Global and Humanitarian Medicine
Opinion | Rich countries cornered COVID-19 vaccine doses. Four strategies to right a ‘scandalous inequity’.
27 May, 2021 | 08:29h | UTCRich countries cornered COVID-19 vaccine doses. Four strategies to right a ‘scandalous inequity’ – Science (a few articles per month are free)
Commentary on Twitter
Tedros @WHO calls it a "scandalous inequity" that COVID-19 vaccine doses largely have gone to wealthy countries. @kakape and I took a close look at four strategies to improve access and equity–and the likely timelines.
https://t.co/10Os0yCnFE pic.twitter.com/RMeL6t8aCV— Jon Cohen (@sciencecohen) May 26, 2021
RCT: Immediate “kangaroo mother care” improves survival in infants with low birth weight compared to conventional care with “kangaroo mother care” initiated after stabilization.
27 May, 2021 | 08:18h | UTCCommentary: Immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth improves survival of pre-term babies – Karolisnka Institutet
Related: RCT: Community-initiated kangaroo mother care reduced the risk of moderate-to-severe maternal postpartum depressive symptoms among mothers of low-birth-weight infants in low-income areas in India AND WHO: New research highlights risks of separating newborns from mothers during COVID-19 pandemic AND Randomized Trial: Kangaroo Mother Care Improves Survival of Infants with Low Birthweight
The state of diabetes treatment coverage in 55 low-income and middle-income countries – fewer than one in ten people with diabetes in LMICs receive comprehensive care such as low-cost medicines to reduce blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, in addition to counseling on diet, exercise and weight.
24 May, 2021 | 08:18h | UTCCommentary: Vast under-treatment of diabetes seen in global study – Michigan Medicine
New WHO report highlights global progress on reducing HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections and signals need for renewed efforts to reach 2030 targets.
21 May, 2021 | 08:33h | UTCOriginal report: Global progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2021 – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Every year HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections account for 2.3M deaths, and 1.2M cancers
🆕WHO report highlights achievements, gaps, and actions towards eliminating these diseases as public health threats by 2030 👉https://t.co/8kcVqZe0Yj pic.twitter.com/U07hKRumVt
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 20, 2021
Systematic review: Paying for performance to improve the delivery of health interventions in low‐ and middle‐income countries.
19 May, 2021 | 08:19h | UTCSummary: Paying for performance to improve the delivery of health interventions in LMICs
COVID-19 oxygen needs in low- and middle-income countries have tripled in just three months – where are solutions?
12 May, 2021 | 08:43h | UTC
Drugs tested in low- and middle-income countries are often not available for use in these countries even after a few years.
10 May, 2021 | 00:54h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Sharing benefits and burdens of clinical research? Or not…
Of 70 countries enrolling pts. for new-drug trials, 7% got market access to the drugs they helped test <1 year after FDA approval, 31% did so at 5 years. Lowest access in Africa & Middle East🤨https://t.co/p2uCP43hOG pic.twitter.com/cqsucO1kxP
— Søren M Bentzen (@SorenBentzen) May 6, 2021
Practice changing | A four-month rifapentine regiment with moxifloxacin is noninferior to the standard 6-month regimen in the treatment of tuberculosis.
6 May, 2021 | 08:56h | UTCCommentary: Four-month TB treatment matches six-month standard of care – Aidsmap
WHO: New report sounds the alarm on global shortage of 900 000 midwives.
6 May, 2021 | 08:45h | UTCNew report sounds the alarm on global shortage of 900 000 midwives – World Health Organization
Report: The State of the World’s Midwifery 2021 – UN sexual and reproductive health agency
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
9⃣3⃣% of #midwives are women. But too many face persistent gender discrimination that prevents them from thriving professionally.
Gender transformative policies are key to change this! 👉https://t.co/qxkv16SVxp #MidwivesDay #IDM2021 pic.twitter.com/7aBBwvXFQa
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 5, 2021
RCT: Community-initiated kangaroo mother care reduced the risk of moderate-to-severe maternal postpartum depressive symptoms among mothers of low-birth-weight infants in low-income areas in India
5 May, 2021 | 08:21h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Skin to Skin care doesn’t only help babies; it also helps mothers!
Randomized trial of ~2k mothers from India found kangaroo care reduces postpartum depression #neoEBM #mentalhealth @JAMANetworkOpen https://t.co/6YqPQChKLe pic.twitter.com/DYAbU3Tsxu
— Abdul Razak (@DrAbdulRazak_MD) April 23, 2021
Opinion | The world could be doing much more to help India: Countries can’t go it alone in tackling Covid-19
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:16h | UTCThe world could be doing much more to help India – Vox
See also: WHO provides update on India’s surging epidemic second wave and variant B.1.617 – Science Speaks: Global ID News AND People Are Talking About A ‘Double Mutant’ Variant In India. What Does That Mean? – NPR AND WHO says India COVID crisis could ‘happen anywhere’ – MedicalXpress AND India’s COVID-19 Crisis Is Spiraling Out of Control. It Didn’t Have to Be This Way – TIME
Immunization services begin slow recovery from COVID-19 disruptions, though millions of children remain at risk from deadly diseases – WHO, UNICEF, Gavi
27 Apr, 2021 | 08:41h | UTCRelated report: Disability considerations for COVID-19 vaccination: WHO and UNICEF policy brief, 19 April 2021 – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter
While immunization services begin slow recovery from #COVID19, millions of children around the 🌍🌏🌎 remain vulnerable to deadly diseases.
More info 👉https://t.co/YjskC8z6nc pic.twitter.com/SEv8d2VSAB
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 26, 2021
Malaria vaccine becomes first to achieve WHO-specified 75% efficacy goal
25 Apr, 2021 | 21:17h | UTCNews release: Malaria vaccine becomes first to achieve WHO-specified 75% efficacy goal – University of Oxford
Original study (preprint): High Efficacy of a Low Dose Candidate Malaria Vaccine, R21 in 1 Adjuvant Matrix-M™, with Seasonal Administration to Children in Burkina Faso – The Lancet
Commentaries: Malaria vaccine hailed as potential breakthrough – BBC AND Oxford Malaria vaccine proves highly effective in Burkina Faso trial – The Guardian
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
💡AMAZING—First high >75% efficacy vaccine for a disease with 229 million cases & 409,000 deaths worldwide in 2019 —#Malaria!
Created by Oxford, produced by Serum Institute of India, & supporting adjuvant by Novavax, SII expects to make 200 mil doses a year!
Science! #vaccine pic.twitter.com/gnPMvXxww6
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) April 23, 2021
Ahead of World Malaria Day, WHO launches effort to stamp out malaria in 25 more countries by 2025
22 Apr, 2021 | 08:23h | UTCReport: Zeroing in on malaria elimination: Final report of the E-2020 initiative – World Health Organization
How COVID hurt the fight against other dangerous diseases
22 Apr, 2021 | 08:35h | UTCHow COVID hurt the fight against other dangerous diseases – Nature
Related: World TB Day | Report: COVID-19 Eliminates Twelve Years of Progress Against Tuberculosis AND WHO: Benefits of continuing to provide life-saving HIV services outweigh the risk of COVID-19 transmission by 100 to 1
WHO: Benefits of continuing to provide life-saving HIV services outweigh the risk of COVID-19 transmission by 100 to 1
18 Apr, 2021 | 21:32h | UTC
WHO Calls For Expanding Access To Insulin At Launch of Global Diabetes Compact
15 Apr, 2021 | 06:25h | UTCWHO Calls For Expanding Access To Insulin At Launch of Global Diabetes Compact – Health Policy Watch
News release: New WHO Global Compact to speed up action to tackle diabetes – World Health Organization
Guidance: WHO global diabetes compact – World Health Organization
RCT: New shorter regimens of benznidazole monotherapy and in combination with fosravuconazole for treatment of Chagas disease
8 Apr, 2021 | 08:47h | UTC
Ebola Virus Transmission Initiated by Relapse of Systemic Ebola Virus Disease
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:05h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
In this report from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ebola virus disease developed in a young man, and he recovered after treatment with a monoclonal antibody.
6 months later, EVD recrudesced, and he transmitted the virus to others & died from EVD @NEJM https://t.co/kJSBNdN5bC pic.twitter.com/jDnnGMLmOG— Antibiotic Steward Bassam Ghanem 🅱️C🆔🅿️🌟 (@ABsteward) March 31, 2021
Using the COVID-19 pandemic to reimagine global health teaching in high-income countries
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:38h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Online teaching during this pandemic is a struggle for students & teachers.
These tips from 20 professors in global health might help!https://t.co/pZJQvTgN2V pic.twitter.com/iVJEIlx3Al
— Madhu Pai, MD, PhD (@paimadhu) April 3, 2021
Randomized controlled trial compared three antiretroviral regimens started in pregnant women with HIV
2 Apr, 2021 | 09:15h | UTCCommentary: ART in pregnant women living with HIV – The Lancet
RCT: Reduced-sodium added-potassium salt substitute reduces blood pressure in hypertensive patients
1 Apr, 2021 | 03:32h | UTC
Commentaries on Twitter
https://twitter.com/Dr_WuJ/status/1376715405553590275
Salt substitution (70% sodium chloride/30% potassium chloride blend) is an effective, low-cost intervention for BP controlhttps://t.co/EemPEY9T2k pic.twitter.com/xVITnGLEip
— K Pavithran (@drkpavithran) March 31, 2021
M-A: Incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis in incarcerated populations
25 Mar, 2021 | 08:09h | UTCCommentary: Tuberculosis in prisons: an unintended sentence? – The Lancet Public Health
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
https://twitter.com/LeoMarti_EpiTB/status/1374073141195014145
WHO Campaign | World Tuberculosis Day 2021: The Clock Is Ticking
24 Mar, 2021 | 08:16h | UTCWorld Tuberculosis Day 2021: The Clock Is Ticking – World Health Organization
Perspective | Leveraging Open Science to Accelerate Research
25 Mar, 2021 | 08:37h | UTCLeveraging Open Science to Accelerate Research – New England Journal of Medicine