USAID Impact Photo Credit: Nancy Leahy/USAID

Archives for Health

How We Can Save Over 4 Million Children

Posted by  on Friday, October 8th 2010     

Submitted by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D.

As featured in the Huffington Post:

Childhood vaccines are one of the great triumphs of modern medicine. Indeed, parents whose children are vaccinated no longer have to worry about their child’s death or disability from whooping cough, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis, or a host of other infections. Vaccines are the most cost-effective health care interventions there are. A dollar spent on a childhood vaccination not only helps save a life, but greatly reduces spending on future healthcare.

Fortunately, the global effort to date has resulted in 80 percent of children or more being reached worldwide and many deaths are averted each year because of that. Unfortunately, thousands of children still die every day from vaccine-preventable diseases in developing countries. Life-saving vaccines we take for granted haven’t yet reached them. But the good news is that there is a solution, and we are helping to solve that problem. Over the past decade, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), founded and supported in part by the U.S., has immunized more than 250 million children, preventing the deaths of over 5 million.

Click here to read more.

U.S. Pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Posted by  on Thursday, October 7th 2010     
Ambassador Eric Goosby

Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator

Originally published in DipNote,the official blog of the U.S. Department of State.

About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

I am in New York for the Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The United States is committed to the success of the Global Fund as part of our shared goal to save lives devastated by these diseases. Our investment is a central component of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative, along with our large bilateral programs such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the President’s Malaria Initiative, and U.S. programs focused on issues such as maternal and child health.

We strongly support the Global Fund’s collaborative, country-driven, performance-based approach, and we are proud to be its largest donor, having provided more than $5.1 billion to date. As President Obama said in his speech at the Millennium Development Goals Summit last month, we are strengthening our commitment to the Global Fund.

I was pleased to announce yesterday that the Obama Administration is making a three-year pledge of $4 billion to the Global Fund for 2011 through 2013. This marks the first time that the United States has made a multi-year pledge to the Global Fund.

What’s more, this pledge is a 38 percent increase in the U.S. investment over the preceding three years and is by far the largest dollar increase of any donor nation this year.

Why are we taking this step? It will save and improve lives of those devastated by these three diseases. It will increase life expectancies in affected countries.

Moreover, this pledge is linked to a firm call to action that calls upon the Fund to make needed reforms and for other donor nations to share in the responsibility of saving more lives effectively and efficiently.

Simply put, we have three goals with this historic pledge:

First, we need to drive needed reforms and ensure smart, effective investments that will build upon the success of the Fund and save more lives. At this conference, the U.S. has called upon the Global Fund Board to develop an action agenda that includes clear timelines and measures progress so all parties can be held accountable for clear action steps. You can read our “Call to Action” at www.PEPFAR.gov.

Second, we made this pledge to leverage other donors’ contributions. This commitment serves as a challenge to other donors — including other governments and the private sector — to do their share to save more lives, alleviate suffering and increase life expectancies. Meeting the need is a global responsibility. All donors have a shared responsibility to not only sufficiently invest in the Fund, but to ensure that its investments are achieving the ultimate goal of saving lives. Moreover, country grantees have an obligation to continue to improve their health systems to ensure that investments are made effectively and efficiently, and the U.S. will continue to support them in building the capacity to do so.

Finally, this pledge shows continued U.S. leadership to the ultimate measurement of success — increasing the number of lives saved. This pledge is part of a comprehensive approach to combating AIDS, TB, and malaria through President Obama’s Global Health Initiative. In addition to financing, as part of our effort to strengthen Global Fund grant performance and impact, the U.S. will increase our already substantial investment in technical assistance, capacity building, and country level coordination.

Any future increases in U.S. funding will be tied to fulfillment of the Global Fund’s action plan, as well as to the relative scale-up of contributions by other donors to the Fund. In short, all stakeholders must come together to build upon the past success achieved by the Fund.

Ultimately, this pledge will allow the Global Fund to do its job — and do it better. We are proud of our relationship with and commitment to the Fund and the work it has done over the years. This unprecedented pledge is a signal to the world that even in these difficult times, the U.S. is firmly committed to fighting these devastating diseases and ultimately saving more lives.

This Week at USAID – October 4, 2010

Posted by  on Monday, October 4th 2010     

USAID joins the global community in recognition of World Habitat Day. The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October as annual World Habitat Day to raise awareness of the need for improved shelter and highlight the connection between human health and housing.  This year’s Habitat theme is “Better City, Better Life.”

Administrator Shah travels to Columbia University to address their Business School’s Social Enterprise Conference.  Dr Shah will focus on how USAID is pursuing innovative models by working with the private sector and leveraging social enterprise.

USAID’s Global Health Bureau along with the George Washington University Center for Global Health will host the 10th Annual Global Health Min-University.  Over 1,000 people will attend more than 50 unique sessions to learn evidence-based best practices and state-of-the-art information across the global health field.

The United Nations Designated the First Monday in October as Annual World Habitat Day

Posted by  on Monday, October 4th 2010     

Submitted by Ryan Cherlin

On Oct. 4, 2010, USAID will join the global community in recognition of World Habitat Day. The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October as annual World Habitat Day to raise awareness of the need for improved shelter and highlight the connection between human health and housing.  This year’s Habitat theme is “Better City, Better Life.”

USAID understands there is a direct correlation between a country’s population, and the pressure growing demographic trends place on the environment, health systems, economy and housing availability.  Since 1965, USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health has worked to create programs that better understand this synergistic relationship. These programs play an important role in helping countries achieve a sustainable population size so they are better able to balance available resources. Achieving sustainable populations will help ensure the availability of decent housing for all.

Visit Habitat.org for ideas on how you can take action in your community this year on World Habitat Day.

Maternal Health Matters to Everyone

Posted by  on Friday, October 1st 2010     

The maternal mortality rate in northern Nigeria is one of the highest in the world. In Bauchi State, women bear an average of eight children in their lifetimes, yet only 45 percent of them receive prenatal care. Less than 1 percent of Bauchi’s children under age one are fully immunized. Bauchi is one of the last places where the wild polio virus is still a threat. And the average person living in Bauchi experiences two malaria episodes a year—with pregnant women and small children affected the most.

Traditonal and religious leaders in Bauchi State meet with officials to explore how leaders can work with government to improve community health care. Photo Credit: USAID/ Nigeria

Overcoming the extraordinary health challenges for women and children requires commitment and partnership at all levels, particularly with traditional and religious leaders, who can use their trust and authority to change health behavior.

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Nigeria @ 50: Partnership with USAID

Posted by  on Thursday, September 30th 2010     

USAID is helping farmers' organizations, like this group in Kano, Nigeria, to plant and harvest higher-yielding crops. These women have boosted their incomes by producing more cowpeas than in previous years. Photo Credit:Ann Fleuret, USAID/Nigeria

In 1960, the face of Africa changed, as more than a dozen countries seized their futures and became independent nations. Nigeria was one of those countries, and the last half century has seen both successes and challenges. While the country’s economy is growing at a good clip, its healthcare and education still lag, and deeply entrenched poverty and unemployment remain two of the greatest obstacles to Nigeria reaching its full potential for development. USAID works in Nigeria to sustain development in the long term, especially in health, education, and economic growth.

Health

Nigeria is making much slower progress on improving health among mothers and children than most other African countries. A million Nigerian children die each year before their fifth birthday, and the maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world. Nigeria also has one of the highest tuberculosis burdens in the world, and although the HIV/AIDS infection rate is low compared to other parts of Africa, an estimated 3 million Nigerians are still infected. As a result, Nigeria’s life expectancy has declined significantly: in 1991 the average life expectancy was 54 years for women and 53 years for men; by 2009 these figures had fallen to 48 for women and 46 for men.

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Repairing Obstetric Fistula in Nigeria

Posted by  on Thursday, September 30th 2010     

Submitted by Mary Ellen Stanton

USAID-supported fistula services in Nigeria began in 2007. USAID’s Fistula Care project works with six hospitals to prevent and repair fistula and/or to train health professionals about fistula case management,

Obstetric fistula is the result of prolonged labor without prompt medical intervention, causing a hole in a woman’s birth canal which leaves her with chronic incontinence and in many cases, the loss of the baby.

Thirty-two-year-old Joy Emmanuel lived with fistula for half of her life. Long after giving up hope of a remedy, she heard on the radio that women could receive fistula surgery at the Faridat Yakubu Fistula Center, in Gusau, Nigeria. Emmanuel’s baby survived, but she was left with the serious medical condition. Women with Fistula are stigmatized among their peers and by society in general.

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Increasing the Involvement of Men in Family Health

Posted by  on Thursday, September 30th 2010     

Submitted by Chris Thomas

Reducing maternal deaths by 75 percent throughout the world by 2015 will take the involvement of men in countries where it matters most. Many of the countries where USAID works are male dominated cultures. To improve maternal health outcomes for women in developing countries, men must be equal partners since they are the decision makers about health care in the family. These decisions include determining family size, timings of pregnancies, and whether women have access to health care.

In programs around the world, USAID works to integrate men into maternal health activities at the community level. One example is through USAID’s Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP). Special efforts are made to emphasize men’s shared responsibility and promote their active involvement in responsible parenthood, sexual and reproductive health. This means reaching out to community elders, leaders, and religious groups – entreaties that could be rejected because of traditional cultural values and perceptions that maternal health is the responsibility of women only.

In some areas of Nigeria— where a woman can’t leave the home without her husband’s permission— USAID sends in male motivators, community volunteers trained in communications, to help local men achieve their vision for a healthy family.

“In many of the countries where we work, these are male dominated cultures,” said Lily Kak, senior maternal and neonatal health advisor in USAID’s Bureau for Global Health for a feature in Frontlines. “We need to involve men in our programs since they are the decision makers about health care in the family.” These decisions include determining family size, timing of pregnancies, and whether women have access to health care.

To improve maternal health outcomes for women in developing countries—one of the targets of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals—men must be equal partners. “Men need to see the advantages for themselves,” Kak said.

African First Ladies Fellowship to Strengthen Leadership on Health and Social Ills

Posted by  on Tuesday, September 28th 2010     

By Rear Adm. (ret) Tim Ziemer, U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator

Today I participated in the first RAND African First Ladies Fellowship Program workshop, hosted in partnership with American University.  The fellowship program, together with Women’s Campaign International, is working to strengthen the capacity of Africa’s first ladies and their offices to address health and social problems across Africa.

Participants include chiefs of staff and other advisers to first ladies from Angola, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia.

Over a two-year period, first ladies and fellows will develop and implement a plan to address one of their nation’s top challenges, such as maternal and child health, women’s issues or education.

Drawing on experience with the African Leaders Malaria Alliance where 26 African Heads of State are positioning their countries to achieve universal net coverage and save millions of lives, I discussed the import policy and advocacy role first ladies can influence with focused participation. While not having statutory authority, African first ladies can raise the profile, funding and country commitment of key areas like improving the health status of women and removing barriers that could prevent women from accessing life-saving health services that are particular to women, such as assisted deliveries for her or her children and family planning for healthy timing and spacing of births.

During the four-day workshop, other presenters included Melanne Verveer, U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues; Jocelyn Frye, deputy assistant to President Obama for domestic policy and director of policy and projects for First Lady Michelle Obama; Anita McBride, chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush from 2005 to 2009 and currently executive in residence at American University’s School of Public Affairs; and Marjorie Margolies, president and founder of Women’s Campaign International.

USAID Celebrates World Contraception Day

Posted by  on Monday, September 27th 2010     

Submitted by Ryan Cherlin

Every year on 26 September,  World Contraception Day draws attention to the importance of contraception and the role of the individual. This year’s World Contraception Day theme is “Take Responsibility”.

Choosing whether to use contraception is a deeply personal decision that each individual is responsible for making.  USAID works with countries and communities to develop strategies that ensure every individual who wants to use contraceptives is able to receive them for family planning (FP), and HIV/AIDS prevention purposes.

Pakistani mother Mozamman holds her 2-year old twin sons Amanollah (R) and Samiollah (L) at her house in a poor neighborhood of Islamabad on July 21, 2010. Pakistan has the sixth largest population in the world. Photo Credit: Behrouz Mehri/AFP

Modern contraceptive methods offer tremendous benefits through improved health and economic well-being.  They help ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, and subsequently reduce the number of abortions that result from unintended pregnancies, and also reduce the risk of spreading disease.  Ensuring the availability of these commodities is a priority not only because of the health and economic benefits, but also because of changes in demographic trends and the increasing demand for family planning. To ensure that women and men can choose, obtain, and use the contraceptive method they want, programs must be responsive to the needs of each individual client. Our programs work to ensure there is a wide range of methods available to choose from that suit each individual’s unique needs and lifestyle.


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