Category: infectious disease
Keeping Kids Healthy in Sierra Leone
Even before the recent Ebola outbreak, the lack of quality healthcare was a major challenge in Sierra Leone, leading to the country suffering some of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world. When a major outbreak strikes, overburdened health systems struggle to take care of other critical health issues, like making sure Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentRotary and CDC – Partners in Polio and Beyond
Partnerships play an integral role in CDC’s international work. Eradication and elimination initiatives for vaccine-preventable diseases serve as examples underlining the importance of public-private partnerships. Global polio eradication has been and remains a top priority for CDC. It would be only the second time in history that a human disease has been eradicated, and partners Read More >
Posted on byCloser than Ever
Some of the world’s most accomplished disease experts—including several of my colleagues in CDC’s Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (DPDM)—are gathering in Geneva this week at the NTD Summit 2017. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of parasitic, bacterial, and viral diseases that cause illness and disability in more than 1.5 billion people Read More >
Posted on byYellow Fever Vaccination Response
In December 2015, a yellow fever outbreak started in Angola and quickly spread within the country and to its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Laboratory testing confirmed 962 cases, but there were thousands of suspected cases, making this the largest reported outbreak in 30 years. A critical aspect to yellow fever outbreak response Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentCDC Maintains Vigilance to Eradicate Polio in Northern Nigeria
Vaccines save lives. Today, millions of children have a chance at surviving and living healthy, productive thanks to the introduction and increasingly widespread use of vaccines against major diseases that cripple and kill children over the last few decades. These diseases include polio, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, influenza and measles. The essence of our work could Read More >
Posted on byCDC Continues the Fight Against Polio
In 1988, when CDC joined three other partners to launch the ambitious Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the world was a much different and, measured by polio’s reach, dangerous place. Back then, polio existed in more than 125 countries and it paralyzed 350,000 children that year. Thanks to GPEI and the tireless work of its Read More >
Posted on byMeasles: A Forgotten, but Formidable Foe
Since its inception, the CDC has played a major role in advancing the health security in dozens of countries by improving response times to the outbreaks of several vaccine-preventable diseases. Furthermore, its partnerships with other countries and philanthropic organizations have not only stopped outbreaks, but also improved disease surveillance, laboratory science, emergency operations, and health Read More >
Posted on byWorld Polio Day 2016: A Focus on Tenacity and Hope
John Bingham is an American writer and long distance runner who’s competed in more than 45 marathons. He has no connection whatsoever to global health. Nor does he claim any history or involvement with the difficult but ever hopeful struggle to eradicate polio from every corner of the world. So it might seem odd that Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentThe Reality of Rabies in Ethiopia: When Man’s Best Friend Becomes the Enemy
Rabies is a disease that affects both people and animals, and is nearly always fatal once clinical signs have developed. In the United States, people are most likely to get rabies from a bat or raccoon. But in Africa and many other parts of the world, people fear getting rabies from their dogs. In Ethiopia, Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsOn Global Health and Being “Prepared”
What does it mean to be “prepared?” And, more to the point, what does it mean for working in global health? For some, being “prepared” means setting aside cash for emergencies and keeping their insurance up-to-date. For others, it means a plan of action or even a fresh supply of duct tape, a list of Read More >
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