We’ve taken a little break (again), but with the help of The New Physician we are relaunching the website and will be bringing in a new format to sustain Global Pulse into the future. Thank you for being patient, we’re almost there!
Sincerely,
John Pearson
Interim Editor-In-Chief

An upcoming expert panel discussion on Integrating M&E for Health Systems Strengthening will build upon Partners In Health’s Program Management Guide which was released last year. This virtual event will be presented April 2-6 by PIH and GHDonline.

Panel members will include:

• Dr. Pierre Barker, Senior Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Dr. Paulin Basinga, Lecturer at the National University of Rwanda School of Public Health
• Dr. Lisa Hirschhorn, Director for Monitoring, Evaluation and Quality at PIH, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Senior Clinical Advisor HIV/AIDS at JSI Research and Training
• Dr. Wesler Lambert, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation for Zanmi Lasante, Haiti
• Dr. Kenny Sherr, Assistant Professor at the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington and Director of Implementation Science for Health Alliance International

To join in the conversation, sign up for a free account at GHDonline and register for the expert panel.

Today is World Water Day 2012!

This annual reminder emphasizes the importance of freshwater resources and sustainable management of this valuable and waning supply. This year’s theme focuses on water and food security.

Globally, drought remains the single most common cause of severe food shortages in developing countries, causing more deaths in the last century than any other natural disaster. Erratic rainfall and seasonal variability in water availability contribute to undernourishment and famine as well as floods and infectious diseases.

How much water do you use? Take this quiz to find out your water footprint.

A special issue of the journal Tuberculosis was released today, outlining a strategic new vaccine plan to advance solutions for tuberculosis.  With over 10 million children globally affected by the disease, more effective vaccines are thought to be crucial in battling TB by attempting to protect infants at birth.  A vaccine is also desired to protect those with latent TB from developing symptomatic, active disease.

“The TB Vaccine Blueprint provides an enormous opportunity to coordinate efforts to halt the spread of this devastating disease,� said Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, the Minister of Health of South Africa. “Governments have an important role to play, and guided by this common strategy we will do our part to make a vaccine a reality.�

“The new blueprint represents the best thinking of the field,� said Dr. Jelle Thole, director of the TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI) and co-editor of the blueprint with Dr. Michael J. Brennan, senior advisor for scientific and global affairs at Aeras. “It makes clear that the next 10 years will be vital in moving forward the global search for a dramatically improved vaccine against tuberculosis.�

Tuberculosis Vaccines: A Strategic Blueprint for the Next Decade was developed as part of the Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New Vaccines with support from the World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aeras, TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative, the EC FP 7 framework programme and the US National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The complete blueprint, including relevant opinion editorials, was published in the journal Tuberculosis (Brennan, MJ and Thole, J, Vol. 92, Supplement 1, ppS1-S35, March 2012).

In advance of the 2015 target, the UN Millennium Development Goal 7C has been met. At least part of this goal, to Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation has been reached, with 89% of the world’s population currently having access to improved water supplies, up from 76% in 1990.

But despite the progress, almost 800 million people globally still drink contaminated water, and many still suffer from lack of access to basic sanitation. For example, over half of the population of India lacks access to a toilet, as discussed in this video from the BBC.

In honor of World Women’s Day on March 8th, Women Deliver announced today Women Deliver 50, a list of the 50 most inspiring solutions and ideas impacting women and girls globally. These range from advocacy efforts to innovative technologies and from grassroots efforts to government programs.

According to Jill Sheffield, Women Deliver Founder and President, “The solutions on this list show that with ingenuity, drive and dedication, we can build a better world for girls and women. We are proud to celebrate these organizations and programs, which are pioneering real, lasting, social change at the local and global levels. We have seen time and time again that when we invest in girls and women, entire societies benefit.�

These ideas are focused all over the world, with 25 in sub-Saharan Africa, 9 in Asia, 5 in the Middle East and North Africa, 4 in Latin America, and 2 in Europe and North America; the rest are globally reaching.

From WorldWomensDay.com

Below are a few of the inspiring ideas and innovations chosen for Women Deliver 50:

• Backpack Farm, Kenya & South Sudan: Backpack Farm strives to provide small-scale farmers, many of whom are women, with everything they need to improve crop production in one backpack. This social enterprise model allows women to earn more money to invest in their family’s education and health and their community’s needs by increasing the quality and quantity of produce harvested.

• Abriendo Oportunidades, Guatemala: Population Council’s Abriendo Oportunidades program works to support indigenous Mayan girls in Guatemala to rise out of poverty. The program provides girls with mentorship, personal and professional development skills and leadership opportunities.

• Girls Not Brides, Global: The Elders launched Girls Not Brides in 2011 as a partnership among 80 global non-governmental organizations to end child marriage. This efforts brings community leaders and activists together to raise awareness and promote action to address the impact of child marriage around the world and ensure that girls everywhere can reach their full potential.

Check out the full list of inspiring ideas and solutions!

The start of March welcomes in Women’s history month.  USAID recently released its updated policy statement on Gender Equality and Female Empowerment. The report stresses the enhancement of women’s empowerment to reduce gender gaps and support the critical role of women in accelerating progress in advancing global prosperity and security.

According to Secretary Clinton,

“Achieving our objectives for global development will demand accelerated efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. Otherwise, peace and prosperity will have their own glass ceiling.�

Photo from USAID

USAID policy focuses investments in three overarching outcomes which can be adapted and translated into specific results at the country or project level. According to the policy statement, these include:

• reducing gender disparities in access to, control over and benefit from resources, wealth, opportunities and services–economic, social, political and cultural.
• increasing capability of women and girls to realize their rights, determine their life outcomes and influence decisions-making in households, communities and societies.
• reducing gender-based violence and mitigating its harmful effects on individuals and communities.

Underlying these policy goals are seven guiding principles based on the USAID Policy Framework 2011-2015. The policy states that these seven guiding principles include:

1. integrate gender equality and female empowerment into USAID’s work
2. pursue an inclusive approach to foster equality
3. build partnerships across a wide range of stakeholders
4. harness science, technology and innovation to reduce gender gaps and empower women and girls.
5. address the unique challenges in crisis and conflict-affected environments.
6. serve as a thought-leader and a learning community
7. hold ourselves accountable

As part of the ongoing HIV Grand Rounds series presented by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, today’s live broadcast will take place at noon EST. The topic is “Real Cases from the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania: ‘Preventable’ Lung Disease in HIV Infected Patients” presented by Ian Frank, MD, Professor of Medicine, Director, Antiretroviral Clinical Research, University of Pennsylvania.

A new video from the Global Health Technologies Coalition explores global health research resulting from US investments in Kenya. The US currently invests in over 60 scientific trials, ranging from Department of Defense research on malaria to the Centers for Disease Control’s investigation for the best ways to prevent transmission of HIV. The video explores the ways in which research, care and advancements interact and contribute to global health progress.