3.12.10
Peace Through Vaccine Diplomacy
Dr. Peter Hotez, President, Sabin Vaccine Institute
Can vaccinations help to resolve conflicts and nuture diplomacy? Later this month, Indonesia, the world’s most populous Islamic country, will host U.S. President Obama, a visit that could establish important scientific ties between the United States and Indonesia and implement a potentially powerful piece of vaccine diplomacy.
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3.3.10
Drug shows promise against river blindness
ANI
Closantel, an old drug used to treat sheep and cattle infected with liver fluke, may prove effective in fighting river blindness in humans, a major cause of infection-related blindness, according to a new study.
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3.3.10
Fighting Deadly Neglected Tropical Diseases: Opportunities to Expand U.S. Impact in Control of NTDs
Doctors Without Borders
Over 1 billion people are infected with one of the 14 diseases defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These are the most common infections in the 2.7 billion people living on less than $2 a day and affects those often marginalized and forgotten by governments, left to suffer in silence. NTDs are diverse but all cause severe disability or death, and bring a major economic burden on endemic countries.
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3.3.10
Ecuador Becomes Second Country in the Americas to Halt River Blindness Transmission
The Carter Center
ATLANTA….Carter Center experts congratulate the people of Ecuador for breaking transmission of the blinding parasitic disease river blindness, or onchocerciasis. Ecuador is the second nation in the Americas after Colombia (in 2008) to stop the transmission of this debilitating, yet preventable affliction on a countrywide basis, according to officials of the Ministry of Health of Ecuador and the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program in the Americas (OEPA).
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2.1.10
The Gates Foundation’s expansion of its support, and the thinking that lies behind it
TropIKA.net
The Gates Foundation becomes ever more influential in research and control efforts that address the infectious diseases of poverty. At the World Economic Forum, Bill and Melinda Gates announced a new $10 billion, 10-year commitment to support vaccine development and delivery – the largest commitment the foundation has ever made.
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2.2.10
Gates Foundation Commits $13 Million to Eliminate Two Tropical Diseases
Philanthropy News Digest
The Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has announced a five-year, $13 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve efforts to eliminate two parasitic diseases, elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) and river blindness (onchocerciasis), in the developing world.
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2.2.10
The President’s Budget: Neglected Tropical Diseases
ONE
In a period of intense fiscal restraint, domestically and globally, there are going to be many global health and development advocates that are displeased by the release of President Obama’s FY2011 Budget Request today. But as one of ONE’s newest employees—and only a month out from my previous job doing policy work for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases—I have to admit that I’m quietly wearing my party hat after seeing President Obama’s request of $155 million for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
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2.2.10
Extra Money for Science in Obama’s Budget
New York Times
Calming fears that scientific research would be hurt by the Obama administration, the budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services was $81.3 billion, up from $79.6 billion a year ago. And the National Institutes of Health saw its budget request rise by $1 billion, to $32 billion, more than was requested last year.
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2.1.10
Obama Budget Aids War Zones, Global Health Programs
Bloomberg
The Obama administration proposed to boost funding on global health work and civilian and counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq in its spending plan for the State Department and related programs.
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2.2.10
Obama budget boosts funds for tropical diseases
Reuters
President Barack Obama's budget proposes a unique new initiative -- battling some tropical diseases not just to improve health but as a national security strategy.
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