Category: Archive
Precision Public Health: Using Malawi Population-Based Impact Assessment (MPHIA) Data to Reach HIV Epidemic Control in Malawi
The Malawi Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (MPHIA) is Malawi’s first nationally representative HIV survey that measures national HIV incidence, pediatric HIV prevalence, and viral load suppression. MPHIA has provided detailed information on the current status of the HIV epidemic and the uptake of HIV prevention, care, and treatment services in Malawi. In his remarks during Read More >
Posted on byLooking Ahead to a Measles and Rubella Free World
Vaccines fight diseases and save lives. Think of achievements like smallpox eradication, a polio-free world close at hand, and 2-3 million deaths prevented each year through routine immunizations. Yet despite a safe and effective vaccine against measles and rubella, these deadly viruses continue to steal the health and lives of children all over the world. Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentOptimistic in the Face of Ongoing Tragedy: Progress toward a World Free of Human Rabies
Rabies is a fatal disease that kills an estimated 59,000 people each year, almost half of whom are children. The majority of deaths occur in Africa and Asia. All of these deaths are vaccine-preventable with timely administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), the shots needed to prevent rabies from developing in bite victims. So why is Read More >
Posted on byCDC Global Rapid Response Team Pilots Workshop for Senegal and Burkina Faso
Participants to the Rapid Response Team Management workshop, Dakar, Senegal, August 7-11 The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic clearly demonstrated the need for trained scientists who can deploy quickly to confront health threats and ensure global health security. While we often think about the emergency response itself, we typically don’t think about the work that happens behind Read More >
Posted on byMaking some noise about noncommunicable diseases in Rwanda
We weren’t sure what to expect when the Rwanda Biomedical Center requested a training for their noncommunicable disease (NCD) program managers. We had never delivered this particular curriculum before, but after three months of preparation, our journey from Atlanta began. After landing in the capital Kigali, we faced a bumpy three-hour drive into the mountains Read More >
Posted on byParasitologist for the People
Global health emergencies are a constant in today’s world. In recent years, we have seen the impact of natural disasters, mass migrations, famines, conflicts, and more. When there are large population movements, we see rapid spread of infectious disease. When there is famine, those affected have a compromised immune system, allowing them to contract illnesses easier. For these reasons it is vital that public health staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is on the scene. Read More >
Posted on byAre Ebola response investments making an impact? CDC Epidemiologist reflects on West Africa then and now
The first time I deployed to West Africa was in September 2014, at the height of the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. I have witnessed many disease outbreaks in my public health career, but this one was more devastating than I could ever have imagined. It eventually took more than 11,000 lives. What was happening Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentVaccination remains the most cost-effective strategy to get on track with hepatitis B elimination in resource-limited settings
![Midwife providing the 5-in-1 pentavalent vaccine (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis [DTP], hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b) during a routine vaccination session in Myanmar](https://blogs.cdc.gov/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2017/07/midwife-providing-the-5-in-1-pentavalent-vaccine_1200-825x510.jpg)
Midwife providing the 5-in-1 pentavalent vaccine (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis [DTP], hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b) during a routine vaccination session in Myanmar In the 1990s, the Western Pacific Region had one of the highest prevalence rates of chronic hepatitis B infection in the world (>8%). As a result, in 2005, it was the first World Read More >
Posted on byTraining the Future Public Health Workforce in Malawi: Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP)
At 4:00 PM on July 12, 2016, I received an urgent email from the CDC Malawi office asking if I had any information on a typhoid outbreak in Malosa in southern Malawi. The U.S. Embassy in Malawi was planning a visit to Malosa by the Second Lady of the United States, and they had received reports of an unusually high number of typhoid cases there. Fortunately for me, one of our trainees from the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) had presented on the same outbreak earlier that day during the FETP graduation ceremony. Read More >
Posted on byPolio Eradication and Beyond: What the Polio Endgame Means for Public Health
The end of polio is in sight, with fewer cases of wild polio virus being reported yearly. Today, polio is on the cusp of eradication, with cases in only a few high-risk areas of three countries—Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. This brings the eradication effort to its final chapter, otherwise known as the polio endgame. The Read More >
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