Global Health Diaries

Atlas of Torture

2009-11-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

This is worth checking out! The Atlas of Torture website was launched in April 2009 by a group at the University of Vienna. You are invited to send your feedback to the development team if you should you find that any of the information is incorrect or incomplete.

Thank you. Amineh

http://www.atlas-of-torture.org

An Independent Project

The Atlas of Torture website is a project of the Human Dignity and Public Security team at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM) in Vienna, Austria. It intends to provide an objective overview of the situation of torture and ill-treatment around the world. The website's content is provided by a team of researches, headed by Prof. Manfred Nowak, who has served in numerous functions as independent human rights expert, including his current appointments as chairperson of a police inspection commission of the Austrian Human Rights Advisory Board, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights. While the Atlas of Torture website builds on the extensive experience of the project's staff, it is an independent project. Any views expressed on the website are solely attributable to the authors in the function as researchers at the Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights.

Project Purpose & Major Components

The project's purpose is to:

* raise awareness of the legal framework governing the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment;

* compile information on states' (non-)compliance with their obligations under international law to prevent, criminalise, investigate and prosecute cases of torture and ill-treatment;

* analyse the underlying structural causes contributing to the continuing practice of torture.

Addressed to human rights professionals in governmental and non-governmental institutions, academics, journalists and the interested public alike, the website hopes to offer a useful resource tool by pooling relevant documentation and jurisprudence from United Nations bodies, regional human rights mechanisms and leading NGOs on the issue of torture and ill-treatment. In addition, summaries and legal analyses provided throughout the website are intended to render existing information more easily accessible. The combination of geographic and thematic approaches is also reflected in the major components of the Atlas of Torture website:

1. The section Country Situations will gradually be filled with short country profiles, comprising a brief overview of the political and historical context, a synopsis of the most recent official documents regarding the situation of torture and ill-treatment, and a compilation of relevant documentation and jurisprudence.

2. The section Topicsis designed to offer an introduction to the legal framework governing the prohibition and prevention of torture, as well as to give an analytical overview of related issues such as the non-refoulement principle, the right of victims to remedy and reparation, and other special issues.

3. The News section keeps track of the latest legal and political developments relating to torture and ill-treatment in international and regional human rights bodies, country specific trends, conferences and other relevant events.

4. To increase the usefulness of the Atlas of Torture project for as wide an audience as possible, the section Things You Should Know includes a glossary of legal terms, expressions and human rights institutions referred to throughout the website, and refers to further online resources.

Digital Tools to Help Global Health

2008-07-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

http://dghdigitaltools.pbwiki.com/Digital-Tools

Dear all, Many people emailed me to say they wanted notes from our News You Can Use session in June regarding digital technology.

To help people keep up with all the technology, we have created this very simple wiki site to track useful digital tools. So far, we have information on the following: gmail, Google Calendar, iGoogle (create your own home page), Google Map (public transit feature), Facebook (UW Global Health has a Facebook account), Twitter, Blogger, Slideshare.net (upload your presentations), Podcasting (audio and video), Digital Storytelling (the ridiculously easy way).

Thanks to Zied Mhirsi, MD, MPH, and the people at Podcamp Seattle who provided great tutorials.

Please log on and comment so our digital toolbox will improve!

- Bobbi Nodell, UW Dept of Global Health

Ebola-A chance to put recent lectures to practice

2007-12-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

Looks like our we didnt have to do an outbreak investigation simulation exercise in class! There was an epidemic happenning miles away in Uganda unbeknoweth to us! How the epidemic was handled is another matter for the IHP bloggers to debate! There are reports that the index cases appeared in August but were not publicised until after the large Common Wealth meeting ended. So while delegates were deliberating in the capital city, ebola a disease with case fatality 50%-100% case fatality was spreading! The government explains that, and I quote "the government delayed to declare the disease due to long and tedious laboratory test procedures"
[Monitor Newpaper]-Read "long and tedious" means sending blood sample to a level 4 laboratory at CDC in Atlanta, Georgia!
For Ebola which has no effective treatment, was the government right to wait for laboratory confirmation before deciding to warn the public or starting control measures? The the saga continues...Especially given the fact that the epidemic presented in a similar way to the past Ebola epidemics epidemics presented except that it was a slightly different strain!

So for students of epidemiology! Here is a chance to draw the epidemic curve or interpret one and suggest ways of controlling this epidemic with over 20 people dead. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_12_07/en/index.html

Moses

Where HIV figures deliberately inflated!

2007-12-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

post from Dr. Bateganya.

The following paragraphs are excerpted from a Ugandan newspapers. The authorseems to think that HIV figures may have been deliberately inflated to getfunding and later reduced to show that the money worked. Interesting that I am even considering it!
Come to think of it there are countries where prevalence of HIV just dropped even without doing anything! of course if more people died the prevalence would drop! And who wouldn't be praised for reducing the prevalence? Which donor would not be happy to get reports of falling prevalence!The question is are countries under declaring HIV figures to show that donormoney worked? You can access the entire article by clicking here.

There was also a deadly inter-play of donor and “native” politics. To get more funding and international attention for Aids, as the recent UN report seems to acknowledge, the numbers of cases were blown up.But once the money was flowing, to keep the taps open it was important todemonstrate that the funds were making a positive impact. This required thatinfection rates be shown to be falling, and if they weren’t, well, easy, makeup the numbers.Because the bulk of money to fight Aids came from external sources, not taxrevenues, our governments never made the mental shift that prioritized healthexpenditure over, for example, defense or paying for the comfort of presidents and their entourages.Because that mental shift never happened, there was no accompanyinginstitutional change in our health sector. Therefore if you take away thedonor Aids money, and foreign experts, Uganda in 2007 is probably where it was in 1985. At the private level, many heroic who “survived” Aids to live apositive too, did so because of their individual spirit and that proverbialUgandan resilience, not because an elaborate infrastructure had been built that helped them.... Onyango Obbo

Nice reading

Moses

Uganda: Circumcision may not help

2007-11-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

This op-ed was originally published in The Monitor (Kampala) on
12 November 2007

Dr. Moses Bateganya

I write to share my opinion with others following an article that quoted President Museveni’s speech to the youth. I write to add my voice on the issue of “the role of male circumcision in Uganda’s fight against HIV.”

Male circumcision is a promising addition to Uganda’s HIV preventive strategies and once implemented it has potential to reduce HIV infection among circumcised males. Uganda and the rest of the world are fortunate to have an additional intervention that will support the fight against the epidemic. However wide-scale implementation is premature in Uganda.

First, although several research studies that compared circumcised and uncircumcised males in several African countries including one from Rakai district in Uganda showed that circumcised males were less likely to acquire HIV than their uncircumcised counterparts, there is a big difference between what can be achieved in a study setting and the results of a public health intervention. Conditions in a clinical trial are carefully controlled and results may not really be as glowing as those from a study situation where both the study staff and participants are well motivated.

For example while side effects from surgery were minor under study conditions, they may be enormous under field conditions given the current challenges faced by Uganda’s hospital surgery departments such as few and less motivated personnel, lack of proper equipment, shortage and frequent stock out of drugs and consumables.

Secondly, there may be behaviour disinhibition where people who are circumcised may incorrectly assume they are not at risk of HIV infection. Such an incorrect conclusion may lead individuals who are HIV-negative at the time of circumcision to maintain or increase their current level of HIV-risk behaviour putting themselves and their sexual partners at risk.

Similarly, HIV positive individuals may seek surgery and incorrectly think they will not transmit HIV. Hospitals implementing circumcision may not have the capacity to screen all their clients for HIV before offering circumcision, thus circumcised males may create another risk category in HIV prevention.

Male circumcision may also take away resources and attention from other prevention methods that have effectively reduced the HIV prevalence in Uganda, namely abstinence, faithfulness and condom use. In fact, those prevention efforts have already earned Uganda the coveted position as an international success story in reducing the number of people being infected with HIV (though this assertion is still being questioned and is an open debate; what worked in Uganda?).

The cost for each circumcision in the Rakai study was over $60. This is a cost ten or more times the annual budget for health for an individual. Is it worth diverting the prevention budget away from methods that seem to work for a fraction of the cost to try something that has only been tested in a study setting? I don’t think so.

Dr. Moses Bateganya is based at the University of Washington, Seattle

Punishing an Entire Population

2007-11-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I wrote the op-ed piece below to fulfill one of the assignments for my Problems in International Health course with Dr. Steve Gloyd. As many of you know, Dr. Gloyd encouraged us to submit our work to newspapers for publishing. We'd love to post your published/unpublished work on IHP blog too. Please feel free to contact me with any questions on how to do this if you are interested.

Looking forward to reading you. Amineh

Punishing an Entire Population

Following Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip last June, Israel tightened its siege over the area to an unprecedented level. Israel declared Gaza a “hostile entity’ in September, threatening to impose economic sanctions against the territory and to further restrict the passage of food, supplies and people. Israel’s policy of collective punishment will only deepen an already dire humanitarian crisis, and lead to grave public health consequences in the most densely populated area in the world.

In late October, Israel commenced its policy of fuel cuts and reduction of Gaza's electricity supply in order to pressure Hamas in response to cross-border rocket attacks. Israel also closed border crossings into Gaza, leaving only one of six entrances open. Since the so-called disengagement in 2005, Israel has been restricting access and controlling borders to Gaza, while denying responsibility for the still-occupied people there.

Sanctions will reduce gasoline imports by about 50% and fuel for Gaza's power plant by 12%. These resources are critical for the livelihood of the already impoverished Strip. Gaza relies on Israel for all its fuel and most of its electricity needs. Fuel is required to produce the electricity that Gaza generates locally. Electricity is needed to pump water and to operate sewage management plants, as well as hospitals and other infrastructure. According to the Humanitarian agency Oxfam International, seven water wells in Gaza City did not operate as usual due to fuel shortage, which decreased the quantity of water supplied to 50,000 people by about 75%. The restrictions on the entry of goods into Gaza have also caused shortage of materials needed for repairs and maintenance of sewage plants. Sewage plants must operate 24 hours per day to prevent sewage floods and spread of disease.

Israel claims that its policy of fuel cuts of up to 15% is a “non-violent” way of increasing pressure on Hamas. An ongoing state of siege that cuts off food, medicines and fuel is not a “non-violent” act. According to the World Health Organization, most of the population is already living under the poverty line, and suffers from malnutrition. Starving civilians as a method of warfare is illegal under article 54 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

At what expense do we play politics with the health of an entire population?

Our experience with sanctions in the Middle East has taught us that subjecting a population to economic embargo does not work. Such sanctions primarily harm innocent people. Why is this a lesson unlearned? Looking back at the sanctions against Iraq, we know that restricting the imports of medicine and food into the country caused terrible public health consequences. Malnutrition among children became widespread, and according to UNICEF, child mortality tripled in the first year of sanctions. Water-borne infectious diseases such as cholera and typhoid spread and accounted for 50 percent of total deaths among children. 500,000 Iraqi children under age five died due to the economic sanctions in Iraq.

The Israeli siege has severely reduced the flow of fresh food, especially fruits and dairy products into Gaza. Exports are also greatly restricted, resulting in paralysis of the territory's economy. Prices have more than tripled, causing severe hardship for the poorest sector of the population. The unemployment rate now stands at 50%, and poverty has surpassed 85 percent. Critically ill Gazans seeking to leave to receive life-saving medical treatment in Israel or Egypt are trapped within Gaza. Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, president of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society and former Minister of Information stated that at least ten patients have died since last month because they were denied access to treatment. Such conditions also have serious mental health consequences. The majority of Gazans are suffering from feelings of anxiety, frustration, and hopelessness, according to Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj, president of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program.

The international community should speak out against the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and hold responsible key players accountable for protection of civilians. Israel should have earnest goodwill at the upcoming peace talks and must fulfill its obligations under international law by lifting the siege on Gaza and opening its borders immediately. The United States would do well to play a more sincere role in peacemaking in the Middle East, and involving other parties who are serious about seeing peace prevail in the region. After all, a genuine and viable peace is the only solution to Israel’s dilemma, not sanctions.

Global Warming and Public Health

2007-10-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

When I was in Niger this summer, I saw the effects of global warming firsthand. This is a picture of a place where Lake Chad used to be. The people who lived in the town where this picture was taken described their memories of the days when they would sell truckloads of fish from the Lake. Global warming is threatening both the economy and the health status of people living in Eastern Niger.

When I thought about how my flight to and from Niger was contributing to this, I felt guilty.

I think that one of the moral dilemmas we face as "global health" people is the fact that we regularly contribute to global warming. I was really pleased to find out about TerraPass. Every time you fly, you can donate money to fight global warming:

http://www.terrapass.com/

The Fall Welcome Picnic

2007-09-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Stephen Bezruchka and Mary Anne Mercer for hosting the annual Fall Wlecome Picnic for current and former students, staff and faculty of the International Health MPH program, and staff and directors of Health Alliance International and the PLP. Wlecome everyone!

2007-09-27T19:09:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to say hello to all the new IHPers...welcome to the program!! I just returned from Niger, where I was doing research for my thesis and practicum. I did an internship with Helen Keller International (HKI). The purpose of our research was to evaluate HKI's rehabilitation program for acutely malnourished children.

Unlike most non-profit organizations in Niger, HKI works with the Ministry of Health. Other NGOs prefer to set up private clinics that operate independently of the government health system. After having HSERV 531 and hearing Prof. Gloyd stress the importance of building the capacity within government health centers, it was great to work with a NGO who actually does this. Although working within health systems may be more challenging, the resulting capacity building is arguably more valuable in the long run.

Also, if any of you speak French and are interested in doing research in Niger, please let me know and I can connect you with NGOs in the country.

Looking forward to meeting you all on Saturday!

Katie

Happy 60th Birthday Steve!

2007-08-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

Lyrics by Sarah Frey with help from all IHP Coordinators from the last 20 years: Linda Lovick, Liz Mogford, Julie Beschta and Julie Brunett. James Pfeiffer on guitar. Sung to tune of "O-Bla-Di" by the Beatles.

O-Bla-Steve

Some-times he’s ex-e-cu-tive of HAI

Some-times he directs the IHP

Some-times he’s the go-to-guy for PLP

And soon he’ll be one of the Chairs of GHD

IHP, PLP, Fa-mi-ly, Bra!

How does Steve Gloyd do it all?

HAI, GHD, and Marim-ba!

Watchin’ all that basket-ball.

Rain or shine he always rides his bike to work

Birkenstocks and shirts from A-fri-ca

Home-made sandwich bread and pocket ca-len-dar

Evenings home with Salim, Mussa, and Ahou-a

O-bla-Steve, O-bla-da, life goes on, Bra!

How does Steve Gloyd do it all?

All those jobs, two huge boys, super wife, Ah!

Green hel-met in case he falls.

And in his of-fice you’ll find a few key things

(doo-doo, do…)

Big jar of mayo, some pisco sours

A suit and tie for high meetings

(ha ha ha ha ha ha ha)

Happy ever after spreading global health

Structural adjustment is the key

Turn the system round so folks can help them-selves

And put the money back into the Mi-ni-stry.

Obla-di, obla-da, life goes on, Bra!

How does Steve Gloyd do it all?

Mozambique, Cote d’Ivoire, and Sudan, ah!

Traveling from Fall to Fall.

And now he’s six-ty with de-cades left a-head.

(doo-doo, do, doo-doo…)

Because he bikes and runs up the stairs,

And hits the gym each nite, ‘fore bed

(ha ha ha ha ha ha ha)

Often he’ll hang out to chat and socialize,

(Email, cell phone, calendar in hand….)

Fam’ly man, a good friend, and musician too,

And always working hard to stick it to the man!

IHP, PLP, Fa-mi-ly, Bra!

How does Steve Gloyd do it all?

HAI, GHD, and Marim-ba!

Watchin’ all that basket-ball.

And if you want some fun…

(ha ha ha ha)

Sing O-Bla-Steve-Bla-Da!

UW MPH Student Reporting from Ramallah

2007-07-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share with you Cindy's first report on the new Palestine Health Journal Blog. To view Cindy's report, please click here. Cindy is an MPH student in the CO-PHP track.

Nairobi Photos

2007-06-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

A friend forwarded me this link and I thought I would share with all of you. They are beautiful pictures.

http://www.nairalan d.com/nigeria/ topic-51356. 0.html

If you happen to be in kenya, feel free to email me (lmasese@yahoo.com) and we can meet.

Positioning to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment - A strategy to gaining relative health equity

2007-06-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

The continued increasing allocation of financial resources to HIV and AIDS globally not only demands maximizing response to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment but also redirecting the unprecedented resources towards Strengthening Health Systems....

The response to public health .... Mozambique, Ethiopia.... more to come .... and many to follow, the leadership model based on values by the people and for the people!

New York Times
June 18, 2007
Editorial

Two Cheers on Global AIDS
Now that the Group of 8 industrialized nations has pledged to commit $60 billion to combat AIDS and other diseases around the world in coming years — a substantial sum by any reckoning — Congress and other national legislatures ought to look hard for additional funds to close a looming gap between the funds committed and the needs of desperate patients.
The advanced nations — both the G-8 countries and other donor nations — have greatly increased their funding for AIDS programs in recent years in belated recognition that the epidemic threatens to destroy not just its victims, but also the social and economic fabric of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We are pleased that President Bush has proposed spending some $30 billion to combat AIDS abroad over a five-year period, from 2009 to 2013, but in truth that represents only a modest increase from the spending trajectory we were already on. At its recent summit meeting, the Group of 8 pledged to commit $60 billion to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria “over the coming years,” including the American contribution.
Yet even these pledges will not be enough to keep up with the devastating epidemics. Tens of billions of dollars more will be needed to provide treatment, care and preventive services for AIDS alone over the next five years.
Although the Group of 8 pledges are welcome, they actually represent a retreat from previous goals. In 2005, at its meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, the group pledged to provide “as close as possible to universal access to treatment” for all people suffering from AIDS by 2010. That should mean at least 10 million people in treatment by then, judging from estimates by United Nations AIDS experts. Yet at the recent meeting, the G-8 said it was aiming to treat only some five million patients in Africa by an unspecified date. That sounds like consigning millions of untreated people to death and disability.
To its credit, the United States has been by far the largest AIDS donor in recent years, providing almost half of the funding commitments made by donor governments. But when measured against the size of the national economy, the American donations rank only fifth. There is room to do more.
As Congress wrestles with the fiscal 2008 appropriations bills this year, it ought to provide the full $1.3 billion being sought by Congressional health advocates as the American contribution to a global fund to combat the three diseases — not just $300 million as proposed by the administration or the $850 million approved by the House Appropriations Committee. Congress should also set the nation — and by its example, the world — on course toward universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010.

Link modification

2007-06-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

If the earlier link does not work, please try this for sure! Apologies for inconvenience.

I yet have to learn my tubing and afraid you guys have to register facebook to access this link, however it is a simple process. Enjoy

http://washington.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2403598419&saved

We were born to make a difference! Graduation Ceremony

2007-06-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, colleagues and faculty members,

Here is the link to Professor Steve Gloyd address on the eve of graduation ceremony at South Campus. Among many other things, Steve admired the passion and the public health activism we all carry very close to our hearts for health and social equity!

http://www.facebook.com/video/editvideo.php?v=2403598419

Congratulations to all graduates in advancing their careers towards making a difference in the Global Health!!

Thanks to all of our loving faculty members. Peace

PLP Celebration Pics & Video

2007-06-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

I remember PLP's first year clearly. My housemate, Nandini Johri, was one of PLP's 2001 fellows. Through her I became acquainted with Aaron Katz and the PLP program. It is quite impressive remembering the achievements of the program and its fellows.

Here is a link to pics Zied and I shot at the event and a video/slideshow as well. Hope you enjoy the live performance of the graduates. It was quite touching and a must-see.

I also learned a lot at the ceremony about the IHP/HAI story/team. Wow, what a fun team. There is a thread that connects most of them: MUSIC. Yes, they all play an instrument of some sort, dance or sing. I hope to make a short video about the IHP/HAI story and post it on our blog. Hope Steve Gloyd, yes, Liz and the rest of the team would hold a live performance for us sometime in the coming year.

Here is a pic of the IHP program coordinators from 1992-2007. Liz Mogford was the first coordinator and Sarah Frey is the current coordinator (she sings too and performed at Folklife with her band).

Julie, Liz, Sarah, Julie

Tariq will be posting footage he shot soon. Stay tuned.

More IHP/PLP/HAI Annual Celebration Pix

2007-06-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a few more pix from IHP graduation party.

Thanks to Ahoua and Steve for the festivities and hosting a wonderful gathering.

Congratulations to all the graduates.

Public health nurses - greater role in working with others to make child and family poverty history

2007-06-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Article title: Development of the role of public health nurses in addressing child and family poverty: a framework for action
Authors: Benita E. Cohen & Linda Reutter
OnlineEarly Articles
Journal Name: Journal of Advanced Nursing
Click here to go to the abstract of this article in Blackwell Synergy:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.04154.x

The Global Health - Social and Health Equity Around the Globe

2007-06-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

To all IHP, PLP graduates:

Let’s keep the IHP/PLP promise for keeping the public health activism alive where ever we intend to make a difference; Transnational or Transatlantic, Africa, Asia, Australia or America; whether it is environment driven or WE have to drive the environment!

Good luck to everyone around the globe for making the difference in the Global Health!

Zeid and Amineh, I am trying to put the graduation movie on the blog, however unable to do so, please tell me the secret.

Wendy is in the PI !

2007-06-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

IHP is everywhere from the NYT to the PI. Here you can read wendy's article !

Our own Steve Gloyd in today's paper!

2007-06-06T22:48:00.001-07:00

Health
New AIDS Cases in Africa Outpace Gains
By SHARON LaFRANIERE
Published: June 6, 2007
For each sub-Saharan African who was placed on anti-AIDS drugs last year, experts say, five more were newly infected.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/health/06aids.html?ex=1338868800&en=da5a069eedec75f1&amp;ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Receive IHP Diaries Posts in your Inbox

2007-06-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

dr. bz' talk

2007-05-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

hello all,

yesterday amineh & i attended stevie beez' 2 hour symposium about the social determinants of health at the school of social work. the majority of the people in the audience were social work students or social workers themselves.

dr. b went through spoke about his history & his metamorphosis from initially believing that individual actions begat specific health outcomes 2 later believing that socio-political & or socio-economic factors may be even more important factors. he stated that he came to that conclusion in 1993 but he did not go public with his beliefs until 1995. he told the story of how he harangued patients who were smokers when he saw them in the emergency room until he saw statistics from japan (the industrialized nation with the worlds' highest life expectancy) apparently the japanese have a much higher rate of both alcohol use & smoking yet..........there is a higher life expectancy. why??????? dr. b thinks that it has to do with" wa" a japanese idea of group harmony thus a built in social support network. he asked the audience members if they had ever seen japanese tourists taking pictures et al... by themselves.

1 of the audience members stated that the japanese idea of "wa" worked because japan is a homogenous society but............ the author interjected that it's just not true.

japan has always been multi-ethnic from ancient times there have been interactions with indo-malays, chinese, koreans indians etc... few people outside of japan or more precisely the japanese korean community are aware of the fact that that 25% of the people killed during the bombings of hiroshima & nagasaki were of korean descent. iinyhowz.......the author stated (when he was so mercilessly put on the spot by dr. b) that what is going on in japan is the belief that everyone can achieve (to a certain extent) whether they are multi-ethnic or not.
another audience member asked if there were similar examples of "wa" in the u.s. & dr. b told the story about an italian american settlement in rosetta , pennsylvania whose impoverished & oppressed inhabitants had higher health indicators than the general population while living in their isolated community but... upon moving out to the general populace their health declined.

he also talked about early childhood & even prenatal influences on lifelong health via biological embedding, secure attachments & even what our grandmothers stressors were when they were pregnant.

i'll wrap this up by saying that he emphasized that we must treat populations, not individuals. the countries with the best health outcomes are the 1z with the least amount of income disparities & with good social gvt. networks a.e. sweden, & that the 3 main factors that got japan to where it is today are democratisation, decentralization & demilitarization.

there was of course a lot more but....... if you want to learn about it go to the source.

a dyos
Santiago
p:s,

i don't know where dr. b findz the time 2 amass all of the in4m8shun that he duz...itz soooooo inspiring :)

Agathe' s talk this morning

2007-05-31T11:56:00.001-07:00

This morning Agathe Jean Baptiste spoke about the Cuban and Haitian Health Systems including her training under the Cuban system and her introduction back in Haiti's health system. It was a fascinating talk and we all appreciate Agathe's insight, charisma, and experiences. If you missed the lecure, here's a picture of Agathe in action, and you are invited to post any questions for Agathe or the broader IHP community about this topic!

To view presentation, please click.

Irreverent words on Don’t Listen to This Show

2007-05-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

There is a weekly show here of "Progressive Activism and Politics at UW" hosted by Matt Dundas that finished up its first year today. I was fortunate to be the last guest. Go the website:
http://dontlookatthiswebsite.org
for this outrageous hour.

Stephen

IBRD revisited or renewed

2007-05-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

Has the World Bank become an anachronism? Is it out dated, out of touch or out of synch with "world" norms?

Originally the Internatational Bank for Reconstruction and Development arose from the cinders of WWII and an intention to recapitalize Europe's industrialied capacity. For almost 40 years this work has all but been completed leaving an increasing concentration of capital in its reserves to be leveraged at the whims of its governors.

A few structural problems accompanied this legacy that do not necessarily indict the utility
of such an organization, but nevertheless place it in a critical if not precarious position to influence global welfare. The first involves the changing nature of the "world" as bankers perceive it. The birth of a "public " bank that is dedicated to collecting, managing and redistributing the green power of public assets through leveraged lending is a new concept.

Banks have predominantly been privately held for profit businesses over the ages. Apart from credit unions and lending societies forund in smaller communities, banks remain a core tool of private capital dedicated to self-preservation and increased control. The World Bank has been an attempt at serving the economic development of nations rather than individuals or corporations. Has it succeeded? The answer is yes and no. As the soverignty of nations receeds into the hands of super elites, and as corporations in republics are afforded similar if not superior legal rights to individuals, the consequence of the Bank's policies and actions have trickled down to serve public welfare less well. In fact an identity crisis seems to have emerged as Bank officials scramble to redefine their mission and focus to truly assist populations rather than the infrastructure that serves them.

The second involves increased communication and subsequent awareness of eachother thanks to the development and application of new technologies. The World Bank is indeed a lush place from which to conspire for the benefit of global economic prosperity and it has access to the latest and greatest of these tools. As public health is seen more clearly as a concept through which individual and collective wellbeing/welfare can be improved, the link to better productivity for all expressions of human endeavor will follow. We must continue to work dilligently to demonstrate to our colleagues within the Bank how to leverage their assets to enhance health on the planet. Apart from those political appointees at the top, they are among the best educated and potentially thoughtful global public servants. They have the means to concentrate and invest resources where they can make a huge contribution to stability among the least secure regions of the earth. Let us conspire to influence their policies and actions by clarifying values that that bring people together and demonstrate that healing and empowering human beings is more profitable than fueling the conflict making machinery of the status quo.

The Cult of Powerlessness?

2007-05-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hello IHP comrades.

We were fortunate to have Dr. Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange give another dynamic presentation here on campus about democratizing the global economy. His talk was well attended. Even Steve was present.

Dr. Danaher believes that a renewed commitment to social justice and human rights is essential for eliminating terrorism. A longtime critic of the so-called "free trade" agenda, Danaher explains how the US must work harder than ever with other countries to reduce poverty and inequality if we want the cooperation of the world's people in ending terrorism. Dr. Danaher is also the author/editor of 11 books, including his latest, Democratizing the Global Economy.

Here is a video I shot of Dr. Danaher answering important questions asked by Julia and Zied of IHP. Many thanks Julia and Zied!

The following websites Dr. Danaher shared in his presentation. They are neat and hope you check them out.

http://kiva.org
"Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world-empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty"

http://secondlife.com
Second Life is an online global virtual world.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts.

Friday Seminar : Cervical Cancer Prevention in Kenya

2007-05-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide and one of the most preventable and treatable cancers. Dr. Vivien Tsu, a Senior Adviser for Research at PATH, presented last Friday at seminar about cervical cancer early detection and treatment programs in rural Kenya. She discussed strategies that worked and the challeneges involved.

Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH)

Solar Powered Flashlight

2007-05-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Check this out: A flashlight that will run for 5 hours on 10 hours of solar charging.

There's an article in today's NYTimes about it as well, which you can find here.

Also neat is the "Buy One: Give One" strategy the company is taking; for $25 you can get one for yourself, as well as sending one to Africa (albeit through US charities, but it still seems like an innovative solution to me).

African Universities

2007-05-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

The NY Times has a fascinating, tragic article about the state of Dakar's Cheikh Anta Diop University today. For all our discussions around the brain drain, the harmful effects of structural adjustment policies, and workforce issues, there is nothing quite so powerful as seeing how all these issues are affecting real people. It's hard not to contrast these Senegalese students' experiences to our own here in Seattle, and it seems to me critical that we keep human aligned with the macro policy issues that we concern ourselves with.

Link to article

21 solutions to save the world

2007-05-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

As many people know, I think of large scale issues and consider what needs to be done as operating at that level, despite what I do on a daily basis. The May/June issue of Foreign Policy has a feature on what needs to be done. It can be accessed at http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3783
and individual solutions read that way. One can also use the UW electronic journal to get to a pdf form of the journal is you want that.

There might be some interesting issues to discuss.
I liked chess champion Kasparov's global magna carta, because today's problems will require a new way of considering people on the planet.
My favourite piece is Gardner's look at inequality (for the US) and his solution makes eminent sense.
Eberstadt highlights the problem well, but is quite constrained in what to do about saving Russians. Their declining health had nothing to do with changes in medical care.
I was intruged by Duflo being a professor of poverty alleviation, a first to my knowledge. Throw money at it? No, stop exploiting!
I was not impressed with the professor of defense analysis at the Naval Post-graduate school's ideas.
Domain naming was something I hadn't considered before, so maybe this is a reasonable way to work. Or maybe the sugar bowl, or the sock?
Prahalad suggests the business model, exemplified by Amul in India is the way to go. Amul was successful because it was a cooperative. Maybe we can learn something there.
HOmer-Dixon espouses experimenting. That is what we have been doing since the dawn of civilization 5000 years ago. We know what works. It just depends on who it works for. The current system has produced phenomenal wealth very successfully.

Others' thoughts?

STephen

Response to Curse of Resources

2007-05-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Countries that have wealth such as oil, diamonds and other resources are now considered to have a curse. Interesting concept, namely that a country's resources should not be for its people, but for investors of corporate-centered globalization. Some countries in South America are considered economic nationalism, with Venezuela leading the way. Nigeria, with fabulous wealth is one of the world's poorest countries. Their oil wealth has been extracted but there is some resistance there that you won't read about in the mainstream press. It does reside, however, in the business press, since investors need to know what is going on in the world. The rest of us need to be told we are anxious, and suffering from Massive Insecurity requiring us to purchase the products advertised there (May issue of Oprah magazine). But the following piece from today's New York Times business section points out what some people in Nigeria are trying to do to recover from their curse. Their efforts are probably not supported by some grant from a charitable organization, as the revolution will not be funded. Stephen

NYT May 16, 2007

Nigerian Oil Production Falls After a Pipeline Hub Is Overrun
By LYDIA POLGREEN
NDJAMENA, Chad, May 15 -- Young protesters have overrun an oil pipeline hub in the volatile Niger Delta, the authorities said, helping to cut Nigeria's oil production by about 30 percent as the country weathers a period of instability after a deeply flawed election last month.
The protest, by activists of the Ogoni tribe in the Niger Delta, is the latest violence among ethnic militias that have attacked pipelines and other facilities since the election last month returned the ruling People's Democratic Party to power with wide margins.
The European Union called the election, which was marred by fraud and intimidation, not credible, and Nigerian observers demanded a revote.
Since May 7, a group of protesters in one of the oil-producing states has occupied a Chevron oil field, and in a neighboring state, Bayelsa, a militant group called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has bombed three pipelines, disrupting the flow of nearly 100,000 barrels a day for the Italian oil company Eni. The disruptions helped push oil prices in New York to $63.17, up 71 cents a barrel.
More than a dozen foreign workers are being held hostage in the Niger Delta, and dozens more have been kidnapped and released in the last year as violence in the oil region has escalated. Despite producing most of Nigeria's foreign currency earnings, the Niger Delta is one of the poorest regions of the country.
Militants in the region have said that they plan to escalate their attacks in the weeks leading up to the inauguration of Nigeria's president-elect, Umaru Yar'Adua. He was declared the winner of an election that international observers said had been marred by ballot stuffing, intimidation and incompetence by electoral officials. Mr. Yar'Adua has said he plans to make developing the Niger Delta a priority.
But these promises have made little impact on militants, who vow to increase their attacks. In an e-mail message, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said: "Our objective remains the same, to destroy the Nigerian oil export industry and compel the government to address the injustice in the Niger Delta."

Gaps in the Silk Road: Health Disparities in Northwest China

2007-05-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Brenda Schuster is an RPCV from Uzbekistan and Uganda. She lived in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region for 2½ years, and has traveled extensively throughout Central Asia and Western China.

The Monday brown bag seminar team had the bright idea to invite Brenda to share her experience and present some of her thesis results. I really enjoyed her talk. It was an amazing eye opening presentation on the reasons behind the poor health outcomes among the indigenous peoples of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Dr Stephen Bezruchka recorded this talk ( available on this link) and Brenda kindly accepted to share her presentation

French PSA Condom Promotion

2007-05-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

These (somewhat sexually explicit) animated French ads for condoms are fantastic. If only the US were half as progressive...

Check them out here.

The Responsibility of the Diaspora Communities

2007-05-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

A few days ago IHP sponsored a talk by Dr. Alice Rothchild, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Harvard University. Alice presented narratives about issues of health and human rights violations in Palestine and read from her recently published book "Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience". Alice told stories of Palestinian pregnant women and the effect the Israeli occupation has on their daily lives, specifically the effects of restrictions on movement. A recent example of what Alice talked to us about is the shooting of a pregnant Palestinian woman, Maha, by Israeli soldiers, killing her 7-month-old unborn baby. Emergency teams were prevented from reaching Maha's home.

The Israeli attacks pose immediate danger to mothers and children in particular, which ranks high as the cause for indirect deaths in the area. Access of mothers to post-natal health care services is frequently blocked due to Israel‘s separation wall and the presence of hundreds of Israeli military checkpoints throughout the West Bank. A recent study on perinatal and in
infant mortality published by John Hopkins University found that four out of every 1,000 Palestinian children born die before age one due to Israel‘s restrictions on movement on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Alice wrote in a concluding chapter in her book "I wonder whether the ongoing occupation, dense matrix of bypass roads and checkpoints, and the growth of Jewish settlements have actually made a viable two state solution a physical impossibility. I wonder how two peoples with such a history of trauma and loss can heal their many wounds, and what is the responsibility of the Diaspora communities." In a recent conversation with Dr. Barghouthi, Palestinian Minister of Information and President of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society stated that Israel‘s continuous breaches of international law undermined the potential for peace. I believe that medicine is not separate from politics and a people's right to health in Palestine can only be achieved when there is peace in the region and when we see an end to the occupation.

So, "what is the responsibility of the Diaspora communities" and the international community? What can we do from here?

10 years later a new step

2007-05-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

It was nearly 10 years ago in 1997 that we started a rudimentary IHP website on my own web account and later we moved it to ihp own location. The first website was actually for Steve's class and then we had one for MAM's class and then IHP website. Many people worked on these first websites and I am glad that today IPH is moving into this arena of Blogs.
Congratulations!!!!
Jawad

28

2007-05-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

I got linked to the book's website from one of the emails Tariq forwarded to the ihp mailing list. I thought the book was a great way of capturing human stories - and not just statistics.

The website has the following in its 'About the Book' Section:

"For the past six years, Stephanie Nolen has traced AIDS across Africa, and 28 is the result: an unprecedented, uniquely human portrait of the continent in crisis. Through riveting, anecdotal stories, she brings to life men, women, and children involved in every aspect of the pandemic, making them familiar to us in a way they never have been before. In the process, she explores the effects of an epidemic that well exceeds the Black Plague in scope, and the reasons why we must care about what happens.

In every instance, Nolen has borne witness to the stories she relates, whether riding with truck driver Mohammed Ali on a journey across Kenya; following Tigist Haile Michael, a smart, shy fourteen-yearold Ethiopian orphan fending for herself and her baby brother on the slum streets of Addis Ababa; chronicling the heroic efforts of Alice Kadzanja, an HIV-positive nurse in Malawi; or talking to Nelson Mandela and his wife about coming to terms with his own son's death from AIDS.

These stories reveal how HIV works and spreads; how it is inextricably tied to conflict and famine and to the diverse cultures it has ravaged; how treatment works, and how people who can't get treatment fight to stay alive with courage and dignity against huge odds.

Writing with power and simplicity, Stephanie Nolen makes us listen, allows us to understand, and inspires us to care. Timely and transformative, 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa is essential reading for anyone concerned about the fate of humankind."

May be some of us will be able to capture such stories as we work in our respective fields. If not a book, this blog might be a place where we can share some human stories.

Friday seminar : Ethiopia and Pakistan under the spotlight

2007-05-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

The friday seminar theme for this quarter is about " Global health successes and failures " and it was Tariq and Afework turn this week to share their experience and knowledge about respectively Pakistan and Ethiopia. I will try to make their presentations available on this blog as soon as I get them.

community

2007-05-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Afework is here. As is Zied and of curse Katie
For noe after the 510 class we have a moment in community. part is speaking in N AFRICAN FRENCH, others in Haitian Francais, Agathe et arrivee........ We will some of us go down to the library to create a logframe...... another extension, another projection, another expression to happen spontaneously.

Community: Catch it if you can!
It heals!!

Blogging IHP...

2007-05-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you dear friends for supporting and joining this blog. Emily and Charlene just informed me about this blog and this one. These are two interesting example of global health blogging but, in my opinion, we should not try to resemble to what already exists and we should try to create our own thing. Certainly IHP Diaries is about global health but it is also about keeping a community connected. We share a set of principles of values, some of us are faculty and alumni based in Seattle, others are students and graduates working overseas but we are all part of the same community.
There is no need to be formal or conventional. feel free to share and this blog editorial line will come into view within the coming months.

Advanced Symptoms of Advanced Degrees

2007-05-10T01:50:00.000-07:00

Humorous article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

IHP into the Blogosphere

2007-05-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to help launch our International Health Program's entry into the blogosphere. This new "IHP Diaries" blog provides yet another mechanism for the IHP family to converse and share experiences about the critical issues of our time. Over the years I have been continually amazed at the depth and breadth of ideas that emanate from our group - and how it helps all of us frame our understanding of the many global issues that relate to health, equity, and justice.

This new IHP blog will provide yet another forum for this exchange - and I expect the conversations to be as exciting and insightful as always. Moreover, I'm hoping that we can learn new and innovative approaches for our collective global health activism. A luta continua!

Congratulations to our IHP students, and especially Zied Mhirsi, for making this happen!

Steve