Kelly Ramundo is Managing Editor for FrontLines Magazine.
The U.S. Government, through USAID and other agencies, is working with the developing world to improve health care and health outcomes on myriad fronts. When it comes to improving global health, there is no magic elixir. Instead, progress comes by way of the compounded hard work of dedicated professionals across sectors and regions. Although paths may diverge along with way, the goal is shared: saving and improving lives worldwide.
Mass vaccination campaigns using the new vaccine reached nearly 20 million people in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Photo Credit: Gabe Bienczycki
From keeping life-saving health care facilities on the electrical grid in Haiti, to contributing to the decade-long quest for an epidemic meningitis vaccine in Africa, to partnering with the government of Swaziland to ensure that a crippling HIV_AIDS epidemic does not become a legacy of future generations, to building up the capacity of Iraq’s civil Service, USAID’s efforts are having an impact in line with our nation’s values and true to our mission of contributing to a more stable and secure world.
Visit the current edition of FrontLines for these and more stories on the various paths USAID is helping to forge to improve global health and shape a better future in Iraq.
Hi, just curious – why is it that the meningitis vaccine is “not wholly suited” to conditions in Africa? What part of Africa? The entire continent? How is this possible given that Africa as a continent is such a diverse place, just like America, yet it is suitable to conditions in America?
Thanks for your time.
Ultimately the issue has always been the price of vaccines (i.e. $80-100 in the United States for vaccines against multiple strains of meningitis) that are just too cost prohibitive for Africa. There is however a new vaccine which works against the group A meningitis strain (which causes more than 8 out of 10 cases across the continent) that costs only $0.50. This should create a huge advantage in combating this epidemic that unfortunately puts an estimated 450 million at risk across Africa.