Weekly Briefing (7/23/2011 – 7/29/2011)
July 23 Voice of America reports that recent findings in a HIV/AIDS study found that taking HIV medication orally once a day was highly effective in preventing HIV in heterosexual men and women in Botswana, Kenya, and Uganda. USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah noted that the next step in the global effort to combat the disease “is to determine how the teams’ research can be put to use in a real world setting.”
July 28 At the Saving Lives at Birth Development Exchange Forum, innovators gathered from across the world with proposals for new technologies, new service-delivery models, and new ways to stimulate demand for health care services at the time of birth. AllAfrica.com reports that at the event, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah praised the group for their hard work and innovative thinking.
July 29 In an interview with Foreign Policy, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah discussed his recent trip to the Horn of Africa to visit refugees affected by the drought. Administrator Shah explained that the U.S. has been the largest responder, providing nearly $460 million of support and reaching nearly 4.5 million people.
July 29 ABC News reported that about $14 million was awarded to innovations aimed at saving the lives of mothers and children around the world at a landmark event hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah. “Saving Lives at Birth,” the first in a series of Grand Challenges for Development led by USAID, brought together doctors, health workers, engineers and entrepreneurs from around the world to showcase innovations with the potential to prevent maternal and newborn deaths.
