Cooperation

Stopping the next pandemic today

Sun, 2015-06-07 09:27 — mike kraft

OP-ED WASHINGTON POST, June 7, 2015

By Ron Klain, the White House Ebola response coordinator from October 2014 to February.

....To the extent there is discussion of improving the international response to epidemics, the focus has been on the need to reform the World Health Organization. Such reforms are badly needed, but even a fully effective WHO will not close the most gaping holes in the world’s epidemic response system. Even if the WHO did a better job of recognizing outbreaks that pose a risk of epidemic and alerting the world that action is needed, it does not have the substantial response function needed to combat such an epidemic. Recent discussions about creating a WHO response function — assuming that the agency could be trusted to manage it — rely largely on overburdened and underfunded nongovernmental organizations to staff a response. Thus, any new WHO response capacity will lack military-style mobile hospitals ready to be deployed; battalions of medical personnel with accompanying security support to isolate and treat the infectious and the ill; or a medical airlift capacity to move patients to places where they can get help...

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Solutions

Read more about Stopping the next pandemic today
Log in or register to post comments

Ebola Response Reveals the Need for New Models for Collaboration Between the Private and Public Sectors

Fri, 2015-06-05 11:41 — mike kraft

A Report by the World Economic Forum and BCG Analyzes the Private Sector's Response to the Ebola Outbreak and Distills Lessons for Public-Private Partnerships in Future Health Crises

(Scroll down)

BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP -MARKETWIRED June 4, 2014

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA-- The private sector played an important role in the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa not only by providing financial and in-kind donations but also by acting as a partner to support response activities.

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Solutions

Situation Report

Global health leaders ask G7 for post-Ebola rapid response unit

Fri, 2015-06-05 10:48 — mike kraft

(Two stories. Scroll down.)
REUTERS by Kate Kelland June 5, 2015
LONDON -- Global health leaders will ask G7 leaders this weekend to back the creation of a specialist rapid response unit to tackle outbreaks of infectious killer diseases.

The corpse of a patient who passed away is given back to the family for funerals after being decontaminated by the MSF teams. It was washed with chlorine solution and put it in a hermetic bag also disinfected to leave the high risk area.

The move reflects how the World Health Organization in particular was caught unprepared last year by Ebola, which spread through three West African countries, has killed 11,000 people, and will not be stamped out before the end of this year.

Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust global health charity, said the unit should come under the WHO, but be free of bureaucracy and able to act independently "in days" when a potentially fatal epidemic begins...

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Disaster Risk Reduction

Disease

Health

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Solutions

Read more about Global health leaders ask G7 for post-Ebola rapid response unit
Log in or register to post comments

Ebola activity heats up as West Africa's rainy season begins

Thu, 2015-06-04 14:50 — mike kraft

CIDRAP NEWS by Lisa Schnirring June 3, 2015

(Scroll down for WHO stuation report.)

Meeting / Event Tags:

Meeting

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about Ebola activity heats up as West Africa's rainy season begins
Log in or register to post comments

Ebola outbreak thrusts MSF into new roles

Wed, 2015-06-03 20:41 — mike kraft

Relief agency sees its mission expanding after leading response to West Africa epidemic.

NATURE by Erika Check Hayden June 3, 2015

GENEVA -- Joanne Liu, president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is not overly concerned with diplomacy. Participating in a panel in Geneva, Switzerland, on 20 May with officials from the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), Liberia and Sierra Leone, she propped her head on her hand, stared into space and rolled her eyes during another speaker’s remarks. When she spoke, she excoriated the world for leaving West Africa vulnerable to the largest Ebola epidemic in history. “We’re failing, guys,” she said.

Joanne Liu visiting an MSF trauma centre in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about Ebola outbreak thrusts MSF into new roles
Log in or register to post comments

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Fund Disease Surveillance Network in Africa and Asia to Prevent Childhood Mortality and Help Prepare for the Next Epidemic

Thu, 2015-05-07 10:12 — mike kraft

PR NEWSWIRE May 7, 2015

(Scroll down for interview with Bill Gates)

At its Global Partners Forum, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will announce the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network (CHAMPS), a network of disease surveillance sites in developing countries. These sites will help gather better data, faster, about how, where and why children are getting sick and dying. This data will help the global health community get the right interventions to the right children in the right place to save lives. The network will also be invaluable in providing capacity and training in the event of an epidemic, such as Ebola or SARS. The Gates Foundation plans an initial commitment of up to $75 million on the effort.

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Disaster Risk Reduction

Disease

Health

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Solutions

Nepal Asks Foreign Rescuers to Leave as Hopes Fade

Mon, 2015-05-04 11:03 — mike kraft

NEW YORK TIMES By GARDINER HARRIS May 4, 2015

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Situation Report

Read more about Nepal Asks Foreign Rescuers to Leave as Hopes Fade
Log in or register to post comments

APAN - Nepal HADR - Community for Nepal HADR Shared Situational Awareness

Sat, 2015-05-02 15:32 — Kathy Gilbeaux

community.apan.org/pacom-hadr/nepal_hadr

The All Partners Access Network (APAN) is the Unclassified Information Sharing Service (UISS) for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

In response to the devastating earthquake on 25 APR 2015, APAN has created the Nepal HADR Community. Join this public community now to collaborate and share information with other members supporting the response effort, including members of the U.S. Department of Defense, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), other government agencies, and non-governmental organizations.

CLICK HERE - Nepal HADR

(ALSO SEE RELATED INFORMATION IN THE LINK BELOW)
https://community.apan.org/hadr/default.aspx

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Solutions

Problem

Situation Report

Read more about APAN - Nepal HADR - Community for Nepal HADR Shared Situational Awareness
Log in or register to post comments

Ebola pioneer, stem cell researcher honoured with Canada Gairdner Awards

Thu, 2015-03-26 16:38 — mike kraft

CANADIAN PRESS March 25, 2015
One of the co-discoverers of the Ebola virus and a leading Canadian stem cell researcher are among this year's winners of the prestigious Canada Gairdner Awards.

Dr. Peter Piot is the recipient of the Canada Gairdner Global Health Award, recognizing his work on the discovery of the Ebola virus in 1976 and his leadership in the global response to the HIV-AIDS epidemic.

Dr. Janet Rossant, chief of research at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, is the recipient of the 2015 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, which honours a Canadian who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science.

Five international scientists are also being honoured with Canada Gairdner Awards, two each from the United States and Japan and one from Switzerland....

Dr. Peter Piot won the 2015 Canada Gairdner Global Health Award in recognition of his work on the discovery of the Ebola virus in 1976 and his leadership in the global response to the HIV-AIDS epidemic. (David Azia/Associated Press)

Red complete story.

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags:

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?:

Other

Read more about Ebola pioneer, stem cell researcher honoured with Canada Gairdner Awards
Log in or register to post comments

Ebola outbreak 'over by August', UN suggests

Mon, 2015-03-23 11:01 — mike kraft

BBC by Smitha Mundasad March 23, 2015

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa will be over by August, the head of the UN Ebola mission has told the BBC.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed admitted the UN had made mistakes in handling the crisis early on, sometimes acting "arrogantly".

A year after the outbreak was officially declared, the virus has killed more than 10,000 people...

The head of the UN Ebola response mission told the BBC, when the virus first struck, "there was probably a lack of knowledge and there was a certain degree of arrogance, but I think we are learning lessons.

"We have been running away from giving any specific date, but I am pretty sure myself that it will be gone by the summer."

Read complete story.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-32009508

Country / Region Tags:

General Topic Tags: