Health

  • March 20, 2012

    Symposium on Sustainability

    Written by
    Tricia Petruney
    E. Megan Davidson Averill

    The human population surpassed seven billion in October 2011, a milestone noted by many concerned about our planet’s capacity to sustain additional billions in the coming years. Inspired by this milestone, FHI 360 hosted a symposium on “Population, Development, and the Environment: Integrated Solutions for Global Challenges” on February 19, 2012 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Vancouver — one of the world’s largest and most diverse general scientific gatherings. Presented with our colleagues Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka and Vicky Markham, the symposium follows on a 2010 Policy Forum in the journal Science that addressed the ways in which population growth intersects with other areas of human development, including reproductive health, social and economic development, and environmental sustainability.

    First, we highlighted the connection between sustainability and the 215 million women worldwide who have an unmet need for family planning. In particular, we demonstrated how improving women’s access to contraceptive choice positively affects other areas of human development such as maternal and child health, educational attainment, HIV prevention, gender equity, and social and economic development. We underscored the critical role the scientific community has in further examining and addressing these essential connections.

    We also shared the preliminary outcomes of a groundbreaking project in Uganda that aims to improve the health of both human communities and mountain gorilla communities, demonstrating that economic development and environmental sustainability can go hand in hand.

    Finally, we explained how the United States has an essential role to play as it represents only 1/20 of the planet’s population but consumes one quarter of its natural resources. We looked at the impact of these factors on both the global environment and on women around the world.

    The session was very well attended. Our audience included scientists, engineers, development workers, students and technology professionals, all of whom expressed enthusiasm about our message that healthy people and a healthy planet are interdependent.

    Connections are at the heart of sustainable development — connections among population growth, reproductive rights, global and public health, food security, livelihoods and environmental preservation. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with champions from diverse fields to achieve truly comprehensive global health and development.

  • March 8, 2012

    SMARTgirls: Voices from Cambodia

    This month, Degrees is sharing stories from participants in SMARTgirl, an FHI 360-led program aimed at preventing and mitigating the impact of HIV among entertainment workers living in Cambodia. The program provides peer education and social support, and improves access to HIV and reproductive health services. SMARTgirl treats entertainment workers respectfully and celebrates their positive qualities. SMARTgirl is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

    • Somany’s struggles

      Twenty-three-year-old Somany is a transgender entertainment worker who has HIV. Social stigma from the community and ostracism from her family leave Somany with a deep sense of loneliness and isolation. Speaking candidly to a SMARTgirl support group, she related how every day feels like a...

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    • Lang’s secret

      My name is Lang. My parents and friends back in my hometown don't know what I'm really doing here in Phnom Penh. They think I'm studying English and training in a wedding reception center...

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    • Sopheap’s strength

      Sopheap was born male but, at age 10, realized she identified as a girl. Because Sopheap’s parents feared other people’s responses, she wore boys’ clothing until age 17 “because I had to go to school and my parents didn’t like me wearing girls’ clothes.” Since then, Sopheap’s parents have...

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    • Sineng’s diagnosis

      Sineng, 21, works in a beer hall in Phnom Penh, where her job is to serve and entertain men. Sometimes she sells sex to make extra money. In the last month, she was diagnosed with HIV. Sineng fears how the virus will affect her health, her relationships and her job. Afraid and timid, she stood...

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    • Nguyen’s Day

      Twenty-six-year-old Nguyen's1 husband is a shoemaker, but his income of approximately 40 U.S. dollars a month is not enough to support them and their two children. To help make ends meet — including paying the monthly rent of 30 dollars on their one-room home — Nguyen supplements the household...

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    • Kimthy’s Story

      My name is Kimthy1 and I’m living far from home, where my son and mother are. I’m selling sex in Phnom Penh, and it’s a lifestyle I want to keep quiet about. My hometown community already dislikes me, so I’m not going to tell them what I do or that I’m HIV positive...

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    • Celebrating International Women’s Day all month

      Today is International Women’s Day. Rather than celebrate it for just one day, FHI 360 will pay tribute to women throughout the month of March by sharing stories from participants in the SMARTgirl program...

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  • February 14, 2012

    ‘Get Yourself Tested’ Interactive Video

    STDs are no party. Click on the image above to view an interactive video about them.

    Talking about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is no easy matter, especially when speaking to youth. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) enlisted FHI 360 to assist with a new project to educate young audiences about STDs (also called sexually transmitted infections or STIs).

    The mission is to convince youth to get tested and treated. The challenge was to convey the message without sounding parental, preachy or patronizing. FHI 360 met that challenge by helping CDC and its partners MTV, Planned Parenthood of America and the Kaiser Family Foundation develop an interactive video for their joint Get Yourself Tested, or GYT, campaign.

    The video lets you scroll, click and listen in on different conversations between people at a house party. After each conversation, icons pop up to link to key information ranging from where to get tested to STD basics and tips on talking about STDs. Check out the video this Valentine’s Day, and beyond.

  • January 20, 2012

    Cholera in Africa: The need for enhanced preparedness and response activities

    VOA’s health correspondent Linord Moudou talks to FHI 360’s Dr. Doyin Oluwole about the cholera outbreak in Mali. Dr. Oluwole works as the Director of the Center for Health Policy and Capacity Development at FHI 360.

    For more infmoration about cholera, visit the WHO Cholera Topics Page.

  • January 17, 2012

    Climate Change and Health

    Written by
    Janet Robinson, Director of Research, Asia Pacific Region, FHI 360

    On December 4, 2011, I attended the inaugural Climate and Health Summit in Durban, South Africa. The Summit was organized by Health Care Without Harm and other organizations and occurred simultaneously with the Conference of the Parties (COP-17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The goal of the Climate and Health Summit was to bring together actors from key health sectors to discuss the impacts of climate change on public health and solutions that promote greater health and economic equity between and within nations.

    Climate change has brought about severe and possibly permanent alterations to our planet. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) now contends that “there is new and stronger evidence that most of the global warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.” These changes have led to the emergence of large-scale environmental hazards to human health mainly in the following areas:

    • Poorer air quality and increased pollution leading to respiratory disease
    • Increase in the spread of infectious diseases including diarrheal disease and insect-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever
    • Reduction in the availability of land for farming due to floods, droughts and other dramatic weather changes, which leads to poverty and malnutrition
    • Increase in the number of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and heat waves, which leads to substantial morbidity and mortality as well as economic loss
    • More forced migration as families move to find food and water and end up living in crowded and under-resourced refugee camps

    The impacts of climate change on health are, and will continue to be, overwhelmingly negative. To make the situation worse, the majority of the adverse effects of climate change are experienced by poor and low-income communities around the world, which have much higher levels of vulnerability to these impacts. This was a hot topic in Durban, where it was argued that the more developed countries should pay “climate debt,” that is, compensate the poor for damages suffered as a result of climate change.

    One thing is certain: Climate change IS happening. It also impacts human health. Governments, societies and individuals need not only to adapt to the changes that have occurred but also to take steps to mitigate any further damage to our planet. There is no Planet B!

    Janet Robinson is the Director of Research, Asia Pacific Region, and the Global Director of Laboratory Sciences for FHI 360 based in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Watch videos and join the conversation at our LIVE coverage of the Climate and Health Summit here.

  • December 29, 2011

    Diabetes in Africa: What are the challenges?

  • December 20, 2011

    IYWG: Youth—My Past and Their Future

    An Interview with
    Ward Cates, MD, MPH, President of Research, FHI 360
    To start, we’d like to know a little about you as a young person. What were you like as a teenager?

    Well I’ve never stopped being a teenager…so just like I am now. My priorities then were girls, sports, and grades – and in what order depended on the time of day.  Now they’re family, sports and work…ditto.

    What were you told about sex when you were a young person?  Who gave you this information?  What else do you wish you had been told?

    The first time I heard about sex was when someone told me that my father put his thing in my mother to create me.  I think I was about 7.  I didn’t believe them, so I asked my mother. She gave me a book that she had ready for the occasion. My father came by that night and uncomfortably asked if I had any questions; when I said I didn’t, he was relieved.  But I keep reading voraciously (for a teen!) and became the age appropriate sex education source for my social network.

    We have a few questions for you about the state of the world’s youth today. First, what is the biggest issue currently faced by youth?

    Establishing their self-esteem and developing a sense of security in a rapidly changing, increasingly transparent world.

    What is the most important thing that could be done to improve the health and well-being of today’s youth?

    Providing a supportive environment in which youth feel they can control their own destiny. It’s important to avoid a sense of fatalism where they feel that their future is in the hands of others – from criminal forces to supernatural beings. Hopefully we can empower youth to feel that they can control where they will end up in life.  This sense of control is a necessary foundation for all of us, not only youth, to move forward and be accountable for our actions.

    Finally, please share a little about your work with youth. Why is the health and well-being of young people especially important to you?

    Because youth are the future. Each generation builds upon itself, and today’s youth are tomorrow’s adults. We (the slightly older than teenage generation) need to understand and value that our future is in their hands.

    What is one thing about youth that you wish you better understood?

    How to better manage their normal impulses so that youth can make better decisions for their future.

    How will the growing interest in treatment as prevention impact youth sexual and reproductive health?

    Treatment as prevention affects all ages.  It’s as important for youth as it is for older persons to be aware of their HIV status. If infected, they can obtain treatment which will not only improve their personal HIV prognosis but will also reduce their capacity to transmit the virus to others.

    The Interagency Youth Working Group (IYWG) is a network of nongovernmental agencies, donors, and cooperating agencies with an interest in improving the sexual and reproductive health of young people. As the secretariat for the IYWG, FHI 360 serves as the point of contact for the global dissemination of information on youth sexual and reproductive health research, programs, and materials.

  • December 14, 2011

    Mobilizing Critical Family Planning Content

    Written by
    Piers Bocock, Director, Knowledge for Health Project, FHI 360

    A version of this post originally appeared on K4 Health Blog. Reposted with permission.

    She stood there, in beautiful red robes, with a small, serene baby bound firmly to her back. “This document is our bible,” the woman said as she cradled the green volume, in a way that was both matter-of-fact and full of awe. The book she was referring to is the vastly popular collaboration between WHO, USAID, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public of Health: Family Planning: a Global Handbook for Providers. “The Handbook,” as it is known around the world, was first published in 2007 and has been updated with new content this year. More than 500,000 paper copies have been distributed, with tens of thousands of electronic copies downloaded and distributed on CDs and flash drives. The Handbook has also been translated into nine languages.

    Here in Dakar, at the 2011 International Conference on Family Planning, the Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project, led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs (JHU•CCP), has distributed thousands of updated Handbooks in French and English, and taken orders for tens of thousands more. But this Conference has also provided us the opportunity to broaden the reach of this critical content, by launching a portfolio of technology-based versions of the manual.

    During the Conference, the K4Health Project launched the English and French versions of the Handbook in EPUB and Kindle formats, allowing the handbook to be read on a variety of platforms including iPads, iPhones, Kindles, and other eReaders. Perhaps the most exciting product release was the first version of K4Health’s Android App for Contraceptive Eligibility (ACE), based on the Contraceptive Eligibility Criteria from the Handbook. ACE allows a healthcare provider to quickly and simply identify the most appropriate contraceptive methods depending on a woman’s health conditions. Alternately, it can also be used by a provider to learn more about any of the contraceptive methods in the manual, their effectiveness, and their side effects. “This is incredible,” said a young man from Ghana who supervises a cadre of community health workers. “This means that we can carry the handbook in our pockets, even when there is no Internet or mobile connection.”

    At K4Health, we strive to combine appropriate information technology with knowledge management best practices to ensure that the right information is made available to the right people at the right time in the right format. We believe that by making this seminal text available through a variety of formats, we can contribute to expanding access for service providers and health workers at all levels of the health system. This will improve knowledge and best practices about Family Planning and Reproductive Health, thereby expanding awareness about choices that women have to make informed decisions about their lives, their families, and their futures.

    The Knowledge for Health (K4Health) project is a leader in health information dissemination using traditional and new media mechanisms and in facilitating information use through dynamic learning and exchange programs. K4Health is implemented by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs in partnership with FHI 360 and Management Sciences for Health. Find more information about K4Health here.

  • November 28, 2011

    World AIDS Day 2011

    In observance of World AIDS Day on December 1st, we will be sharing personal perspectives on how HIV has impacted our lives over the last 30 years and where we will be in the future. Check back each day until World AIDS Day for posts and videos from our staff.

    Share your perspectives: How has HIV impacted your life over the last 30 years?

     us your perspectives and thoughts. Include #WorldAIDSDay and @FHI360 to add to the conversation.

    • Who Gets the HAART? Policy Implications for a Limited Resource

      The rapid scale up of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV infection has been a global health success. On World AIDS Day (December 1, 2011), UNAIDSestimates we currently have 6.6 million HIV-infected people on antiretroviral agents (ARV), a number that was inconceivable less than...

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    • FHI 360’s HIV/AIDS Work in Action

      For the last 30 years, FHI 360 has been committed to addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS in all corners of the world through solid research and innovative programs...

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    • Visioning the End of AIDS

      During the past few years, the world has made remarkable progress toward defeating the HIV epidemic. According to reports from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), new HIV infections have dropped 21 percent since 1997 and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses have decreased by 21...

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    • HPTN 052 Study: Implications for Treatment as Prevention

      Leading up to World AIDS Day, there have been rallying calls to scale up HIV prevention and treatment services around the world. When it comes to treatment as prevention, there is little doubt that the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 052 study has played an important role in furthering our...

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    • Non-communicable Diseases on World AIDS Day: What’s the Connection?

      Peter Lamptey, President of Public Health Programs at FHI 360, discusses the link between HIV and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and why FHI 360 is investing in developing platforms to help manage the burden of NCDs.

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    • Magic’s HIV Announcement (20 years ago)

      Recently, I was reminded that my research on HIV started 20 years ago and at the time, I didn’t know it. November 7th, 1991 was the day that Magic Johnson announced that he was/is HIV positive...

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  • October 5, 2011

    #WhyForeignAid

    Only the Start

    This timely event was only the start of a very important conversation. We invite you to join us and our partners – PSI, PATH, ONE, and World Vision – and lend your voice to the conversation taking place at #WhyForeignAid.

    Tell Us – Why is Foreign Aid Important?

    To add to this important discussion, watch the video below and give us your thoughts by including #WhyForeignAid in your tweets. Follow the conversation, stay engaged and help us keep this discussion strong.

    • How does foreign aid improve lives?
    • Why is foreign aid is so important for building stronger economies, saving lives?
    • What are examples of funds well spent?
    • Why do Americans need to care?