In The News
1. Emergency Funding Urgently Needed To Address Zika, U.S. Health Officials Tell Congress
The Hill: CDC chief to GOP: Zika funding 'urgently needed'
"Top federal health officials want Congress to know they urgently need more money to fight the Zika virus -- and that time is running out. In media interviews and briefings on Thursday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden stressed that funding from Congress is 'crucially important and urgently needed'..." (Ferris, 3/10).
New York Times: Health Officials Urge Congress to Fund Zika Research
"...Describing a recent trip to Puerto Rico to survey efforts there to contain the Zika virus, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the island 'is on the front lines and facing an uphill battle'..." (McNeil, 3/10).
Science Speaks: Frieden and Fauci: While evidence of Zika impacts mounts, lack of funding complicates response, slows work on other health threats
"...Dr. Tom Frieden of the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that while they are able to reallocate some resources in the short term, that comes at the cost of other ongoing work, including to counter dengue and tick borne viruses, and in HIV as well as flu vaccine research..." (Barton, 3/10).
Washington Post: Zika outbreak: 'The more we learn, the worse things seem to get'
"...On Capitol Hill, Republican appropriators have so far refused to approve [approximately $1.9 million in] emergency funding for Zika. In a Feb. 18 letter, they pointed to roughly $2.7 billion in unspent Ebola response funds that could be redirected to Zika efforts. ... If additional funds are needed, they said, they could be considered as part of the fiscal 2017 spending process, which would make additional funds available no sooner than Oct. 1..." (Sun/DeBonis, 3/10).
2. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Approves Global Food Security Act
Chattanoogan.com: Senators Corker And Coons Highlight Progress In Reform Of U.S. Global Food Aid
"Senator Bob Corker [R-Tenn.] and Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Thursday highlighted progress in their bipartisan effort to fix inefficiencies in the delivery of U.S. global food assistance. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday approved the Global Food Security Act, which contains a first-time authorization for the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP)..." (3/10).
3. Devex Explores European Medical Corps’ Structure, Composition
Devex: What to know about the European Medical Corps
"...[T]he European Union has [launched] the European Medical Corps, a certified team of experts and professionals in public health and emergency medical response who can be rapidly deployed in the event of an emergency. The medical corps -- identified as Europe's contribution to the Global Health Emergency Workforce under WHO -- is expected to include emergency medical teams, public health and medical coordination experts, mobile biosafety laboratories, medical evacuation planes, and logistical support teams. Here's what we think you should know about the E.U.'s latest initiative..." (Ravelo, 3/8).
4. Nearly 300 Civil Society, Global Health Organizations Protesting Possible Revisions To SDG UHC Indicator
Devex: How should we measure access to health care?
"Nearly 300 civil society organizations working in global health are lobbying United Nations member states to undo proposed changes in the measurement of universal health coverage as part of the newly approved Sustainable Development Goals. Advocates who had pushed for the UHC to be included in the SDGs now say the revised indicator won't accurately capture what proportion of the population is able to access health care without suffering financially..." (Ravelo, 3/11).
5. U.N. Commission On The Status Of Women To Begin 60th Session Next Week
U.N. News Centre: Upcoming U.N. forum to focus on women's empowerment, sustainable development
"Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, will be the focus of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which begins its 60th session in New York next week..." (3/10).
6. Average Hospital Stay Following Childbirth Too Short For Many Women Worldwide, Study Shows
Reuters Health: Mothers worldwide leaving hospitals too soon after childbirth
"...The World Health Organization suggests that women stay in the hospital at least 24 hours after a vaginal delivery, but researchers found that depending on the region, up to 83 percent of women left before that cutoff. ... [Researchers] analyzed average hospital stays after childbirth in 92 countries -- including 45 middle-income and 10 low-income countries..." (Seaman, 3/10).
7. 2.8M Malawians Face Hunger Due To Drought
Thomson Reuters Foundation: Malawi drought brings fresh misery, hunger to flood survivors
"...[M]aize, cooking oil, and legumes [are] being handed out by World Vision, one of a clutch of aid groups responding to an emergency that has left 2.8 million Malawians hungry. Almost 16 million in Southern Africa face hunger this year because of drought exacerbated by an El Niño weather pattern, but Malawi is the worst-hit country with about 17 percent of its population affected..." (Banda, 3/10).
8. Liberian Government Closes Red Cross Office, Dismisses Board Amid Investigation Into Ebola Spending
Reuters: Liberia shutters Red Cross amid inquest into Ebola spending
"Police shuttered the offices of the Liberian branch of the Red Cross on Thursday, days after the president dismissed its board of directors amid an investigation into the use of funds destined for the fight against recently ended Ebola outbreak. ... While President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's office gave no reason for the decision announced on Tuesday to dismiss the Red Cross's board, the organization has faced a string of graft accusations in the local press..." (Giahyue/Bavier, 3/10).