Category: Africa
Plight to Save Sight: Eliminating the Scourge of River Blindness
Onchocerciasis, also known as River Blindness, is a neglected tropical disease that causes tremendous disability and suffering for individuals in some of the poorest communities on the planet. It is caused by the tiny parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus, which is transmitted by the Simulium blackfly. The name River Blindness is derived from the fact that Read More >
Posted on bySignificant Strides in Protecting the Health of Women
This is the 7th blog in a series of blogs from the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator in recognition of the 10th anniversary of PEPFAR. Previous blogs in the series can be found on the PEPFAR blog site. “Children are our future, and their mothers are its guardians.”– Former United Nations Secretary-General Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentCDC Celebrates the Role of Artwork in Measles Elimination
Acclaimed illustrator Sophie Blackall visited us at CDC on Monday, April 22, to share insights from her extraordinary collaboration with the Measles & Rubella Initiative. Her presentation at the World Immunization Week symposium, “Let Every Child Have a Name: the Road to a World Without Measles,” described her journey to the Democratic Republic of the Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentInvesting in the Future
Last month I took a few days of vacation and traveled to Basel, Switzerland. The sky was grey and a cold drizzle was steadily falling, melting the remaining layer of snow and ice that winter’s last storm had blasted onto the sides of trees and buildings. Many of the staff and students at the Swiss Tropical and Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsProtect Your World – Get Vaccinated: World Immunization Week 2013
Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a disease that could be prevented with a safe and effective vaccine. Millions more children survive but are left severely disabled. Vaccines have the power not only to save but also transform lives by protecting against disease—giving children a chance to grow up healthy, go to school, and Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsFrom Clifton Road to Africa
About the authors: Fabien Diomandé, MD, MSc, medical epidemiologist, is stationed in Burkina Faso to work with the WHO Africa Bureau and local health authorities and Ryan Novak, PhD, epidemiologist, is based in Atlanta and supports meningitis activities in Africa. In Africa, more than 90 percent of meningitis cases during epidemics are caused by Neisseria meningitidis Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentFresh Voices From the Field—Reaching for Zero Malaria Deaths: a Story From Uganda
This is the second in our ongoing “Fresh Voices From the Field” series, where we hear from ASPPH (Association of School and Programs of Public Health) Global Health Fellows working throughout the world. Global Health Fellows are recent Master of Public Health or Doctoral graduates placed in CDC global health offices in Atlanta and Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsChildren Need to Know Their HIV Status Too!
We at the CDC-South Africa office are proud to be associated with the recent release of South Africa’s first national guidelines on counseling and testing children for HIV. Developed by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa with support from CDC-South Africa and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this toolkit fills a Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentFresh Voices From the Field: Ongoing Efforts to Improve HIV/AIDS Treatment and Prevention in Nigeria
This is the first in our ongoing “Fresh Voices From the Field” series, where we hear from ASPPH (Association of School and Programs of Public Health) Global Health Fellows working throughout the world. Global Health Fellows are recent Master of Public Health or Doctoral graduates placed in CDC global health offices in Atlanta and abroad. Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsAccelerating Up the Hill: Maintaining Malaria Progress
Twenty-five years ago, I went to western Kenya as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer to study an outbreak of severe anemia. No one was sure of the cause. Was it parvovirus, or exposure to an environmental toxin, perhaps? In the hospital there were five or six sick Read More >
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