Health, Education, Social Protection News & Notes 02/2012

A bi-weekly newsletter supported by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit)

15 January 2012
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Table of Contents: BOOKS ................................................................................ 4

Paediatric Surgery: A Comprehensive Text for Africa ............................................................ 4 World Drug Report 2011 .........................................................................................................4 Critical Care in Neurology ....................................................................................................... 4 Global Health Watch 3: An Alternative World Health Report .................................................. 5 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry ..................................... 5

ONLINE PUBLICATIONS .................................................... 5

Global Health................................................................................................................ 5
The Aidspan Guide to Applications under the Global Funds Transitional Funding Mechanism .............................................................................................................................. 5 Building of the global movement for health equity: from Santiago to Rio and beyond ........... 6 Advancing the Global Health Agenda ..................................................................................... 6 Global health research case studies: lessons from partnerships addressing health inequities ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Global Risks 2012 - Seventh Edition....................................................................................... 7

HIV - AIDS - STI ........................................................................................................... 7

The Response to the AIDS Epidemic in 2012: A Crystal Ball and Roadmap ......................... 7 HIV/AIDS: Ten big stories in 2011 .......................................................................................... 7 Mainstreaming HIV in practice ................................................................................................ 8 Antiretroviral drugs chart ......................................................................................................... 8 Listening to health workers: lessons from Eastern Uganda for strengthening the programme for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV....................................................... 8 What Will It Take to Eliminate Pediatric HIV? Reaching WHO Target Rates of Mother-toChild HIV Transmission in Zimbabwe: A Model-Based Analysis ............................................ 8 Human Rights Considerations in Addressing HIV among Men who have Sex with Men ....... 9

Sexual & Reproductive Health ..................................................................................... 9

Global Strategy to Stop Health-Care Providers from Performing FGM .................................. 9 Engaging Men and Boys in Gender Equality: Vignettes from Asia and Africa........................ 9 Expanding Reproductive Rights Knowledge and Advocacy with HIV-positive Women and their Allies in Namibia - An Action-Oriented Initiative............................................................ 10

Maternal & Child Health ............................................................................................. 10

Data for Decision Making in Fistula Treatment Services ...................................................... 10 Trafficking in Persons Especially on Women and Children in Nepal .................................... 10

Malaria........................................................................................................................ 11
Sahel, savana, riverine and urban malaria in West Africa: Similar control policies with different outcomes................................................................................................................. 11 Cluster-randomized study of Intermittent Preventive Treatment for malaria in infants (IPTi) in southern Tanzania: evaluation of impact on survival ............................................................ 11 Scale-up of community-based malaria control can be achieved without degrading community health workers' service quality: the Village Malaria Worker project in Cambodia ............................................................................................................................................... 12 Malaria control in Bhutan: a case study of a country embarking on elimination ................... 12

HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 1

Surveillance for Malaria Elimination in Swaziland: A National Cross-Sectional Study Using Pooled PCR and Serology .................................................................................................... 12 2010 Kenya Malaria Indicator Survey ................................................................................... 13

Tuberculosis ............................................................................................................... 13
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries - Special issue on Tuberculosis ..................... 13 Wind-Driven Roof Turbines: A Novel Way to Improve Ventilation for TB Infection Control in Health Facilities ..................................................................................................................... 13

Other Infectious Diseases .......................................................................................... 14

Comparison of annual versus twice-yearly mass azithromycin treatment for hyperendemic trachoma in Ethiopia: a cluster-randomised trial................................................................... 14

Non-communicable Diseases..................................................................................... 14
The cancer burden and cancer control in developing countries ........................................... 14 Health Situation in the Americas - Basic Indicators 2011 ..................................................... 14

Essential Medicines.................................................................................................... 15
The Doha Declaration 10 years on and its impact on access to medicines and the right to health..................................................................................................................................... 15 Local production of medical technologies and its effect on access in low and middle income countries: a systematic review of the literature ..................................................................... 15 The Inadequate Treatment of Pain: Collateral Damage from the War on Drugs.................. 15

Social Protection ........................................................................................................ 16

Due Diligence: An Impertinent Inquiry into Microfinance ...................................................... 16 Microinsurance to the Last, the Least, and the Lost: A Case Study in Rural India............... 16 M-PESA and Access to Health in Kenya .............................................................................. 16 Defusing the demographic time-bomb in Germany ............................................................ 17 Perspectives on Global Development 2012: Social Cohesion in a Shifting World ............... 17

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene ...................................................................................... 17

Services and Supply Chains: The Role of the Domestic Private Sector in Water Service Delivery in Tanzania.............................................................................................................. 17

Human Resources...................................................................................................... 18
Handbook on monitoring and evaluation of human resources for health, with special applications for low- and middle-income countries ............................................................... 18

Health Systems & Research ...................................................................................... 18

Born, lived and died - but counted or not? - How do we know who dies of what?................ 18 Disease control programs contribution to Health System Strengthening: Good practices and new approaches for scale-up ................................................................................................ 18 Use of health systems and policy research evidence in the health policymaking in eastern Mediterranean countries: views and practices of researchers.............................................. 19 Quality in Qualitative Evaluation: A framework for assessing research evidence ................ 19

Information & Communication Technology ................................................................ 19

A Readers Guide to 200 Years of the New England Journal of Medicine ........................... 19 Short Message Service (SMS) Applications for Disease Prevention in Developing Countries ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Safety and security on the Internet: challenges and advances in Member States ............... 20 Global Information Society Watch 2011................................................................................ 21

Education ................................................................................................................... 21
Children and disasters: Building resilience through education ............................................. 21

Harm Reduction and Drug Use .................................................................................. 21

2011 Annual Report on the State of the Drugs Problem in Europe ...................................... 21 Extent of illicit drug use and dependence, and their contribution to the global burden of disease .................................................................................................................................. 22 Drug policy and the public good: evidence for effective interventions .................................. 22

Millennium Development Goals.................................................................................. 22

MDG Acceleration Framework .............................................................................................. 22

Development Assistance............................................................................................ 23
Making Aid Effective: An Anti-Corruption Agenda ................................................................ 23 Implementing the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness .................................................... 23 Global Health and the New Bottom Billion: How Funders Should Respond to Shifts in Global Poverty and Disease Burden ................................................................................................ 23 Supporting Transformational Change ................................................................................... 24 Development cooperation with middle-income countries...................................................... 24 Donor Transparency and Aid Allocation................................................................................ 24

HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 2

Others......................................................................................................................... 25
Inguinal hernioplasty using mosquito net mesh in low income countries: an alternative and cost effective prosthesis ........................................................................................................ 25

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES ............................................ 25

Global Neglected Tropical Disease (GNTD) Database......................................................... 25 Bulletin of the World Health Organization - Volume 90, Number 1, January 2012, 1-74 ..... 25 The Lancet on iPad ............................................................................................................... 26 Public Health Perspective (PHP) - The first Online Public Health Newsletter of Nepal........ 26

INTERESTING WEB SITES .............................................. 26

The Caregivers Action Network (CAN) ................................................................................. 26 African Index Medicus (AIM) ................................................................................................. 26

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES............................................ 27
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of National AIDS Programmes ........................................ 27 E-learning course: Strengthening the Essential Public Health Functions............................. 27 Health Policy and Financing.................................................................................................. 27

CONFERENCES................................................................ 28
Forum 2012: Beyond Aid Research and Innovation as key drivers for Health, Equity and Development ........................................................................................................................ 28 eLearning Africa 2012: 7th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training.................................................................................................................................. 28

CARTOON ......................................................................... 28 TIPS & TRICKS ................................................................. 29

How do I delete apps I no longer want on iPad? .................................................................. 29 Open Windows Explorer the easy way ................................................................................. 29

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HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 3

BOOKS
Paediatric Surgery: A Comprehensive Text for Africa
Editors: Emmanuel Ameh, Stephen Bickler, Kokila Lakhoo et al. Global HELP Organization, 2011 Volume 1: (413 pp. 8.6 MB): http://www.globalhelp.org/publications/books/help_pedsurgeryafricavolume01.pdf Volume 2: (469 pp. 10.7 MB): http://www.global-help.org/publications/books/help_pedsurgeryafricavolume02.pdf For a chapter by chapter download go to: http://www.global-help.org/publications/books/book_pedsurgeryafrica.html#download Produced by Global HELP (Health Education using Low-cost Publications), professional editors, and more than one-hundred-and-fifty medical experts from around the world, this is an essential resource for those in Africa where there has been a lack of appropriate and affordable medical material. This is a book written by doctors who live or work in Africa and for African surgeons and patients alike. ***

World Drug Report 2011

by Sandeep Chawla, Justice Tettey, Jakub Gregor et al. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2011 272 pp. 10.8 (!) MB: http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-andanalysis/WDR2011/World_Drug_Report_2011_ebook.pdf Many illicit drug markets have reached global dimensions and require control strategies on a comparable scale. In that context, there is a need to better understand these transnational markets and the manner in which they operate. The yearly World Drug Report is a contribution towards that objective. This years edition starts with an overview of the illicit drug situation worldwide and regionally, followed by more comprehensive discussions and statistical trends for the key transnational drug markets, namely opium/heroin, coca/cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants and cannabis. ***

Critical Care in Neurology

by Nabil Kitchener, Saher Hashem, Mervat Wahba et al. Flying Publisher, January 2012 119 pp. 688 kB: http://www.flyingpublisher.com/pdf/FPG_007_CriticalCareinNeurolog y_2012.pdf The number of dedicated neurointensive care units is growing greatly and, now more HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 4

than ever, physicians need to learn how to take care of neurocritical patients. Critical Care in Neurology addresses the day-to-day management of patients in neurointensive care units, and in particular the clinical approach to common neurocritical conditions. ***

Global Health Watch 3: An Alternative World Health Report

By Amit Sengupta Published by Zed Books, October 2011; 384 pp. ISBN-13: 9781780320335; Paperback: US$ 35.95 In an increasingly globalised world with new cross-border threats to public health and widening disparities between populations, civil society actors are challenging the existing structures of global health policies. Like its critically acclaimed predecessors, this third volume of Global Health Watch covers a wide range of topics, including food, trade, access to medicines, mental health, climate change, and war and conflict. This volume includes a special focus on health systems and their relation to world economic crises. ***

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

by Dan Stradford, Garry Vickar, Christine Berger, Hyla Cass Flying Publisher, January 2012 111 pp. 624 kB: http://www.flyingpublisher.com/pdf/FPG_008_ComplementaryandAlt ernativeMedicineTreatmentsinPsychiatry_2012.pdf With the publics increased interest in and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments, physicians find themselves being questioned more frequently by their patients about non-pharmaceutical options and Wellness-oriented therapies. The book gives the mental health practitioner a solid introduction into the philosophy behind CAM approaches as well as a broad array of evidence-based CAM therapies that are increasingly finding their way into patient treatment plans with positive results.

ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
Global Health The Aidspan Guide to Applications under the Global Funds Transitional Funding Mechanism
by David Garmaise and Jamie Uhrig Aidspan, January 2012 63 pp. 1.1 MB: http://aidspan.org/documents/guides/aidspan-tfm-guide-en.pdf The guide is designed to assist applicants with questions on the proposal form that may not be entirely clear, and to provide guidance on how responses to the questions can be structured and on what needs to be included to ensure a full response. The Aidspan HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 5

Guide to Applications under the Global Fund's Transitional Funding Mechanism covers everything applicants need to know in a single volume. Also, there is no separate version of the guide for multi-country applicants because the proposal forms for single- and multi-country applicants are almost identical. ***

Building of the global movement for health equity: from Santiago to Rio and beyond
by Michael Marmot, Jessica Allen, Ruth Bell et al. The Lancet, Vol. 379, Issue 9811, pp. 181-188, 14 January 2012 8 pp. 298 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673611615067.pdf Health inequalities are present throughout the world, both within and between countries. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health drew attention to dramatic social gradients in health within most countries and made proposals for action. These inequalities are not inevitable. The purpose of this article is to report on activity that has taken place worldwide after the report by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. ***

Advancing the Global Health Agenda

by Ilona Kickbusch Global Health Programme, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, 2011 Read online:
http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/chronicle/cache/bypass/home/7billionpeople1unitednations/advancingtheglobalhealth agenda?ctnscroll_articleContainerList=1_0&ctnlistpagination_articleContainerList=true

In just over two decades, global health has gained a political visibility and status that some authors have called a political revolution. As health related issues have become a centre piece of the global agenda, significant resources in development aid have been made available to address major health problems. ***

Global health research case studies: lessons from partnerships addressing health inequities
Edited by Zo Boutilier, Ibrahim Daibes and Erica Di Ruggiero BMC International Health and Human Rights - Vol. 11 Supplement 2 November 2011 http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinthealthhumrights/supplements/11/S2 The 12 papers in this collection reflect a mature and confident way of doing global health research which is anything but business-as-usual. In the context of increasing competition for individual or institutional leadership of the field (and business) of global health, these contributors instead speak of active and sustained collaboration -- listening, responsiveness, flexibility, willingness and capacity to follow as well as to lead -- in learning what to transform or sustain, and how, in order to move towards greater equity in both health and health research. HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 6

Global Risks 2012 - Seventh Edition

An Initiative of the Risk Response Network World Economic Forum, January 2012 64 pp. 6.8 MB: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalRisks_Report_2012.pdf Economic imbalances and social inequality risk reversing the gains of globalization, warns the World Economic Forum in its report. These are the findings of a survey of 469 experts and industry leaders, indicating a shift of concern from environmental risks to socioeconomic risks compared to a year ago. Respondents worry that further economic shocks and social upheaval could roll back the progress globalization has brought, and feel that the worlds institutions are ill-equipped to cope with todays interconnected, rapidly evolving risks.

HIV - AIDS - STI The Response to the AIDS Epidemic in 2012: A Crystal Ball and Roadmap
by Alan Whiteside HEARD - Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division, January 2012 3 pp. 214 kB: http://www.heard.org.za/downloads/the-response-to-the-aidsepidemic-in-2012-alan-whiteside.pdf The paper is a mixture of a roadmap of upcoming events [chief is the Washington International AIDS Conference (IAC)]; and a crystal ball: much is uncertain in the response. We know in most of the world the HIV epidemic is under control: there are specific groups at risk, mostly those who are marginalised. In eastern and southern Africa, AIDS remains the challenge to the wellbeing and existence of some nations. The need to respond to particular epidemics rather than a global, homogenous reaction is problematic. AIDS is exceptional but just not everywhere, and this nuance needs attention. ***

HIV/AIDS: Ten big stories in 2011

IRIN PlusNews, 29 December 2011 Read online at: http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=94562 It has been a roller coaster of a year in HIV and AIDS. AIDS turned 30 in 2011, and with new evidence of the effectiveness of HIV treatment as prevention, experts are increasingly talking about the end of AIDS. At the same time, however, funding for HIV has become ever more uncertain, jeopardizing efforts to put new, life-saving science into action. ***

HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 7

Mainstreaming HIV in practice

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), December 2011 93 pp. 4.4 MB: http://www.deza.admin.ch/ressources/resource_en_24553.pdf A toolkit with a collection of resources, checklists and examples for SDC and its partners. As many of the drivers of the epidemic, and opportunities for mitigating the impact, lie outside of the sphere of influence of the health sector, a multisectoral response to HIV is considered more relevant than ever. Mainstreaming of HIV into international cooperation work remains one of the most important strategies for such a multisectoral response. ***

Antiretroviral drugs chart

NAM, 1 December 2011 1 pp. 673 kB: http://www.aidsmap.com/v634598915404670000/file/1051841/ARV _drugchart_ENG_Dec2011_Web.pdf A one-page reference guide to all the anti-HIV drugs licensed for use in the European Union, with information on formulation, dosing, key side-effects and food restrictions. The drugs chart is also available for download in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. ***

Listening to health workers: lessons from Eastern Uganda for strengthening the programme for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
by Joseph Rujumba, James K Tumwine, Thorkild Tylleskar et al. BMC Health Services Research 2012, 12:3 (5 January 2012) 40 pp. 216 kB: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-6963-12-3.pdf The implementation and utilization of programmes for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in most low income countries has been described as suboptimal. The voices of health workers in this study revealed that it is imperative for government, civil society organizations and donors that the PMTCT programme addresses the challenges of shortage of critical PMTCT supplies, continuous health worker training and follow-up and support for mothers as urgent needs to strengthen the PMTCT programme. ***

What Will It Take to Eliminate Pediatric HIV? Reaching WHO Target Rates of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in Zimbabwe: A Model-Based Analysis
by Andrea L. Ciaranello, Freddy Perez, Jo Keatinge et al. PLoS Med 9(1): e1001156 (10 January 2012)

HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 8

15 pp. 445 kB:

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=61C6DD63ACCBAAB 7B839642CB3264157?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001156&representation=PDF

Using a simulation model, the authors find that the latest WHO PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV) guidelines plus better access to PMTCT programs, better retention of women in care, and better adherence to drugs are needed to eliminate pediatric HIV in Zimbabwe. ***

Human Rights Considerations in Addressing HIV among Men who have Sex with Men
by Sam Avrett, Shale Ahmed, George Ayala et al. AIDSTAR-One, November 2011 18 pp. 789 kB:
http://www.aidstarone.com/sites/default/files/AIDSTAR_One_TechBrief_HumanRightsandMSM.pdf

The report provides a global review and synthesis of practical approaches, program examples, and resources to support human rights as a core element of HIV programming for Men who have Sex with Men (MSM). Included are an overview of U.S. policies on and commitments to MSM and human rights and recommended approaches, including program examples from various countries. The report also offers a synthesis of questions for developing and monitoring HIV programs for MSM, as well as a list of program resources

Sexual & Reproductive Health Global Strategy to Stop Health-Care Providers from Performing FGM
by UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIFEM, WHO, FIGO, ICN, MWIA, WCPA, WMA, 2010 27 pp. 534 kB: http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publicati ons/2011/Global_strategy_for_health_providers.pdf This publication discusses the global scale and recognition of the problem of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and touches on how to engage health professionals to support abandonment of the practice. It describes changing patterns and practices, including medicalization, and analyzes the challenges FGM/C poses to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals. ***

Engaging Men and Boys in Gender Equality: Vignettes from Asia and Africa
by Aurelio Camilo B. Navaral, Gail Ilagan, Faustine Ngarambe et al. ICOMP, UNFPA, 2011 108 pp. 90.0 MB(!!):
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23618229/Engaging%20Men-complete%20ok.pdf

HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 9

This report generates specific, detailed lessons for successful implementation of initiatives that engage men and boys in advancing gender equality and reproductive health. Four case studies from Bangladesh, Philippines, Cambodia and Uganda are presented followed by lessons learnt and recommendations for supporting work in the field of male engagement. ***

Expanding Reproductive Rights Knowledge and Advocacy with HIVpositive Women and their Allies in Namibia - An Action-Oriented Initiative
by Maria de Bruyn and Jennifer Gatsi Mallet Ipas and International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW), January 2011 28 pp. 1.8 MB: http://www.ipas.org/Publications/asset_upload_file747_5851.pdf This report looks at a Namibian project that was designed to increase awareness about gender and reproductive rights among members of the International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW) and youth in order for them to advocate on these issues, particularly with regard to unwanted pregnancies, emergency contraception and access to legalised abortion, within communities and nationally. The report outlines Namibias sexual and reproductive health context and then details the impact of trainings on youth and women living with HIV before describing lessons learned.

Maternal & Child Health Data for Decision Making in Fistula Treatment Services
A Supplemental Module for Facilitative Supervision EngenderHealth/Fistula Care, 2011 78 pp. 2.8 MB:
http://www.fistulacare.org/pages/pdf/Training/FC_DDM_rev_final_12-19.pdf

The goal of the Fistula Care project is to increase and strengthen the number of health care sites providing fistula services, as well as to support prevention services. The use of data for decision making is an integral part of Fistula Cares and EngenderHealths shared approach to quality improvement. This supplemental training module has a specific focus on the Fistula Care clinical indicators. Each module is designed with facilitator guidelines and activities to engage the participants in the process of analyzing and using data, with a focus on fistula indicators. ***

Trafficking in Persons Especially on Women and Children in Nepal

National Report, 2009-2010 Edited by Mahesh Rimal Office of the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Women and Children (OSRT), November 2011 172 pp. 588 kB: http://humansecuritygateway.com/documents/NHRC_TraffickinginPersonsEspeci allyonWomenandChildreninNepal.pdf HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 10

This report examines the situation of trafficking between July 2009 and December 2010. It examines the linkages between internal migration and trafficking, especially in the entertainment industry, as the main theme of the report. It discusses the interface between foreign labour migration and vulnerability of Trafficking in Persons, monitors the different programmes of the NGOs and reviews the judicial response to trafficking and brings the commitments of international community to address the Trafficking in Persons issues at the regional as well as international levels.

Malaria Sahel, savana, riverine and urban malaria in West Africa: Similar control policies with different outcomes
by Serign J Cessay, Kalifa A Bojang, Davis Nwakanma et al. Acta Trop. (2011) in press 9 pp. 1.3 MB: (free registration required)
http://www.malarianexus.com/articles/read/185/sahel-savana-riverine-andurban-malaria-in-west-africa-similar-control-policies-with-different-outcomes/

The study sites for the West African International Center for Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR) are in three countries (The Gambia, Senegal, Mali) and are located within 750 km of each other. The National Malaria Control Programmes of these countries have virtually identical policies, however, the prevalence of P. falciparum malaria and the status of malaria control vary markedly across the four sites. The most important priority is the need to obtain comparable data on the population-based prevalence, incidence and transmission of malaria before new candidate interventions or combinations of interventions are introduced for malaria control. ***

Cluster-randomized study of Intermittent Preventive Treatment for malaria in infants (IPTi) in southern Tanzania: evaluation of impact on survival
by Joanna RM Armstrong Schellenberg, Werner Maokola, Kizito Shirima et al. Malaria Journal 2011, 10:387 (30 December 2011) 26 pp. 377 kB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-10-387.pdf Intermittent Preventive Treatment for malaria control in infants (IPTi) consists of the administration of a treatment dose of an anti-malarial drug, usually sulphadoxinepyrimethamine, at scheduled intervals, regardless of the presence of Plasmodium falciparum infection. A pooled analysis of individually randomized trials reported that IPTi reduced clinical episodes by 30%. This study evaluated the effect of IPTi on child survival in the context of a five-district implementation project in southern Tanzania. ***

HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 11

Scale-up of community-based malaria control can be achieved without degrading community health workers' service quality: the Village Malaria Worker project in Cambodia
by Junko Yasuoka, Krishna C Poudel, Po Ly et al. Malaria Journal 2012, 11:4 (4 January 2012) 18 pp. 505 kB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-11-4.pdf Malaria control has been scaled up in many developing countries in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Cambodia recently scaled up their Village Malaria Worker (VMW) project by substantially increasing the number of VMWs and expanding the projects health services to include treatment of fever, diarrhoea, and Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) in children under five. This study examined if the scale-up interfered with VMWs service quality, actions, and knowledge of malaria control, and analysed VMWs overall achievements and perceptions of the newly added health services. ***

Malaria control in Bhutan: a case study of a country embarking on elimination

by Thinley Yangzom, Cara Smith Gueye, Rinzin Namgay et al. Malaria Journal 2012, 11:9 (9 January 2012) 25 pp. 482 kB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-11-9.pdf Bhutan has made significant strides towards elimination and has adopted a goal of national elimination. A major challenge in the future will be prevention and management of imported malaria infections from neighbouring Indian states. Bhutan plans to implement screening at border points to prevent importation of malaria and to targeted prevention and surveillance efforts towards at-risk Bhutanese and migrant workers in construction sites. ***

Surveillance for Malaria Elimination in Swaziland: A National CrossSectional Study Using Pooled PCR and Serology
by Michelle S. Hsiang, Jimee Hwang, Simon Kunene et al. PLoS ONE 7(1): e29550 (6 January 2012) 8 pp. 376 kB: http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F 10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029550&representation=PDF To guide malaria elimination efforts in Swaziland and other countries, accurate assessments of transmission are critical. Pooled-PCR has potential to efficiently improve sensitivity to detect infections; serology may clarify temporal and spatial trends in exposure. According to this study the prevalence of malaria infection and recent exposure in Swaziland are extremely low, suggesting elimination is feasible. Future efforts should address imported malaria and target remaining foci of transmission. Pooled PCR and ELISA are valuable surveillance tools for guiding elimination efforts. *** HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 12

2010 Kenya Malaria Indicator Survey

Division of Malaria Control, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, ICF Macro, July 2011 112 pp. 1.3 MB: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADX433.pdf This 2010 Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS) report contains the latest information on malaria in Kenya except for malaria-specific mortality. The results of this second malaria indicator survey confirm the gains that were made in malaria control as shown by the 2007 MIS and the 2008-09 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. Although malaria prevalence has remained low in most parts of the country, there has been little or no change in the household ownership and use of insecticide-treated nets and perhaps this may account for the small increase in the overall prevalence of malaria in children less than five years of age, particularly in Western Kenya.

Tuberculosis Journal of Infection in Developing Countries - Special issue on Tuberculosis

Vol. 6, No. 01, January 2012 http://www.jidc.org/index.php/journal/issue/view/72/showToc This issue of the Journal of Infection in Developing Countries is dedicated to tuberculosis research with several related papers on different aspects of the disease in developing countries. All articles are open access. ***

Wind-Driven Roof Turbines: A Novel Way to Improve Ventilation for TB Infection Control in Health Facilities
by Helen Cox, Rod Escombe, Cheryl McDermid et al. PLoS ONE 7(1): e29589 (9January 2012) 6 pp. 228 kB:
http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=541EA0A34E3053D0 E289C51355F2969D?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029589&representation=PDF

Tuberculosis transmission in healthcare facilities contributes significantly to the TB epidemic, particularly in high HIV settings. Although improving ventilation may reduce transmission, there is a lack of evidence to support low-cost practical interventions. The authors assessed the efficacy of wind-driven roof turbines to achieve recommended ventilation rates, compared to current recommended practices for natural ventilation (opening windows), in primary care clinic rooms in Khayelitsha, South Africa. They conclude that this simple, low-cost technology represents an important addition to our tools for TB infection control. ***

HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 13

Other Infectious Diseases Comparison of annual versus twice-yearly mass azithromycin treatment for hyperendemic trachoma in Ethiopia: a cluster-randomised trial
by Teshome Gebre, Berhan Ayele, Mulat Zerihun et al. The Lancet, Vol. 379, Issue 9811, pp. 143-151, 14 January 2012 9 pp. 266 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673611615158.pdf In trachoma control programmes, azithromycin is distributed to treat the strains of chlamydia that cause ocular disease. The authors aimed to compare the effect of annual versus twice-yearly distribution of azithromycin on infection with these strains. After 42 months of treatment, the prevalence of ocular infection with chlamydia was similar in the groups treated annually and twice yearly. However, elimination of infection might have been more rapid in the groups of villages that received treatment twice yearly.

Non-communicable Diseases The cancer burden and cancer control in developing countries
by Paola Pisani Environmental Health 2011, 10(Suppl 1):S2 (5 April 2011) 4 pp. 248 kB: http://www.ehjournal.net/content/pdf/1476-069X-10-S1-S2.pdf Means to monitor the occurrence of cancer in developing countries are still very limited, and prevention planning relies largely on estimates. The paper summarises some of the priorities in cancer prevention in developing countries and the underlying evidence base, and addresses some of the challenges. ***

Health Situation in the Americas - Basic Indicators 2011

Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO), 2011 12 pp. 1.1 MB: http://ais.paho.org/chi/brochures/2011/BI_2011_ENG.pdf This publication presents the latest available information on basic health indicators for 48 countries/territories in the Region of the Americas. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of death in the Americas, accounting for 76% of all deaths during 2007-2009. Among NCDs, diabetes mellitus is highlighted because of its high prevalence. ***

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Essential Medicines The Doha Declaration 10 years on and its impact on access to medicines and the right to health
by Carlos Correa and Duncan Matthews United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) / Bureau for Development Policy, December 2010 32 pp. 1.2 MB: http://www.beta.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/hivaids/Discuss ion_Paper_Doha_Declaration_Public_Health.pdf This Discussion Paper commences with a discussion of the Doha Declarations contents before exploring its importance to developing and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), if they are to realize commitments to universal access to treatment for HIV. The Paper discusses some of the successes and challenges encountered by developing countries when attempting to use public health related TRIPS flexibilities to increase access to HIV treatment. ***

Local production of medical technologies and its effect on access in low and middle income countries: a systematic review of the literature
by Warren Allan Kaplan, Lindsay Sarah Ritz, Marie Vitello Southern Med Review (2011) 4;2:4-14 11 pp. 277 kB: http://www.southernmedreview.org/index.php/smr/article/download/1002/22 The objective of this study was to assess the existing theoretical and empirical literature examining the link between local production of pharmaceuticals and medical devices and increased local access to these products. The preliminary hypothesis is that studies showing a robust relationship between local production and access to medical products are sparse, at best. Of the literature that does exist, methods used to date are insufficient to prove a robust relationship between local production of medical products and access to these products. ***

The Inadequate Treatment of Pain: Collateral Damage from the War on Drugs
by Jason W. Nickerson and Amir Attaran - PLoS Med 9(1): e1001153 (10 January 2012) 4 pp. 140 kB: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action?uri=info%3Adoi %2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001153&representation=PDF The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has frequently approved quotas of controlled narcotics grossly insufficient for the epidemiological prevalence of clinical pain, thus leaving millions of patients legally prohibited from accessing palliation such as morphine. Given the INCBs decades-long failure to administer the supply of controlled narcotics in accordance with clinical need, the authors propose that all legal responsibility for licit narcotics for medical and scientific purposes be shifted to the World Health Organization. HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 15

Social Protection Due Diligence: An Impertinent Inquiry into Microfinance

by David Roodman Center for Global Development Brief, January 2012 4 pp. 294 kB:
http://www.cgdev.org/files/1425842_file_Roodman_Due_Diligence_brief_FINAL.pdf

Microfinance: Few development ideas have been so buoyed by high expectations in recent decades, and few have been so buffeted by difficulties in recent years. The author finds no evidence that small loans lift people out of poverty en masse but argues that financial services, like clean water and electricity, are essential to a modern life. The practical question is not whether microfinance should continue, but how it can play to its strengths, which lie in providing useful services to millions of poor people in a businesslike way. ***

Microinsurance to the Last, the Least, and the Lost: A Case Study in Rural India
by Prathima Rajan Celent, December 2011 24 pp. 257 kB: http://www.institutionalinvestorchina.com/arfy/uploads/soft/120105/ 1_0948154711.pdf Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY), which means National Health Insurance Scheme - offered to the target group in rural India - is one of the largest microinsurance schemes in the world, with nearly 25 million families below the poverty line, across 217 districts, having coverage for more than 700 types of ailments. Any insurer intending to offer microinsurance but worried about the viability of such offering can benefit from reading this report. It will take the reader through one of the successful business models adopted in the scheme. Apart from this, the reader can also benefit from understanding the use of technology that can work and serve in the worst of conditions like lack of power/connectivity, illiteracy, etc. that is common in several rural markets worldwide. See also: Health insurance for Indias poor: Meeting the challenge with information technology http://german-practice-collection.org/en/successful-programmes/socialprotection/health-insurance-for-indias-poor

***

M-PESA and Access to Health in Kenya

by Sherri Haas and Geetha Nagarajan IRIS Center, University of Maryland, November 2011 4 pp. 170 kB: http://www.microfinancegateway.org/gm/document1.9.56185/Mpesa_Health_KENYA_.pdf HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 16

M-PESA is an agent-assisted, mobile phone-based, person-to-person payment and money transfer system in Kenya. It allows users to store money on their mobile phones in an electronic account and deposit or withdraw money in the form of hard currency at one of M-PESAs numerous agent locations. This study focuses on the current role of M-PESA in facilitating access to health services in Kenya and explores the potential that exists for the M-PESA platform to increase access to health care. ***

Defusing the demographic time-bomb in Germany

by Jan Dirk Herbermann and Dbora Miranda Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 90:6-7; January 2012 2 pp. 718 kB: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/1/12-020112.pdf Germany is one of only four countries with a dedicated insurance system for long-term care. With an ageing population and a low birth rate, this issue of the WHO Bulletin examines how the system can be sustainable in the future. ***

Perspectives on Global Development 2012: Social Cohesion in a Shifting World

Summary in English OECD Development Centre, November 2011 6 pp. 314 kB: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/47/50/49067954.pdf To read the full report online go to: http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/development/perspectives-onglobal-development-2012_persp_glob_dev-2012-en "Shifting wealth" - a process that started in the 1990s and took off in the 2000s - has led to a completely new geography of growth driven by the economic rise of large developing countries, in particular China and India. This report analyses the impact of "Shifting wealth" on social cohesion, largely focusing on high-growth converging countries. The question this report asks is how does the structural transformation in converging economies affect their "social fabric", their sense of belonging or put generally their ability to peacefully manage collective action problems.

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Services and Supply Chains: The Role of the Domestic Private Sector in Water Service Delivery in Tanzania
by Kate Bayliss and Rehema Tukai United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), October 2011 46 pp. 560 kB: http://www.beta.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Poverty%20Reduction/Inclusi ve%20development/Tanzania-Water.pdf HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 17

This report presents findings from a review of the service activities of informal private water vendors in Dar es Salaam. Tanzanias capital is a rapidly growing city, and around 70 percent of the population lacks proper housing and lives in informal settlements. Large parts of the city remain unserved by the water utility and many of those who have access to the piped network suffer from intermittent supply. As a result, smallscale private water vendors provide an essential service for many, in particular low-income households in the city.

Human Resources Handbook on monitoring and evaluation of human resources for health, with special applications for low- and middle-income countries
Edited by Mario R Dal Poz, Neeru Gupta, Estelle Quain et al. World Health Organization, The World Bank, USAID, 2009 196 pp. 2.5 MB: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADQ646.pdf A skilled health worker can make the difference between life and death. This Handbook is welcomed, as it gives us the tools we need to actively monitor and better manage the workforce. The core and common methods described here will help us all to enhance public confidence in the health system and enable the health workforce to be at the right place at the right time to make a difference, both for each of us as individuals and for our communities.

Health Systems & Research Born, lived and died - but counted or not? - How do we know who dies of what?
by Momodou Jasseh, Jeannette Quarcoopome, Francis Levira et al. The International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and their Health in Developing Countries (INDEPTH), January 2012 4 pp. 1.3 MB: http://www.eldis.org/vfile/upload/1/submissions/1201/6321%20IDS %20Highlight%20Leaflet.pdf The articles in this brief explain the importance of being able to collect cause-of-death information and suggest a way forward with the use of verbal autopsies in places where deaths are not recorded. Verbal autopsies are a process where the family and friends of the deceased are interviewed to better understand the circumstances of the death. The information gathered is then analysed by a doctor or fed into a computer model to decide the likely cause of death. ***

Disease control programs contribution to Health System Strengthening: Good practices and new approaches for scale-up
by Tewodros Bekele, Freya Rasschaert, Atakilti Berhe et al. Fed. Ministry of Health, Ethiopia and the Institute of Tropical Medicine, December 2011 HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 18

62 pp. 1.0 MB: http://www.itg.be/itg/Uploads/Volksgezondheid/wpshsop/SHSOP% 20WP4%20DCP%20HSS%20Ethiopia.pdf This country study is based on the concept note How can Disease Control Programs contribute to Health Systems Strengthening in SubSaharan Africa? commissioned by the World Bank. The paper aims at identifying good practices in terms of disease control programme contributions to health system strengthening and country priority programmes in Ethiopia. It shows how such insights can be scaled up to contribute to overall health system strengthening and outlines ways forward. ***

Use of health systems and policy research evidence in the health policymaking in eastern Mediterranean countries: views and practices of researchers
by Fadi El-Jardali, John N Lavis, Nour Ataya and Diana Jamal Implementation Science 2012, 7:2 (11 January 2012) 48 pp. 254 kB: http://www.implementationscience.com/content/pdf/1748-5908-7-2.pdf Limited research exists on researchers knowledge transfer and exchange in the eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). Researchers in the EMR recognize the importance of using health systems evidence in health policymaking. Potential strategies to improve the use of research evidence emphasize two-way communication between researchers and policymakers. Findings are critical for the upcoming World Health Report 2012, which will emphasize the significance of conducting and translating health research to inform health policies. ***

Quality in Qualitative Evaluation: A framework for assessing research evidence

by Liz Spencer, Jane Ritchie, Jane Lewis and Lucy Dillon National Centre for Social Research, August 2003 20 pp. 171 kB: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2011/09/a_quality_framework_tcm6-38740.pdf

This document presents a framework for appraising the quality of qualitative evaluations. It was developed with particular reference to evaluations concerned with the development and implementation of social policy, programmes and practice.

Information & Communication Technology A Readers Guide to 200 Years of the New England Journal of Medicine
by Allan M. Brandt N Engl J Med 2012; 366:1-7 (January 5, 2012)

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7 pp. 849 kB: http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMp1112812 With this issue, the New England Journal of Medicine marks its 200th anniversary. In January 1812, as the first issue came off the handset letterpress, few of its founders could have predicted such continuity and success and that it remains the longest continuously published medical periodical in the world. A call for papers issued in late 1811, explained the goals of the founding members: The editors have been encouraged to attempt this publication by the opinion, that a taste for medical literature has greatly increased in New England within a few years past. New methods of practice, good old ones which are not sufficiently known, and occasional investigations of the modes in common use, when thus distributed among our medical brethren in the country, will promote a disposition for inquiry and reflection, which cannot fail to produce the most happy results. ***

Short Message Service (SMS) Applications for Disease Prevention in Developing Countries
by Carole Dglise, L. Suzanne Suggs, Peter Odermatt Journal of Medical Internet Research 2012;14(1):e3 Read online at: http://www.jmir.org/2012/1/e3/ The last decade has witnessed unprecedented growth in the number of mobile phones in the developing world, thus linking millions of previously unconnected people. The ubiquity of mobile phones, which allow for short message service (SMS), provides new and innovative opportunities for disease prevention efforts. This review illustrates that while many SMS applications for disease prevention exist, few have been evaluated. The dearth of peer-reviewed studies and the limited evidence found in this systematic review highlight the need for high-quality efficacy studies examining behavioural, social, and economic outcomes of SMS applications and mobile phone interventions aimed to promote health in developing country contexts. ***

Safety and security on the Internet: challenges and advances in Member States
by Kevin Clauson, Karen Vieira, Erin Holmes et al. WHO Global Observatory for eHealth Series, Vol. 4, 2011 92 pp. 2.9 MB: http://www.who.int/goe/publications/goe_security_web.pdf This publication provides the detailed results and analysis from the second global survey on eHealth. It explores controversial and complex issues facing society such as Internet pharmacies and their control and regulation, mechanisms to combat escalating Internet security threats, government strategies to protect children and adolescents online, and practices to control quality and reliability of online health information. ***

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Global Information Society Watch 2011

Editors Alan Finlay and Lori Nordstrom Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos), 2011 267 pp. 5.9 MB: http://giswatch.org/sites/default/files/gisw2011_en.pdf 2011 has been a watershed year for the internet in creating peoples movements worldwide for human rights and democracy. The Global Information Society Watch 2011 report by APC and Hivos looks at these stories and commentates on the future of the internet in this emerging context.

Education Children and disasters: Building resilience through education

The United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF) and The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), December 2011 204 pp. 18.4 MB(!): http://www.preventionweb.net/files/24583_childrenanddisastersbuil dingresilie.pdf This publication focuses on the importance of education in disaster prevention and makes recommendations on how to support and build on local and national initiatives to reduce the risk of disasters through education. It provides a brief overview of major hazards and disaster risks in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It also briefly outlines disaster risk reduction activities related to education undertaken by national agencies and activities by UNISDR and UNICEF.

Harm Reduction and Drug Use 2011 Annual Report on the State of the Drugs Problem in Europe
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Lisbon, November 2011 112 pp. 4.4 MB: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_143743_EN_ EMCDDA_AR2011_EN.pdf The report on the state of the drugs problem in Europe presents the EMCDDAs yearly overview of the drug phenomenon. This is an essential reference book for policymakers, specialists and practitioners in the drugs field or indeed anyone seeking the latest findings on drugs in Europe. Published every autumn, the report contains non-confidential data supported by an extensive range of figures. ***

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Extent of illicit drug use and dependence, and their contribution to the global burden of disease
by Louisa Degenhardt and Wayne Hall The Lancet, Vol. 379, Issue 9810, pp. 55-70, 7 January 2012 16 pp. 605 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673611611380.pdf This paper summarises data for the prevalence, correlates, and probable adverse health consequences of problem use of amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine, and opioids. The authors discuss findings from systematic reviews of the prevalence of illicit drug use and dependence, remission from dependence, and mortality in illicit drug users, and evidence for acute and chronic effects of illicit drug use. They outline the regional and global distribution of use and estimated health burden from illicit drugs. ***

Drug policy and the public good: evidence for effective interventions
by John Strang, Thomas Babor, Jonathan Caulkins et al. The Lancet, Vo. 379, Issue 9810, pp. 71-83, 7 January 2012 13 pp. 167 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673611616747.pdf Debates about which policy initiatives can prevent or reduce the damage that illicit drugs cause to the public good are rarely informed by scientific evidence. Fortunately, evidence-based interventions are increasingly being identified that are capable of making drugs less available, reducing violence in drug markets, lessening misuse of legal pharmaceuticals, preventing drug use initiation in young people, and reducing drug use and its consequences in established drug users. The authors review relevant evidence and outline the likely effects of fuller implementation of existing interventions.

Millennium Development Goals MDG Acceleration Framework

The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) MDG Task Force, November 2011 152 pp. 7.4 MB: http://www.beta.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Poverty%20Re duction/MDG%20Strategies/MAF%20Report%20Dec%202011.pdf The MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) provides national stakeholders with a systematic approach to identify and analyse bottlenecks that are causing MDGs to veer offtrack or to advance too slowly. It then aims to generate shared diagnostics and to recommend comprehensive, collaborative and focused actions, based on prioritized acceleration solutions. ***

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Development Assistance Making Aid Effective: An Anti-Corruption Agenda

by Craig Fagan Transparency International (TI), 2011 8 pp. 131 kB: http://www.transparency.org/content/download/64193/1027901/ver sion/1/file/PP6_Aid_Corruption_16_Nov_2011.pdf While aid flows - also known as official development assistance (ODA) - topped US$ 128 billion in 2010, they have not always been good at achieving results due to corruption and mismanagement that arise from low levels of transparency, accountability and integrity on the part of donor and partner countries. Achieving aid effectiveness must remain as an active goal. ***

Implementing the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness

UNDPs Response to the 2011 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2011 36 pp. 1.9 MB:
http://www.beta.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/capacitydevelopment/English/Implementing-the-Paris-Declaration-on-Aid-Effectiveness.pdf

UNDPs involvement in the Paris Declaration process is two-pronged: 1) to engage on development cooperation issues, specifically the quality of aid, within the context of the achievement of the MDGs and other internationally agreed goals important for and related to the overall positions and activities of UNDP and the United Nations; and 2) to support developing countries implementation of the aid effectiveness commitments and to facilitate their participation in global fora, such as the OECD DAC Working Party on Aid Effectiveness and the OECD DAC International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. ***

Global Health and the New Bottom Billion: How Funders Should Respond to Shifts in Global Poverty and Disease Burden
by Amanda Glassman, Denizhan Duran, and Andy Sumner Center for Global Development, January 2012 4 pp. 184 kB:
http://www.cgdev.org/files/1425851_file_Glassman_Duran_Sumner_global_health.pdf

After a decade of rapid economic growth, many developing countries have attained middle-income status. But poverty reduction in these countries has not kept pace with economic growth. As a result, most of the worlds poor - up to a billion people - now live in these new middle-income countries (MICs), making up a new bottom billion. By focusing aid on the remaining low-income countries (LICs) the donors ignore most of the poor, is the message from this CGD Brief. The authors discuss where Global Health agencies like GAVI and the Global Fund should go from here. ***

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Supporting Transformational Change

by Robert England, Nazia Mintz-Habib and Jason Pronyk United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), October 2011 108 pp. 3.7 MB: http://www.beta.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/CrossPractice%20generic%20theme/Supporting-Transformational-Change.pdf The purpose of this report is to reflect on UNDPs experience of development cooperation over the past 50 years, and to extract some common themes and general lessons about development cooperation for the future. The report makes the case that development is a long-term proposition and is seldom amenable to short-term solutions. It documents seven cases where truly transformational change has been achieved over a period of time. Taking 10-20 years as its frame of reference, the report demonstrates that development can be successful on this basis - even strikingly successful in some cases. ***

Development cooperation with middle-income countries

by Karel Verbeke and Robrecht Renard Institute of Development Policy and Management, University of Antwerp, November 2011 50 pp. 1.0 MB: http://www.ua.ac.be/download.aspx?c=.IOB&n=91990&ct=83467&e=283487 This background study looks at how development cooperation with middle-income countries differs from that with poorer countries and suggests some considerations for differentiation of development cooperation approaches in the changing international development landscape. ***

Donor Transparency and Aid Allocation

by Jrg Faust Deutsches Institut fr Entwicklungspolitik, December 2011 38 pp. 397 kB:
http://www.die-gdi.de/CMSHomepage/openwebcms3_e.nsf/%28ynDK_contentByKey%29/ANES8NUE5M/$FILE/DP%2012.2011.pdf

The report is an analysis of the impact of domestic political transparency (as measured by standard corruption indices) on donor countries formal promotion of aid transparency. This includes not only their participation in the International Aid Transparency Initiative, but also their concrete aid allocation patterns. The level of political transparency in a donor country should impact on both, the formal engagement to make aid more transparent and the way aid is allocated among developing countries. ***

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Others Inguinal hernioplasty using mosquito net mesh in low income countries: an alternative and cost effective prosthesis
by Brian M Stephenson and Andrew N Kingsnorth BMJ 2011;343:d7448 (Published 15 December 2011) 4 pp. 335 kB: http://www.bmj.com/highwire/filestream/551254/field_highwire_article_pdf/0.pdf In Africa, prosthetic repair of inguinal hernias with commercially available mesh is often considered too expensive. The authors investigated whether mosquito net mesh is a plausible alternative. They found that one mosquito net, bought for around US$ 15, could be cut into enough meshes for 3,000 operations. Each operation using the technique costs just US$ 13 for every disability-adjusted life year averted, even when including the costs associated with sterilisation and surgery. This is around three times cheaper than conventional treatment, making it ideal for low income countries in the developing world. ***

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
Global Neglected Tropical Disease (GNTD) Database
http://www.gntd.org/login.html The GNTD project aims to provide a unique open-access, and constantly updated, database on compiled Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) survey data to foster epidemiological research and to obtain recent disease risk estimates applying the compiled data. The team currently consists of seven core members and supporting staff members from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Switzerland, and DBL, Denmark. At present, more than 12,000 unique survey locations (mainly on Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium in Africa) are included in the GNTD database. ***

Bulletin of the World Health Organization - Volume 90, Number 1, January 2012, 1-74
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/1/en/index.html IN THIS MONTHS BULLETIN: In editorials, Bayard Roberts et al. draw attention to the increased risks of noncommunicable diseases in post-conflict countries, and Njoki Nganga & Mary Woods Byrne call for more efforts to professionalize nursing in developing countries. Jack Serle & Fiona Fleck report on a campaign to improve the safety of health workers in war zones. In an interview, Samer Jabbour discusses how the recent revolutions in the Arab world are changing the public health landscape. ***

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The Lancet on iPad

The Lancet announced that its first app for iPad is now available on the App Store. The Lancet App is an innovative article-based navigation app that makes it easier for healthcare professionals to find the information they need quickly and efficiently from the convenience of their iPad. The app gives subscribers convenient access to the latest articles published in The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, The Lancet Neurology and The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The Lancet App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at: http://www.itunes.com/appstore. Selected content is available for all viewers. Subscribers to The Lancet have access to all published content. ***

Public Health Perspective (PHP) - The first Online Public Health Newsletter of Nepal
Vol. 1 Issue 10, Oct./Nov. 2011 10 pp. 588 kB: http://www.bmhall.yolasite.com/resources/PHP%20Volume%201 %20Issue%2010%20Oct-Nov%202011.pdf The newsletter focuses on health, diseases, epidemiological investigation together with environment. As a health journalist from Nepal, the author writes in PHP on health issues, environmental effects on health and well being of people, socio-environmental issues, and public health approach to disease prevention among others. Climate change being the hot topic these days, the author is actively working to make people of Nepal, especially health professionals, to concentrate on effects of climate change and develop mitigation measures to reduce its health effects.

INTERESTING WEB SITES

The Caregivers Action Network (CAN)
http://www.caregiversactionnetwork.org CAN is a network open to individuals and organisations committed to advocating for the inclusion of community-based home-based caregivers and their priorities in decisionmaking in general and more specifically in relevant forums and processes in order to raise the profile of and support for community and family care and support for HIV. ***

African Index Medicus (AIM)

http://indexmedicus.afro.who.int New developments on the African Index Medicus (AIM): Please note that 156 African medical journals are now indexed in AIM, some with open access. The full list of these journals is available at the above URL. Other documents such as medical dissertations/theses and grey literature are also available in AIM.

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TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of National AIDS Programmes
27 February - 2 March 2012, Zagreb, Croatia WHO Collaborating Centre for HIV Surveillance, Andrija Stampar School of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia The aim of this course is to provide participants with practical guidance on how to develop a national system of monitoring and evaluation of HIV programmes. The module is structured around several key themes basic concepts of an M&E system and its components, measuring process and outputs, evaluation of outcomes and impact, key steps in developing an M&E plan and setting up a national M&E system; and challenges to conducting outcome and impact evaluation. For more information see: http://www.whohub-zagreb.org/579 ***

E-learning course: Strengthening the Essential Public Health Functions

Duration and course load: 5 Weeks; 8-10 hours per week Dates: February 29 - March 29, 2012 Application deadline: February 09, 2012 (applications after the deadline will not be accepted) Participants: (Health) Professionals Course fee: US$ 400 Organizers: The World Bank Institute Language: English only General Course Contact: Jo Hindriks at jhindriks@worldbank.org ***

Health Policy and Financing

5th - 22nd March, 2012 Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands Course Content: Important issues and current debates in health policy and health economics, such as decentralization, the public-private mix, international finance of health goods, aid effectiveness, TRIPS and health insurance (selection) Language: English; Fees: EUR 1,810 Entry Requirements: Academic training or professional qualification in a relevant area work experience in a related area, including experience in management or planning in developing countries For more information contact: Rinia Sahebdin Tel.: +31-20-568-8256 Fax: +31-20-568-8677 E-mail: r.sahebdin@kit.nl or see: http://www.kit.nl/-/INS/15646/Royal-Tropical-Institute/KIT-Development-Policyand-Practice--/DEV-Training--/Health-systems/Health-policy-and-financing HESP-News & Notes - 02/2012 - page 27

For more courses and conferences see also: www.goinginternational.eu/en/online-datenbank/

CONFERENCES
Forum 2012: Beyond Aid Research and Innovation as key drivers for Health, Equity and Development
24-26 April 2012, Cape Town, South Africa Forum 2012 is the beginning of an exciting new series of the well-known and respected Global Forum for Health Research meetings. COHRED and the Global Forum for Health Research will focus on potentials, solutions, and developing capacities specifically in low- and middle-income countries and emerging economies and how global collaboration can leverage this for a new era of global development support. For more information see: http://www.forum2012.org/ ***

eLearning Africa 2012: 7th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training
23rd - 25th May, Cotonou, Benin Focusing on eLearning and Sustainability, eLearning Africa 2012 will explore creative ways in which eLearning can support development and help to build a sustainable future. eLA 2012 will focus on the key themes of sustainable technologies and infrastructure; eLearning for sustainable communities; sustainable change management; eLearning and sustainable resources; and sustainable economy, culture and society. The conference is held in English, French and Portuguese. For more information see: http://www.elearning-africa.com/index.php

CARTOON

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TIPS & TRICKS

How do I delete apps I no longer want on iPad?
With more than half a million applications available on the iTunes App Store, it is tempting - and easy - to fill up your iPad (or iPhone) with apps you use once or twice and quickly lose interest in. Fortunately, Apple makes it easy to delete unwanted apps and free up space for the killer apps you cant live without. Make sure the iPad is turned on and unlocked. On the home screen, or the screen containing the app you want to delete, touch and hold your finger on an app until all the apps onscreen start shaking. You will see an X in the upper left corner of each app. Touch the X on the application you want to delete. A message will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the app. Tap Delete to delete the app from your iPad, or Cancel to change your mind. Deleting the app also removes all associated data, such as saved games or documents, from your iPad. ***

Open Windows Explorer the easy way

Hold the Windows key and press the E key. That's it!

Best regards, Dieter Neuvians MD

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