The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reiterated its
appeal to the international community for urgent funds to support its
operations in Haiti, the western hemisphere's poorest country, following
the deaths of four people in two days of rioting over rising food prices.
"Riots in Haiti underline the additional need for lifesaving food
assistance," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. "At this
critical
time, we need to stand with the people of Haiti and other countries
hardest
hit by rising food prices."
Last month, WFP launched an extraordinary appeal to donors for
an
additional US$500 million to respond to dramatic increases in global
food
and fuel prices, which have risen an estimated 55 per cent since last
June.
Haiti is the latest country to experience unrest related to soaring
food
and fuel prices (others include: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt,
Indonesia,
Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal).
Haiti -- one of the three countries of the world with the highest
daily
caloric deficit per person (460 kcal/day below the daily requirement
of
2100 kcal/day) -- has been particularly vulnerable to the soaring prices.
WFP has received so far only 13 per cent (or US$12.4 million) of the US$96
million necessary to assist 1.7 million people in Haiti - barely enough to
support operations throughout April. Due to rising costs, WFP recently
revised its funding requirements upwards by 22 percent.
Sheeran urged donors to respond to WFP's appeal for Haiti and elsewhere,
warning that soaring food prices could result in further tension as
already witnessed in a number of countries.
"What we see in Haiti is what we're seeing in many of our operations
around
the world -- rising prices that mean less food for the hungry. A new face
of hunger is emerging: even where food is available on the shelves, there
are now more and more people who simply cannot afford it," said Sheeran.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: this year, WFP plans to
feed more than 70 million people in around 80 countries.
WFP now provides RSS feeds to help journalists keep up with the latest
press releases, videos and photos as they are published on WFP. For
more details see: wfp/english/?n=999.
WFP now has a dedicated ISDN line in Italy for quality two-way
interviews
with WFP officials.
wfp
вторник, 30 августа 2011 г.
суббота, 27 августа 2011 г.
Australian Government Pledges $350M For HIV/AIDS Programs In Asia-Pacific Through 2010
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on Monday at the Third Ministerial Meeting on HIV/AIDS in Sydney, Australia, announced that the government has committed an additional 400 million Australian dollars, or about $350 million, for programs to fight HIV/AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region, the AAP/Sydney Morning Herald reports. The funds will be distributed by 2010 and will be added to the 600 million Australian dollars, or about $528 million, committed by the country last year for such programs, Downer said (AAP/Sydney Morning Herald, 7/23). The money will be distributed through the government's foreign aid agency, AusAID, for HIV/AIDS education and condom distribution programs, the Australian reports.
Efforts will focus primarily on Papua New Guinea, which has experienced significant increases in HIV/AIDS rates during the past 10 years. As of last year, the government had spent 60 million Australian dollars, or about $52 million, in Papua New Guinea and 37 million Australian dollars, or about $32 million, in Indonesia to fight HIV/AIDS. Downer said that without increased action, 1.5 million people in Indonesia and 300,000 people in Papua New Guinea would die by 2025 of AIDS-related illnesses (Marris/Maley, Australian, 7/23). There 8.3 million people living with the disease in the Asia-Pacific, Downer said.
"In the Asia-Pacific region, we don't have a problem on the scale of much of Africa, but we don't want to let it get to that stage," Downer said, adding, "As a significant country in the region, we are determined to play our part to address the problem ... we need to stop the situation deteriorating" (AAP/Sydney Morning Herald, 7/23). In addition, Downer voiced concern that HIV/AIDS rates in Papua New Guinea are under-reported. "My view is there is a lot more that needs to be done in terms of HIV awareness," he said, adding, "The challenge for us in the Asia-Pacific region is to have 100% HIV awareness. I hope we can do that by 2010" (ABC News, 7/23). The announcement coincides with the 4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention being held in Sydney, Australia (Australian, 7/23).
Reuters on Monday examined the HIV/AIDS epidemic's impact on women in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Papua New Guinea. Official estimates places the number of people living with HIV in Papua New Guinea at 12,000, but some HIV/AIDS workers say that the actual number is between 80,000 and 120,000, according to Reuters. Papua New Guinea Health Minister Peter Barter at the IAS conference said that polygamy is a major obstacle to HIV prevention efforts in the country. "In many parts of Papua New Guinea, a person can have up to five or six wives and 20 children," Barter said, adding, "We have to change that behavior. It's a cultural matter and it will take some time to do it" (Lee, Reuters, 7/23).
Kaisernetwork will serve as the official webcaster of the IAS conference. Individuals can sign up for a free daily update e-mail and find more information about conference webcasts online.
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Efforts will focus primarily on Papua New Guinea, which has experienced significant increases in HIV/AIDS rates during the past 10 years. As of last year, the government had spent 60 million Australian dollars, or about $52 million, in Papua New Guinea and 37 million Australian dollars, or about $32 million, in Indonesia to fight HIV/AIDS. Downer said that without increased action, 1.5 million people in Indonesia and 300,000 people in Papua New Guinea would die by 2025 of AIDS-related illnesses (Marris/Maley, Australian, 7/23). There 8.3 million people living with the disease in the Asia-Pacific, Downer said.
"In the Asia-Pacific region, we don't have a problem on the scale of much of Africa, but we don't want to let it get to that stage," Downer said, adding, "As a significant country in the region, we are determined to play our part to address the problem ... we need to stop the situation deteriorating" (AAP/Sydney Morning Herald, 7/23). In addition, Downer voiced concern that HIV/AIDS rates in Papua New Guinea are under-reported. "My view is there is a lot more that needs to be done in terms of HIV awareness," he said, adding, "The challenge for us in the Asia-Pacific region is to have 100% HIV awareness. I hope we can do that by 2010" (ABC News, 7/23). The announcement coincides with the 4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention being held in Sydney, Australia (Australian, 7/23).
Reuters on Monday examined the HIV/AIDS epidemic's impact on women in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Papua New Guinea. Official estimates places the number of people living with HIV in Papua New Guinea at 12,000, but some HIV/AIDS workers say that the actual number is between 80,000 and 120,000, according to Reuters. Papua New Guinea Health Minister Peter Barter at the IAS conference said that polygamy is a major obstacle to HIV prevention efforts in the country. "In many parts of Papua New Guinea, a person can have up to five or six wives and 20 children," Barter said, adding, "We have to change that behavior. It's a cultural matter and it will take some time to do it" (Lee, Reuters, 7/23).
Kaisernetwork will serve as the official webcaster of the IAS conference. Individuals can sign up for a free daily update e-mail and find more information about conference webcasts online.
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
среда, 24 августа 2011 г.
PURE Bioscience Assists Disaster Relief In Haiti
PURE Bioscience (NASDAQ: PURE) is sending 200,000 two-ounce bottles of IV-7 Ultimate Germ Defense™ silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC)-based water purifier to Project Hope for distribution in earthquake-ravaged areas of Haiti. This quantity is enough to treat up to 40 million gallons of water. San Diego-based CareFusion Corporation sponsored half of the donation.
The water purifier is in the form of a liquid concentrate, with just six drops needed to treat one gallon of water. This convenient and portable solution can be rushed to areas of need more quickly and easily than containers of drinking water.
The purifier is effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria, virus and fungus in a stable, non-toxic, tasteless, odorless and colorless solution.
Michael L. Krall, President and CEO of PURE Bioscience, said, "The earthquake victims in Haiti are in desperate need of water that is safe to drink. Sending 200,000 bottles of water purifier to be distributed in areas hard hit by the earthquake will help ensure drinkable water for families until local water systems can be restored."
Source
CareFusion Corporation
The water purifier is in the form of a liquid concentrate, with just six drops needed to treat one gallon of water. This convenient and portable solution can be rushed to areas of need more quickly and easily than containers of drinking water.
The purifier is effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria, virus and fungus in a stable, non-toxic, tasteless, odorless and colorless solution.
Michael L. Krall, President and CEO of PURE Bioscience, said, "The earthquake victims in Haiti are in desperate need of water that is safe to drink. Sending 200,000 bottles of water purifier to be distributed in areas hard hit by the earthquake will help ensure drinkable water for families until local water systems can be restored."
Source
CareFusion Corporation
воскресенье, 21 августа 2011 г.
Reproductive Health Care Being Restored In Tsunami-Hit Areas
A year after the Indian Ocean tsunami, work is ongoing to restore reproductive health services and address psychosocial needs in affected communities with support from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
As part of the United Nations coordinated inter-agency response, UNFPA country offices in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Thailand are helping to rebuild and re-equip damaged health facilities, while continuing to provide training and supplies so that local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can offer services at temporary sites and mobile clinics. A key priority is maternal health care.
UNFPA is also is working with various partners to ensure that recovery plans do not overlook the special needs of women and adolescents, including action to prevent sexual violence.
In Indonesia, officials are releasing the findings of a UNFPA-funded census in Aceh and Nias, data that will help guide reconstruction planning. By providing training and supplies, UNFPA has strengthened the capacity of the Aceh Provincial Health Office and local health workers to provide quality reproductive health services in tsunami-affected communities. Eight primary health centres have been equipped with ambulances and instruments for resuscitation and emergency obstetric care. Mobile units are providing similar care to pregnant women in remote villages.
With the Fund's support, 10 community centres have been set up to provide psychosocial counselling and outreach, along with income-generation training, religious and social activities. Through the Indonesian Psychologists Association, counsellors have been trained on basic counselling skills, response to gender-based violence, and adolescent and child psychology.
UNFPA has continued distributing personal hygiene kits to displaced people through its partners whenever needed. Some 320,000 kits have been distributed this year.
In Sri Lanka, UNFPA is supporting the reconstruction of several hospitals and health units that were damaged or destroyed by the tsunami.
Under an agreement with the Ministry of Health and with the technical support of the United Nations Office of Project Services, UNFPA is helping to restore 18 facilities providing reproductive health services. These include a maternity complex, several primary health centres and a dozen medical offices. Most of these projects are due to be completed by June next year. Each facility will have medical equipment and supplies that meet Government specifications. Next year, service providers in the North and East will be trained to upgrade their clinical and counselling skills.
Another area of UNFPA assistance is addressing the psychosocial needs of those affected by the tsunami. The Fund has helped the Directorate of Mental Health to develop a national policy and to train administrators, health workers and social service personnel. UNFPA is also supporting the establishment of 27 women's centres to respond to women's needs and to counter gender-based violence. The centres, due to open in 2006, will provide basic information and support services and strengthen local coping mechanisms.
In the Maldives, UNFPA continues to assist authorities in assessing the reproductive health care and psychosocial support needs of the displaced. It is working to re-equip damaged facilities to restore comprehensive, quality reproductive health services; a large volume of equipment and supplies will arrive in early 2006. Two fully equipped health boats are being procured to provide emergency care, including transport for women facing complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
The Fund has provided reproductive health training for hospital medical staff and community health workers. It has recruited several gynaecologists and midwives from abroad to work in hospitals and mobile clinics as well as to train local staff in 2006.
In Thailand, UNFPA is working in four of the worst-affected provinces to address the reproductive health needs of the local population and migrant-worker communities. The focus is on safe motherhood, family planning, gender equality, HIV prevention and adolescent reproductive health.
Through its support to the World Vision Foundation of Thailand, UNFPA is providing general health care and reproductive health services to some 5,000 migrant workers and their families through mobile clinics.
UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.
unfpa
Distributed for UNFPA by
Peter Robbs Consultants Ltd
As part of the United Nations coordinated inter-agency response, UNFPA country offices in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Thailand are helping to rebuild and re-equip damaged health facilities, while continuing to provide training and supplies so that local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can offer services at temporary sites and mobile clinics. A key priority is maternal health care.
UNFPA is also is working with various partners to ensure that recovery plans do not overlook the special needs of women and adolescents, including action to prevent sexual violence.
In Indonesia, officials are releasing the findings of a UNFPA-funded census in Aceh and Nias, data that will help guide reconstruction planning. By providing training and supplies, UNFPA has strengthened the capacity of the Aceh Provincial Health Office and local health workers to provide quality reproductive health services in tsunami-affected communities. Eight primary health centres have been equipped with ambulances and instruments for resuscitation and emergency obstetric care. Mobile units are providing similar care to pregnant women in remote villages.
With the Fund's support, 10 community centres have been set up to provide psychosocial counselling and outreach, along with income-generation training, religious and social activities. Through the Indonesian Psychologists Association, counsellors have been trained on basic counselling skills, response to gender-based violence, and adolescent and child psychology.
UNFPA has continued distributing personal hygiene kits to displaced people through its partners whenever needed. Some 320,000 kits have been distributed this year.
In Sri Lanka, UNFPA is supporting the reconstruction of several hospitals and health units that were damaged or destroyed by the tsunami.
Under an agreement with the Ministry of Health and with the technical support of the United Nations Office of Project Services, UNFPA is helping to restore 18 facilities providing reproductive health services. These include a maternity complex, several primary health centres and a dozen medical offices. Most of these projects are due to be completed by June next year. Each facility will have medical equipment and supplies that meet Government specifications. Next year, service providers in the North and East will be trained to upgrade their clinical and counselling skills.
Another area of UNFPA assistance is addressing the psychosocial needs of those affected by the tsunami. The Fund has helped the Directorate of Mental Health to develop a national policy and to train administrators, health workers and social service personnel. UNFPA is also supporting the establishment of 27 women's centres to respond to women's needs and to counter gender-based violence. The centres, due to open in 2006, will provide basic information and support services and strengthen local coping mechanisms.
In the Maldives, UNFPA continues to assist authorities in assessing the reproductive health care and psychosocial support needs of the displaced. It is working to re-equip damaged facilities to restore comprehensive, quality reproductive health services; a large volume of equipment and supplies will arrive in early 2006. Two fully equipped health boats are being procured to provide emergency care, including transport for women facing complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
The Fund has provided reproductive health training for hospital medical staff and community health workers. It has recruited several gynaecologists and midwives from abroad to work in hospitals and mobile clinics as well as to train local staff in 2006.
In Thailand, UNFPA is working in four of the worst-affected provinces to address the reproductive health needs of the local population and migrant-worker communities. The focus is on safe motherhood, family planning, gender equality, HIV prevention and adolescent reproductive health.
Through its support to the World Vision Foundation of Thailand, UNFPA is providing general health care and reproductive health services to some 5,000 migrant workers and their families through mobile clinics.
UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.
unfpa
Distributed for UNFPA by
Peter Robbs Consultants Ltd
четверг, 18 августа 2011 г.
U.S. To Launch Health Care Worker Training Program In Mozambique, Health Minister Announces
The U.S. plans to launch a program to train health care workers in Mozambique in an effort to strengthen the country's health system and fight HIV/AIDS and malaria, Mozambican Health Minister Ivo Garrido announced Wednesday after a meeting with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, AIM/AllAfrica reports (AIM/AllAfrica, 8/22). Leavitt and several U.S. officials are on a 10-day tour of four African countries to highlight programs funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the President's Malaria Initiative. Their first stop was South Africa, and they also plan to visit Rwanda and Tanzania (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 8/17).
Guebuza and Leavitt at the meeting discussed Mozambique's health infrastructure and ways to strengthen collaboration on health issues between the two countries. Garrido did not disclose further details on the training program but said priority will be given to health professionals working in rural areas in Mozambique. "We believe that we can do a lot more in this area, being the reason our discussions gravitated around issues such as training of human recourses," Garrido said.
Mozambique has a total of about 800 doctors, and there is about one doctor for every 24,000 residents, according to Garrido. This ratio is "frankly bad, when we consider that on average the developed countries have one doctor for less than 1,000 inhabitants," he said. Leavitt expressed his support for the country's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS and malaria, emphasizing that discussions held with Mozambican authorities will help both countries work together more closely. Current estimates show that Mozambique has an HIV/AIDS prevalence of 16.2%, and malaria is responsible for more than 40% of outpatient visits and 30% of deaths among people admitted to hospitals in the country (AIM/AllAfrica, 8/22).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Guebuza and Leavitt at the meeting discussed Mozambique's health infrastructure and ways to strengthen collaboration on health issues between the two countries. Garrido did not disclose further details on the training program but said priority will be given to health professionals working in rural areas in Mozambique. "We believe that we can do a lot more in this area, being the reason our discussions gravitated around issues such as training of human recourses," Garrido said.
Mozambique has a total of about 800 doctors, and there is about one doctor for every 24,000 residents, according to Garrido. This ratio is "frankly bad, when we consider that on average the developed countries have one doctor for less than 1,000 inhabitants," he said. Leavitt expressed his support for the country's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS and malaria, emphasizing that discussions held with Mozambican authorities will help both countries work together more closely. Current estimates show that Mozambique has an HIV/AIDS prevalence of 16.2%, and malaria is responsible for more than 40% of outpatient visits and 30% of deaths among people admitted to hospitals in the country (AIM/AllAfrica, 8/22).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
понедельник, 15 августа 2011 г.
Gates Foundation Commits $280 Million For Research To Fight Global TB Epidemic
The Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation today grants totaling $280 million to help fight
tuberculosis, an epidemic that infects one-third of people on earth and
kills nearly 2 million yearly - mostly in the poorest countries. The 11 new
grants will speed research and development on promising vaccines,
diagnostic tests, and treatments to help reduce the global TB burden.
"TB science has advanced significantly over the past five years, and
these grants build on this momentum and the progress that has been made,"
said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation's Global Health
Program. "By bringing together a wide range of partners, including
scientists from countries heavily affected by TB, we hope to help translate
promising ideas into tools that can save millions of lives."
The grants focus on three key areas:
-- Vaccine development: $200 million over five years to the Aeras Global
TB Vaccine Foundation to conduct clinical trials of up to six TB
vaccine candidates
-- Diagnostics: $62 million over five years to the Foundation for
Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) to develop TB tests that are more
accurate and simpler to use
-- Drug discovery: Nine grants totaling $18 million to identify new TB
treatments to combat drug resistance
The urgent need for better TB-fighting tools received worldwide
attention earlier this year when an airline passenger from the United
States traveled across borders with drug-resistant TB and exposed fellow
travelers to the disease. This case highlighted the inadequacy of current
TB diagnostic tools, which use technology that is more than 100 years old.
In addition, the TB vaccine is more than 80 years old and rarely works
after childhood, while TB drugs require long and cumbersome regimens, and
are losing their effectiveness to rising drug resistance.
"Even in rich countries, efforts to fight TB are severely hampered by
the lack of effective tools," said Dr. Peter Small, senior program officer
for TB at the Gates Foundation. "Better vaccines, diagnostics, and drugs
could dramatically improve the fight against TB, especially in poor
countries where large numbers of people are affected by the disease."
Grant to Support TB Vaccine Trials
The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation will use its new grant to
conduct Phase I and II trials of up to six TB vaccine candidates, which are
expected to involve 8,500 participants in 10 countries in Africa, Asia,
Europe, and the United States. The goal is to identify the best TB vaccines
for Phase III trials, the final stage of testing before a new vaccine can
be licensed for use.
"Over the past few years, scientists have gained important insights
into the immune responses needed to protect against TB," said Dr. Jerald
Sadoff, president and CEO of Aeras. "We're working as quickly as possible
to test promising vaccine candidates that could help turn the tide of TB
around the world."
It has been projected that even a partially-effective new TB vaccine
could avert more than 30 million deaths worldwide by 2030.
Aeras and its partners have assembled a diverse portfolio of TB vaccine
candidates that are ready, or may soon be ready, for clinical trials. Aeras
has also helped establish world-class TB research centers in South Africa
and India, two of the countries most seriously affected by TB.
"Scientists in Africa and other developing countries are playing a
critical role in TB vaccine development," said Dr. Gregory Hussey, director
of the South African TB Vaccine Initiative and professor at the University
of Cape Town. "An effective vaccine is essential for slowing the spread of
TB, and we're proud to be part of the global vaccine effort."
New TB Diagnostics Within Reach
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) will use its new
grant to advance development of up to 10 new TB diagnostic tests, in the
hope of obtaining World Health Organization approval of one or more tests
within five years.
Over the past few years, FIND and its partners have identified a number
of new diagnostics that could be more accurate than existing TB tests, and
could improve diagnosis of the disease in areas that lack sophisticated
health care facilities.
"The difficulty of diagnosing TB is one of the greatest obstacles to
controlling the disease, particularly in patients who also have HIV/AIDS,"
said Dr. Giorgio Roscigno, CEO of FIND. "We're closer than ever to improved
diagnostics, which will help ensure that people infected with TB receive
prompt and proper care."
The standard test used to diagnose TB misses half of cases, and
requires culturing a patient's sputum sample in the laboratory and
examining it with a microscope after an intensive multi-step process. It
has been estimated that improved diagnostics could help save at least
400,000 lives every year.
Grants to Spur Innovative TB Drug Discovery
The nine grants for early-stage discovery projects will identify leads
for new TB drug compounds that are more effective than current treatment
options.
Developing new TB treatments is an urgent priority because resistance
is growing to drugs that were once widely effective for curing the disease
- last year there were more than 400,000 cases of drug-resistant TB. In
addition, there is a need for faster-acting TB drugs; current drugs must be
taken for at least six months to be fully effective.
"To stay ahead of TB drug resistance, we need to pursue new,
out-of-the- box ideas that have not yet been tested," said Dr. Yamada.
"These grants could help bring about a new generation of more effective
drugs to significantly advance our ability to fight TB."
The TB drug discovery grants announced today include:
-- $7.5 million to Seattle Biomedical Research Institute
-- Two grants totaling $3.7 million to Colorado State University
-- Two grants totaling $2.4 million to Weill Cornell Medical College
-- $1.8 million to Johns Hopkins University
-- $1.7 million to Ordway Research Institute
-- $750,000 to Northeastern University
-- $453,000 to Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Grants Support Global Plan to Stop TB
The new grants support priorities in the Stop TB Partnership's Global
Plan to Stop TB, a detailed blueprint for reducing the TB burden over the
next decade. The plan calls for worldwide spending on TB to triple by 2015.
Last year, the foundation pledged to support the plan by providing at
least $900 million in TB funding by 2015. With the new grants announced
today, the foundation has fulfilled more than half of that commitment.
"TB is a major threat, and stopping it must be a top global priority,"
said Dr. Marcos Espinal, executive secretary of the Stop TB Partnership.
"We have an achievable action plan to reduce the TB burden, and it is
encouraging to see new resources going to Stop TB partners to support this
plan."
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive
lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health,
and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme
poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people,
especially those with the fewest resources, have access to the
opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle,
the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and Co-chair William H. Gates
Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
gatesfoundation/default.htm
Foundation today grants totaling $280 million to help fight
tuberculosis, an epidemic that infects one-third of people on earth and
kills nearly 2 million yearly - mostly in the poorest countries. The 11 new
grants will speed research and development on promising vaccines,
diagnostic tests, and treatments to help reduce the global TB burden.
"TB science has advanced significantly over the past five years, and
these grants build on this momentum and the progress that has been made,"
said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation's Global Health
Program. "By bringing together a wide range of partners, including
scientists from countries heavily affected by TB, we hope to help translate
promising ideas into tools that can save millions of lives."
The grants focus on three key areas:
-- Vaccine development: $200 million over five years to the Aeras Global
TB Vaccine Foundation to conduct clinical trials of up to six TB
vaccine candidates
-- Diagnostics: $62 million over five years to the Foundation for
Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) to develop TB tests that are more
accurate and simpler to use
-- Drug discovery: Nine grants totaling $18 million to identify new TB
treatments to combat drug resistance
The urgent need for better TB-fighting tools received worldwide
attention earlier this year when an airline passenger from the United
States traveled across borders with drug-resistant TB and exposed fellow
travelers to the disease. This case highlighted the inadequacy of current
TB diagnostic tools, which use technology that is more than 100 years old.
In addition, the TB vaccine is more than 80 years old and rarely works
after childhood, while TB drugs require long and cumbersome regimens, and
are losing their effectiveness to rising drug resistance.
"Even in rich countries, efforts to fight TB are severely hampered by
the lack of effective tools," said Dr. Peter Small, senior program officer
for TB at the Gates Foundation. "Better vaccines, diagnostics, and drugs
could dramatically improve the fight against TB, especially in poor
countries where large numbers of people are affected by the disease."
Grant to Support TB Vaccine Trials
The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation will use its new grant to
conduct Phase I and II trials of up to six TB vaccine candidates, which are
expected to involve 8,500 participants in 10 countries in Africa, Asia,
Europe, and the United States. The goal is to identify the best TB vaccines
for Phase III trials, the final stage of testing before a new vaccine can
be licensed for use.
"Over the past few years, scientists have gained important insights
into the immune responses needed to protect against TB," said Dr. Jerald
Sadoff, president and CEO of Aeras. "We're working as quickly as possible
to test promising vaccine candidates that could help turn the tide of TB
around the world."
It has been projected that even a partially-effective new TB vaccine
could avert more than 30 million deaths worldwide by 2030.
Aeras and its partners have assembled a diverse portfolio of TB vaccine
candidates that are ready, or may soon be ready, for clinical trials. Aeras
has also helped establish world-class TB research centers in South Africa
and India, two of the countries most seriously affected by TB.
"Scientists in Africa and other developing countries are playing a
critical role in TB vaccine development," said Dr. Gregory Hussey, director
of the South African TB Vaccine Initiative and professor at the University
of Cape Town. "An effective vaccine is essential for slowing the spread of
TB, and we're proud to be part of the global vaccine effort."
New TB Diagnostics Within Reach
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) will use its new
grant to advance development of up to 10 new TB diagnostic tests, in the
hope of obtaining World Health Organization approval of one or more tests
within five years.
Over the past few years, FIND and its partners have identified a number
of new diagnostics that could be more accurate than existing TB tests, and
could improve diagnosis of the disease in areas that lack sophisticated
health care facilities.
"The difficulty of diagnosing TB is one of the greatest obstacles to
controlling the disease, particularly in patients who also have HIV/AIDS,"
said Dr. Giorgio Roscigno, CEO of FIND. "We're closer than ever to improved
diagnostics, which will help ensure that people infected with TB receive
prompt and proper care."
The standard test used to diagnose TB misses half of cases, and
requires culturing a patient's sputum sample in the laboratory and
examining it with a microscope after an intensive multi-step process. It
has been estimated that improved diagnostics could help save at least
400,000 lives every year.
Grants to Spur Innovative TB Drug Discovery
The nine grants for early-stage discovery projects will identify leads
for new TB drug compounds that are more effective than current treatment
options.
Developing new TB treatments is an urgent priority because resistance
is growing to drugs that were once widely effective for curing the disease
- last year there were more than 400,000 cases of drug-resistant TB. In
addition, there is a need for faster-acting TB drugs; current drugs must be
taken for at least six months to be fully effective.
"To stay ahead of TB drug resistance, we need to pursue new,
out-of-the- box ideas that have not yet been tested," said Dr. Yamada.
"These grants could help bring about a new generation of more effective
drugs to significantly advance our ability to fight TB."
The TB drug discovery grants announced today include:
-- $7.5 million to Seattle Biomedical Research Institute
-- Two grants totaling $3.7 million to Colorado State University
-- Two grants totaling $2.4 million to Weill Cornell Medical College
-- $1.8 million to Johns Hopkins University
-- $1.7 million to Ordway Research Institute
-- $750,000 to Northeastern University
-- $453,000 to Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Grants Support Global Plan to Stop TB
The new grants support priorities in the Stop TB Partnership's Global
Plan to Stop TB, a detailed blueprint for reducing the TB burden over the
next decade. The plan calls for worldwide spending on TB to triple by 2015.
Last year, the foundation pledged to support the plan by providing at
least $900 million in TB funding by 2015. With the new grants announced
today, the foundation has fulfilled more than half of that commitment.
"TB is a major threat, and stopping it must be a top global priority,"
said Dr. Marcos Espinal, executive secretary of the Stop TB Partnership.
"We have an achievable action plan to reduce the TB burden, and it is
encouraging to see new resources going to Stop TB partners to support this
plan."
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive
lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health,
and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme
poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people,
especially those with the fewest resources, have access to the
opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle,
the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and Co-chair William H. Gates
Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
gatesfoundation/default.htm
пятница, 12 августа 2011 г.
American Red Cross Reaches Out To States Affected By Weekend Tornadoes
The American Red Cross is providing shelter, food, and comfort to people across the South as they deal with the aftermath of the deadly tornadoes that swept through the area over the weekend.
The severe weather hit several states, including Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. Mississippi was hardest hit with numerous tornadoes touching down Saturday. Damage is widespread and thousands are without power. The governors of Louisiana and Mississippi issued States of Emergency for the affected areas.
Throughout the affected states, the Red Cross has numerous shelters open and is providing food and comfort items for those left homeless by the powerful storms. Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles are providing meals across the area. Red Cross Disaster Action Teams are also being deployed to offer casework services and assistance and visit families as they try to salvage some of their belongings.
In the aftermath of the tornadoes, the Red Cross offers steps people should take to stay safe. They should return home only when authorities say it is safe to do so. When they do, they should wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy shoes. As they return, they should watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report them to the utility company immediately. Other safety steps include the following:
- Stay out of damaged buildings.
- Use battery-powered flashlights when examining buildings-do NOT use candles.
- If someone smells gas or hears a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and get everyone out of the building quickly and call the gas company or fire department.
- Take pictures of damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims.
- Use the telephone only for emergency calls.
- Keep all family pets under your direct control.
- Clean up spilled medications, bleaches, gasoline or other flammable liquids that could become a fire hazard.
For more information on how to be prepared for tornadoes, visit redcross
Help people affected by disasters like these tornadoes by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for disasters and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting redcross.
Source
American Red Cross
The severe weather hit several states, including Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. Mississippi was hardest hit with numerous tornadoes touching down Saturday. Damage is widespread and thousands are without power. The governors of Louisiana and Mississippi issued States of Emergency for the affected areas.
Throughout the affected states, the Red Cross has numerous shelters open and is providing food and comfort items for those left homeless by the powerful storms. Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles are providing meals across the area. Red Cross Disaster Action Teams are also being deployed to offer casework services and assistance and visit families as they try to salvage some of their belongings.
In the aftermath of the tornadoes, the Red Cross offers steps people should take to stay safe. They should return home only when authorities say it is safe to do so. When they do, they should wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy shoes. As they return, they should watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report them to the utility company immediately. Other safety steps include the following:
- Stay out of damaged buildings.
- Use battery-powered flashlights when examining buildings-do NOT use candles.
- If someone smells gas or hears a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and get everyone out of the building quickly and call the gas company or fire department.
- Take pictures of damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims.
- Use the telephone only for emergency calls.
- Keep all family pets under your direct control.
- Clean up spilled medications, bleaches, gasoline or other flammable liquids that could become a fire hazard.
For more information on how to be prepared for tornadoes, visit redcross
Help people affected by disasters like these tornadoes by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for disasters and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting redcross.
Source
American Red Cross
вторник, 9 августа 2011 г.
Access To HIV Therapy Jumped In 2006, But Significant Obstacles Remain To Approaching Universal Access To HIV Services
Access to antiretroviral therapy for advanced HIV infection in low- and middle-income countries continued to grow throughout 2006, with more than two million people living with HIV/AIDS receiving treatment in December 2006, a 54% increase over the 1.3 million people on treatment one year earlier in these countries. These encouraging findings were released today in a new report, "Towards universal access: scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector," published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and UNICEF.
At the same time, however, the report details a number of key areas in which efforts to scale up services are insufficient if the global goal of moving towards "universal access to comprehensive prevention programmes, treatment, care and support" for HIV by 2010 is to be achieved. For example, just 11% of HIV-positive pregnant women in need of antiretrovirals to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in low- and middle-income countries are receiving them. Global coverage of HIV testing and counselling remains unsatisfactorily low, as does coverage of prevention and treatment interventions for injecting drug users. And while countries committed themselves to setting targets for universal access by the end of 2006, only 90 had provided data on these by that date.
"The combined efforts of donors, affected nations, UN agencies and public health authorities are providing substantial, ongoing progress in access to HIV services," said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO. "Yet, in many ways we are still at the beginning of this commitment. We need ambitious national programmes, much greater global mobilization, and increased accountability if we are going to succeed."
Access to HIV treatment
The report shows that countries in every region of the world are making substantial progress in increasing access to HIV treatment. More than 1.3 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were receiving treatment in December 2006, representing coverage of approximately 28% of those in need compared to just 2% in 2003. Coverage in other regions varied, from 6% in North Africa and the Middle East, to 15% in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and 72% in Latin America and the Caribbean. Overall, while encouraging trends continue, just 28% of the estimated 7.1 million people in need of treatment in all low- and middle-income countries were receiving it in December 2006.
Funding provided by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was supporting 1 265 000 individuals receiving treatment by the end of 2006. The prices of most first-line ARVs decreased by between 37% and 53% in low- and middle-income countries from 2003 to 2006, and by between 10% and 20% from 2005 to 2006.
"The significant progress outlined in this report in scaling up access to treatment is a positive step forward for many countries in achieving their ambitious goals of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support," said Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "However new data in the report also shows that there is still a long way to go, particularly in the widespread provision of treatment to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV, which remains one of the simplest and cheapest proven prevention methods available," he added.
The number of children receiving treatment increased by 50% in the past year, but from a very low base. In December 2006, only about 115 500 (15%) children of the 780 000 estimated to be in need of HIV treatment had access to it. According to WHO HIV/AIDS Director, Dr Kevin De Cock "urgent priorities are improving access to HIV treatment for children, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as for injecting drug users everywhere". "Access to HIV testing and counselling, a critical entry point for both prevention and treatment services, also needs to be broadened significantly if we are to come near to reaching the targets for universal access by 2010," he added.
"Children continue to be the missing face of the AIDS pandemic," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, "with too many children still missing out on life-saving treatment and access to other essential services." In 2005, UNICEF, UNAIDS and other partners launched the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign. Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS targets four key areas: prevention of mother to child transmission; treatment of paediatric AIDS; education programmes for prevention; and support for orphans and vulnerable children.
Challenges and recommendations
Among the report's recommendations for improving the global AIDS response are the following:
Increase efforts to accelerate the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV disease in children. In addition to the need to increase treatment access, progress remains unsatisfactory in the prevention and diagnosis of HIV disease in children. The technical challenges of expanding services for children have been considerable. New approaches to overcoming these, such as the development of appropriate diagnostics and fixed-dose paediatric drug formulations, need to be more widely explored and accelerated.
Introduce a range of strategies to increase knowledge of HIV status. Surveys in twelve high-burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa showed that a median of just 12% of men and 10% of women in the general population had been tested for HIV and received the results. While client-initiated voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) is helping people know their status, provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling (PITC) in health care settings is emerging as a key additional strategy to expand access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services. The conditions under which testing and counselling are provided must also be improved in order to diminish obstacles to uptake, such as fear of stigma and negative reactions to disclosure.
Accelerate scale-up of services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). More than 100 low- and middle-income countries have established PMTCT programmes, yet only seven were reaching 40% or more of HIV-infected pregnant women in 2005. In sub-Saharan Africa, where 85% of HIV-infected pregnant women live, coverage in countries ranges from less than 1% to 54%. Current efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV are far below what is required to meet the UN target of reducing the proportion of children infected with HIV by 50% in 2010.
Improve access to services for most-at-risk populations, including injecting drug users and men who have sex with men (MSM). Injecting drug use is a major mode of HIV transmission in several regions and is emerging as a concern in Africa. Adequate prevention, treatment, and care services need to be provided to this population if a significant impact is to be made on HIV transmission. Resurgent transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in MSM in industrialized countries needs to be countered, and prevention needs of MSM in low- and middle-income countries addressed.
Invest in prevention for people living with HIV/AIDS. Persons living with HIV can be the strongest advocates for HIV prevention. Better follow-up is required of individuals diagnosed with HIV in voluntary counselling and testing centres. The health sector should provide a wider range of services and interventions to help people with HIV/AIDS to maximize their health, prevent and treat opportunistic and sexually transmitted infections, reduce the harms associated with injecting drug use, and avoid passing HIV on to others.
Improve access for people living with HIV/AIDS to quality TB prevention, diagnostic and treatment services. Most cases of TB are preventable or curable. Nevertheless, almost one million people living with HIV will develop TB disease each year, leading to nearly a quarter of a million avoidable TB deaths. Chronic underinvestment and inadequate political commitment to TB control in many countries of high HIV prevalence have resulted in high TB incidence among people with HIV/AIDS and have contributed to the development of TB drug resistance. The emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) must now be urgently addressed through increased coordination and availability of prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services, and through comprehensive infection control strategies.
Recognize male circumcision as an important additional HIV prevention intervention. Recent clinical trial data demonstrate a significant reduction in the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection among circumcised men. Male circumcision could have a major public health impact in countries where HIV prevalence is high, transmission is predominantly through heterosexual contact, and rates of male circumcision are low. Such countries should urgently consider scaling up access to safe male circumcision services. Key issues in implementation include the quality and safety of services, cultural considerations, and adherence to human rights principles in the provision of male circumcision, including informed consent, confidentiality, and absence of coercion.
Address concerns about longer-term financial sustainability. Financial concerns, especially with reference to what will be available from major multilateral and bilateral sources in the long term, continue to limit the scope and rate of scale-up in many countries and threaten long-term sustainability. While encouraging reductions have occurred in the price of first-line regimens in most low- and some middle-income countries, the demand for expensive second-line regimens will continue to increase. Unless prices for second-line regimens fall significantly, budgetary constraints may put treatment programmes at risk.
unaids
At the same time, however, the report details a number of key areas in which efforts to scale up services are insufficient if the global goal of moving towards "universal access to comprehensive prevention programmes, treatment, care and support" for HIV by 2010 is to be achieved. For example, just 11% of HIV-positive pregnant women in need of antiretrovirals to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in low- and middle-income countries are receiving them. Global coverage of HIV testing and counselling remains unsatisfactorily low, as does coverage of prevention and treatment interventions for injecting drug users. And while countries committed themselves to setting targets for universal access by the end of 2006, only 90 had provided data on these by that date.
"The combined efforts of donors, affected nations, UN agencies and public health authorities are providing substantial, ongoing progress in access to HIV services," said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO. "Yet, in many ways we are still at the beginning of this commitment. We need ambitious national programmes, much greater global mobilization, and increased accountability if we are going to succeed."
Access to HIV treatment
The report shows that countries in every region of the world are making substantial progress in increasing access to HIV treatment. More than 1.3 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were receiving treatment in December 2006, representing coverage of approximately 28% of those in need compared to just 2% in 2003. Coverage in other regions varied, from 6% in North Africa and the Middle East, to 15% in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and 72% in Latin America and the Caribbean. Overall, while encouraging trends continue, just 28% of the estimated 7.1 million people in need of treatment in all low- and middle-income countries were receiving it in December 2006.
Funding provided by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was supporting 1 265 000 individuals receiving treatment by the end of 2006. The prices of most first-line ARVs decreased by between 37% and 53% in low- and middle-income countries from 2003 to 2006, and by between 10% and 20% from 2005 to 2006.
"The significant progress outlined in this report in scaling up access to treatment is a positive step forward for many countries in achieving their ambitious goals of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support," said Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "However new data in the report also shows that there is still a long way to go, particularly in the widespread provision of treatment to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV, which remains one of the simplest and cheapest proven prevention methods available," he added.
The number of children receiving treatment increased by 50% in the past year, but from a very low base. In December 2006, only about 115 500 (15%) children of the 780 000 estimated to be in need of HIV treatment had access to it. According to WHO HIV/AIDS Director, Dr Kevin De Cock "urgent priorities are improving access to HIV treatment for children, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as for injecting drug users everywhere". "Access to HIV testing and counselling, a critical entry point for both prevention and treatment services, also needs to be broadened significantly if we are to come near to reaching the targets for universal access by 2010," he added.
"Children continue to be the missing face of the AIDS pandemic," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, "with too many children still missing out on life-saving treatment and access to other essential services." In 2005, UNICEF, UNAIDS and other partners launched the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign. Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS targets four key areas: prevention of mother to child transmission; treatment of paediatric AIDS; education programmes for prevention; and support for orphans and vulnerable children.
Challenges and recommendations
Among the report's recommendations for improving the global AIDS response are the following:
Increase efforts to accelerate the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV disease in children. In addition to the need to increase treatment access, progress remains unsatisfactory in the prevention and diagnosis of HIV disease in children. The technical challenges of expanding services for children have been considerable. New approaches to overcoming these, such as the development of appropriate diagnostics and fixed-dose paediatric drug formulations, need to be more widely explored and accelerated.
Introduce a range of strategies to increase knowledge of HIV status. Surveys in twelve high-burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa showed that a median of just 12% of men and 10% of women in the general population had been tested for HIV and received the results. While client-initiated voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) is helping people know their status, provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling (PITC) in health care settings is emerging as a key additional strategy to expand access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services. The conditions under which testing and counselling are provided must also be improved in order to diminish obstacles to uptake, such as fear of stigma and negative reactions to disclosure.
Accelerate scale-up of services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). More than 100 low- and middle-income countries have established PMTCT programmes, yet only seven were reaching 40% or more of HIV-infected pregnant women in 2005. In sub-Saharan Africa, where 85% of HIV-infected pregnant women live, coverage in countries ranges from less than 1% to 54%. Current efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV are far below what is required to meet the UN target of reducing the proportion of children infected with HIV by 50% in 2010.
Improve access to services for most-at-risk populations, including injecting drug users and men who have sex with men (MSM). Injecting drug use is a major mode of HIV transmission in several regions and is emerging as a concern in Africa. Adequate prevention, treatment, and care services need to be provided to this population if a significant impact is to be made on HIV transmission. Resurgent transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in MSM in industrialized countries needs to be countered, and prevention needs of MSM in low- and middle-income countries addressed.
Invest in prevention for people living with HIV/AIDS. Persons living with HIV can be the strongest advocates for HIV prevention. Better follow-up is required of individuals diagnosed with HIV in voluntary counselling and testing centres. The health sector should provide a wider range of services and interventions to help people with HIV/AIDS to maximize their health, prevent and treat opportunistic and sexually transmitted infections, reduce the harms associated with injecting drug use, and avoid passing HIV on to others.
Improve access for people living with HIV/AIDS to quality TB prevention, diagnostic and treatment services. Most cases of TB are preventable or curable. Nevertheless, almost one million people living with HIV will develop TB disease each year, leading to nearly a quarter of a million avoidable TB deaths. Chronic underinvestment and inadequate political commitment to TB control in many countries of high HIV prevalence have resulted in high TB incidence among people with HIV/AIDS and have contributed to the development of TB drug resistance. The emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) must now be urgently addressed through increased coordination and availability of prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services, and through comprehensive infection control strategies.
Recognize male circumcision as an important additional HIV prevention intervention. Recent clinical trial data demonstrate a significant reduction in the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection among circumcised men. Male circumcision could have a major public health impact in countries where HIV prevalence is high, transmission is predominantly through heterosexual contact, and rates of male circumcision are low. Such countries should urgently consider scaling up access to safe male circumcision services. Key issues in implementation include the quality and safety of services, cultural considerations, and adherence to human rights principles in the provision of male circumcision, including informed consent, confidentiality, and absence of coercion.
Address concerns about longer-term financial sustainability. Financial concerns, especially with reference to what will be available from major multilateral and bilateral sources in the long term, continue to limit the scope and rate of scale-up in many countries and threaten long-term sustainability. While encouraging reductions have occurred in the price of first-line regimens in most low- and some middle-income countries, the demand for expensive second-line regimens will continue to increase. Unless prices for second-line regimens fall significantly, budgetary constraints may put treatment programmes at risk.
unaids
суббота, 6 августа 2011 г.
Ryder System, Inc. Joins The American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program
Ryder today announced it is committing $1 million over the next three years through the Ryder Charitable Foundation to support national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts, making it the newest member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program.
This is Ryder's largest national donation to the Red Cross, although the Miami-based company has been a longtime supporter of the American Red Cross. The majority of the $1 million gift, $850,000, will be designated to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and the remaining $150,000 will be directed to the Greater Miami & the Keys chapter.
"In these difficult economic times when the need is so great, the generosity of partners such as Ryder allows the American Red Cross to be the helping hand to people in crisis," said Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. "We are so pleased that Ryder is expanding its philanthropic partnership to both the national and local levels of the Red Cross, and Ryder's multi-year commitment to the Annual Disaster Giving Program enables us to have the resources to provide people with disaster relief for large-scale disasters such as a tornado, hurricane or wildfire, or a smaller disaster like an apartment or house fire in Florida."
Since 1991, Ryder has been a significant philanthropic partner of the Red Cross, providing financial support to national headquarters and the Greater Miami & the Keys chapter, as well as supplying in-kind donations of trucks, sponsoring local Red Cross events and supporting local disaster relief efforts.
The Red Cross has also had a strong national business relationship with Ryder for many years, having been a Ryder National Rental customer since 1989. In addition to the $1 million financial commitment, under the umbrella of its National Rental program, Ryder is extending preferred pricing for rental vehicles to all local Red Cross chapters in the U.S. Ryder will also tap into its base of more than 20,000 U.S. employees as part of a grassroots volunteer effort to support disaster preparedness and response activities in communities where the company operates.
"The American Red Cross is one of the most well respected charitable organizations in the world and we greatly value the contributions it makes to communities where we live and work," said Greg Swienton, Ryder's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "As a transportation and logistics provider, we also understand the complexity and depth of timely resources needed to respond to disasters. It is this strong linkage between Ryder's business and the Red Cross' operational needs that drove us to select the Red Cross as Ryder's primary, national charitable partner. Whether it's through financial support, vehicle donations, or volunteer time from our employees, we want to do all we can to help increase the efficiency, capacity, and cost effectiveness of American Red Cross operations so the organization can continue to prepare and respond quickly and effectively in times of disaster."
Ryder joins 18 other members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program. ADGP members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families impacted by disaster anywhere in the United States, regardless of cost.
People can join the Annual Disaster Giving Program members in supporting the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and help provide food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the current floods. Visit RedCross or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make a donation.
Members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program:
American Express
AT&T
AXA Foundation
ConAgra Foods
GE Foundation
FedEx Corporation
JCPenney Company Fund
John Deere Foundation
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Merck & Co, Inc.
MorganStanley
Nationwide Foundation
Raytheon Company
Ryder Charitable Foundation
State Farm
State Street Foundation
Target
The TJX Companies, Inc.
UnitedHealth Group
Help people affected by disasters, like the current floods, by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C., 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting RedCross.
About Ryder
Ryder provides leading-edge transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions. Ryder's stock (NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Ryder ranks 399th on the FORTUNE 500®. For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit ryder.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit redcross or join our blog at redcross.
Source
American Red Cross
This is Ryder's largest national donation to the Red Cross, although the Miami-based company has been a longtime supporter of the American Red Cross. The majority of the $1 million gift, $850,000, will be designated to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and the remaining $150,000 will be directed to the Greater Miami & the Keys chapter.
"In these difficult economic times when the need is so great, the generosity of partners such as Ryder allows the American Red Cross to be the helping hand to people in crisis," said Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. "We are so pleased that Ryder is expanding its philanthropic partnership to both the national and local levels of the Red Cross, and Ryder's multi-year commitment to the Annual Disaster Giving Program enables us to have the resources to provide people with disaster relief for large-scale disasters such as a tornado, hurricane or wildfire, or a smaller disaster like an apartment or house fire in Florida."
Since 1991, Ryder has been a significant philanthropic partner of the Red Cross, providing financial support to national headquarters and the Greater Miami & the Keys chapter, as well as supplying in-kind donations of trucks, sponsoring local Red Cross events and supporting local disaster relief efforts.
The Red Cross has also had a strong national business relationship with Ryder for many years, having been a Ryder National Rental customer since 1989. In addition to the $1 million financial commitment, under the umbrella of its National Rental program, Ryder is extending preferred pricing for rental vehicles to all local Red Cross chapters in the U.S. Ryder will also tap into its base of more than 20,000 U.S. employees as part of a grassroots volunteer effort to support disaster preparedness and response activities in communities where the company operates.
"The American Red Cross is one of the most well respected charitable organizations in the world and we greatly value the contributions it makes to communities where we live and work," said Greg Swienton, Ryder's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "As a transportation and logistics provider, we also understand the complexity and depth of timely resources needed to respond to disasters. It is this strong linkage between Ryder's business and the Red Cross' operational needs that drove us to select the Red Cross as Ryder's primary, national charitable partner. Whether it's through financial support, vehicle donations, or volunteer time from our employees, we want to do all we can to help increase the efficiency, capacity, and cost effectiveness of American Red Cross operations so the organization can continue to prepare and respond quickly and effectively in times of disaster."
Ryder joins 18 other members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program. ADGP members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families impacted by disaster anywhere in the United States, regardless of cost.
People can join the Annual Disaster Giving Program members in supporting the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and help provide food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the current floods. Visit RedCross or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make a donation.
Members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program:
American Express
AT&T
AXA Foundation
ConAgra Foods
GE Foundation
FedEx Corporation
JCPenney Company Fund
John Deere Foundation
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Merck & Co, Inc.
MorganStanley
Nationwide Foundation
Raytheon Company
Ryder Charitable Foundation
State Farm
State Street Foundation
Target
The TJX Companies, Inc.
UnitedHealth Group
Help people affected by disasters, like the current floods, by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C., 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting RedCross.
About Ryder
Ryder provides leading-edge transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions. Ryder's stock (NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Ryder ranks 399th on the FORTUNE 500®. For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit ryder.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit redcross or join our blog at redcross.
Source
American Red Cross
среда, 3 августа 2011 г.
6.5 million vulnerable North Koreans still in desperate need of food aid
PYONGYANG - The United Nations World Food Programme said that in 2005 it needs 500,000 tonnes of commodities, valued at
US$202 million, to assist 6,500,000 particularly hungry North Koreans.
"The DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] still faces severe food shortages as it seeks to diversify its economy. Our
goal is to ease the shock to the most vulnerable as they make this transition," said Richard Ragan, WFP's Pyongyang-based
Country Director. "Millions of children, women and elderly people are barely subsisting because they lack both the quantity
and quality of nourishment they deserve."
While domestic cereals production is forecast to rise by 2.4 per cent to 4.24 million tonnes in the 2004/05 marketing year
(November-October), it will remain well below the minimum requirement of 5.13 million tonnes, according to a recent
assessment by WFP and its sister UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Two-thirds of the 23.7 million population remain dependent on the government-run Public Distribution System (PDS). The PDS
provides its mostly urbanised recipients with subsidised rations, which have recently been cut to 250 gms of staples per day.
This is enough to meet only half their calorie needs.
The plight of the most vulnerable is aggravated by an economic adjustment process that has led to steep increases in market
prices of basic foods, and sharply lower incomes for millions of factory workers rendered redundant or now employed
part-time.
Some 70 per cent of PDS-dependent households are still unable to satisfy their daily calorie requirements. In 2004, market
prices of cereals tripled. By year's end, one kilogram of rice cost 20 per cent of a typical monthly wage.
Traditional coping mechanisms - animal husbandry, the cultivation of household gardens and hillside plots, the gathering of
wild foods and transfers from relatives - are being supplemented by other small-scale income-generating activities, notably
petty trade and services, allowed under an easing of restrictions on private and semi-private enterprises.
In 2004, WFP aimed to feed 6.5 million people, at a cost of US$ 171 million. Since September 2004, WFP has had sufficient
donations to reach the total number of people targeted for assistance. But earlier, the operation faced periodic funding gaps
that were severe and which reduced the number of people being fed to as low as three million.
"Existing stocks and commitments will allow us to give full cereal rations to our beneficiaries until June," Ragan said. "But
without additional pledges soon, the kind of distribution cuts that have plagued our operation over the past three years,
depriving millions of vital assistance for long periods, will be inevitable."
WFP's operation in 2005 aims to feed 6.5 million people - the same number as in 2004. The largest group to be assisted with
rations are 2.7 million children in nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools and orphanages that fully or largely meet their
nutritional needs. The food basket includes cereals, pulses and vegetable oil, as well as vitamin- and mineral-enriched
blends, biscuits and noodles. Children in hospital are to be similarly supported.
An estimated 300,000 pregnant and nursing women will likewise receive a range of food items designed to help meet their
special dietary requirements.
With food security analyses confirming that elderly PDS-dependents are especially vulnerable, WFP plans to assist more than
900,000 of them this year, including the chronically ill and disabled, the widowed, and couples living alone. Their ration of
cereals is being supplemented with vegetable oil, whose prohibitively high market price has forced a sharp decline in
consumption of vital fats.
The agency will continue to support the poorest urban families - more than 360,000 people - that were added to its list of
beneficiaries last year in response to the reform-induced shifts in vulnerability.
The unemployed and underemployed are a key focus of food-for-work activities designed to promote food security in urban
communities. There is mounting evidence that these people may represent a newly emerging "food insecure" group that is
struggling to cope with the impact of market reforms. Over the course of the year 725,000 people are to receive a two
kilogram-a-day cereal ration - enough for themselves and two family members - in return for engaging in
short-term flood control, land reclamation, irrigation and reforestation schemes.
WFP will also supply raw materials and other inputs to 19 factories that produce micronutrient-enriched blended foods,
biscuits and noodles for millions of underfed infants, children and women.
While insisting its "no access, no food" policy would continue, the agency reiterated its concern about nutritional
conditions in counties and districts its staff cannot enter - 49 out of 203, accounting for about 17 per cent of
the population. WFP also expressed the hope that a government review of humanitarian operations, which
forced a significant reduction in post-distribution monitoring in recent months, would not compromise its
capacity to help the most vulnerable.
WFP's previous emergency operation received a total of US$120 million in funding, with the following donors:
Japan (US$ 39.5 million); Republic of South Korea ($23.3 million); United States ($19 million); Australia ($6.5
million); Canada ($4.3 million); European Union ($5.5 million); Italy ($3.6 million); Germany ($2.8 million); Norway
($1.8 million); Ireland ($932,000); Luxembourg ($808,000); Cuba ($570,000); New Zealand ($523,224); Finland
($390,000) in addition to a number of multilateral and private donors.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency. In 2003 WFP fed nearly 110 million people in 82 countries including most of
the world's refugees and internally displaced people.
WFP Global School Feeding Campaign - For just 19 US cents a day, you can help WFP give children in poor countries a healthy
meal at school - - a gift of hope for a brighter future.
Visit our website : wfp
For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastnamewfp):
Gregory Barrow, WFP/London, Tel. +44-20-75929292, Mob. +44-7968-008474
Richard Ragan, WFP/Pyongyang, Tel. +850-2-3817221
Gerald Bourke, WFP/Beijing, Tel. +86-10-65323731 ext 209, Mob. +86-13801054051
Brenda Barton, Deputy Director Communications, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39-06-65132602, Mob. +39-3472582217
Christiane Berthiaume, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41-22-9178564, Mob. +41-792857304
Trevor Rowe, WFP/New York, Tel. +1-212-9635196, Mob. +1-6468241112, roweun
Jordan Dey, WFP/Washington, Tel. +1-202-6530010 ext. 1149, Mob. +1-202-4223383
US$202 million, to assist 6,500,000 particularly hungry North Koreans.
"The DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] still faces severe food shortages as it seeks to diversify its economy. Our
goal is to ease the shock to the most vulnerable as they make this transition," said Richard Ragan, WFP's Pyongyang-based
Country Director. "Millions of children, women and elderly people are barely subsisting because they lack both the quantity
and quality of nourishment they deserve."
While domestic cereals production is forecast to rise by 2.4 per cent to 4.24 million tonnes in the 2004/05 marketing year
(November-October), it will remain well below the minimum requirement of 5.13 million tonnes, according to a recent
assessment by WFP and its sister UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Two-thirds of the 23.7 million population remain dependent on the government-run Public Distribution System (PDS). The PDS
provides its mostly urbanised recipients with subsidised rations, which have recently been cut to 250 gms of staples per day.
This is enough to meet only half their calorie needs.
The plight of the most vulnerable is aggravated by an economic adjustment process that has led to steep increases in market
prices of basic foods, and sharply lower incomes for millions of factory workers rendered redundant or now employed
part-time.
Some 70 per cent of PDS-dependent households are still unable to satisfy their daily calorie requirements. In 2004, market
prices of cereals tripled. By year's end, one kilogram of rice cost 20 per cent of a typical monthly wage.
Traditional coping mechanisms - animal husbandry, the cultivation of household gardens and hillside plots, the gathering of
wild foods and transfers from relatives - are being supplemented by other small-scale income-generating activities, notably
petty trade and services, allowed under an easing of restrictions on private and semi-private enterprises.
In 2004, WFP aimed to feed 6.5 million people, at a cost of US$ 171 million. Since September 2004, WFP has had sufficient
donations to reach the total number of people targeted for assistance. But earlier, the operation faced periodic funding gaps
that were severe and which reduced the number of people being fed to as low as three million.
"Existing stocks and commitments will allow us to give full cereal rations to our beneficiaries until June," Ragan said. "But
without additional pledges soon, the kind of distribution cuts that have plagued our operation over the past three years,
depriving millions of vital assistance for long periods, will be inevitable."
WFP's operation in 2005 aims to feed 6.5 million people - the same number as in 2004. The largest group to be assisted with
rations are 2.7 million children in nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools and orphanages that fully or largely meet their
nutritional needs. The food basket includes cereals, pulses and vegetable oil, as well as vitamin- and mineral-enriched
blends, biscuits and noodles. Children in hospital are to be similarly supported.
An estimated 300,000 pregnant and nursing women will likewise receive a range of food items designed to help meet their
special dietary requirements.
With food security analyses confirming that elderly PDS-dependents are especially vulnerable, WFP plans to assist more than
900,000 of them this year, including the chronically ill and disabled, the widowed, and couples living alone. Their ration of
cereals is being supplemented with vegetable oil, whose prohibitively high market price has forced a sharp decline in
consumption of vital fats.
The agency will continue to support the poorest urban families - more than 360,000 people - that were added to its list of
beneficiaries last year in response to the reform-induced shifts in vulnerability.
The unemployed and underemployed are a key focus of food-for-work activities designed to promote food security in urban
communities. There is mounting evidence that these people may represent a newly emerging "food insecure" group that is
struggling to cope with the impact of market reforms. Over the course of the year 725,000 people are to receive a two
kilogram-a-day cereal ration - enough for themselves and two family members - in return for engaging in
short-term flood control, land reclamation, irrigation and reforestation schemes.
WFP will also supply raw materials and other inputs to 19 factories that produce micronutrient-enriched blended foods,
biscuits and noodles for millions of underfed infants, children and women.
While insisting its "no access, no food" policy would continue, the agency reiterated its concern about nutritional
conditions in counties and districts its staff cannot enter - 49 out of 203, accounting for about 17 per cent of
the population. WFP also expressed the hope that a government review of humanitarian operations, which
forced a significant reduction in post-distribution monitoring in recent months, would not compromise its
capacity to help the most vulnerable.
WFP's previous emergency operation received a total of US$120 million in funding, with the following donors:
Japan (US$ 39.5 million); Republic of South Korea ($23.3 million); United States ($19 million); Australia ($6.5
million); Canada ($4.3 million); European Union ($5.5 million); Italy ($3.6 million); Germany ($2.8 million); Norway
($1.8 million); Ireland ($932,000); Luxembourg ($808,000); Cuba ($570,000); New Zealand ($523,224); Finland
($390,000) in addition to a number of multilateral and private donors.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency. In 2003 WFP fed nearly 110 million people in 82 countries including most of
the world's refugees and internally displaced people.
WFP Global School Feeding Campaign - For just 19 US cents a day, you can help WFP give children in poor countries a healthy
meal at school - - a gift of hope for a brighter future.
Visit our website : wfp
For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastnamewfp):
Gregory Barrow, WFP/London, Tel. +44-20-75929292, Mob. +44-7968-008474
Richard Ragan, WFP/Pyongyang, Tel. +850-2-3817221
Gerald Bourke, WFP/Beijing, Tel. +86-10-65323731 ext 209, Mob. +86-13801054051
Brenda Barton, Deputy Director Communications, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39-06-65132602, Mob. +39-3472582217
Christiane Berthiaume, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41-22-9178564, Mob. +41-792857304
Trevor Rowe, WFP/New York, Tel. +1-212-9635196, Mob. +1-6468241112, roweun
Jordan Dey, WFP/Washington, Tel. +1-202-6530010 ext. 1149, Mob. +1-202-4223383
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