Most Popular Global Health Posts
How Will We Feed The World in 2050?
Published October 05, 2009 @ 06:39AM PT
How To Feed the World 2050 is a high-level expert forum held in Rome next week that will ask how on earth we will feed 9 billion people, as demand for food grows, and is forced to compete with biofuels for the arable land. Add a lot of climate change to the mix and increasing rates of urbanization meaning fewer people living in rural areas, and growing more food isn't going to be easy.
There are answers, like increasing yields rather than farming more land, but food production is going to have to increase by 70 percent if we want to avoid more of the world's populations drifting deeper in poverty and hunger. There is hope, suggests FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN) Assistant Director-General Hafez Ghanem: "FAO is cautiously optimistic about the world's potential to feed itself by 2050."
As if hunger alone wasn't enough, let's not forget the the paper (pdf) explaining how under-nutrition can be an "underlying cause of child-deaths associated with diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, and measles." The How To Feed The World In 2050 forum is one of a number of events, including World Food Day on October 16th, that prepare the ground for the World Summit on Food Security, November 16-18.
Infecting Mosquitos With Parasites Reduces Transmisison of Malaria
Published October 04, 2009 @ 01:21PM PT
The spread of infectious diseases can be controlled by infecting mosquitoes with a parasite, potentially saving millions of human lives every year. Infecting mosquitos with the parasite Wolbachia ramps up a mosquito's immune system, which in turns dramatically lowers transmission of disease. Infected mosquitoes also live shorter lives.
Net result: Fewer, healthier mosquitoes, with the parasite passed from generation to generation. A scientist behind the study suggests, "given adequate funding and local cooperation, Wolbachia could spread though a local mosquito population in a year." But the debates continues on whether climate change will hasten the spread of Malaria.
Living Proof Project Provides Concrete Examples of Aid Working
Published October 02, 2009 @ 08:13AM PT
Fighting global health problems is one thing, but it's also crucial to note successful programs, as well as criticizing failing programs. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as investing in programs, have launched the "Living Proof Project" to highlight successes in the U.S. government's global health work. They simply want to get the message across to Americans that government investments have saved millions of lives in developing countries, and they need our continued support.
The campaign will begin with an ad campaign targeting policy makers in DC. The foundation will attempt to fix the disconnect between optimism and progress they personally witness abroad with the pessimism they hear at home. The Living Proof Project have put together a number of progress sheets and infographics to get you up to date on recent successes; but of course it's the videos that speak 10,000 words.
Universal Healthcare in Asia May Lift Poverty, Lead to Consumerism
Published October 01, 2009 @ 06:55AM PT
The WHO's Regional Committee for the Western Pacific explained that the global downturn put those who live on less than $2 a day at greater risk of deep poverty due to "catastrophic health expenses." They demanded that countries prioritize "financial plans to ensure broader access to medical services," fearing delays would push more people into poverty. The regional committee called for universal access to healthcare at a manageable price, keen to not increase the 50 million people impoverished due to health services cost.
Strategies to manage this include more investment and strengthening safety-net mechanisms for the poor and vulnerable who to often lack primary care services. In January, China announced a plan to achieve universal healthcare by 2020, planning to invest $123 billion to provide "basic medical security" to all, and to make medical services more affordable. An interesting consequence of universal healthcare? An increase to general consumer spending as health costs are alleviated. Universal healthcare is not only a good investment, but one that may see a positive economic return for a country traditionally careful about curbing consumer spending.
[Photo credit: Uberzombie]
After 70 Years We Continue to Struggle To Make Aid Work
Published September 30, 2009 @ 03:06PM PT
The Millennium Development Goals of 2005 identified international development goals essential to reducing extreme poverty. Amongst them: sprayed nets to deal with Malaria, more vitamin A, and stressing the importance of contour terracing to address soil erosion. A 1938 Africa Research survey pointed out similar needs: mosquito nets, a deficiency of vitamin A, and the beneficial effect of terracing. Quite simply, problems identified over 70 years ago have yet to be dealt with.
The paper highlights the continuing problems, explaining how the aid effort to Africa has surged, contrasting various approach to providing aid — whether it's "saving" or "one step at a time" sort of approaches. William Easterly, the paper's author, identifies a series of aid ideas and concepts that come in and out of fashion, returning once we've forgetting the disappointing experience the previous time around. The eventual conclusion? Sustained surges in GDP have been homegrown, largely haven't come from outside sources and intervention.
[Photo credit: tim brauhn]
Every Mecca Pilgrim Will Be Vaccinated Against Polio
Published September 29, 2009 @ 12:38PM PT
Rumors that the polio vaccine is a Western plot to sterilize Muslim girls has allowed the viral disease to persist, and it remains endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and regions of Nigeria and India.
During the pilgrimage to Mecca this November, Saudi Arabia won't be taking any risks, forcing all pilgrims to swallow a dose of the vaccine. It's good news for the whole world, espeicially those in conflict zones, where the disease is easily spread due to insufficient vaccinations. UNICEF is working in Pakistan and Afghanistan to safeguard children from the disease which can cause permanent paralysis and try to stop it permanently.
[Photo credit: etobicokesouth]
Smoking Bans Help West As Big Tobacco Eyes Developing World
Published September 28, 2009 @ 07:28AM PT
Smoking bans in public places across Europe have proved surprisingly successful two reports conclude, helping to cut heart-attack numbers by almost a third. Tens of thousands of lives are being saved, but it's not such good news for the developing world.
Higher taxes, lawsuits and smoking bans are forcing big tobacco to move its gaze away from the West and towards the developing world. China now has more smokers than the entire US population whilst Africa offers big tobacco huge market opportunities with smoking rates being fairly low. Time report that British American Tobacco devotes 1% of local profits to improve access to water and... wait for it... healthcare. Healthcare! Nigeria filed a $44 billion damages suit against British American last year.
Tobacco isn't just a problem for those smoking it, or those enjoying the smooth second hand taste and respiratory problems. Smokers in rural Indonesia have been found to be spending large parts of the family food budget on cigarettes, worsening malnutrition.
[Photo credit: Erinisfunky]
