[ad_1]
Thursday's World Malaria Day came with good news: The large-scale launch of an innovative vaccine in Malawi is just one promising new approach to fighting the disease. Others include the introduction of better mosquito nets, insecticides and diagnostic products, new drugs to deal with the persistent threat of resistance and the potential of "gene technology" to eliminate the mosquito that transmits the parasite between humans.
Progress has been made in the fight against the disease among the 21 countries targeted for its elimination by next year. However, the trend is less impressive in some of the most affected countries, such as Nigeria, and is declining elsewhere, particularly in Venezuela, where government failures undermine the health system and impose a heavy human burden.
Much remains to be done to improve data on the impact of malaria, especially to help countries focus their resources. But it is clear that global progress has stagnated, with about 200 million annual cases and at least 430,000 deaths, which imposes a heavy human and financial toll.
The potential or appetite for private sector funding mechanisms is limited, and in preparing fundraisers for the "replenishment" of international funding agencies this year, the amounts invested remain well below levels deemed necessary to combat disease.
Read the report: FT Health: Fight against Malaria
Listen to the podcast: Genetic Reader Technology and Malaria Control
Sign up here to receive free FT Health by email every Friday
Three questions
Abdourahmane Diallo, former Guinean Minister of Health and new General Manager of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.
What is your interest in malaria?
I am from Guinea and I can not say how many times I have had malaria since I was a kid. I am a physician by training and I have had an international career in public health focused on developing countries. I have worked for [US consultancy] JSI and the US President's Initiative on Malaria. I became Minister of Health in 2016 and when I was done, I wanted to go back to public health and help fight a global disease.
What are your priorities at RBM?
We are at a critical stage in the fight against malaria. With the replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria this year, we will intensify the fight. My priority is to call on all governments to play their role. To make the biggest difference, we need to help countries most affected by malaria to find their way through four key responses: political will, strategic data to generate impact, better advice on scientifically proven approaches, and more recent. coordinated response.
What is the probability of ending malaria?
We believe that it is possible to end malaria in our lifetime. But it takes a global collective effort from every angle with all stakeholders to achieve it. Our theme is "Malaria starts with me". We call on just about everyone to contribute: political leaders to maintain their commitment to funding; the private sector; and that the citizens of each country play their part in teaching others and holding their political leaders accountable.
Card watch
Budgeting for health The new official data break down UK health expenditure by funding mechanism, function and provider organization. Public spending accounted for 79% of the total in 2017, a proportion that has changed little since 2013. (ONS)
Summary of news
Vaccination fears grow World Immunization Week celebrated the successes of the vaccination, but also highlighted the damage caused by misinformation in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Ebola outbreak is taking of magnitude.
A new badysis from WHO and UNICEF revealed that more than 20 million children had not been vaccinated each year in the last eight years, leaving 170 million children under 10 years without protection. The main high-income countries where children have not received a first dose of vaccine are the United States – which this week reached record levels of measles since its elimination in 2000 – followed by France, the United Kingdom. United, Argentina and Italy. (VoA, Guardian, Washington Post, Unicef)
Antibiotic alert The bankruptcy of biotechnology has illustrated the catastrophe in the antibiotic market, said the head of the Wellcome Trust: there is no viable path to the market for new medicines, as valuable as they can be to society. One of the possible solutions is to adopt "attractive" incentives that reward well-conducted R & D activities. (FT, Wired)
Sexual health The United States has been criticized for removing any reference to badual and reproductive health in a UN resolution on badual violence. British MPs have denounced anomalies in the right to abortion in Northern Ireland. (BBC, British Parliament)
First line dilemmas Better counseling and training is needed for humanitarian workers in conflict areas facing difficult ethical decisions. When a hospital is bombing, is it better to rebuild in the same place or to move to a safer area that can make access to the premises more difficult? (Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health)
Drugs by drone The world's largest drone delivery network brings medicines, vaccines and blood to 2,000 clinics in Ghana. Health workers will receive their parachute deliveries approximately 30 minutes after placing their orders via SMS. (FT)
Food for thought The WHO has called for industrially produced trans fats to be replaced by healthier fats and oils and completely eliminated from processed foods by 2023. Some British activists have emphasized the limited power of local authorities in restriction of advertising on unhealthy foods, while others called for new monitoring. food insecurity of children. The FT said that meat should justify its presence on the dining tables in the face of concerns about human health, animal welfare and the environment. (WHO, Guardian, Food Foundation, FT)
Indian Health Health care has not yet become a major problem in general elections in India, despite serious problems such as medical expenses that are causing great difficulties. A LGBT clinic dedicated to Mumbai offers respite from discrimination in many state institutions. (The thread, guardian)
Stay active About 23% of adults and 80% of teens are not physically active enough and are at risk of contracting diseases such as obesity. The first WHO guidelines on children's physical activity include recommendations on time spent in front of a screen. Some experts questioned the database of the report. Another study showed that Americans were becoming more and more sedentary. (WHO, Guardian, Jama)
Millennial Malaise A long-standing US survey found that millennia (those born between 1981 and 1996) were not as healthy as their predecessors of the same generation. This trend could have serious implications for the US economy over the next 20 years, including productivity and health care costs in the workplace. (Blue Cross Blue Shield)
Crisis of opioids The US government has brought the first criminal charges against a drug dealer for allegedly fueling the opioid epidemic in the country. President Trump has vowed to continue the fight until the end. (Reuters)
Big Pharma bet big As patents increase and shareholder pressure leads to a reduction in R & D, Big Pharma has bought smaller companies to fill their drug chains. Will the bet be worth it? Pascal Soriot, head of AstraZeneca, talks about the company's attempt to take control of Pfizer. (FT video, FT)
Doubts about dentistry "We have a difficult relationship with dentists as figures of authority," argues a new badysis of The Atlantic. The profession lacks the same level of scientific scrutiny as medicine, which often leads to free procedures. Dentists, however, are ideally placed to help detect diabetes and cardiovascular disease. (The Atlantic, BMJ)
Truth or fear? A BBC series aims to separate medical truth from fiction. (BBC iPlayer)
The best of newspapers
Invest in adolescent health More children than ever before are at risk for diseases due to factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, processed foods and reduced physical activity. Early intervention could generate a high return on investment and reduce the risk of premature death. (BMJ)
Health emergencies Half of all deaths worldwide are due to medical emergencies such as accidents, falls and burns (22%); heart attacks (17%); pulmonary infections (11%); and stroke (7%), with a much higher incidence in the poorest countries. The improvement could come from strengthening health, transportation, training and communication systems. (BMJ)
Medical misinformation Medical journals have an important role to play in mobilizing and coordinating the response of the health community to medical misinformation. (Jama)
Transgender health The story of how a man built the largest study on transgender people in the world: the European network for the investigation of gender incongruence. (Nature)
A hidden disease Thousands of non-smokers die of lung cancer due to air pollution and other carcinogens, but this disease is still considered a "smoker's disease". Screening for the disease has long been controversial. (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, The Economist)
Fantastic trip Surgeons have been able to pilot robotic devices such as catheters for some time, but a new "standalone" model uses artificial intelligence and image processing to reach its destination. An badogy consists of a fighter pilot and a fighter jet: "The fighter aircraft badumes routine tasks, such as flying the plane, so that the pilot can focus on the higher-level tasks of the mission." (Science Robotics)
Best meal of the day Missing breakfast could mean an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. (Journal of the American College of Cardiology)
Podcast of the week
Traveler Health The travel community suffers from health problems due to problems with access to health and education services. How can general practitioners and hospitals support this neglected group? (BMJ, 28m)
Join the debate
FT Health is free to read – please forward and encourage others to sign up here
Contact us via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or email [email protected]
Previous Edition: The fight for women's rights
Latest news on www.ft.com/health and Twitter @ FTHealth
Final thought
Greta Thunberg, 16, a climate change activist and Asperger's victim, has conquered the world, but too many people with autism still face cruel treatment. (The Guardian)
Source link
