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The weekly IHP newsletter offers a digest of key global health (policy, governance, research) reads.
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Dear Colleagues,
As mentioned last week, we’re in Colombia – among others for the last days of the 2022 Emerging Voices venture (F2F) in Medellin, later on we’ll be moving to Bogota for the 7th Global HSR symposium. Still coping with a jetlag, I’ll keep the newsletter short, focusing on the key news & reports from this week.
By the way, we hope you like our new tagline, “Shifting power in global health through constructive disruption.”
But you know us, from time to time we also like a bit of “disruption” just for the sake of it 😊. True, that was before our times became so disruptive themselves.
Nevertheless, our assessment (and the one from many others) is that global health still needs a fair amount of disruption. Constructive when possible, Bastille-style if needed. (no, not the band)
Enjoy your reading.
Kristof Decoster
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01540-9/fulltext
Including a call to action. “….A call to action: After 30 years of UNFCCC negotiations, the Lancet Countdown indicators show that countries and companies continue to make choices that threaten the health and survival of people in every part of the world. As countries devise ways to recover from the coexisting crises, the evidence is unequivocal. At this critical juncture, an immediate, health-centred response can still secure a future in which world populations can not only survive, but thrive.”
For some coverage, see for example:
Guardian - Global health at mercy of fossil fuel addiction, warn scientists
“Reliance on oil and gas worsening climate impacts and compounding food, energy and cost of living crises.”
“…. The report, by the Lancet Countdown group on health and climate change, is titled Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels. It was produced by almost 100 experts from 51 institutions spanning every continent and published in the run-up the UN Cop27 climate summit in Egypt……”
With the glass half-full angle from the report….
Related Lancet Editorial – Global heating: an urgent call for action to protect health
For Guardian overall coverage of the (mostly UN and dire) reports published this week, see World close to ‘irreversible’ climate breakdown, warn major studies.
https://www.unicef.org/reports/coldest-year-rest-of-their-lives-children-heatwaves
“The climate crisis is rapidly accelerating and with it, heatwaves are becoming longer, stronger, more widespread and more frequent. Already, around 559 million children are exposed to high heatwave frequency and around 624 million children are exposed to one of three other high heat measures - high heatwave duration, high heatwave severity or extreme high temperatures. This report provides yet more evidence that children are on the front lines of the climate crisis. By 2050, virtually every child on earth – over 2 billion children – is forecast to face more frequent heatwaves, regardless of whether the world achieves a ‘low greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 1.7 degrees of warming in 2050 or a ‘very high greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 2.4 degrees of warming in 2050…..”
Coverage via the Guardian, among others: Virtually all children on Earth will face more frequent heatwaves by 2050
“New Unicef report finds that in even best-case scenario 2 billion children will face four to five dangerous heat events annually.”
The UNICEF report: The coldest year of the rest of their lives
“United Nations says governments need to set new goals and make deeper cuts to limit temperature rises to 1.5C.”
“Pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions will lead to global heating of 2.5C, a level that would condemn the world to catastrophic climate breakdown, according to the United Nations. Only a handful of countries have strengthened their commitments substantially in the last year, despite having promised to do so at the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow last November. Deeper cuts are needed to limit temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which would avoid the worst ravages of extreme weather. …. …. The UN calculated on Wednesday that the plans submitted by governments would lead to a temperature rise of between 2.1C and 2.9C, with the best estimate about 2.5C. This represents a “marginal” improvement, said Stiell, on the 2.7C temperature rise that would have followed from the commitments made at Glasgow…..”
“Air pollution kills an estimated 1m a year in Africa, second only to HIV/AIDS.”
“Africa's burgeoning megacities could save tens of thousands of lives and billions of pounds if they clean up their air pollution, a new report has found. Air pollution is the second biggest killer in Africa after HIV/Aids, and causes an estimated 1.1m deaths each year. Yet the issue remains overlooked by policymakers and funders, according to the Clean Air Fund. Tackling smoggy, choking cities would not only cut emissions of greenhouse gases and save lives, but also has a solid business case because it would boost economic growth, the report says. Cairo, Lagos, Johannesburg and Accra alone could between them could save over 125,000 lives, unlock £17bn and cut carbon emissions by a fifth by 2040…..”
Related: HPW- Africa Faces 1.1 Million Deaths Annually from Air Pollution – Second Largest Risk After Malnutrition
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/27/climate-crisis-un-pathway-1-5-c
“Failure to cut carbon emissions means ‘rapid transformation of societies’ is only option to limit impacts, report says.”
“There is “no credible pathway to 1.5C in place”, the UN’s environment agency has said, and the failure to reduce carbon emissions means the only way to limit the worst impacts of the climate crisis is a “rapid transformation of societies”. The UN environment report analysed the gap between the CO2 cuts pledged by countries and the cuts needed to limit any rise in global temperature to 1.5C, the internationally agreed target. Progress has been “woefully inadequate” it concluded….”
“After years of decline, cholera is on the rise — and experts chalk this increase up to climate change as waters warm and violent weather becomes the norm. …. Twenty-nine countries have reported cases of cholera already this year — some of which, such as Haiti, Syria, and Lebanon, haven't seen an outbreak in years. Over the past five years, an average of less than 20 countries reported outbreaks per year. Furthermore, the average case fatality rate this year is nearly three times the rate seen during the past five years. “We've seen a dramatic increase in the number of cases of cholera,” UNICEF health specialist Raoul Kamadjeu tells Sara, echoing the words of World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said cholera was being “turbocharged by climate change.”….”
D Wallace-Wells; https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/26/magazine/climate-change-warming-world.html
Recommended long read. “The climate story is changing quickly—for good and bad. It's no longer right to say nothing is being done, only not enough. And no longer responsible to believe we'll keep warming below levels called "dangerous" or "catastrophic." Where does that leave us?”
And a link:
· WHO - COP27 Health Pavilion full programme now available.
“Health-threatening fungi are spreading in geographic range due to climate change, while some fungal diseases spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to authors of a newly released World Health Organization report. On Tuesday the WHO published its first ever list of fungal priority pathogens, cataloguing 19 organisms that experts identified as being of the greatest threat to public health. “Currently, fungal infections receive less than 1.5% of all infectious disease research funding,” the report found, suggesting the true health burden of fungi is unknown, while “most treatment guidelines are informed by limited evidence and expert opinion”…..”
… The report, which involved more than 400 mycology experts and a review of more than 6,000 research papers, ranked fungal pathogens based on public health impact and risk of resistance to antifungal drugs. …. Of the 19 fungi included, four were identified as being of “critical” priority. These included Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans – the two most common fungal pathogens globally – as well as Cryptococcus neoformans, which is a leading cause of death in people with HIV…..”
See also Cidrap News – 19 life-threatening fungi listed in bid to tackle antifungal resistance.
https://www.ft.com/content/d6e12236-19d5-473e-8f16-4364ca2e611e
“Industry cautiously optimistic amid bipartisan support for US Pasteur bill.”
“Political momentum to create a multibillion-dollar fund to reward developers of new antibiotics is growing in Washington. But it comes too late for Scynexis. With little demand so far for its new drug ibrexafungerp, the pharma company is scaling back promotion, seeking a new partner, and cutting its workforce. Its product is just the latest in a series of antibiotics that have struggled to take off, alongside an even longer list of potential drugs that have not made it beyond the laboratory bench. …. ….. A fresh approach is being taken in the US with the Pasteur bill. This proposes that, instead of companies being paid for the volume of drugs prescribed, they would receive big upfront payments. The intention is to reward companies for developing the antibiotics, while discouraging doctors from overusing them and thus starting the cycle of antibiotic resistance once again. The idea has earned bipartisan support in both chambers of the US Congress, as well as endorsements from the Department of Health and Human Services. It is also referenced in the White House strategy on the rising danger of antibiotic resistance. Staffers are now seeking to attach the bill, which would cost $6bn over 10 years, to other legislation before the current electoral term finishes this year…..”
“….. The EU is considering new financial incentives, as well. They include an industry-backed scheme to grant developers of innovative antibiotics an extension to the patent life, and thus revenues, of any existing drug they control, or the right to sell these extensions to others. But Christine Årdal, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, cautions that the patent extensions risk being “extremely and unpredictability costly, with no guarantee that countries will have access to the antibiotics”. Elsewhere, Canada has convened a group of experts to report early next year on financial incentives for developers of new antibiotics. Japan, in the build-up to its G7 presidency, is exploring a similar policy. “
“Just as pressing is the need to ensure that the most appropriate antibiotics are available and being prescribed in poorer countries. Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, a non-profit partnership which recently received fresh funding from Germany, is negotiating a mechanism whereby middle-income countries would pay to access a wider range of drugs than they would normally be able to. A key focus is India, as it prepares to chair the G20. However, Yusuf Hamied, the chair of Cipla, the Indian generic drug producer, remains sceptical about that country’s willingness to pay for newer, more expensive antibiotics…..”
Some excerpts:
“….WHO concurs with the challenges identified in the areas of the Health Systems Connector (vs. the HSRC) and the quality assurance of rapid diagnostics. With respect to the former, this lesson was learned and corrected in the course of ACT-A, with the Connector being substantially revamped and relaunched in 2021 (a point that is not fully reflected in the report….”
“… In formulating other recommendations on the way forward, however, the report seems to have based some important conclusions on incomplete information or a misunderstanding of key aspects of the ACT-A collaboration. This appears to be the case in areas such as how targets for product volumes were established, the original ambition for the COVAX Facility, the nature of the COVID Vaccines Delivery Platform (CoVDP) and its mode of operations, and the key role of individual ACT-A agencies in resource mobilization. Most importantly, and contrary to the data presented, the report could inadvertently lead readers to conclude that creating a more robust countermeasures platform is best achieved by starting from scratch, rather than building on the considerable, documented strengths of the ACT-A collaboration and its three product pillars. The framing of an important survey question(s) may have contributed to this perspective. From a pragmatic perspective, it would seem more advantageous to harness and build on the substantial experience that international health agencies and partners have gained through their work in ACT-A, while also addressing the shortcomings of this model. ….”
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)02127-4/fulltext
The view of O Shisana & J-A Rottingen.
PS: Devex reports that today, normally, the Transition plan for Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, or ACT-A, will be out. So stay tuned for that.
K Buse; https://www.bmj.com/content/379/bmj.o2529
Key read, written after Tedros’ speeches at the World Health Summit. “In a bold and unprecedented call, the director general of the World Health Organization encourages countries to reorient and rebalance their health systems. Here are five ways we can get behind the inspiring, timely, and daunting task to create healthy societies.”
“… While recognising the universal right to healthcare, this is about acknowledging, elevating, and investing in universal rights to the determinants of health (which were recognised by the United Nations in 20006) and wellbeing more broadly, and includes the newly recognised right to a healthy environment. To put it crudely, healthy societies are about fixing systems, not people. The challenges in fixing systems are not inconsiderable and five priority tasks stand out…..”
https://improvingphc.org/transition
Among others, containing this: PHCPI will conclude at the end of 2022.
Finally, as Bali is hosting the 2nd Health Ministers meeting, on 27-28 October, a few related tweets:
G20 Indonesia
“The 2nd Health Ministers Meeting is the finalization of the entire Health Working Group (HWG) and Health Ministerial Meeting (HMM) series that has been carried out previously. This meeting is expected to produce an outcome document to strengthen the global health architecture.”
“HMM is expected to adopt a consensus between G20 countries on the health issues the world is currently facing, as well as plans of action to prepare the world for the next future pandemic. #G20Indonesia #RecoverTogetherRecoverStronger.”
https://financeincommon.org/health-and-social-protection-investment-agenda
“The Coalition for Social Investment developed for the FICS Summit an Investment Agenda for Health and Social Protection, which aims to strengthen the health commons, from pandemic preparedness to climate readiness.”
“The Agenda is articulated around three pillars: Investing in public health institutions such as National Public Health agencies, Medicines agencies, Invest in human resources and infrastructure for health services; Foster the growth of a quality health care industry; It sends a clear signal that PDBs [Public Development Banks] stand ready to do more, to help to scale up and develop joint co-financing arrangements, with a view to provide efficient and concrete global financing arrangements, contributing to more agile pooled mechanisms at global level. “
“Finance in Common is the global gathering of Public Development Banks (PDBs) launched in 2020. Operating as a global initiative where Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) can work with regional associations of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), as well as with global networks such as the International Development Financing Club (IDFC) and individual institutions at national or sub-national level. FICS supports the emergence of a global financial framework for green and SDG-aligned investments. By mobilizing all stakeholders, including through a more systemic practitioners’ dialogue between policy makers, public/private financiers and regulators, as well as local stakeholders, FiCS acts as a laboratory to revise and enrich the business models of PDBs, thereby ensuring that operations respond to actual needs, leaving no one behind. …. …. PDBs are critical players of the global financial architecture. They manage US$ 23 trillion of total assets, out of which more than 83% by PDBs from G20 countries. They also represent up to US$ 2.7 trillion of annual investments, a staggering 12% of the total amount invested in the world each year by all public and private sources combined. As per 2022, the FICS research program has identified over 550 PDBs in the world, among which 90% are national development banks and 10% have international activities. FiCS builds on PDBs’ ability to provide emergency as well as countercyclical responses to crises, while supporting sustainable recovery measures and long-term development. In 2021, the G20 mandated FiCS by recognizing “the important role of Public Development Banks towards the achievement of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement goals”.
See section IV: “…. Looking forward: an investment agenda to strengthening the health commons, from pandemic preparedness to climate readiness.”
https://apnews.com/article/health-africa-sudan-public-uganda-06c9141ebd01389cd35fc1a530a13467
“Uganda’s Ebola outbreak is under control, a top public health official in Africa said Thursday, noting that local health authorities are doing well to trace most contacts. “The situation is not getting out of control,” said Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We have good visibility of all the contacts.” About 98 percent of 2,694 documented contacts — people exposed to Ebola by a confirmed patient — are being monitored, Ogwell said, adding that it “gives comfort that we know the evolution of this particular outbreak.” Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of contagious diseases like Ebola…..”
Let’s wait and see, I guess….
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/10/uganda-green-lights-ebola-vaccine-trials
“Uganda's health minister announced yesterday that officials will evaluate three Sudan Ebola vaccine candidates in the coming weeks, and she revealed that healthcare workers are already testing some new treatment options…..”
Remarkable news from earlier this week. “After inquiries from Science, company confirms it produced and retains a candidate vaccine that could help bring the viral threat under control.”
“…. In a revelation that may help Uganda combat its outbreak of Ebola, the pharmaceutical giant Merck has acknowledged to Science—after repeated inquiries—that it has up to 100,000 doses of an experimental vaccine for the deadly viral disease in its freezers in Pennsylvania and will donate them. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ugandan government are discussing if and how these doses can be incorporated into one or more clinical trials of other candidate Ebola vaccines that could launch as soon as next month. …. The Merck vaccine targets Sudan ebolavirus, the pathogen currently circulating in Uganda. Merck quietly made the product in 2015 and 2016, soon after it had a landmark success with a similar vaccine against Zaire ebolavirus, a different virus that caused a big epidemic in West Africa between 2014 and 2016. The company froze the Sudan Ebola vaccine in bulk form and never tested it on people. But it has been shown to protect monkeys challenged with Sudan ebolavirus, and given the efficacy of Merck’s Zaire Ebola vaccine, scientists have high hopes that the Sudan Ebola shots will be safe and effective as well…….”
And a link:
· The Conversation - Ebola in Uganda: why women must be central to the response
By S Harman. With 5 steps to take to centre women.
J Frenk et al ; https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)02092-X/fulltext
“The education of health professionals substantially changed before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2010 Lancet Commission examined the 100-year history of health-professional education, beginning with the 1910 Flexner report. Since the publication of the Lancet Commission, several transformative developments have happened, including in competency-based education, interprofessional education, and the large-scale application of information technology to education. Although the COVID-19 pandemic did not initiate these developments, it increased their implementation, and they are likely to have a long-term effect on health-professional education. They converge with other societal changes, such as globalisation of health care and increasing concerns of health disparities across the world, that were exacerbated by the pandemic. In this Health Policy, we list institutional and instructional reforms to assess what has happened to health-professional education since the publication of the Lancet Commission and how the COVID-19 pandemic altered the education process.”
See also a related Lancet Comment - Plugging the medical brain drain.
See also last week’s IHP newsletter on the launch of this Commission (last Friday). “The O’Neill-Lancet Commission on Racism, Structural Discrimination and Global Health is founded on the recognition that racism, rather than race, creates and maintains unjust and avoidable health inequities in countries around the world. The Commission will identify and promote the implementation of anti-racist actions and strategies by states, civil society actors, and global health institutions, in order to reduce structural discrimination through targeted research and collaborations that will foster policy dialogue within and across sectors that impact health and wellbeing…..”
“Within its three-year lifespan, the Commission has set out four charges: (i) diagnose the problem of racism in health; (ii) identify best practices and actionable anti-racist strategies; (iii) compile a report of its findings; and (iv) disseminate its findings to the public. The Commission is led by two female scientists of African descent, Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng and Dr. Ngozi Erondu. The co-chairs are supported by a team of commissioners who are distinguished global health and anti-racism scholars, leaders and activists — with expertise in diverse areas, such as public health, racial discrimination and racial justice, law, human rights, and policy. The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law serves as the secretariat of the Commission to achieve this bold agenda…..”
For the recording of the launch event, see here.
And a link:
· Lancet Offline – The slave trade—medicine's necessary remorse
By R Horton.
“Tuberculosis cases and deaths have increased for the first time in decades, and fewer cases were detected and fewer people treated during 2021 – all as a result of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “
“An estimated 10.6 million people fell sick with TB last year, an increase of 4.5% from 2020, while 1.6 million people died, according to the WHO’s 2022 Global TB report released on Thursday. Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) also increased by 3% between 2020 and 2021, with 450 000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB recorded in 2021. DR TB is harder and more expensive to treat. The TB incidence rate (new cases per 100 000 people per year) also rose by 3.6% between 2020 and 2021 – reversing declines of about 2% per year for most of the past 20 years. An increase in deaths from TB between 2019 and 2021 also reversed a decline in mortality that started in 2005. ….”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129812
“Governments must invest more in building safe drinking water systems, both to ensure greater access to this resource and to mitigate the effects of climate change, according to a report published on Monday by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN children’s agency, UNICEF, and the World Bank. Providing water and sanitation for everyone on the planet is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by all 193 UN Member States in 2015. The report revealed that although more than two billion people gained access to safe drinking water over the past two decades, a quarter of the world’s population is still being left behind. ….”
https://www.bmj.com/adolescent-wellbeing
“The world's 1.2 billion adolescents (young people aged 10-19 years) now represent almost 16% of the world's population; yet this group has received limited attention from global agenda-setting initiatives, such as universal health coverage and sustainable development. This needs to be addressed, given that adolescence represents a critical period of the life course during which many factors contributing to lifelong well-being are set. This BMJ collection, in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, examines how the domains of adolescent well-being impact on future outcomes, and how these can be supported and promoted by evidence-based policymaking and programming. Within the collection, the argument is put forward that the world's adolescents cannot be supported to reach their full potential without addressing the multidimensional nature of well-being in this group, and by working across sectors such as health and education.”
Do start with the Editorial - Improving adolescent wellbeing is an urgent global priority
https://grandchallenges.org/annual-meeting
“Grand Challenges is a family of initiatives fostering innovation to solve key global health and development problems. Each initiative is an experiment in the use of challenges to focus innovation on making an impact. The annual Grand Challenges meeting brings together funding and research partners throughout the Grand Challenges network and beyond. “
This annual meeting took place in Brussels, and was hosted by Global Grand Challenges and the European Commission.
Check out videos from the meeting. With among others, “Catastrophic Contagion: A Global Challenge Exercise”, Keynote remarks from Tedros, Bill Gates, Ursula von der Leyen and many others….
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/increased-self-care-could-save-179b-in-healthcare-costs/
Coverage of the launch of the Global Self-Care Readiness Index (SCRI) 2.0, the kick-off session of the Global Self-Care Federation World Congress 2022.
“How to improve self-care health policies and practices …. was the topic of the congress and the focus of the SCRI report, which is published by the Global Self-Care Federation (GSCF). The index is 89 pages long and covers 10 additional countries, which supplements the original set of countries examined in the 2021 edition and covers at least one from each of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) six regions: Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Western Pacific. The index is supported by the WHO and forms part of the working plan between itself and GSCF. It aims to arm healthcare decision-makers and professionals with the data they need to increase self-care in their own countries and around the world.”
“…. In order to help persuade policymakers of the importance of self-care, GSCF is working to have a self-care resolution adopted by WHO by 2025, something Stenmark said would provide a clear articulation of self-care and outline the value for health systems, governments and a people-centered care network. …. …. GSCF has also put out a supplementary report, Global Social and Economic Value of Self-Care, which shows the potential socio-economic benefits of self-care around the world and specifically in sub-Saharan Africa. …. …. If proper self-care policies were put into practice, the report showed, it would represent a $4 billion savings on annual healthcare costs in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. Moreover, it could save individuals a collective 513 million hours in time savings and physicians 44 million hours. It would also reduce welfare spending by $31.5 billion. ….…. Globally, the numbers are even greater: $179 billion in healthcare cost savings and $2.8 trillion in welfare spending.”
https://www.devex.com/news/devex-newswire-fif-ty-short-of-a-few-billion-for-pandemic-104309
“In a major plot twist, Andrew Mitchell has been appointed development minister in new U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government. The former Department for International Development secretary, who ran it between 2010 and 2012, is genuinely passionate about development, having spent many years in opposition preparing for the role. The move was totally unexpected as Mitchell was the ring leader of a Conservative rebellion against Sunak’s decision to cut the aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income — proving a major thorn in the side of the government for many months, according to my colleague William Worley. The U.K.'s embattled development sector was abuzz with excitement last night at news of the appointment, with some even speculating that Mitchell would not have taken the job if a return to 0.7% was not on the table. Mitchell, however, declined to comment, and directed Devex to a tweet that said he was “Humbled and honoured to have the opportunity to serve as Development Minister.” Still, there are fears that the aid budget could be slashed further to 0.3% of GNI. If that cut goes ahead, it could cost around 180,000 lives in money taken from health programs on preventable deaths, according to newly released research by the Center for Global Development…..”
“Transnational corporations and companies controlling value chains generally enjoy impunity from liability and prosecution for human rights abuses, often linked to land grabbing and pollution. On Monday, states will meet in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva for a week to continue longstanding negotiations on a legally binding treaty to hold them accountable.”
The 8th session of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with respect to Human Rights meets.
See also this Op-ed - "It always seems impossible, until it's done": Progress and challenges in the negotiations towards a global legally binding instrument on corporate legal accountability
By Ana María Suarez-Franco, FIAN.
https://aidspan.org/en/c/article/6138
“This GFO editorial notes the calm before storm, the storm being the lead up to the upcoming Global Fund Board meetings in November. We look at the disappointing results of the Seventh Replenishment not meeting its target (even though it deserves kudos for raising more money in one go than ever before), a new more inclusive way of dispensing development aid, a positive evaluation of the Global Fund model and the results of an audit of the Global Fund’s online procurement platform ….”
“The first article (Doing more with less: what are the implications for meeting global disease targets?) looks at the fact that the three diseases are in worse shape than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and that international events pose a continuing threat: but the funds to sustain national responses are less than hoped for. The Global Fund and partnership disappointment in failing to meet its Investment Case targets has implications for the forthcoming cycle of funding request applications starting in 2023 and means that the Global Fund will be expecting countries to do more with less . Our second article describes the comparatively new approach to international overseas development assistance, Global Public Investment. Somewhat frustratingly this concept, which has been developed over the past few years, sounds like a plan for a more inclusive and less patronising way forward but is short on actual details of how it could be operationalised…..”
“Finally, we’d like to draw your attention to the fact that in late 2022/early 2023 November the World Bank’s Fiduciary Intermediary Fund for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (FIF PPR) will issue its first calls for proposals. More information including funding principles and eligibility can be found on https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/financial-intermediary-fund-for-pandemic-prevention-preparedness-and-response-ppr-fif/funding-opportunities. Our last article describes what you can expect from this Call for Proposals .”
“In the coming years, the Netherlands is scaling up its efforts in the field of global health. The Dutch Global Health Strategy 2023-2030: “Working together for health worldwide” aims to contribute in a coordinated and targeted way to improving public health around the world, and thus also in the Netherlands.”
https://odi.org/en/insights/china-and-global-development-9-things-to-read-in-october-2022/
Basically, summarizing resources from the last year.
“Just five billionaires have joined the list this year, down from 14 in 2021. The most pledgers, 58, joined the list when it was founded in 2010.”
https://www.themissingbillion.org/the-reports
“This new report builds the evidence-base that people with disabilities are being excluded in health. This includes shocking disparities in mortality and life expectancy, with people with disabilities on average living 10 to 20 years less than people without disabilities. The report presents a vision of inclusive health informed by the perspectives of people with disabilities and a roadmap and the 4 Million Targets aimed to mobilise change amongst health leaders and advocates. SDG health targets including universal health coverage cannot be met without an overhaul of our health systems globally.”
PS: “The first Missing Billion report highlighted the health inequities and access challenges that people with disabilities face around the world. It raised awareness among global health actors about the widespread health systems failures that people with disabilities experience. The report concluded that people with disabilities should be recognized as a key population that requires a long-term strategic approach, and that there is a need for immediate action to improve health services and address specific access barriers. This second report builds on the previous work and describes a clear pathway for action towards defined disability-inclusive health systems. This report has the following objectives: ▶ Present new insights on health outcomes and health system gaps for people with disabilities via newly analyzed data from nearly 900,000 children and adults, including 65,000 with disabilities, across 37 low-and middle-income countries, and 3 new systematic reviews. ▶ Present a vision for health systems that are designed to be fully inclusive, using human-centered design and crowdsourcing to highlight the lived experiences of people with disabilities at all stages of the health system; giving voice to their concerns and presenting actionable responses to attain an inclusive health system. ▶ Translate this vision into a practical Missing Billion road map to 2030 with targets and proposed actions for key stakeholders.”
M Narasinham, W van Lerberghe et al; https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(22)00451-X/fulltext
“….WHO's living guideline on self-care interventions has consolidated current global policy experience and information, including on COVID-19 self-testing. The guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on how the potential of self-care interventions to improve health and social well-being can be harnessed to improve health coverage…..”
“The Panel presents a set of policy interventions that should enable health workers to more readily understand, support, and promote self-care in their community…” Check out ten interventions health authorities can implement to equip health workers with the skills and capacity to support self-care interventions and practices….”
https://phmovement.org/transforming-health-systems-in-latin-america-a-vital-conversation/
“We asked this question to Román Vega, Global Coordinator of the People’s Health Movement (PHM), during his recent visit to Argentina to participate in the Tenth Congress of General Medicine and Health Equipment organized by the Asociación Bonaerense de Medicina General AMGBA, in which the PHM, Alames and other national and regional organizations defending the right to health participated. Dr. Vega spoke about primary health care, the pandemic and the need for movements, organizations, communities and governments to start a discussion on the transformation of health systems in Latin America. This is what he told us.”
“Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) is nearing a deal with the U.S. government to develop vaccines against a range of biological threats including Ebola, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The potential deal with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) would see Moderna's mRNA technology being used to develop a vaccine targeting the Ebola strain responsible for the disease's outbreak in Uganda, the report said. Moderna's shot would also target the more common Zaire strain of Ebola and the related Marburg virus, the report added…..”
“…. "While the Department (of Defense) cannot discuss future awards, DoD has strategic investments focused on technologies that address the dynamic and evolving biological threat landscape, including mRNA vaccine technologies and Filoviruses," the DoD said, when asked for comment on the report. The Bloomberg report said it was unlikely that Moderna's candidate would be ready to use in time to address the burst of cases in Uganda…..”
“The well-intentioned — although awkwardly named — Financial Intermediary Fund for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response is facing significant early hurdles as it gets down to work. The overarching concern is that it is underfunded, and not just by a little. Donors have given just $1.4 billion of the $10.5 billion that World Health Organization and World Bank estimate is required on an annual basis…..”
““Where are contributions going to come from?” asked Peter Baker, a policy fellow and assistant director at the Center for Global Development, during a panel discussion Tuesday at the Future of Development Finance event, which Devex hosted in London. ….. …Baker raised the point that FIF was meant to generate “additionality”, meaning that donors would set aside new money for the fund apart from their general foreign aid spending. However, there is a “temptation” for high-income governments to utilize existing budgets, he warned. ….. … “It’s not clear what the main priorities are and how it’s going to develop criteria to make those decisions,” he said. This includes choosing countries and projects for investment. The fund also still lacks KPIs telling us whether it is actually making progress on its goals. “
T Lefrançois et al ; https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01840-2/fulltext#.Y1dYdiqaTCU.twitter
“COVID-19 has exposed the disconnection between governmental promotion of the One Health approach in international arenas (eg, political conferences) and the reality outside of government spaces—with the absence of an efficient, comprehensive One Health surveillance system that could have been in place from the start of the pandemic. As members of France's COVID-19 Scientific Council appointed in March, 2020, to support governmental efforts in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to contend with this negative reality. Based on our experience, we propose an ambitious roadmap to prevent and mitigate future pandemic crises, including real-life implementation of intersectoral activities and processes. Our strategy will require a new, worldwide, One Health vision that includes ambitious national and international initiatives, and One Health education and training…..”
K Moodley et al; https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(22)00417-X/fulltext
Coming back on that notorious case during the Covid pandemic. “.... Public perceptions of the negative effect of data sharing are detrimental to the willingness of research participants to consent to sharing data in postpandemic research and future pandemics. Global health governance organisations have an important role in developing guidance on responsible sharing of genomic pathogen data in public health emergencies…..”
With some recommendations.
“The European Union will support discussion of financial compensation for vulnerable nations bearing the brunt of climate change at next month's U.N. climate summit, a draft document showed, a potential breakthrough for countries pushing for such talks….. A draft seen by Reuters of the EU's negotiating position for the summit in Egypt showed the 27-nation bloc would support holding discussions on the topic at the Nov. 7 meeting expected to be attended by nearly 200 countries. ….. It remained vague, however, on what these talks would deliver, and whether the COP27 summit should launch the climate compensation fund that dozens of developing countries have called for…..”
https://wellcome-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fqSRNNgIS9mWY3ju9fRVhQ
“This webinar, hosted by Joy Shumake-Guillemot (Lead of the WHO/WMO Joint Climate and Health Office) and Madeleine Thomson (Head of Climate Impacts & Adaptation at Wellcome), will launch the Climahealth.info portal, the first global knowledge platform for climate and health…..”
https://pastres.org/2022/10/21/are-livestock-really-bad-for-the-planet/
“We know that all livestock release greenhouse gasses, but are all livestock bad for the planet? …. Simplistic and generalised narratives paint the production of livestock – particularly red meat and milk – as a major focus for climate mitigation efforts. But such narratives raise many questions, particularly for livestock systems in the Global South. Ahead of COP27 of the UNFCCC, we question these narratives to ask: which livestock, where?”
“Based on assumptions that focus on industrial farming in rich countries, such narratives obscure the differences between industrial systems and extensive and mobile pastoral systems. While we might be well served by reducing the industrial production of livestock, lumping different types of livestock farming systems together in a single anti-livestock narratives forces marginalised pastoralists to bear the cost of a transition to a lower carbon future despite having contributed virtually nothing to climate change…..”
O Berné et al ; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac9b51/pdf
“…. Here, using a comprehensive dataset aggregating the answers from over 6000 respondents to a survey sent to randomly selected scientists and staff across all research disciplines in France, we show that a strong publication rate and h-index are significantly associated with higher individual air travel. This relationship is robust to the inclusion of the effects of gender, career stage and disciplines. Our analysis suggests that flying is a means for early career scientists to obtain scientific visibility, and for senior scientist to maintain this visibility. ….”
“Destruction of forests slowed in 2021 but not enough to meet 2030 commitment made by 145 countries.” “ The destruction of global forests slowed in 2021 but the vital climate goal of ending deforestation by 2030 will still be missed without urgent action, according to an assessment…..”
“The area razed in 2021 fell by 6.3% after progress in some countries, notably Indonesia. But almost 7m hectares were lost and the destruction of the most carbon- and biodiversity-rich tropical rainforests fell by only 3%. The CO2 emissions resulting from the lost trees were equivalent to the emissions of the entire European Union plus Japan. Global heating could not be limited to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels without ending deforestation, experts said. At the UN’s Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, 145 countries pledged to end the felling of forests by the end of the decade. The demolition and degradation of forests causes about 10% of global carbon emissions. However, based on current trends, the Glasgow leaders’ declaration would be as “hollow” as the pledge made by countries in 2014 to end deforestation by 2020, the assessment’s authors said…..”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/26/atmospheric-levels-greenhouse-gases-record-high
“Scientists warn world ‘is heading in wrong direction’ amid rise in nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane.”
“Atmospheric levels of all three greenhouse gases have reached record highs, according to a study by the World Meteorological Organization, which scientists say means the world is “heading in the wrong direction”….”
“With famine in Somalia almost inevitable, Martin Griffiths criticises opaque handling of $100bn a year promised to poorer countries.”
“The UN’s humanitarian chief has questioned why billions of dollars pledged to tackle the climate crisis have not been used to fight famine in Somalia. Martin Griffiths said he did not know where the promised $100bn (£87bn) a year to fight the impact of global heating in poorer countries had gone, and called for greater transparency around climate finance. …. Griffiths’ criticism of the opaque financing system adds to growing calls from African countries and campaigners for greater transparency and easier access to the promised money….”
PS: “…. Kevin Watkins, a former executive director of the Overseas Development Institute, said climate and development aid needed to be integrated. “We have a development finance system which is deeply siloed and which is somewhat competitive, with big agencies scrambling for the same pot of money, which is badly coordinated, and which, in all honesty, is failing to address the real climate risk challenges for countries at the sharp end of the crisis,” he said. “The problem that needs to be addressed is essentially related to poverty and limited capacity to manage climate-related risk. It’s not catastrophic events – it’s delayed rainfall, higher levels of evaporation, the weakness of the water infrastructure. The idea that you can sort of parcel this up into climate finance and non-climate finance is, in my view, at the heart of the problem.”….”
And a Link: Guardian - ‘Monstrous’ east African oil project will emit vast amounts of carbon, data shows
“Experts say crude oil pipeline from Uganda to Tanzania will produce 25 times host nations’ combined annual emissions.”
“Daily global COVID-19 infections are projected to rise slowly to about 18.7 million by February from the current 16.7 million average daily cases, driven by the northern hemisphere's winter months, the University of Washington (IHME) said in an analysis…..”
“It forecast that global daily deaths would average 2,748 people on Feb. 1, compared with around 1,660 currently. …..”
“Today the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) published a draft version of a Coronavirus Vaccines Research & Development (R&D) Roadmap (CVR), highlighting strategies to develop vaccines that are effective against new COVID-19 variants, as well as coronaviruses that have not yet emerged in people…..” The roadmap draft is available for public review and comment. …. …. The roadmap, which is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation, acts as a bridge between the crisis phase of the pandemic and planning for a future in which coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality around the globe. To combat current and future threats from this family of viruses, the authors of the roadmap advocate for broadly protective coronavirus vaccines that would protect against multiple viruses…..”
“China administered the world’s first oral aerosol COVID-19 vaccine boosters in Shanghai on Wednesday, as new lockdown measures were imposed on Wuhan, the supposed birthplace of the pandemic. Chinese vaccine manufacturer CanSino Biologics said in a media statement that the inclusion of its vaccine in Shanghai’s booster vaccination program marked “the start of the rollout of the world’s first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine, Convidecia Air”. The inhaler, approved as a booster for adults last month by the National Medical Products Administration of China, “provides a non-invasive option that uses a nebulizer to change liquid into an aerosol for inhalation through the mouth”, according to the company…..”
Obscene, once again, from Albert “Equity is my middle name” Bourla. ““Experts have estimated that Pfizer’s vaccine costs just $1.18 per dose to make. Charging $130 per dose would represent a markup of more than ten thousand per cent….”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/18/covid-variants-xbb-bq1-bq11/
“Instead of a single new Greek letter variant, a group of immune-evading omicron spinoffs are popping up all over the world.”
“Why are we talking about variants again? We’re in “ a new evolutionary phase in the pandemic,” wrote The Washington Post’s Carolyn Johnson. “To focus too much on any one possible variant is, many experts argue, missing the point. What matters is that all these new threats are accumulating mutations.” …. …. The growing number of Covid attackers means a person with a diverse array of antibodies has the best chance of warding off serious illness, Stuart Ray, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, told Future Pulse. ….. “The new bivalent booster increases the diversity of those antibodies – increasing the chances that they’ll bind to a newer variant,” Ray said…..”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-63324548
“Indian vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) has said it had to dump 100 million doses of their Covid-19 vaccine after they expired.”
“The firm stopped producing Covishield in December last year due to low demand, CEO Adar Poonawalla said on Thursday. SII, the world's largest vaccine maker, has been making the local version of AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria jab.
Covishield accounts for over 90% of the doses given in India. India has administered over two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines. More than 70% of the Indian population has taken at least two doses, according to the federal health ministry…..”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/10/26/covid-pandemic-still-isolating/
The “Still COVIDing” group falls into 2 broad categories: those with underlying health conditions and those still trying to avoid the virus. Both camps consider it a long-term lifestyle shift.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2210173?s=03
By E Emanuel et al.
A new paper claims SARS-CoV-2 bears signs of genetic engineering | The Economist
“But it has yet to be peer reviewed. And others strongly disagree”.
PS: if it’s still to be peer reviewed, you wonder why the Economist thought it wise to already ‘share the news’….
https://www.science.org/content/article/monkeypox-cases-are-plummeting-scientists-are-debating-why
“Models suggests rising immunity in a small group of people with many sexual contacts is key.”
“…. the decline is now unmistakable. WHO Europe, which reported more than 2000 cases per week during the peak in July, is now counting about 100 cases weekly. In the Americas, the other major epicenter of the outbreak, numbers have dropped by more than half (see graphic, right). “We’re seeing a true decline,” Smallwood says. … …. Vaccines, behavior change among the most affected group—men who have sex with men (MSM)—and immunity after natural infection are all playing a role in that decline, says Erik Volz, an infectious disease modeler at Imperial College London, but how much each factor has contributed is unclear. “This is something we’ve debated a lot internally.”….”
“People with severely weakened immune systems, such as those infected with HIV, can experience severe symptoms and even die from a monkeypox infection, according to a U.S. study released on Wednesday.”
"We've never seen the number of unimmunised children that we're seeing now," said Dr Deblina Datta, head of the global measles elimination effort at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "I have stood at the bed of children dying from measles, and it's a shocking thing to see. And this is a preventable event." …. …. There have been more than 45,000 reported cases in Africa this year, killing more than 2,300 people. That is double the number of cases at this time last year, when some lingering social distancing measures may have slowed infections.”
“The WHO and UNICEF launched an awareness and fundraising campaign in 2020 to cover gaps in inoculations caused by the pandemic, particularly in middle-income countries, but have raised almost no money, the agencies told Reuters. The estimated shortfall for measles globally: at least $255 million. COVID, war in Ukraine, food shortages and inflation have squeezed donations from wealthier nations, the agencies said. "Our current resources won't be enough should countries step up their requests for funding needed to respond to the increasing number of measles outbreaks," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said…..”
“In a recent document shared with governments and health organisations and reviewed by Reuters, WHO outlined 15 vaccination campaigns that should be starting in Africa in 2022 and 2023. But an October update showed that only three of these campaigns had specific start dates. The rest were marked either 2022 or 2023, then "??" in the month and day section, by the WHO team…..”
https://www.ft.com/reports/communicable-diseases “Despite pledges to learn the lessons of Covid-19, caution is already waning. Plus: crisis turned a spotlight on healthcare services; climate change and urbanisation drive rise in ‘zoonotic’ illnesses; return of polio to US highlights impact of anti-vax campaigners.”
Including also this article: Covid lessons for a reset of the world’s health systems
“Flaws were exposed in hospital design, training and funding”.
With Rob Yates providing a ray of light: “…. “ there are signs that pandemic-battered nations are looking for ways to inject more public money into healthcare — potentially easing that dilemma. Robert Yates, executive director of the Centre for Universal Health at Chatham House, a London-based think-tank, is encouraged by a new drive among governments towards providing universal health coverage. “A number of countries are recognising that you cannot run an effective health system on a public health spend in the order of 1 per cent of gross domestic product or even less,” he says. On the back of the pandemic, the case for publicly financed healthcare “has never been stronger”, argues Yates, who is leading a commission designed to press that case around the world. You cannot run an effective health system on a public health spend in the order of 1 per cent of GDP or less Robert Yates He cites the example of Egypt, which has recently announced that it will accelerate universal health reforms. Meanwhile, Malaysia, which has, until now, relied on a patchwork of health insurance schemes, “has realised, at the end of the day, the state needs to finance primary healthcare”, Yates says. The country has recently published a white paper in which it says it is “going to increase public spending to 5 per cent of GDP, which is great — you can do a lot with that”, suggests Yates. In many respects, he argues, the Covid pandemic has catalysed a new generation of publicly financed universal health reforms, which should improve healthcare across the board, from prevention to secondary care. “We’re seeing countries at all income levels looking to increase healthcare coverage, recognising that public financing is the only way to do it,” Yates notes. “Thankfully, health systems and politicians and populations have learnt lessons from the pandemic.”….”
PS: that Rob Yates quote from FT obviously had to be, “… the case for PUBLICLY financed health care never been stronger” : )
“Researchers found the RSV and influenza viruses fused together to form a new type of virus pathogen.”
https://issuu.com/societyforinternationaldevelopment/docs/cover_color_proof
“Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) possibly represents the greatest global crisis in public health today, and yet - as we shall try to illustrate - the phenomenon stretches well beyond the health domain. AMR is closely associated with some of the human disruptions enshrining globalization and the unfolding era of Anthropocene, being reproduced and transmitted as vectors of disease: the environmental crisis and climate change……”
And a tweet:
“Global Strategy Lab is introducing the AMR Policy Accelerator. Accelerating global action against antimicrobial resistance for a healthier, safer, and more equitable future Learn more https://amrpolicy.org #AMRpolicy Funded by @wellcometrust “ https://amrpolicy.org/
“Doctors warn exposure to omnipresent yet poorly understood chemicals such as microplastics could play a role in dementia.”
“The mystery behind the astronomical rise in neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s could be caused by exposure to environmental toxins that are omnipresent yet poorly understood, leading doctors warn. At a conference on Sunday, the country’s leading neurologists and neuroscientists will highlight recent research efforts to fill the gaping scientific hole in understanding of the role environmental toxins – air pollution, pesticides, microplastics, forever chemicals and more – play in increasingly common neurological disorders….”
“…. Very little is known about impact on brain and nervous system disorder, but there is growing consensus that genetics and ageing do not fully account for the sharp rise in previously rare diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) – a degenerative disease more likely in army veterans and neighborhoods with heavy industry. ….. Neurologists and their surgical counterparts, neurosurgeons, [wil]l spotlight the research gap at the American Neurological Association (ANA) annual meeting in Chicago…..”
https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/19/1061070/is-old-age-a-disease/
“In its latest catalogue of health conditions, the World Health Organization almost equated old age with disease. Then it backed off.”
“Last year, over Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, Kiran Rabheru eagerly joined a call with officials from the World Health Organization (WHO). Word had spread of a change coming to the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD), a catalogue used to standardize disease diagnosis worldwide. In an upcoming revision, the plan was to replace the diagnosis of “senility,” a term considered outdated, with something more expansive: “old age.” The new phrasing would be filed under a diagnostic category containing “symptoms, signs, or clinical findings.” Crucially, the code associated with the diagnosis—a designation that is needed to register new drugs and therapies—included the word “pathological,” which could have been interpreted as suggesting that old age is a disease in itself. Some researchers looked forward to the revision, seeing it as part of the path toward creating and distributing anti-aging therapies. But Rabheru, a professor at the University of Ottawa and a geriatric psychiatrist at the Ottawa Hospital, feared that these changes would only further ageism. If age alone were presumed to be a disease, that could lead to inadequate care from physicians, he says. Rather than pinpoint exactly what’s troubling a patient, a problem could simply be dismissed as a consequence of advanced years. ….”
““The crux of the matter is that if you legitimize old age as a diagnosis, you run the risk of a lot of people using it inappropriately,” Rabheru says. A number of experts agreed. “There was a huge momentum that built up globally to say, ‘This is wrong,’” he says. …. … … On January 1, 2022, the 11th version of the ICD was released without the term “old age”—or language that suggests aging is a disease—in its contents…..”
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09697330221114329
By J Smith, R Morgan et al.
N Freudenberg et al ; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00207314221125151
“This report explores the value of an integrated framework that combines insights from previous scholarship and practice using the social, political, and commercial determinants of health. It proposes the questions such an integration would need to answer and suggests processes and tasks that could lead to the creation of a blended framework.”
“In a clear victory for public health and tobacco control, on October 19, 2022, Uruguay’s judiciary suspended the application of Executive Decree 282/022 — which regulated the country’s tobacco plain packaging Law 19.723 — on grounds that it unlawfully and unconstitutionally jeopardized children and adolescents’ rights and infringed upon Uruguay’s national legal framework and its international obligations under international health and human rights law…..”
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/zgha20/15/sup1?nav=tocList
“…. the Canadian government funded the Real Accountability, Data Analysis for Results project (RADAR) in 2016 to develop a holistic evaluation framework and suite of tools that support rigorous accountability of resources invested by Canada through its supported NGOs and country governments. A second objective of RADAR is to build the capacity of Canadian NGOs in the use of these tools. ….. This Special Issue brings together a set of articles describing the RADAR methodological approach, the resulting tools, and experiences in their implementation. ….”
L Murray et al ; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2022.2135751
“Reproductive and sexual health policies have long mobilised religious and political forces. In this interview conducted in September of 2021, Brazilian feminist activist and researcher Sonia Corrêa guides us through a genealogy of anti-gender politics showing how they have been grounded in carefully crafted discourses about rights and gender that hinge on interpretations of the ‘original’ intent as ascribed in ‘founding’ documents such as the bible. In her overview of the transnational connections and ramifications of anti-gender politics, Corrêa provides a critical analysis of their geopolitical connections and the disastrous effects they’ve had on sexual, reproductive and social rights. In highlighting the problems with naming anti-gender politics as ‘anti-rights’ and dismissing the strength and complexity of the forces behind them, Corrêa alerts us to the depth of their roots and urgent need for a shift in strategy to fight them.”
« This Viewpoint proposes restructuring the WHO Essential Medicines List to remove consideration of cost and cost-effectiveness from the expert committee reviews of clinical effectiveness, safety, and public health value, and chartering a new framework for pooled global negotiation and procurement of costly medicines included in the list.”
S Bishen et al; https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/10/gene-therapy-why-we-need-to-accelerate-global-access/
“Gene therapy – the ability to make precise changes to the human genome – offers a chance to address the root cause of man diseases. But access to gene therapy across the world varies massively, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) less likely to benefit. Enabling LMICs to enter the gene therapy global market will benefit patients worldwide and now is an opportune moment to build capacity.”
“…. A new white paper from the World Economic Forum, Thunderbird School of Global Management and Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University describes what it will take to make gene therapies a reality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by analyzing six countries actively pursuing gene therapies and highlighting the champions leading these efforts. …. To understand the unique barriers hindering low- and middle-income countries from entering the global gene therapy market, the white paper examines five LMICs that are actively pursuing gene therapies – Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Thailand and India. Collectively, these countries are targeting a broad spectrum of diseases – HIV, sickle cell disease, beta thalassaemia, haemophilia, hepatitis B and select cancers. Analysis of these countries revealed seven critical areas of infrastructure necessary for sustainably supporting the long-term development and delivery of therapies in LMICs – research and development (R&D), health facilities, manufacturing, workforce, community engagement, policy and regulation, and finance. The report breaks down these complex and interconnected areas, providing a resource for government leaders looking to build gene therapy roadmaps that fit their economic, health and political realities…..”
See also last week’s IHP news, especially on Civil society not being exactly ‘overwhelmed’ by the Berlin Declaration….
“The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network (DCVMN) have thrown their weight behind the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) proposal to improve access to vaccines in future pandemics. The proposal, known as the Berlin Declaration, outlines how the pharmaceutical industry would reserve an allocation of real-time production of vaccines for priority populations in lower-income countries in future global pandemics. In exchange, the industry wants their intellectual property protected, and for governments to “guarantee the immediate and unhindered sharing of emerging pathogens and their associated data to all researchers”, as well as committing to unrestricted trade, no export bans, and expedited processes for import and export during a pandemic. The three pharma associations – representing vaccines innovators as well as manufacturers – announced their agreement on Monday following a meeting in India hosted by DCVMN. They called upon the G20, G7 and multilateral organizations to implement their part of the proposed bargain, etched out by the Berlin Declaration. ….”
S Berkley; https://www.ft.com/content/eb2f7444-6101-4b54-8100-c10592ace185
“Lack of fair access is ‘one of the biggest chinks in our armour’.” One sided view by GAVI Seth, as usual ….
https://gh.bmj.com/content/7/10/e009718
by W S Ajesegiri et al.
M W Gichane et al ; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16549716.2022.2131967
“Global health emerged as a distinct public health discipline within the last two decades. With over 95% of Masters of Global Health degree programmes located in high-income countries (HICs), the area of study has been primarily pursued by White, middle and upperclass, citizens of Europe and North America. In turn, the global health workforce and leadership reflect these same demographics. In this article, we present several key arguments against the current state of global health education: (1) admissions criteria favour HIC applicants; (2) the curriculum is developed with the HIC gaze; (3) student practicums can cause unintended harms in low- and middle-income country communities. We argue that global health education in its current form must be dismantled. We conclude with suggestions for how global health education may be reimagined to shift from a space of privilege and colonial practice to a space that recognises the strengths of experiences and knowledge above and beyond those from HICs.”
“Exclusive: ‘Povertyism’ restricts access to education, housing, employment and social benefits and must be outlawed, says special rapporteur.”
“Prejudice against poor people is “a stain on society” that needs to be made illegal, according to a senior UN official. In an address to the UN general assembly later this week, Olivier De Schutter, special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, will call for the term “povertyism” to be included in anti-discrimination law alongside sexism and racism “to stop destroying people’s lives”. “Poverty will never be eradicated while povertyism is allowed to fester, restricting access to education, housing, employment and social benefits to those who need them the most,” De Schutter will tell the general assembly on Friday…..”
“…. In a new report to be released on Friday, De Schutter defines “povertyism” as the negative stereotyping of the poor, and “a major source of non-take-up of rights” in that it can discourage people from applying for jobs and benefits. …. De Schutter, a Belgian legal scholar, told the Guardian his call was aimed at countering social attitudes. He added that while povertyism was a global problem, there tended to be greater stigmatising of the poor in wealthier countries where inequalities are starkest……”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129752
“Cities have an in-built bias against women, who overwhelmingly describe them as unsafe and unwelcoming. A UN report released on Monday, calls for a complete overhaul of city design, and for women to be more closely involved in urban planning.” “….The report, which was developed by global design and engineering company Arup, the University of Liverpool, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP)….”
https://usp2030.org/wp-content/uploads/USP2030_Financing-WG_JS_Principles_FInal_Oct-13th.pdf
“Universal social protection is an essential means to prevent and reduce poverty and inequality and is at core of the social contract that connects the state with the society, contributing to more inclusive, equitable, stable, and peaceful societies. With the ongoing economic effects of COVID-19, the unfolding cost of living crisis, and the ever-growing impacts of climate breakdown the need for social protection has never been greater. And yet large and entrenched coverage gaps remain, with a lack of available and accessible financing a major bottleneck in achieving universal social protection. In light of this challenge the USP2030 working group on financing has jointly agreed the following key principles to guide the international and national financing of social protection…… ”
PS: “…. the USP2030 Working Group on Financing Social Protection has been established and brings together a diverse group of members representing a number of key partners such as governments, UN bodies, Trade Unions, IFIs, and civil society organizations. This Working Group has identified a number of principles and recommendations, with the aim of informing national and international-level debates and decisions on social protection financing. While there are some areas where differences remain and which will require further discussions and analysis as we seek common ground, the USP2030 Working Group on Financing Social Protection stands together in calling for urgent engagement by the global community to address the financing gap towards realising the right to universal social protection with a focus on the following three areas…..”
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/social-protection-promote-gender-equality-whats-needed-drive-change
“…. CGD, in collaboration with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), the International Union Confederation (ITUC), the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the World Bank’s #AccelerateEquality initiative, and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), recently hosted an event aimed at understanding how social protection can promote gender equality and more inclusive economic development. Here are our key takeaways:…..”
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03389-x
“The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are not a priority for research in high-income countries. That must change.”
“In the rich-world countries that are largely responsible for the bulk of anthropogenic climate emissions and loss of biodiversity, funding agencies and universities often talk about the necessity of meeting the SDGs. But a report by an international team of authors, led by researchers at the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK, University College London and the United Nations Development Programme based in New York City, shows that there is still a long way to go before policy and funding systems make the SDGs more of a priority for researchers. According to Changing Directions: Steering Science, Technology and Innovation Towards the Sustainable Development Goals, since 2015 the rate at which research from high-income countries on, or about, the SDGs is being published has mostly either plateaued or is falling (see ‘Research swings’). It is continuing to increase for just 4 of the 17 goals: goal 1, no poverty; goal 2, zero hunger; goal 5, gender equality; and goal 10, reducing inequality. Research on goal 7, affordable and clean energy, has taken a sharp downturn since the pandemic. It’s a different story for LMICs, where research-funding and policy systems are clearly more aligned with the goals, as the latest science report by the UN cultural organization UNESCO recognized last year (Nature 595, 472; 2021). Two-thirds of research published in the poorest countries has some connection to the SDGs. That compares with around 35% in high-income countries, although these shares are rising slowly…..”
Jens Holst et al; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00207314221131214
“The objective of this article is to assess the dominant global economic system and the resulting power relations from the perspective of the strategies used worldwide against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The predominantly biomedical approach has not sufficiently taken into account the actual dimension of COVID-19 as a syndemic. While the much longer-term pandemic caused by the neoliberalism virus has not been systematically considered by public and global health scholars in the context of COVID-19, it exhibits essential characteristics of an infectious pathogen, and the symptoms can be described and detected according to biomedical criteria. Even more, the severity of leading symptoms of neoliberalism such as growing inequities calls for immunization campaigns and ultimately herd immunity from viral neoliberalism. However, achieving worldwide immunity would require an anti-neoliberal vaccine, which is extremely challenging to develop vis-à-vis the power relations in global health.”
S Abimbola et al; https://academic.oup.com/heapol/advance-article/doi/10.1093/heapol/czac088/6769853?searchresult=1
“….Efforts to promote the adoption and scale up of health system innovations must contend with existing institutional context. But there are no commonly used frameworks to ensure that the insights of actors involved in such institutional efforts connect to one another. To test and modify a potential framework – the ‘four-by-four’ framework – we interviewed researcher-entrepreneurs involved in the unfolding story of the cardiovascular Polypill. The framework has four types/level of institution that affect adoption and scale up – 1) informal institutions (L1 – e.g., social norms), 2) formal institutions (L2 – e.g., government policies and regulation), 3) organisational structures (L3 – e.g., organisational boards and mission), and 4) everyday exchange (L4 – e.g., service delivery); vis-à-vis four potential entrepreneurial strategies in response – 1) abide by existing institutions, 2) evade them, 3) alter them, and/or 4) exit entrepreneurial action. Using this framework, we conducted a realist-informed analysis to understand how context (i.e., institutions) and mechanism (i.e., entrepreneurial strategies) influence each other to shape outcomes (i.e., adoption and scale up)…..”
https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-022-08653-4
By S A Ismail, J Borghi et al.
https://healthsystemsglobal.org/news/into-the-future-hsg-unveils-its-2022-2026-strategic-plan/
Positioning our organization to be at the forefront of health systems policy and research within the changing landscape of global health.
“This plan aligns with the mission and values of our Society and aims to position HSG at the forefront of HPSR within the ever-changing landscape of global health. The development process was inclusive, participatory, and consultative with broad engagement across HSG membership, partners, and other relevant constituencies. The purpose of this strategic plan is to identify the high-level priorities that will guide Health Systems Global (HSG) through the period of 2022-2026….”
With 5 strategic priorities.
“Collective Co-Director Katerini Storeng presents her top three priorities for a reinvigorated global health research system. “
“….broader research scope, more research diversity and greater research independence.”
By M Pai.
“Visa denials prevent @H_S_Global members from participating, violate dignity of many others, harm our entire community. @daktari1 and I propose a resolution: visa-free or visa-expedited places ONLY. Join us by signing here! (more thoughts below”. To sign the letter, see: https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1YP1JR6AYlXZEmq
“Today @USAIDPolicy and @noradno brought donors together in Oslo to recommit to and strengthen our efforts to #localize development assistance. We discussed possible donors principles for localization.”
“"Pfizer Inc expects to quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine to about $110 to $130 per dose" Why? "Reuters: vaccine makers would need to hike prices to meet revenue forecasts for 2023 and beyond." How about changing the forecast?”
“At the end of the #GrandChallenges pandemic exercise the participants tackle 3 questions. Greatest pandemic prep challenges mentioned include: need for better health systems, better community healthcare: mention that UN security definitions do not yet include epidemic threats”