Unitaid is pleased to support the new Global Initiative to end Cryptococcal Meningitis deaths by 2030, launched on May 12 2021 by key partners in the Cryptococcal Meningitis Advocacy Group. This target will help bring renewed focus on preventing the deaths of those living with HIV. Cryptococcal Meningitis (CM) is a major cause of mortality among people living with HIV, accounting for 15% of the global 690,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2019 alone. An opportunistic infection, it primarily impacts those with weakened immune systems and is fatal if left untreated.

Screening for a weakened immune system – detected by low CD4 counts – and cryptococcal antigens at the same time as HIV is crucial if the goal of eliminating deaths from Cryptococcal Meningitis is to be achieved, as this enables patients to access treatment in good time before the disease progresses. Access to screening is also important during the course of HIV care. Read full story.

Eating a moderate amount of nuts is linked to better cognitive performance in older adults, new research from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University has found. Lead researcher Dr Sze Yen Tan found that there were cognitive benefits for adults over 60 – such as immediate and delayed recall, verbal fluency, processing speed and attention – who consumed half to one serving (or 15.1-30g) nuts daily. This would be equivalent to about 20 almonds or 10 whole walnuts each day.

Dr Tan said eating a handful of nuts a day was a simple dietary strategy that improved cognitive performance as well as other well-established health benefits: nuts are a good source of protein, good fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals. For the study, Dr Tan and team analysed the nut intake and cognition of 1814 participants aged over 60 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) in the US. The study was funded by the INC International Nut and Dried Fruit Council. 
 

"As vaccinations against Covid-19 ramp up across Europe and North America, many people are welcoming hugs from loved ones, restaurants and beaches are reopening and a return to a sense of normality in many countries is beckoning. In much of the rich world, the prospect of eliminating COVID as a public health threat is on the horizon. Yet the pandemic remains devastating in many of the world's poorest countries and communities.

Inequality is usually the biggest hurdle to clear in the race to end diseases. We have been here before with the deadliest and the most recent pandemic – HIV. Forty years ago this year, the first cases of Aids were reported. In the intervening years, over 77 million people have become infected with HIV and over 34 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide..."

Read the full article, authored by Peter Sands (Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria) and Winnie Byanyima (Executive director of UNAIDS) which appeared in the The Telegraph UK.

In May, the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) recommended the Australian Government expand the eligibility for HPV self-collection in its world-leading National Cervical Screening Program. If accepted by the Federal Government, the expansion will allow self-collection for all women and people with a cervix aged 25-74, not just for those who are under-screened and over 30.

Earlier this year, VCS Foundation together with the University of Melbourne, both partners in the Centre for Excellence in Cervical Cancer Control (CRE C4) released new evidence showing HPV self-collection is just as accurate as a sample taken by a clinician, and is highly acceptable to under-screened women in Australia.  

Commenting on the news Professor Marion Saville AM (left), VCS Foundation, said “We’re delighted with the MSAC recommendation and hope the Government will act as quickly as possible to update the current policy which would enable a significant uptick in screening participation. Self-collection is a huge step forward, as it gives women more control over the process by allowing them to take a sample themselves."

VCS will soon be launching the HPV Self-Collection Clinical Audit for GPs and Nurse Cervical Screening Providers. The clinical audit is a RACGP CPD Accredited Activity available for the 2020-22 triennium, and is also accredited by ACRRM, APNA and ACN.

You’re invited to Results' upcoming call on global education!

Join Results' welcome call on Tuesday 16 June, 7:30pm AEST, and discover how you can join their global movement to raise hands and fund education.

Currently, around 250 million children are denied an education due to COVID-19. Never before have so many children been out of school at the same time. We know education is essential for children to dream and thrive. Which is why Australia must join world leaders in ensuring the COVID-19 pandemic does not undo hard won gains to improve global education.

You can help make this happen. Register today

The first wide-ranging study to look at whether healthy food prescriptions lead to better diets and healthier patients suggests there could be some truth to the saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’

Researchers from The George Institute for Global Health and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University reviewed 13 healthy food prescription programs that either subsidised, or directly provided healthy foods like fruit and vegetables as a form of medical treatment. They found people not only ate more of these foods, but also saw improvements in weight and blood glucose.  Dr Jason Wu, Program Head of Nutrition Science at The George Institute, said that healthy food prescriptions could be beneficial, especially for people with limited access to such foods and those with certain medical conditions. Read more.

SARS-COV-2 or COVID-19 continues to pose unprecedented challenges. Although the pandemic has raised necessary global attention and placed health on top of national and global political agendas, it has severely strained health workforces and highlighted the strengths and weakness of our health systems. The Asia-Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) invites you to browse the new hub on their website, which shares different resources on the challenges and lessons learnt across countries to strengthen health systems globally, and support the fight against existing, emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases.

The Fred Hollows Foundation has welcomed Jane Madden as its new Board Chair after paying tribute to former Victorian Premier John Brumby, who retired as Chair yesterday during The Foundation’s Annual General Meeting.

Jane has a passion for international development and more than 25 years’ experience across the public and private sectors, with positions at the most senior levels of the Australian Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Austrade and Prime Minister and Cabinet, and diplomatic postings to Japan, South Africa and France, including as Australia’s Ambassador to UNESCO.

“I was delighted to join The Fred Hollows Foundation’s Board earlier this year, and I’m now doubly honoured to be entrusted with the role of Chair,” Jane said. "The Foundation is an organisation I’ve long admired. I believe its determination to deliver on Fred Hollows’ vision of a world where no person is needlessly blind is an important goal, especially as the world grapples with the difficult consequences of the pandemic.” Read the full release.

A Fiji National University (FNU) collaborative research project shows that a minimal government investment in reducing salt intake could prevent 234 heart attacks and 72 strokes, resulting in 131 Fijian lives saved, and saving the government nearly $2million (FJD) each year. 

The study was carried out by Health Technology Analysts as part of a collaboration between the Pacific Research Centre for the Prevention of Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases (C-POND), a WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention and Management at the Fiji Institute of Pacific Health Research (FIPHR), the research arm of the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences (CMNHS) and leading Australian Universities.  Read the full report here.

As the pandemic progressed, several countries in the region introduced or expanded access to telemedicine services to maintain essential medical care as face-to-face visits were deemed unsafe thus making telemedicine critical for care delivery. George Institute India team led a narrative review to outline the potential role of telehealth in augmenting health systems capacity in the WHO South East Asia region.

The review highlights that governments, policy makers and implementation agencies have been facing a number of challenges prior to the pandemic, a predominant one being lack of policy support to foster implementation of digital health interventions. Lack of robust primary care systems and non-existing referral pathways result in overburdening of health systems capacity at secondary and tertiary care centres. Read more.