proposals based on experience in Africa.................................................................................................................................... 7 HIV Costing Study Factsheet .................................................................................................. 7 Key Findings of the Third South African National HIV Communication Survey, 2012............ 7 Oral Cephalosporins No Longer a Recommended Treatment for Gonococcal Infections...... 8

Sexual & Reproductive Health .................................................................................... 8

The Benefits of Integrating HIV and Family Planning Programs............................................. 8 Costs and Benefits of Investing in Contraceptive Services in the Developing World ............. 8 Promoting FP/RH-HIV/AIDS Integration: A Summary of Global Health Initiative Strategies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia ................................................................................. 9

Maternal & Child Health.............................................................................................. 9

Ending the everyday emergency: Resilience and children in the Sahel ................................. 9 Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Evaluating the Need for Routine Antibiotics as Part of the Outpatient Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition ................... 9 Effect of maternal obesity on neonatal death in sub-Saharan Africa: multivariable analysis of 27 national datasets .............................................................................................................. 10

Malaria ..................................................................................................................... 10
Towards comprehensive malaria planning: The effect of government capacity, health policy, and land use variables on malaria incidence in India ........................................................... 10 Funding for malaria control 2006-2010: A comprehensive global assessment .................... 10 Trends in malaria cases, hospital admissions and deaths following scale-up of anti-malarial interventions, 2000-2010, Rwanda ....................................................................................... 11 Artemisinin resistance containment project in Thailand........................................................ 11 Activity of selected phytochemicals against Plasmodium falciparum ................................... 11 Reductions in Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapy Consumption after the Nationwide Scale up of Routine Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Testing in Zambia ........................................ 12

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 1

Artemisinin-Resistant Malaria: Research Challenges, Opportunities, and Public Health Implications ........................................................................................................................... 12 Insecticide-Treated Plastic Sheeting for Emergency Malaria Prevention and Shelter among Displaced Populations: An Observational Cohort Study in a Refugee Setting in Sierra Leone ............................................................................................................................................... 12

Tuberculosis ............................................................................................................. 13
Clinical Diagnostic Systems Used in the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Children .................. 13 Modelling the impacts of new diagnostic tools for tuberculosis in developing countries to enhance policy decisions ...................................................................................................... 13 Rapid Implementation of New TB Diagnostic Tests: Is It Too Soon for a Global Roll-Out of Xpert MTB/RIF? .................................................................................................................... 13 Public-Private Partnership Announces Immediate 40 Percent Cost Reduction for Rapid TB Test........................................................................................................................................ 14 Preventive therapy in children exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis: problems and solutions ................................................................................................................................ 14 Hearing the unheard voices - saving children from TB ......................................................... 14 Engaging the private sector to increase tuberculosis case detection: an impact evaluation study ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Feasibility, Yield, and Cost of Active Tuberculosis Case Finding Linked to a Mobile HIV Service in Cape Town, South Africa: A Cross-sectional Study............................................. 15

Other Infectious Diseases......................................................................................... 15

Thomson Reuters Global Research Report: Neglected Tropical Diseases.......................... 15 Current approaches and future directions in the treatment of leprosy .................................. 16 Burden of leprosy in Malawi: community camp-based cross-sectional study ....................... 16 Review of the current treatments for leishmaniases ............................................................. 16 Doxycycline Improves Filarial Lymphedema Independent of Active Filarial Infection: A Randomized Controlled Trial................................................................................................. 17 Integration of Deworming into HIV Care and Treatment: A Neglected Opportunity ............. 17 Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Tanzanian Schoolgirls: Cluster-Randomized Trial Comparing 2 Vaccine-Delivery Strategies ............................................................................ 17

Non-communicable Diseases ................................................................................... 18

Hypertension in developing countries ................................................................................... 18

Essential Medicines .................................................................................................. 18

Patent Information and Transparency: A Methodology for Patent Searches on Essential Medicines in Developing Countries....................................................................................... 18 Anti-HIV drugs ....................................................................................................................... 18

Social Protection....................................................................................................... 19
Social determinants of health: the role of social protection in addressing social inequalities in health ................................................................................................................................. 19 Kenyas national cash transfer programme for orphans and vulnerable children: effects on HIV-related behaviours.......................................................................................................... 19 Integrated Health and Microfinance in India: Harnessing the Strengths of Two Sectors to Improve Health and Alleviate Poverty ................................................................................... 19

Human Resources.................................................................................................... 20
The rise of the expert patient: A fresh perspective on human resource for health in Africa . 20 Gaps and Shortages in South Africas Health Workforce ..................................................... 20

Health Systems & Research ..................................................................................... 20

Out-of-pocket costs for paediatric admissions in district hospitals in Kenya ........................ 20

Information & Communication Technology ............................................................... 21

Ensuring open access for publicly funded research ............................................................. 21 Journal of Health Communication - Volume 17, Supplement 1, 2012 .................................. 21 mHealth is booming, but riddled with challenges .................................................................. 21 Using mHealth to Support Universal Health Access ............................................................. 22

Education ................................................................................................................. 22
Education for All: Or Just Those Easier to Reach?............................................................... 22

Harm Reduction and Drug Use................................................................................. 22

Which interventions are best to reduce HIV infections among drug users? ......................... 22 Defining and redefining harm reduction in the Lao context................................................... 23 Resources for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders ......................... 23

Millennium Development Goals ................................................................................ 23

The MDG Dashboard ............................................................................................................ 23

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 2

MDG Report 2012: Assessing Progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals ............................................................................................................................................... 24 Millennium Development Goals water target claim exaggerates achievement .................... 24 Achieving the Millennium Development Goals - More money or better policies (or both)? .. 24

Development Assistance .......................................................................................... 25

Infectious Disease, Injury and Reproductive Health ............................................................. 25 Rhetoric versus reality: the best and worst of aid agency practices ..................................... 25 Effective Development Assistance: Now Is the Time............................................................ 25

Others ...................................................................................................................... 26
Why do we always end up here? Evidence-based medicines conceptual cul-de-sacs and some off-road alternative routes ........................................................................................... 26 Tools for Implementing an Evidence-Based Approach in Public Health Practice................. 26 Developing a comprehensive time series of GDP per capita for 210 countries from 1950 to 2015....................................................................................................................................... 26

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES ............................................ 27

New Interactive on Development, Aid and Governance ....................................................... 27 Evaluation Resources Library ............................................................................................... 27 NutVal.Net ............................................................................................................................. 27 Bulletin of the World Health Organization - Vol. 90, Nr. 8, August 2012 .............................. 27 African Health Sciences Vol. 12, No. 2 (June 2012) ............................................................. 28 Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - Vol. 02, Nr. 02 (2012) ............................ 28 New POPLINE Website......................................................................................................... 28 Global Digital Library on Ethics (GlobeEthicsLib) ................................................................. 28 Youth and Fitness Online Magazine ..................................................................................... 28

INTERESTING WEB SITES .............................................. 29

WIPO Re:Search ................................................................................................................... 29 Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM)........................................... 29

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES............................................ 29
Equity and Health Systems - Flagship Course...................................................................... 29

CARTOON ......................................................................... 30
Webmasters .......................................................................................................................... 30

TIPS & TRICKS ................................................................. 30

iPad CAPITALS ..................................................................................................................... 30 Epocrates .............................................................................................................................. 30 Need A Calculator? Google It! .............................................................................................. 31

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HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 3

BOOKS
The Growing Global Public Health Crisis and How to Address It
by David H. Stone Radcliffe Publishing (April 2012), ISBN 9781846194719, 254 pp. U$ 49.95 To order online go to: http://www.radcliffehealth.com/shop/growing-globalpublic-health-crisis-and-how-address-it

Read sample chapters at:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CHsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rad cliffe-oxford.com%2Fbooks%2Fsamplechapter%2F4717%2F00%2520GlobalPublicHealthCrisisPrelims%2520(Marketing)-3ab91b40rdz.pdf&ei=6nYWULqgHumG4gTokoHABw&usg=AFQjCNGsTE_XVezEoTSHWfQoXTvgnjHhg&sig2=b0bS0kEzVOUQEtRranxlwg

In this book the author writes about the current state of global health and explains why such issues are relevant to all countries. He systematically covers some of the broadest areas of global public health, evidence from his introduction which defines his concept of global public health to the succinct summaries he provides at the end of each section. He not only highlights the biggest crises in public health and identifies the problems faced by vulnerable populations, but he also gives suggestions in developing an overarching strategy and mindset to approaching these issues. ***

The Conquest of Malaria: Italy, 1900-1962

by Frank M. Snowden Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 304 pp., 2006 US$ 45.00 Read the introductory chapter at: http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/excerpts/Snowden_malaria.pdf Order online at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Conquest-Malaria-Italy-1900-1962/dp/0300108990 At the outset of the twentieth century, malaria was Italys major public health problem. In this book the author recounts how Italy became the world center for the development of malariology as a medical discipline and launched the first national campaign to eradicate the disease. The author traces the early advances, the setbacks of world wars and Fascist dictatorship, and the final victory against malaria after World War II.

ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
Global Health Global Fund Governance Handbook
The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, 2012 Download chapter by chapter at: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/board/ HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 4

A new Governance Handbook issued by the Global Fund describes the Fund's various structures and governance processes. The handbook was conceived primarily as an operations guide for members of the Global Fund Board and their delegations, but it has also been made public. Separate sections of the handbook are devoted to topics such as the history of the Global Fund, the roles of the Board and its committees, and the current funding model and how it may evolve. ***

Special issue on global health

by Geoff Royston Health Care Manag Sci (2012) 15:171-174,(14 June 2012) 4 pp. 88 kB: http://rd.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10729-012-9205-z The papers in the special issue provide an encouraging indicator of interest and activity in analytical work on global health issues, not least in low and middle income countries facing the greatest health challenges. Further development will depend in part on improvement in areas such as those noted above, but will depend also on better comm unication - between those doing mostly field based pragmatic operational research and those involved in developing and deploying tools of management science. ***

Technologies for Global Health

Editorial - The Lancet, Vol. 380, Issue 9840, Page 447, 4 August 2012 1 pp. 93 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673612612732.pdf Collaboration between The Lancet and Imperial College London, UK, has resulted in a new Commission, which examines how medical technology should best be used to improve health in low- and middle-income countries. The report concludes that in many cases, medical technology - almost exclusively developed in rich countries - is simply inappropriate for use in poorer nations. ***

Global health policy coordination to address neglected tropical diseases

by Tim K. Mackey and Bryan A. Liang Tropical Medicine & International Health - Article first published online: 29 July 2012 4 pp. 46 kB: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.13653156.2012.03049.x/pdf Failure to innovate neglected tropical diseases (NTD) treatments is a global health crisis that remains, despite recent progress. Through targeted tax incentives and lowering of global trade barriers, effective incentives may be implemented to address diseases of the worlds poorest and most vulnerable patients.

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 5

HIV - AIDS - STI Ethical Challenges of Preexposure Prophylaxis for HIV

by Jonathan S. Jay and Lawrence O. Gostin JAMA 2012 ():1-2; Online First - July 27, 2012 2 pp. 60 kB: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/data/Journals/JAMA/0/2012.jama.10158.pdf In July 2012, emtricitabine/tenofovir (Truvada - Gilead Sciences) became the first drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) for adults at high risk. Clinical trials have demonstrated that daily use of oral antiretroviral drugs can reduce the risk of HIV acquisition through sexual intercourse. With 50,000 new HIV infections per year in the United States and 2 million per year worldwide, PrEP could become a major component of combination prevention along with condoms, counselling, testing, and treatment. ***

Antiretroviral Preexposure Prophylaxis for Heterosexual HIV Transmission in Botswana

by Michael C. Thigpen, Poloko M. Kebaabetswe, Lynn A. Paxton et al. N Engl J Med 2012;367:423-434 - Published Online July 11, 2012 12 pp. 372 kB: http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1110711 Preexposure prophylaxis with antiretroviral agents has been shown to reduce the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men; however, the efficacy among heterosexuals is uncertain. The authors conclude that daily tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) prophylaxis prevented HIV infection in sexually active heterosexual adults. The long-term safety of daily TDF-FTC prophylaxis, including the effect on bone mineral density, remains unknown. ***

Antiretroviral Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings 2012

by Ann Duerr, Fredrick L. Altice, Anthony D. Harries et al. AIDS Research and Treatment, Vol. 2012, Article ID 346708, 3 pp. (21 May 2012) 3 pp. 446 kB: http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/art/2012/346708.pdf Just over 30 years after the beginning of the HIV epidemic, there is evidence that the global response is starting to catch up with the epidemic, at least in some places. This scaling up and treatment response has made enormous progress in providing access to care for HIV-infected persons, even in the least developed countries (LDCs). This special issue of AIDS Research and Treatment examines the current state of HIV care in resource-poor settings: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/art/contents/ ***

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 6

HIV/AIDS Reporting Manual

AIDS 2012 Special Edition Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, July 2012 88 pp. 1.3 MB: http://www.kff.org/hivaids/upload/7124-IAS.pdf The material in this edition covers a broad range of subjects including the unique challenges of reporting on HIV/AIDS, treatment and prevention strategies and global efforts to finance the campaign against HIV/AIDS. It includes a special section that will acquaint you with the epidemic in America and Washington, D.C. The global epidemic is not only a battle against a virus. It can also be a battle about ideas, cultural taboos, stigma and discrimination. ***

Defining retention and attrition in pre-antiretroviral HIV care: proposals based on experience in Africa
by Matthew P. Fox, Bruce Larson, Sydney Rosen Tropical Medicine & International Health - Article first published online: 5 August 2012 10 pp. 172 kB:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2012.03055.x/pdf

New guidelines and objectives for HIV care and treatment programmes call for largescale HIV testing aimed at early diagnosis of HIV infection and large-scale ART provision, with thresholds that allow much earlier treatment initiation than in the past. For these goals to be met, patients diagnosed with HIV must be enrolled and retained in pre-ART care. Consistent terminology for studying pre-ART care will facilitate the collection of relevant data, improve measuring and reporting of outcomes and enhance co mparability of results across programmes and countries. ***

HIV Costing Study Factsheet

Conducted by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in partnership with the Governments of Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia and the Center for Global Development, July 2012 2 pp. 130 kB: http://allafrica.com/download/resource/main/main/idatcs/00040797:921717ecf30a d749aef6fe81386b88e6.pdf A new study conducted by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), in partnership with five African countries and the Center for Global Development, has determined that HIV treatment costs are far lower than previously believed. ***

Key Findings of the Third South African National HIV Communication Survey, 2012
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), July 2012 HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 7

7 pp. 492 kB: http://www.hst.org.za/sites/default/files/ZANationalHIVCommunicationSurvey2012.pdf The 3rd South African National HIV Communication Survey (NCS) results, released at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., revealed new data that show substantial increases in behaviours that reduce the risk of HIV: condom use, HIV counselling and testing and voluntary medical male circumcision. The data also confirm that exposure to HIV communication programs have a direct impact on people practicing these behaviours. ***

Oral Cephalosporins No Longer a Recommended Treatment for Gonococcal Infections

by Carlos del Rio, Geraldine Hall, King Holmes et al. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), August 10, 2012/61(31);590-594 Read online at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6131a3.htm?s_cid=mm6131a3_e Treatment of patients with gonorrhea with the most effective therapy will limit the transmission of gonorrhea, prevent complications, and likely will slow emergence of resistance. However, resistance to cephalosporins, including ceftriaxone, is expected to emerge. Reinvestment in gonorrhea prevention and control is warranted. New treatment options for gonorrhea are urgently needed.

Sexual & Reproductive Health The Benefits of Integrating HIV and Family Planning Programs
Population Action International, July 2012 2 pp. 755 kB: http://populationaction.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/07/FPHIV_Integration_FINAL.pdf Offering family planning, reproductive health (FP/RH) and HIV/AIDS services together is central to ensuring universal access to reproductive health care and HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Failure to integrate these services is a missed opportunity that may undermine the effectiveness of these programs. ***

Costs and Benefits of Investing in Contraceptive Services in the Developing World

by S. Singh and J.E. Darroch Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA, June 2012 2 pp. 271 kB: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Costs-Benefits-Contraceptives.pdf The health benefits of contraceptive use are substantial. Contraceptives prevent uninHESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 8

tended pregnancies, reduce the number of abortions, and lower the incidence of death and disability related to complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The long-term benefits range from increased education for women and better child health to greater family savings and stronger national economies. ***

Promoting FP/RH-HIV/AIDS Integration: A Summary of Global Health Initiative Strategies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia
Population Action International, July 2012 8 pp. 2.4 MB: http://populationaction.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/07/GHI_Analysis_FINAL.pdf The Global Health Initiative (GHI) is an integrated approach to global health launched by President Obama in 2009. The GHI has seven core principles that form the basis for country strategies. This policy brief looks at how the integration principle and to a lesser degree the country ownership principle are applied to FP/RH and HIV/AIDS services and civil society engagement in the GHI country strategies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Maternal & Child Health Ending the everyday emergency: Resilience and children in the Sahel
by Peter Gubbels World Vision and Save the Children, July 2012 68 pp. 4.4 MB:
http://wvi.combinedmedia.com/images/uploads/file/News/Ending%20the%20Ever yday%20Emergency%20-full%20report%20final%20(17%20July%202012).pdf

This report aims to assess progress, lessons learned, and challenges in promoting r esilience in the Sahel, with a particular focus on the well-being of children. The study demonstrates the need for a massive response by governments and partners in order to tackle child malnutrition - chronic and acute, together. It offers evidence-based, tangible recommendations for a comprehensive, child-focused approach to resilience in the Sahel. ***

Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Evaluating the Need for Routine Antibiotics as Part of the Outpatient Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition
by Mark J. Manary, Kenneth Maleta, Indi Trehan Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance II Project (FANTA-2) Bridge, FHI 360, March 2012 37 pp. 1.4 MB:
http://www.fantaproject.org/downloads/pdfs/FANTA-CMAM-Antibiotic-Study-Mar2012.pdf

The Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) Project undertook a clinical trial comparing nutritional recovery and mortality outcomes in children with severe acute HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 9

malnutrition (SAM) receiving 1 week of amoxicillin, cefdinir, or placebo, in addition to usual peanut-based ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) therapy. This report documents the outcomes of the trial, which clearly showed the benefit of using antibiotics in the outpatient treatment of SAM without medical complications in a setting with high levels of kwashiorkor and HIV infection. ***

Effect of maternal obesity on neonatal death in sub-Saharan Africa: multivariable analysis of 27 national datasets
by Jenny A Cresswell, Oona MR Campbell, Mary J De Silva et al. The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 9 August 2012 6 pp. 215 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673612608691.pdf The research indicates that babies born to mothers who are overweight or obese in subSaharan Africa - where an estimated 17.5% of adults could be obese by 2030 - are more likely to die in the first two days after birth. The analysis is based on data from The Demographic and Health Surveys from 27 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and is the first to shed light on the association between maternal obesity and neonatal mortality in developing countries.

Malaria Towards comprehensive malaria planning: The effect of government capacity, health policy, and land use variables on malaria incidence in India
by Constantine Boussalis, Hal T. Nelson, Siddharth Swaminathan Social Science & Medicine 75 (2012) 1213-1221 9 pp. 749 kB: http://www.malarianexus.com/_common/updateable/files/articles/6 34790035446442358.pdf The authors present what they believe is the first empirical research that accounts for sub-national government capacity in estimating malaria incidence. After controlling for relevant extrinsic factors, they find evidence of a negative effect of state government capacity on reported malaria cases in Indian states over the period 1993-2002. Government capacity is more successful in predicting malaria incidence than potentially more direct indicators such as state public health expenditures and economic development levels. ***

Funding for malaria control 2006-2010: A comprehensive global assessment

by David M Pigott, Rifat Atun, Catherine L Moyes et al. Malaria Journal 2012, 11:246 (28 July 2012) 23 pp. 722 kB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-11-246.pdf The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in international and domestic funding for HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 10

malaria control, coupled with important declines in malaria incidence and mortality in some regions of the world. As the ongoing climate of financial uncertainty places strains on investment in global health, there is an increasing need to audit the origin, recipients and geographical distribution of funding for malaria control relative to populations at risk of the disease. ***

Trends in malaria cases, hospital admissions and deaths following scaleup of anti-malarial interventions, 2000-2010, Rwanda
by Corine Karema, Maru W Aregawi, Alphonse Rukundo Malaria Journal 2012, 11:236 (23 July 2012) 26 pp. 1.1 MB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-11-236.pdf To control malaria, the Rwandan government and its partners distributed insecticidetreated nets (ITN) and made artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) widely available from 2005 onwards. A greater than 50% decline in confirmed malaria cases, a dmissions and deaths at district hospitals in Rwanda since 2005 followed a marked increase in ITN coverage and use of ACT. The decline occurred among both children under-five and in children five years and above, while hospital utilization increased and suitable conditions for malaria transmission persisted. ***

Artemisinin resistance containment project in Thailand

i: implementation of electronic-based malaria information system for early case detection and individual case management in provinces along the Thai-Cambodian border by Amnat Khamsiriwatchara, Prayuth Sudathip, Surasak Sawang et al. Malaria Journal 2012, 11:247 (29 July 2012) 26 pp. 9.6 MB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-11-247.pdf The Bureau of Vector-borne Diseases, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, has implemented an electronic Malaria Information System (eMIS) as part of a strategy to contain artemisinin resistance. The attempt corresponds to the WHO initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to contain anti-malarial drug resistance in Southeast Asia. The main objective of this study was to demonstrate the eMIS' functionality and outputs after implementation for use in the Thailand artemisinin-resistance containment project. ***

Activity of selected phytochemicals against Plasmodium falciparum

by Florian Astelbauer, Maria Gruber, Brigitte Brem et al. Acta Tropica, Vol. 123, Issue 2, August 2012, pp. 96-100 5 pp. 422 kB: http://www.malarianexus.com/_common/updateable/files/articles/6 34796021747372689.pdf In this study the plant-derived compounds aglafolin, rocaglamid, kokusaginine, arborine, arborinine and tuberostemonine were investigated for their anti-plasmodial activity in viHESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 11

tro. Rocaglamid was the most active of the substances, closely followed by aglafoline. The activity was significantly below that of artemisinin, but moderately higher than that of quinine. Analogues of rocaglamid and aglafoline merit further exploration of their antiplasmodial activity. ***

Reductions in Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapy Consumption after the Nationwide Scale up of Routine Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Testing in Zambia
by Joshua O. Yukich, Adam Bennett, Audrey Albertini et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012 12-0127; Published online July 30, 2012 17 pp. 13.3 MB(!): http://www.ajtmh.org/content/early/2012/07/26/ajtmh.2012.120127.full.pdf+html The National Malaria Control Center of Zambia introduced rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to detect Plasmodium falciparum as a pilot in some districts in 2005 and 2006; scale up at a national level was achieved in 2009. The authors conclude that rapid diagnostic tests may contribute to rationalization of treatment of febrile illness and reduce antim alarial drug consumption in Africa; however, their impact may be greater in lower tran smission areas. ***

Artemisinin-Resistant Malaria: Research Challenges, Opportunities, and Public Health Implications

by Rick M. Fairhurst, Gaurvika M. L. Nayyar, Joel G. Breman et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012 Vol. 87 No. 2, 231-241 11 pp. 1.1 MB: http://www.ajtmh.org/content/87/2/231.full.pdf+html Reduced sensitivity to artemisinin monotherapy, coupled with the emergence of parasite resistance to all partner drugs, threaten to place millions of patients at risk of inadequate treatment of malaria. Emerging artemisinin resistance on the Cambodia-Thailand border and the risks it poses to global efforts to eliminate malaria are widely recognized. A containment strategy spearheaded by WHO/Global Plan for Artemisinin Resistance Containment (GPARC) is in place, but a targeted response will require that many unknowns be addressed first. ***

Insecticide-Treated Plastic Sheeting for Emergency Malaria Prevention and Shelter among Displaced Populations: An Observational Cohort Study in a Refugee Setting in Sierra Leone
by Matthew Burns, Mark Rowland, Raphael N'Guessan et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012 Vol. 87 No. 2, 242-250 9 pp. 1.4 MB: http://www.ajtmh.org/content/87/2/242.full.pdf+html A double-blind phase III malaria prevention trial was conducted in two refugee camps using pre-manufactured insecticide-treated plastic sheeting (ITPS) or untreated polyethylene sheeting (UPS) randomly deployed to defined sectors of each camp. Anemia rates HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 12

improved under ITPS in both camps. This novel tool proved to be a convenient, safe, and long-lasting method of malaria control when used as a full shelter lining in an emergency setting.

Tuberculosis Clinical Diagnostic Systems Used in the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Children

by Emily C. Pearce, Jason F. Woodward, Winstone M. Nyandiko et al. AIDS Research and Treatment, Vol. 2012, Article ID 401896, 11 pp., 9 May 2012 11 pp. 541 kB: http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/art/2012/401896.pdf One of the largest challenges in preventing morbidity and mortality from TB among the paediatric population is the difficulty in making a timely diagnosis. Improving the accuracy of diagnosis of paediatric TB is needed to ensure appropriate and timely treatment of those with active disease and to prevent unnecessary morbidity and mortality. Validated clinical diagnostic systems that can be implemented in resource limited settings can improve the accuracy and timeliness of tuberculosis in children; however, additional well-designed studies are needed to validate the accuracy and reliability of current scoring systems and diagnostic criteria. ***

Modelling the impacts of new diagnostic tools for tuberculosis in developing countries to enhance policy decisions
Ivor Langley, Basra Doulla, Hsien-Ho Lin et al. Health Care Manag Sci (2012) 15:239-253 (7 June 2012) 15 pp. 518 kB: http://www.springerlink.com/content/u768lr018r04t135/fulltext.pdf The introduction and scale-up of new tools for the diagnosis of Tuberculosis (TB) in developing countries has the potential to make a huge difference to the lives of millions of people living in poverty. To achieve this, policy makers need the information to make the right decisions about which new tools to implement and where in the diagnostic algorithm to apply them most effectively. These decisions are difficult as the new tools are often expensive to implement and use, and the health system and patient impacts u ncertain, particularly in developing countries where there is a high burden of TB. ***

Rapid Implementation of New TB Diagnostic Tests: Is It Too Soon for a Global Roll-Out of Xpert MTB/RIF?
by Daniela E. Kirwan, Mara Kathia Crdenas and Robert H. Gilman Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012 Vol. 87 No. 2, 197-201 5 pp. 467 kB: http://www.ajtmh.org/content/87/2/197.full.pdf+html

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 13

In 2011 the World Health Organization approved Xpert MTB/RIF for tuberculosis dia gnosis and recommended its rapid implementation. The urgent need for better diagnostics is evident. Yet, serial implementation of new technologies causes ineffective spending and fragmentation of services. How new tests are incorporated into existing diagnostic algorithms affects both outcomes and costs. More detailed data on performance, effect on patient-important outcomes, and costs when used with adjunct tests are needed for each setting before implementation. ***

Public-Private Partnership Announces Immediate 40 Percent Cost Reduction for Rapid TB Test
UNITAID, 6 August 2012 Read online at: http://www.unitaid.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&layout=edit&id=986 The United States Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), UNITAID, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced an agreement that will significantly reduce the cost of a new, highly accurate, rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) in 145 high-burden and developing countries. Funds provided by this partnership will reduce the cost of Xpert MTB/RIF cartridges from US$ 16.86 to US$ 9.98, a price which will not increase until 2022. Research suggests that the incremental scale up of GeneXpert in countries with high TB burdens could allow for the rapid diagnosis of 700,000 cases of TB disease and save health systems in low- and middle-income countries more than U.S. $18 million in direct health costs. ***

Preventive therapy in children exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis: problems and solutions

by Merrin E. Rutherford, Philip C. Hill, Rina Triasih et al. Tropical Medicine & International Health - Article first published online: 5 August 2012 10 pp. 129 kB:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2012.03053.x/pdf

Young children living with a tuberculosis patient are at high risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease. WHO guidelines promote active screening and isoniazid (INH) preventive therapy (PT) for such children under 5 years, yet this well-established intervention is seldom used in endemic countries. The authors find that barriers to implementation of PT are multifactorial, including difficulties in screening, poor adherence, fear of increasing INH resistance and poor acceptability among primary caregivers and healthcare workers. ***

Hearing the unheard voices - saving children from TB

Report of e-consultation and key informant interviews on childhood tuberculosis by Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant, Rahul Kumar Dwivedi et al. Citizen News Service (CNS), March 2012 52 pp. 3.6 MB:
http://www.scribd.com/document_downloads/direct/86723326?extension= pdf&ft=1344239090&lt=1344242700&uahk=pPZ4kEc3bBjPV4eHnTCT1KJxRiM

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 14

We are not finding thousands upon thousands of children affected by TB because we are not looking for them as we should and because we are not treating childhood TB as a family and community issue. All children, who have been exposed to TB through someone living in their household, need TB treatment if they are ill with TB, and this costs just US$ 0.50 a day. If they are not ill they need preventive TB treatment with isoniazid, which costs only US$ 0.03 per day. This is so simple and inexpensive. It is shocking we are not doing this already in every case. ***

Engaging the private sector to increase tuberculosis case detection: an impact evaluation study
by Aamir J Khan, Saira Khowaja, Faisal S Khan et al. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Vol. 12, Issue 8, pp. 608-616, August 2012 9 pp. 320 kB:
http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laninf/PIIS1473309912701160.pdf

In many countries with a high burden of tuberculosis, most patients receive treatment in the private sector. The authors evaluated a multifaceted case-detection strategy in Karachi, Pakistan, targeting the private sector. They conclude that novel approaches to t uberculosis case-finding involving the private sector and using laypeople, mobile phone software and incentives, and communication campaigns can substantially increase case notification in dense urban settings. ***

Feasibility, Yield, and Cost of Active Tuberculosis Case Finding Linked to a Mobile HIV Service in Cape Town, South Africa: A Cross-sectional Study
by Katharina Kranzer, Stephen D. Lawn, Gesine Meyer-Rath et al. PLoS Med 9(8): e1001281 (7 August 2012) 11 pp. 377 kB:
http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=565A47DC236B0073A 6A1E96952A38A1C?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001281&representation=PDF

The WHO developed guidelines on screening for tuberculosis disease to inform national screening strategies are complicated by significant gaps in knowledge regarding mass screening. The authors conclude that mobile active tuberculosis case finding in deprived populations with a high burden of HIV and tuberculosis is feasible, has a high uptake, yield, and treatment success. Further work is required to examine cost-effectiveness and affordability and whether and how the same results may be achieved at scale.

Other Infectious Diseases Thomson Reuters Global Research Report: Neglected Tropical Diseases
by Jonathan Adams, Karen A Gurney, David Pendlebury Thomson Reuters, July 2012 16 pp. 10.3 MB (free registration required): http://researchanalytics.thomsonreuters.com/m/pdfs/globalresearch report-ntd.pdf HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 15

The study analyzes research output from 1992 to 2011 for a group of diseases identified by the World Health Organization as underserved. These diseases infect more than one billion people around the globe and are responsible for over half a million deaths annually. While the study finds a two-fold increase in published literature since 1992, the totals still pale in comparison to other diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and coronary artery disease. ***

Current approaches and future directions in the treatment of leprosy

by Sophie M Worobec Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine 2012:3, 79-91 (1 August 2012) 13 pp. 918 kB: http://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=13514 This review surveys current treatments and future treatment trends in leprosy from a clinical perspective. The World Health Organization provides a multidrug treatment regimen that targets the Mycobacterium leprae bacillus which causes leprosy. Several investigational drugs are available for the treatment of drug-resistant M. leprae. Future directions in leprosy treatment will focus on vaccine development; development of new diagnostic tests; and the implications of the recent discovery of a genetically distinct leprosy-causing bacillus, Mycobacterium lepromatosis. ***

Burden of leprosy in Malawi: community camp-based cross-sectional study

by Kelias P Msyamboza, Leonard R Mawaya, Hudson W Kubwalo et al. BMC International Health and Human Rights 2012, 12:12 (6 August 2012) 17 pp. 635 kB: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-698X-12-12.pdf Although leprosy was eliminated globally in 2000, the disease continues to be the significant cause of peripheral neuropathy, disability and disfigurement in some developing countries. It is still an important public health problem in Malawi. Improving knowledge and skills of health workers, registration and recording of data, contact tracing, decentralisation and integration of treatment to health centres and introduction of leprosy awareness days and community-based surveillance could help to improve early detection, treatment, case holding and prevention of disabilities. ***

Review of the current treatments for leishmaniases

by Jos Angelo Lauletta Lindoso, Jackson Maurcio Lopes Costa, Igor Thiago Queiroz et al. Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine, Vol. 2012:3, pp. 69-77, July 2012 9 pp. 227 kB: http://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=13423 Leishmaniases are vector-borne zoonotic diseases that are prevalent in tropical and HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 16

subtropical areas in the world, with two million new cases occurring yearly. Visceral and tegumentary forms of leishmaniasis are known. The varied clinical manifestations, the multitude of Leishmania species, and the increasing incidence of HIV co-infection make the diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniases complex. Since there are no solid data r elating clinical manifestations, treatment outcomes and Leishmania species the decision regarding the best therapeutic option is almost entirely based on clinical manifestations. ***

Doxycycline Improves Filarial Lymphedema Independent of Active Filarial Infection: A Randomized Controlled Trial
by Sabine Mand, Alexander Yaw Debrah, Ute Klarmann et al. Clin Infect Dis. (2012) 55 (5): 621-630 (September 1, 2012) 10 pp. 378 kB: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/55/5/621.full.pdf+html Doxycycline treatment improves mild to moderate Filarial Lymphedema (LE) independent of ongoing infection. This finding expands the benefits of doxycycline to the entire population of patients suffering from LE. Patients with LE stage 1-3 should benefit from a 6-week course of doxycycline every other year or yearly, which should be considered as an improved tool to manage morbidity in filarial LE. ***

Integration of Deworming into HIV Care and Treatment: A Neglected Opportunity

by Helen L. Gerns, Laura R. Sangar, Judd L. Walson PLoS Negl Trop Dis 6(7): e1738 (July 31, 2012) 2 pp. 67 kB:
http://www.plosntds.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=E328013C3C735795 E810CC4E35014958?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0001738&representation=PDF

An estimated 2.1 million children are infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, where multiple helminth species are also endemic. Likely half of these children are co-infected with helminths. The infrastructure behind HIV care and treatment is vital in addressing the HIV pandemic, and similarly could be utilized to address and promote other health issues specific to persons living with HIV. Deworming HIV-infected children, specifically, may have a substantial impact on child health and therefore should be provided though HIV care services. ***

Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Tanzanian Schoolgirls: ClusterRandomized Trial Comparing 2 Vaccine-Delivery Strategies
by Deborah Watson-Jones, Kathy Baisley, Riziki Ponsiano et al. J Infect Dis. (2012) 206 (5): 678-686 (September 1, 2012) 9 pp. 260 kB: http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/206/5/678.full.pdf+html The authors compared vaccine coverage achieved by 2 different delivery strategies for the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Tanzanian schoolgirls. They HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 17

conclude that HPV vaccine can be delivered with high coverage in schools in subSaharan Africa. Compared with age-based vaccination, class-based vaccination located more eligible pupils and achieved higher coverage. HPV vaccination did not increase absenteeism rates in selected schools. Innovative strategies will be needed to reach out-of-school girls.

Non-communicable Diseases Hypertension in developing countries

by M Mohsen Ibrahim and Albertino Damasceno The Lancet, Vol. 380, Issue 9841, pp. 611-619, 11 August 2012 9 pp. 269 kB:
http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673612608617.pdf

Data from different national and regional surveys show that hypertension is common in developing countries, particularly in urban areas, and that rates of awareness, treatment, and control are low. High illiteracy rates, poor access to health facilities, bad dietary habits, poverty, and high costs of drugs contribute to poor blood pressure control. Governments, together with medical societies and non-governmental organisations, should support and promote preventive programmes aiming to increase public awareness, educate physicians, and reduce salt intake. Regulations for the food industry and the production and availability of generic drugs should be reinforced.

Essential Medicines Patent Information and Transparency: A Methodology for Patent Searches on Essential Medicines in Developing Countries
United Nations Development Programme, July 2012 122 pp. 729 kB: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/hivaids/English/Pate nt%20Information%20and%20Transparency.pdf The main aim of the present document is twofold; first, to set out the technical aspects of the rationale for the Methodology; and second, to describe how it should be deve loped as a tool for stakeholders, including health authorities and procurement agencies (which may not necessarily have extensive legal and patent expertise) in developing countries to quickly search for patents on medicines, from publicly available (and free) sources of information. ***

Anti-HIV drugs
Edited by Keith Alcorn, Selina Corkery and Greta Hughson nam aidsmap, Eleventh edition, March 2012 68 pp. 549 kB: http://www.hivsharespace.net/system/files/AHD_2012_Web.pdf This booklet is a starting point for anyone who wants to know about treatments for HIV. HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 18

It provides basic information about the drugs that fight HIV known as antiretroviral drugs and deals briefly with dosing, side-effects, drug interactions and drug resistance. This information was correct at the time of going to press (March 2012). The booklet has been written to help you decide what questions to ask your doctor about any course of treatment you might be considering.

Social Protection Social determinants of health: the role of social protection in addressing social inequalities in health
Discussion Papers on Social Protection, Issue No 11 by Barbara Rohregger Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), August 2011 6 pp. 327 kB: http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/giz2011-en-social-determinants-of-health.pdf This paper aims to provide focused insights into specific aspects of the international debate on social protection. The author highlights that social protection measures and mechanisms directly contribute to poverty reduction and human resource development by providing recipients with in-kind or cash transfers. They also allow beneficiaries to gain better access to social services, including health facilities, drugs, etc. ***

Kenyas national cash transfer programme for orphans and vulnerable children: effects on HIV-related behaviours
by Mara Kardas-Nelson nam - aidsmap 31 July 2012 Read online at: http://www.aidsmap.com/page/2460357/?utm_source=NAM-EmailPromotion&utm_medium=aidsmap-news&utm_campaign=aidsmap-news#item2460473 Cash transfers to orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya are associated with later onset of sexual activity and fewer sexual partners, but no increase in condom use among those already sexually active, according to long-term follow-up from Kenyas national cash transfer programme. ***

Integrated Health and Microfinance in India: Harnessing the Strengths of Two Sectors to Improve Health and Alleviate Poverty
by Dawn Lewandowski Freedom from Hunger and the Microcredit Summit Campaign, 2012 28 pp. 800 kB: http://www.microcreditsummit.org/pubs/FFH_IndiaReport_WEB.pdf Indian microfinance institutions (MFIs) currently serve 71 million rural poor. Pairing financial services with access to life-saving health interventions, such as health financing, HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 19

telemedicine, and other innovations, has tremendous potential but requires further commitment of effort and resources to reach scale. The report demonstrates how microfinance can be further leveraged to provide a powerful tool to address one of Indias persistent barriers to the economic advancement of the poor: ill health caused by lack of access to health services.

Human Resources The rise of the expert patient: A fresh perspective on human resource for health in Africa
by Adanna Chukwuma Consultancy Africa Intelligence, 2 August 2012 Read online at:
http://www.consultancyafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1080:the-rise-of-the-expert-patient-afresh-perspective-on-human-resource-for-health-in-africa&catid=61:hiv-aids-discussion-papers&Itemid=268

This paper examines the role of expert patients in tackling the human resource challenge faced by African health systems. It critically analyses the possible implications of adopting expert patient involvement in healthcare services and management within the unique context that sub-Saharan Africa presents. Based on empirical evidence and theoretical arguments, recommendations are made to guide decisions surr ounding expert patient involvement for healthcare in Africa. ***

Gaps and Shortages in South Africas Health Workforce

by Angeli Rawat Africa Portal, 19 June 2012 8 pp. 237 kB: http://www.africaportal.org/sites/default/files/Backgrounder%20No.%2031%20%20Gaps%20and%20Shortages%20in%20South%20Africa%27s%20Workforce.pdf A recent strategic plan, released in 2012 by the South African government, aims to address the gaps in human resources for health and is expected to mitigate the resource shortage within the next 15 to 25 years. This report analyses the plan and proposes that actors in other health systems, especially those in high HIV-burden, low-resource countries, may be able to learn from the forthcoming experience of implementing the strategy in South Africa.

Health Systems & Research Out-of-pocket costs for paediatric admissions in district hospitals in Kenya
by Edwine W. Barasa, Philip Ayieko, Susan Cleary et al. Tropical Medicine & International Health - Article first published online: 21 June 2012 4 pp. 76 kB:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2012.03029.x/pdf

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Despite a policy of user fee exemption for children under 5 years of age in Kenya, the findings show that high unofficial user fees are still charged in district hospitals. Financing mechanisms that will offer financial risk protection to children seeking care need to be developed to remove barriers to child survival.

Information & Communication Technology Ensuring open access for publicly funded research
by Peter Suber BMJ 2012; 345:e5184(8 August 2012) 2 pp. 161 kB: http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e5184.pdf%2Bhtml The UK, EU and US research agencies are progressively shifting their publication policy to ensure open access to publicly funded research. These changes are welcome and not only the taxpayers of those countries will benefit from it but citizens of the entire world. This article discusses whether we should go for open access journals or open access repositories. ***

Journal of Health Communication - Volume 17, Supplement 1, 2012

All 16 articles are available open access online until August 17, 2012. http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uhcm20/17/sup1 Early evidence from pilot studies has demonstrated that mHealth applications have the potential to improve health infrastructure and delivery of health-related information. However, few rigorous evaluation studies have been reported and there are little outcomes data currently available in the literature. This su pplement issue with a focus on mHealth evaluation and outcomes is expected to contribute to the dialogue on current knowledge of mHealth impact and outcomes research. ***

mHealth is booming, but riddled with challenges

by Jaclyn Schiff Devex, 16 July 2012 Read online at:
http://www.devex.com/en/news/mhealth-is-booming-but-riddled-withchallenges/78683?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoisq7LZKXonjHpfsXw6%2B4kWKOg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1 YAATsB0dvycMRAVFZl5nQhdDOWN

As mobile technology advances and expands, it could change the way health care is delivered around the globe. As the mHealth field grows, it has now become a common belief that technology will play a growing role in building health capacity in the developing world. mHealth - since it is so tied to new and emerging technologies - is moving and developing so rapidly that it can be tough to pin it down to conduct any kind of evidencebased studies or gauge how effective it is.

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 21

Using mHealth to Support Universal Health Access

GSMA mHealth Tracker, March 2012 27 pp. 2.9 MB:
http://www.gsma.com/developmentfund/wpcontent/uploads/2012/05/Using-mHealth-to-Support-Universal-Health-Access.pdf

This report discusses: Current State of Global Healthcare: Health Gains & Failures Global & Regional Overview of mHealth Services mHealth Services Addressing Universal Health Indicators Review of 794 Mobile Operators Involvement in mHealth Examples within the mHealth Categories and Regions Future Development of the mHealth Tracker

Education Education for All: Or Just Those Easier to Reach?

by Peter Gregory, Kavitha Suthanthiraraj, Peter Van Zoeren et al. RESULTS International (Australia), 2012 21 pp. 1.3 MB: http://www.results.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/RESULTSEducation-for-All-Report-2012.pdf This report examines the extent to which issues of gender and disability are considered in the design, development and monitoring of education programs undertaken by AusAID, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. This is examined through a dual analytical approach involving assessment of institutional education policy and design documents to determine gender and disability policies and priorities, coupled with a review of operational documents.

Harm Reduction and Drug Use Which interventions are best to reduce HIV infections among drug users?
by Mara Kardas-Nelson nam - aidsmap,01 August 2012 Read online at: http://www.aidsmap.com/page/2454643/?utm_source=NAM-EmailPromotion&utm_medium=aidsmap-news&utm_campaign=aidsmap-news#item2460652 HIV infections among drug users currently make up 30% of new infections globally. Their social marginalisation makes them an especially difficult group to target for public health and HIV interventions. Yet researchers, civil society, and drug user organisations are considering innovative strategies to reduce the risk of HIV infection. *** HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 22

Defining and redefining harm reduction in the Lao context

by Vanphanom Sychareun, Visanou Hansana, Sysavanh Phommachanh et al. Harm Reduction Journal 2012, 9:28 (9 July 2012) 7 pp. 190 kB: http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/pdf/1477-7517-9-28.pdf The response to drug use in Laos has focused on reducing opium supply (supply reduction) and rates of drug use (demand reduction). However, recently there is increased interest among government counterparts to discuss and develop broader responses to injecting drug use (IDU) including the introduction of harm reduction programs. The concept of harm reduction has just been introduced to Lao PDR and as yet there is no agreement on a definition of the concept. ***

Resources for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

http://gamapserver.who.int/gho/interactive_charts/substance_abuse /treatment_alcohol_drugs/atlas.html Drug use disorders remain a prevalent problem globally, yet most countries do not offer evidence-based treatment for these disorders, according to a new database set up by the World Health Organization to track the availability of services to prevent and treat substance use disorders. The WHO created the database as part of its effort to expand access to treatment for patients with these disorders. The database contains information on 147 countries - accounting for 88% of the worlds population that have been assessed by the WHO.

Millennium Development Goals The MDG Dashboard

http://esl.jrc.it/dc/ This resource displays the MDG indicators in a userfriendly format, with colour-coded country profiles and maps. It provides over 60 MDG indicators for approximately 200 countries and 21 years (1990-2010) based on original data from the UN MDG database, updated in January 2012. The MDG Dashboard is available in two 'flavours': - a simplified browser version (interactive but limited to African countries and the most recent year for which data were available, i.e. 2009 or older) - a full version requiring a download (all UN countries, 1990-2009, with advanced features such as correlation analysis). ***

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 23

MDG Report 2012: Assessing Progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals
Emerging perspectives from Africa on the post-2015 development agenda by AUC, UNECA, AfDB and UNDP, July 2012 184 pp. 8.0 MB: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/MDG/english/MDG%20 Regional%20Reports/Africa/MDG%20Report2012_ENG.pdf%20(final).pdf This year the report shows that progress has been made in primary school enrolment, gender parity in primary school enrolment, the proportion of seats held by women in n ational parliament and HIV and AIDS prevalence rates. In spite of this progress, Africa still faces the challenges of addressing pervasive income inequalities, creating decent jobs, access to health and sanitation services. ***

Millennium Development Goals water target claim exaggerates achievement

by Thomas F. Clasen Tropical Medicine & International Health - Article first published online: 29 July 2012 3 pp. 45 kB: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2012.03052.x/pdf In March 2012, the United Nations made an important announcement: The goal of reducing by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water has been achieved. While major news organizations heralded the achievement, this may be another premature claim of mission accomplished. This is because the way progress is measured on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) water target does not fully address water quality, quantity and access key components of the target that are fundamental to human health. ***

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals - More money or better policies (or both)?
by Jean-Philippe Stijns Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2012 5 pp. 441 kB: http://www.oecd.org/social/povertyreductionandsocialdevelopment/50463407.pdf The looming 2015 deadline to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has brought back the question of what it will cost and who will fund meeting the MDGs. Estimating the order of magnitude of the funds needed to meet the MDGs and the scope of increased domestic resource mobilisation, the Development Centre Study published by the OECD in April 2012 informs the funding debate. Analysis reveals that achieving the MDGs is at least as much about policies as about financing. This insight should also inform discussions on emerging initiatives for after 2015. ***

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 24

Development Assistance Infectious Disease, Injury and Reproductive Health

by Dean T. Jamison, Prabhat Jha, Ramanan Laxminarayan et al. Copenhagen Consensus 2012 Challenge Paper, 15 April, 2012 94 pp. 872 kB: http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/academic/201205Infec tious+Disease.pdf This paper identifies key priorities for the control of infectious disease, injury and reproductive problems for the Copenhagen Consensus 2012 (CC12). It updates the evidence and adjusts the conclusions of the previous work in light of subsequent research and experience. This paper identifies 6 key interventions in terms of their cost-effectiveness, the size of the disease burden they address, the amount of financial protection they pr ovide, their feasibility of implementation and their relevance for development assistance budgets. ***

Rhetoric versus reality: the best and worst of aid agency practices
by William Easterly and Claudia R. Williamson Munich Personal RePEc Archive (MPRA), 2011 79 pp. 1.0 MB: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/39139/1/MPRA_paper_39139.pdf Foreign aid critics, supporters, recipients and donors have produced eloquent rhetoric on the need for better aid practices has this translated into reality? This paper attempts to monitor the best and worst of aid practices among bilateral, multilateral, and UN agencies. The authors create aid practice measures based on aid transparency, specialization, selectivity, ineffective aid channels and overhead costs. They rate donor agencies from best to worst on aid practices. ***

Effective Development Assistance: Now Is the Time

Bread for the World Institute - Development Works, Number 1, March 2012 6 pp. 372 kB: http://www.bread.org/institute/papers/effective-development-assistance.pdf In developing countries, investing small amounts in training, tools, or start-up costs can yield significant improvements. Development assistance helps communities and nations strengthen their economies and create better living conditions. Countries develop successful strategies against hunger by using their own resources and development assistance to strengthen the essentials, such as more productive farms and access to nutritious food and basic health care. Effective development assistance saves millions of lives every year. ***

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 25

Others Why do we always end up here? Evidence-based medicines conceptual cul-de-sacs and some off-road alternative routes
by Trisha Greenhalgh J PRIM HEALTH CARE 2012;4(2):92-97 (June 2012) 6 pp. 178 kB: http://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/assets/documents/Publications/JPHC/Jun e-2012/JPHCGuestEditorialGreenhalghJune2012.pdf The paradigm the author wants to talk about is evidence-based medicine - EBM. Evidence-based medicine, and the rationalistic assumptions on which it is built, perpetuate the myth that, by reducing medicines complexity to focused questions about populations, interventions, comparisons and outcomes, we will get rid of its uncertainties and ambiguities. In fact you can not tame complexity without loss of meaning - sometimes very profound loss of meaning. ***

Tools for Implementing an Evidence-Based Approach in Public Health Practice

Julie A. Jacobs, Ellen Jones, Barbara A. Gabella et al. Prev Chronic Dis 2012;9:110324. (July 20th, 2012) Read online at: http://blogs.cdc.gov/pcd/2012/07/20/tools-for-implementing-an-evidence-basedapproach-in-public-health-practice/ Increasing disease rates, limited funding, and the ever-growing scientific basis for intervention demand the use of proven strategies to improve population health. Public health practitioners must be ready to implement an evidence-based approach in their work to meet health goals and sustain necessary resources. ***

Developing a comprehensive time series of GDP per capita for 210 countries from 1950 to 2015
by Spencer L James, Paul Gubbins, Christopher JL Murray et al. Population Health Metrics 2012, 10:12 (30 July 2012) 24 pp. 421 kB: http://www.pophealthmetrics.com/content/pdf/1478-7954-10-12.pdf Income has been extensively studied and utilized as a determinant of health. There are several sources of income expressed as gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, but there are no time series that are complete for the years between 1950 and 2015 for the 210 countries for which data exist. It is in the interest of population health research to establish a global time series that is complete from 1950 to 2015. GDP per capita is a necessary tool in population health research, and the authors development and implementation of a new method has allowed for the most comprehensive known time series to date. *** HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 26

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
New Interactive on Development, Aid and Governance
http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/development-aid-governance-indicators The Brookings Global Economy and Development Program has launched a new interactive featuring data on development, aid and governance. The Development, Aid and Governance Indicators (DAGI) include trends in foreign assistance, governance, and global poverty and middle class populations. With this interactive, users can explore differences across countries, changes over time, as well as relationships between the indicators and conventional development variables such as GDP per capita and maternal mortality ratios. DAGI is designed for users to examine and show, in powerful and graphic ways, answers to important and interesting global development questions. ***

Evaluation Resources Library

http://www.weitzenegger.de/content/?page_id=13011 Search 120+ Evaluation Websites here with this search engine powered by Google. No more endless link lists and online library forms. All contents related to evaluation is stuffed in this search engine and let Google do the work. You can access all relevant online content on M&E for international cooperation here within seconds. ***

NutVal.Net
http://www.nutval.net/ The planning, calculation, and monitoring application for food assistance programmes. NutVal 3.0 has an expanded database of commodities and products, and new population sub-groups to use for assessing the adequacy of food assistance. NutVal is designed to run on Excel 2003 and later versions. To download the most recent version of NutVal go to: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/cihd/research/research-themes/nutrition/nutval/NutVal-v3.0.xls ***

Bulletin of the World Health Organization - Vol. 90, Nr. 8, August 2012
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/8/en/index.html This issue includes articles on the following topics: Harnessing traditional Chinese medicine for public health Genomics in low- and middle-income countries Counting the cost of calories Lessons from Fukushima Biomedical engineering in disaster management HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 27

This months issue of the Bulletin is available in a variety of new formats for e-book readers and DAISY playback readers (digital talking books). ***

African Health Sciences Vol. 12, No. 2 (June 2012)

African Health Sciences Vol.12, June 2012 issue is now available FREE online on the African Journals OnLine (AJOL) website: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ahs Interesting articles about malaria and truck drivers, vitamin A and malaria, erectile dysfunction and HIV, etc. ***

Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - Vol. 02, Nr. 02 (2012)

http://www.jmidonline.org You are invited to read the Table of Contents and then read or download articles and items of interest, e.g. Pertussis, Hepatitis B, human Brucellosis etc. ***

New POPLINE Website

The Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project http://www.k4health.org/ is pleased to announce the official launch of the new POPLINE website http://www.popline.org/ POPLINE is the worlds largest database of reproductive health literature, and thousands of new records are added every year. But while the database is up-to-date, the website itself has not had a major upgrade in quite some time. ***

Global Digital Library on Ethics (GlobeEthicsLib)

http://www.globethics.net A new online collection of research, documentation and articles on Health Ethics has been launched by Globethics.net in its Global Digital Library on Ethics (GlobeEthicsLib). Initially including more than 500 documents, the collection is a unique online resource covering topics related to health ethics such as pharmaceuticals, health economics, health politics, access to medical care, environmental issues and bioethics. The collection is available to participants who register for free with Globethics.net. ***

Youth and Fitness Online Magazine

http://www.youthfitafrica.com/ Youth Fit Africa is a new online magazine featuring sport, fitness, and health information HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 28

for youth, by youth. YFA includes feature stories, youth profiles, health and fitness tips, events, and opportunities.

INTERESTING WEB SITES

WIPO Re:Search
http://www.wipo.int/research/en/ One of the worlds great global health challenges is to overcome the impact of neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis. These diseases negatively affect the lives of more than one billion people, many of whom live in the worlds least developed countries. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Re:Search aims to stimulate more research and development for new and better treatment options for those suffering from these conditions. WIPO Re:Search provides access to intellectual property for pharmaceutical compounds, technologies, and - most importantly - know-how and data available for research and development for neglected tropical diseases, tuberculosis, and malaria. ***

Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM)

http://www.cmamforum.org/ The CMAM Forum was established in 2012 by a group of experts with the aim to provide a robust information-sharing mechanism that expands the knowledge base on acute malnutrition, to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations. It will build upon and link with existing initiatives.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Equity and Health Systems - Flagship Course
October 25-29, 2012 in Beijing, China Apply by August 24, 2012 The course is being offered by the Asia Network for Capacity Building in Health Systems Strengthening (ANHSS) in collaboration with the World Bank Institute, the Equitap research network and the Global Network for Health Equity (GNHE). It will be hosted by the China National Health Development Research Center (CNHDRC). The Flagship Course on Equity and Health Systems will help participants think about why equity in health is important, identify methods and tools for assessing equity, and assess policy options to achieve more equitable, pro-poor outcomes. It will also explain what drives equity in health and health systems, and the value judgements involved. For more information see: http://wbi.worldbank.org/wbi/event/equity-and-health-systems-course

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 29

CARTOON
Webmasters

TIPS & TRICKS

iPad CAPITALS
We all know it is not good netiquette to use all capital letters, because it makes us LOOK LIKE WE ARE YELLING - Right? Well, maybe sometimes you need CAPITALS. But if you are an iPad owner, it may seem like a pain to tap the Shift key for each and every letter and it is especially bad if you have got a lot to say. Shift, type a letter Shift, type a letter, etc. Try this next time you need CAPITALS: Double-tap the Shift Key before you start typing. It should turn blue to signify that Caps Lock has been turned on.

***

Epocrates
http://www.epocrates.com/mobile/all/android How useful would it be to be able to carry around a full drug information database, interaction checker, medical calculator and medical reference suite for free? Epocrates offers an amazing app for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone which lets you do all that and more. ***

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 30

Need A Calculator? Google It!

Have you ever been at your computer or on a mobile device and needed a good calc ulator? Of course there is Windows built-in calculator, but now there is also a great option from Google. If you search Google for the term calculator, you will be presented with this: Functions are supported include adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, sine, cosine, tangent, root, square, pi and many more. One very nice feature is you can type in an entire equation into the calculator before hitting equal.

Best regards, Dieter Neuvians MD

HESP-News & Notes - 17/2012 - page 31