In The News

Time For Renewed Global Action Against Childhood Pneumonia

Nov 02 2009

Time For Renewed Global Action Against This Forgotten Killer Of Children

The Lancet

October 31, 2009

by Former U.S. Majority Leader William H. Frist, M.D. and Minister of Health of the Republic of Rwanda, Richard Sezibera

Whether a political leader or a physician, one of the cruel ironies we face is that we are losing children we know how to save. The heart-breaking truth is that financial barriers—not medical or scientific ones—are preventing 9 million children every year from reaching the age of 5 years.

Take, for example, pneumonia, labeled as the forgotten killer of children by WHO and UNICEF. It surprises most people to learn that pneumonia kills more children than any other disease, taking more than 2 million young lives annually. Nearly half of these deaths could be prevented with existing vaccines and most cases could be treated with inexpensive antibiotics. Yet, lives continue to be lost from this preventable and treatable disease, and, until recently, there was little outcry. There are growing signs that the global community is ready to take action to fight childhood pneumonia. The recently formed Global Coalition against Pneumonia, nearly 100 members strong and counting, is an international network of organisations dedicated to fighting childhood pneumonia. On Nov 2, 2009, advocates from around the world will commemorate the first-ever World Pneumonia Day to raise awareness and mobilise efforts to fight this disease. The enthusiasm of this diverse group from dozens of countries gives hope that this deadly disease is finally going to get the attention it deserves. On Nov 2, WHO and UNICEF will release a road map, the Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia (GAPP), which represents a turning point in our global approach to fighting childhood pneumonia. GAPP outlines a 6-year plan for the worldwide scale- up of a comprehensive set of interventions to control pneumonia. These interventions fall under a three- pronged framework: protect children by providing an environment where they are at low risk of pneumonia; prevent children from developing the disease; and treat children who become ill. Key interventions include exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life, use of pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines, and management of illness in clinics and importantly at the community level. 

These recommended interventions are based on rigorous scientific evidence, accumulated over the past 20 years, which shows efficacy in controlling pneumonia. This evidence was reviewed in 2008, and specific estimates of the projected benefits of implementing these interventions are available. These advances have helped the global community reach a unique point where we now know which interventions will have the most benefit in controlling pneumonia. Each of these interventions is safe and available now. GAPP’s projections are that, by 2015, the scale-up of existing interventions can substantially decrease mortality from pneumonia in children. This dramatic decline is not only a substantial contribution, but a critical step towards meeting Millennium Development Goal 4. Although meeting the costs of fully implementing GAPP will be a challenge, the good news is that many countries are already beginning to implement recommended interventions. For example, in April of this year, Rwanda was the first developing country to launch a national immunisation programme against the pneumococcus,12 a major cause of severe pneumonia. The GAVI Alliance, a global health partnership that helped Rwanda introduce these vaccines, plans to do the same in a total of 42 low-income countries by 2015. This addition to the national immunisation programs is crucial; whilst infant mortality is dropping in Rwanda, further decreases depend on addressing pneumonia, which is responsible for one in four deaths of children under 5 years of age.

We live in a world with infinite possibilities. Hearts are transplanted, DNA is decoded, and new medical discoveries are made every day. Yet we continue to be stymied by how best to reach those in resource-poor settings with the most basic care and medicines that we take for granted. What could break through this conundrum? The answer is a committed community in both donor and developing countries to make the health of children a priority, combined with a simple package of interventions that address the greatest challenges to survival. Resources and political will are standing between children and their futures. With the right tools, we should not fail the next generation of leaders and doctors. 

World Pneumonia Day

Nov 02 2009

November 2, 2009

World Pneumonia Day News Conference Audio: Bill Frist, Mary Beth Powers, and Orin Levine

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Eileen Burke, Save the Children

+1 203-221-4233

[email protected]

 

Lois Privor-Dumm

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

+1 484-354-8054, [email protected]

 

Mala Persaud +1 202-841-9336

[email protected]

 

Leading Organizations Join Forces to Launch First Annual World Pneumonia Day,  Fight World's Leading Child Killer

WHO and UNICEF Release Global Action Plan to Combat Pneumonia as Part of Historic Effort

"Resources and political will are standing between children and their futures,"

Write Senator Bill Frist and Rwandan Minister of Health Dr. Richard Sezibera

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 2, 2009) - Nearly 100 leading global health organizations from around the world joined forces today to recognize the first-annual World Pneumonia Day and urge governments to take steps to fight pneumonia, the world's leading killer of young children.  The first steps in this fight are outlined in the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia, released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

"It surprises most people to learn that pneumonia kills more children than any other disease - taking more than 2 million young lives annually," write former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and Save the Children Board member, Bill Frist, MD and co-author Dr. Richard Sezibera, Rwanda's Minister of Health in this week's edition of The Lancet.   "Nearly half of these deaths could be prevented with existing vaccines and the vast majority of cases could be treated with inexpensive antibiotics.  Yet, lives continue to be lost from this preventable and treatable disease, and, until recently, there was very little outcry."

Pneumonia takes the lives of more children under 5 than measles, malaria, and AIDS combined.  The disease takes the life of one child every 15 seconds, and accounts for 20% of all deaths of children under 5 worldwide. While pneumonia affects children and families everywhere, it has the most deadly impact in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where 98% of pneumonia deaths occur. It can be prevented with simple interventions, and treated with low-cost, low-tech medication and care.

"Today the world is coming together like never before to address the number one threat to the world's children," said Orin Levine, executive director of PneumoADIP at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Together we call on country governments to implement life-saving pneumonia interventions for those that need them most."

Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia

The Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia (GAPP), released today by  WHO and UNICEF, outlines a six-year plan for the worldwide scale-up of a comprehensive set of interventions to control the disease.  Countries are urged to implement a three-pronged pneumonia control strategy that:

  • protects children by promoting exclusive breastfeeding and ensuring adequate nutrition and good hygiene; 
  • prevents the disease by vaccinating them against common causes of pneumonia such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal disease) and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib); and
  • treats children at the community level and in clinics and hospitals through effective case management and with an appropriate course of antibiotics.

The GAPP estimates the cost of scaling up exclusive breastfeeding, vaccinations and case management in the world's 68 high child mortality countries. Together, these countries account for 98% pneumonia deaths worldwide. With this investment, the GAPP projects that by 2015, the scale-up of existing interventions can decrease child pneumonia mortality substantially. 

Ensuring Treatment, Achieving Prevention

Studies show that implementing pneumonia prevention and treatment interventions worldwide could save more than one million lives each year and significantly reduce the burden of families and communities that must cope with pneumonia-related illnesses and deaths.  Pneumonia can be treated effectively with antibiotics that cost less than a dollar, but less than 20% of children with pneumonia receive the antibiotics they need, according to WHO.

Safe and effective vaccines exist to provide protection against the primary causes of pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal disease) and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).  However, use of Hib vaccine has only recently expanded to low-income countries and pneumococcal vaccine is not yet included in national immunization programs in the developing world, where children bear the highest risk for pneumonia and where most pneumonia-related child deaths occur.   

As the result of collaborative efforts by WHO, UNICEF, the GAVI Alliance, academia, foundations, vaccine manufacturers, and donor and developing country governments, low-income countries can now access existing and future pneumococcal vaccines with a small self-financed contribution of as little as US $0.15 per dose.  To date, 11 countries have received GAVI Alliance approval for support to introduce pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and 12 additional countries have submitted applications. 

"For the first time in history, we have the commitment from countries and the tools and systems in place to deliver new life-saving vaccines to protect millions of children against the world's biggest childhood killer pneumonia," said Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt, CEO of the GAVI Alliance. "With increased donor support, we can save many more lives and make an incredible leap in progress towards further reducing child mortality in the world. This is an historic opportunity we must not ignore."

World Pneumonia Day: A Global Effort

The Global Coalition against Childhood Pneumonia, made up of nearly 100 influential global health organizations has led the World Pneumonia Day effort.  Events are taking place in more than 25 countries around the world.

"Pneumonia takes a devastating toll on families and communities in resource-poor countries, so it is vitally important that this message be amplified throughout the developing world," said Mary Beth Powers, chief of Save the Children's Survive to 5 campaign. "The involvement of these countries in this effort is an important step toward reducing pneumonia deaths."

World Pneumonia Day events and activities will raise awareness, outline solutions and call upon governments to act to combat pneumonia. In New York City, more than 100 leaders in science, politics and global health will gather for the first World Pneumonia Day Summit.  Other activities will include week-long activities in Nigeria including educational events, policy briefings and rallies; a policymaker roundtable and symposium in Bangladesh; a Run for Survival in Kenya; pediatrician workshops in Nepal; a health symposium in the Philippines; and a briefing in London at the House of Commons.  Additional events are planned in China, the DRC, Ethiopia, India, Malawi, Mali, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and Uganda.  An event list can be found at http://worldpneumoniaday.org/events/upcoming-events/.  These events all underscore the need for urgent action to protect the lives of children everywhere.

"We live in a world with infinite possibilities," write Frist and Sezibera. "Hearts are transplanted, DNA is decoded, and new medical advances are made every day. Yet we continue to be stymied by how best to reach those in resource-poor settings with the most basic care and medicines that we take for granted."  They continue, "Resources and political will are standing between children and their futures. With the right tools, we should not fail the next generation of leaders and doctors."

To learn more about World Pneumonia Day and the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia, visit http://worldpneumoniaday.org.  To download the Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia, visit http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2009/WHO_FCH_CAH_NCH_09.04_eng.pdf.

###

About The Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia

The Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia and the World Pneumonia Day Coalition, was established in April 2009. It seeks to bring focus on pneumonia as a public health issue and to prevent the millions of avoidable deaths from pneumonia that occur each year. The coalition is grounded in a network of international government, non-governmental and community-based organizations, research and academic institutions, foundations, and individuals that have united to bring much-needed attention to pneumonia among donors, policy makers, health care professionals, and the general public. Learn more at www.worldpneumoniaday.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FGHL Blog: Kelly Tschida - Washing Hands, Saving Lives: from Rwanda

Nov 01 2009

  

1) Patient Beds

2) Hospital Compound where families clean clothes and make food for patients

3) Ingredients for Hand Sanitizer

It has been one month since I arrived in Rwanda and I am continually amazed at the obstacles my patients and coworkers face. The work can be very frustrating. Everyday I see ways to keep people alive and reduce the severity of illnesses, but implementing change is never easy, especially when resources are extremely limited.

One particular frustration is the lack of hand washing by the medical staff. An estimated 60,000 in Rwanda are infected with illnesses in hospital, which are called nosocomial infections. Nosocomial infections are often caused by health providers not having properly washed their hands. They significantly increase patient death rates as well as costs to the patient and hospital. I have seen diseases being spread in our hospital and the staff seems to accept it as normal.

All the nurses and physicians know they are supposed to wash their hands between patients, but it just is not practical. There are no sinks in the patient rooms and the nurses have to move quickly from one patient to the next to provide care for everyone. There is only one sink per floor, and it is located very far from the patients. A great majority of the patients have infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, intestinal parasites, and infectious hepatitis, so hand washing is especially important.

After two weeks of frustration I found a solution. Hand sanitizer is an effective way of killing most germs and does not require running water; unfortunately it is too expensive for the hospital to purchase. With some research I found some recipes for homemade hand sanitizers that costs a fraction of the price of commercial products yet are effective disinfectants. I tested recipes until I found one the staff members like the most. I am now working with the chief of nursing to ensure that the hospital can afford to make it in sufficient quantities indefinitely. This is only a small change but I believe it will result in a significant reduction of infections passed from patient to patient and to the workers themselves. My hope it that they not only continue to use the hand sanitizer but that this will begin to instill confidence that there are ways we can start to limit unnecessary hospital born infections.

 

 

Global Health Essay Contest: $1000

Oct 23 2009

Global Health Essay Contest

October 23, 2009

The Center for Strategic & International Studies Commission on Smart Global Health is calling for essay submissions. The essay seeks to answer the vital question, “What is the most important thing the U.S. can do to improve global health over the next 15 years?”

Essay submissions must be between 500 and 800 words are due at midnight EST on November 20, 2009. CSIS is so dedicated to answering this question that they are offering a $1,000 scholarship for the winning essay.

We encourage you to submit your philosophy and your thoughts on how the U.S. can improve Global Health, ultimate to aid in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Spread the word. Tell your friends.

Check out the Smart Global Health website for more details.

Solidaridad: Article in El Quetzalteco newspaper on Primeros Pasos Clinic

Submitted by Danielle Dittrich

Oct 23 2009

October 22, 2009

This article was submitted by Global Health Leader Danielle Dittrich who is serving as a nurse at the Primeros Pasos Clinic in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. The article is in Spanish, but for those of you not fluent -- we suggest simply cutting and pasting the language: http://translate.google.com from Spanish to English.

El Quetzalteco Newspaper

http://www.elquetzalteco.com.gt/22.10.2009/?q=breves/solidaridad

Saving a life: Meet Haitian Orphan, Olken Foncime

Oct 20 2009

Saving a Life: Meet Olken Foncime, a Haitian Orphan

 

By Jenny Dyer

 

  

           

     

Christian Gilbert, M.D., Associate Medical Director of International Children's Heart Foundation (www.babyheart.org) in Memphis, TN connected with Senator Frist about a year ago to let us know the great work he was doing: providing pediatric cardiac surgical services and education to the children and health care providers in developing countries around the world.

 

We invited the International Children’s Heart Foundation to join the HTHH Tennessee Global Health Coalition, and he and his wife attended our first Gathering at the First home September 29, 2009. I had been apprised by Senator Frist of a situation in Haiti, where a young orphan, Olken, was suffering from congenital heart disease, Tetralogy of Fallot, and would likely die without immediate surgery. In meeting Dr. Gilbert for the first time, I asked him what the likelihood of his reaching this child in rural Haiti would be.

 

I’ll let Christian relay the rest of the story through his letter:

 

Jenny,
This story begins with a letter to Senator Frist which you answered and as a result invited me and ICHF to participate in the HTHH foundation. That led to an invitation to the gathering at the Senator's house. There I found out about this Haitian orphan in need of heart surgery from you.

 

I checked it out with my director and the director of the program in Dominican Republic, where I was headed for a two week mission and got the OK to help him on our mission to the DR later in the week. That set the wheels in motion and before too long I had pictures of him and his caretakers and knew his name, Olken Foncime.

 

He arrived in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday the 7th of October with his guardians, Marc, Leslie, and Pauline. When I first met him I was stunned at the profound degree of cyanosis, and equally impressed by his gentle sweet demeanor. He quickly became everyone's favorite. He was a high risk surgery with an estimated mortality risk of 15-20%. I reminded myself that it was 100% without it. He needed some things done before we could operate on him such as antibiotics and exchange transfusions because his hematocrit was 80, with normal being around 40. His blood coagulation was so abnormal the anesthesiologists was reluctant to put him to sleep for the IV line to do the exchange transfusion. Because he was so sick it was decided that rather than try a complete repair which carried a very high mortality risk I would do a shunt procedure and defer the total repair for a time when he was not so sick and had a better chance of survival.

 

On Monday October 12th he was taken for a Blalock Taussig shunt. He did very well with the operation and for the first time in his life he had pink nail beds and lips. In the picture, he is bravely holding onto his teddy bear and heart just a few hours after his surgery.

 

 

      

 

He is now 3 days post op and is starting to open up and smile and eat some food. All of his IV lines and drainage tubes are out and he has been transferred to the regular ward. It is my expectation he will be ready to return to the orphanage on Saturday or Sunday. I hope that some time in 2010 we will be able to bring him back for a total repair. We all have been blessed by this child and his caregivers who demonstrate amazing love and selflessness. God put us together and I give him all the glory as we are simply his servants here on earth. He clearly has a plan for this beautiful little boy. Thank you for bringing his story to my attention. God Bless.

 

Christian

 

…Sometimes little miracles happen through the most simple of circumstances. Building partnerships is crucial for saving lives, like Olken's, around the world. This is just the beginning of what is possible with a robust, well-connected coalition...

FGHL Blog: Danielle Dittrich - From Guatemala: Nurse Launches Women's Clinic

Oct 20 2009

    

News travels fast in small rural communities, and the word about the women's clinic is quickly getting around. Women from the community women's groups have been bringing their sisters, daughters and neighbors. Each patient exam has been taking about an hour, as it includes a full history and physical. The appointment also includes an explanation of female anatomy, how a Pap smear is preformed, and how it is used to check for the changes caused by human-papilloma virus (HPV) which can cause cervical cancer. Many of the patients have never had a pelvic exam or Pap smear so teaching has become a large part of every appointment.

Primeros Pasos's mission includes increasing education about methods of disease prevention. Though it is common practice that Guatemalans only come to the clinic once already very ill, Primeros Pasos women's education program is doing a great job promoting wellness and annual check-ups. Some patients have come in for symptoms of anemia related to heavy and irregular menstrual bleeding, however many healthy feeling women have come in specifically for their Pap smear and annual physical. Currently, the Primeros Pasos clinic has the ability to process a handful of laboratory tests in house. Unfortunately, the Pap smear is not one of them. Where as many of Primeros Pasos volunteers are being trained to identify intestinal parasites from stool samples, or run different blood tests, a Pap smear slide must be read by a trained cytopathologist. Therefore, the Pap smears are being processed at a lab in the city of Xela. Once a week I take my bundle of Pap smears to the lab in the city. Each Pap smear costs 25 Quetzales, which is about the equivalent of three American dollars.  It's amazing how three dollars can make such a difference in the lives of these women.

Cervical Cancer has been the hot topic the last two weeks. Rightfully so, as it deserves a lot more attention than it ever gets. In the United States, we almost never hear of deaths from cervical cancer because we have so many methods of early detection already in place. However, according to the American Cancer Society global cancer statistics report (2002), cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. In select countries, such as Guatemala, cervical cancer ranks even higher as the number one cancer among women with a reported rate of less than 10% of women receiving regular screening (Ministry of Public Health and Social Aid of Guatemala, 2003). Many myths and misconceptions about cervical cancer exist in the rural communities. The last two weeks I have helped teach phase two of the women's education curriculum, which focuses on women's health issues such as uterine, ovarian and cervical cancer. In the past many, most women have lumped all the aforementioned together as the same "women's cancer" that is rarely spoken about due to fear and stigma. Through the women's education program, the myths around cervical cancer are slowly being unraveled and addressed.

The patients are not the only ones inquiring about cervical cancer. The buzz among the Guatemalan medical students prompted a lunch lecture dedicated specifically to the topic. Upon request, I will now be running a weekly lunch lecture on the essentials of obstetrics and gynecology. The new group of medical students is inquisitive and hard-working. They have already made huge leaps and bounds in their time at the clinic. I am working closely with the two female medical students to teach them to perform women's health exams. It is very culturally taboo for females to be treated by male healthcare providers for any issues related to women's health or pregnancy. So although I am foreign, my presence is accepted because I am female. Each day I hope to slowly build my patients' trust, which is the biggest thing that you can ask for as a foreigner in the Valley of Palajunoj, in a country like Guatemala that is still feeling the aftermath and distrust of a 36 year civil war.

For More Photos, Go to:  http://primerospasoswomensclinic.shutterfly.com/

FGHL Blog: Amelia Wood - Taking Care of Newborns

Oct 15 2009

Pretty sure I have fleas. Jim found these two little guys buried deep in my hair and wriggling up itches everywhere. Now I learn that the previous neonatologist had also acquired some type of stow-away and so would not sit on the mom's beds or wear his white coat thru maternity. But what am I to do? The mom's wait longingly as I speak to the woman in front of them. The want attention for their babies and for their concerns. They delight when the blond mazungu doctor hugs them and stops to visit. Maybe if I were here long term it would be different, but for just six weeks, though its not very lady like - I guess I'll have fleas.

FGHL Blog: Danielle Dittrich - From Guatemala: Nurse in Pediatric Clinic

Oct 12 2009

The past two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. After overnighting in Antigua I took a small bus for five hours up the winding mountains into the western highlands, finally arriving in Quetzaltenango. Quetzaltenango was and still is a principle center of Maya Ki'che and is often referred to by its Ki'che name Xelaju and abbreviated to Xela. Xela is a large city seemingly disconnected from the surrounding cities but by small winding dirt roads which the revamped and repainted yellow school buses ride along. Most women in the city still dress in traditional Mayan clothing, which becomes even more prevalent as you head out into the country side. Every morning we take the unmarked school bus from the bus stop at the Calvario Church into the mountains of Tierra Colorada Baja. Outside the church, venders sell flowers freshly cut from the mountains and beans and eggs out of street charts.
« First < Prev Next > Last »

Subscribe to our newsletter to recieve the latest updates.