August 2021 events starkly laid bare the challenge and tough responsibility that the global health community has to tackle and prioritise equity as its central premise. Our new Chair and Executive Director, as part of an incredibly committed Executive Committee and Advisory Board, will continue to work with all current and new members on finding opportunities and partnerships to do this efficiently - and with impact. We invite members to contact the Alliance Secretariat with your ideas and suggestions as we grow as a national peak body.
Twenty-five years after the Taliban first took Kabul city, the world watched as a new generation of educated young Afghan women and men and their families face a terrifying and uncertain future. The Alliance supports all our members who continue to work in Afghanistan and for the Afghan community in their work overseas to maintain health and humanitarian assistance, and here in resettlement to those in need. Myanmar also is months into historic mass peaceful civil demonstrations led by medical universities and health community. Disruption to health services and life has turned back decades of progress in global health with many uncertainties in aid delivery particularly during the pandemic. Australia has a strong and large community of migrants many of whom come from Afghanistan and Myanmar. Our global community must continue to find ways to invest in and protect all their gains.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change latest report came in the middle of a Northern Hemisphere summer that saw fires and heatwaves across North America, North Africa and Europe. As the international community prepares for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in Nov 2021, editors in chief of over 200 medical journals including NEJM, Lancet, BMJ and the MJA have called for action on climate change. Australia’s climate and health researchers and advocates have taken on this challenge with incredible opportunities with existing technology to scale up energy and cultural transition in all sectors including health. The Alliance is seeking to strengthen partnerships for all members in this regard based on the seminal work of members and those all committed to planetary health and climate change and health.
The pandemic of course remains front and centre of daily life. Particularly to those members in states who have been in lockdown for many weeks or months, we extend our solidarity and support. We continue to grapple with resources and vaccine supply gaps in some of the most affected countries – many of them in the Indo-Pacific region. To the individuals at the forefront of the call to vaccine equity who share their expertise through media or other platforms – a grateful thank you and acknowledgement of your actions by the Alliance community. As Madhu Pai said at the launch of theIndependent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response report, “we should see vaccine equity as a matter of justice”. The Alliance supports Gavi (and COVAX), The Global Fund and Unitaid to deliver vaccines and other health tools and capacity to countries globally - while supporting all calls for health and vaccine equity in our own local communities. The Global Fund has just released their 2021 Results Report showing that while some progress was made, key programmatic results have declined for the first time in the history of the Global Fund. In 2020, the number of people treated for drug-resistant TB in the countries where the Global Fund invests dropped by a staggering 19%, with those on treatment for extensively drug-resistant TB registering an even bigger drop of 37%.
September will see in the twentieth year since 9/11 and the 76th United Nations General Assembly. Health equity will remain central in all efforts. While it might seem like a massive unreachable challenge at times, the global health community has made terrific historical gains and will continue to do so with new research, resources and partners.
The Alliance is proud to be part of this amazing Australian global health community in driving our national and international commitments and hopes forwards – with purpose.
Alliance statement on Afghanistan
The Australian Global Health Alliance holds grave concerns for the health and wellbeing of all Afghan people in light of recent events, particularly for the health, safety and rights of women and girls.
Despite long-term conflict, there has been significant progress made to improve the health status and outcomes particularly for women and girls in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. The support of the international community, including the Australian Government, has been instrumental in helping to build a strengthened health care system, which has led to a significant decline in maternal, under-5 and neonatal mortality rates, and an increase in the number of births attended to by a skilled professional as well as women’s access to family planning services and contraception.
Afghan women continue to play one of the most critical roles in the country’s overall improved health status. Afghanistan ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 2008, and since then have made important gains in implementation. With greater access to education and employment, women hold positions as doctors, nurses, midwives and community health care workers; in 2016, women made up approximately 47% of the health workforce. They have been the linchpin on the ground for the country’s polio eradication efforts, and more recently, have played a pivotal role in programs to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Women’s expertise and commitment has been vital in improving the overall health outcomes of all Afghans, and their participation is necessary to maintaining an effective health care system.
As a signatory to the UN Responsibility to Protect principle, Australia has a responsibility to protect and fight for the health and human rights of the people of Afghanistan
Occasional Paper 3: Launch
Actions on HIV and health security are mutually reinforcing: A call for better integration
Join us for the launch of Occasional Paper 3, developed by AFAO in partnership with UNAIDS. Chaired by Dr Selina Lo, Executive Director, Australian Global Health Alliance, the event will place reflections on the paper in the current context of regional health security, and a panel discussion with domestic and international HIV and Health Security experts.
Speakers
Adj. Prof. Darryl O'Donnell CEO, AFAO
Eamonn Murphy Regional Director, Asia Pacific, UNAIDS
Sarah Goulding Assistant Secretary, Human Development and Governance Division, DFAT
Prof. Brendan Crabb AC Director and CEO, Burnet Institute
Tina Boonto Country Director Indonesia, UNAIDS
A/Prof Helen Evans AO Nossal Institute for Global Health
Global Fund Results Report Reveals COVID-19 Devastating Impact on HIV, TB and Malaria Programs
The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the fight against HIV, TB and malaria in 2020, according to a new report released by the Global Fund today. The Results Report shows that while some progress was made, key programmatic results have declined for the first time in the history of the Global Fund.
“To mark our 20th anniversary, we had hoped to focus this year’s Results Report on the extraordinary stories of courage and resilience that made possible the progress we have achieved against HIV, TB and malaria over the last two decades,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “But the 2020 numbers force a different focus. They confirm what we feared might happen when COVID-19 struck.”
Improving rehabilitation practice: do we just need more training? Nossal Institute for Global Health
The Nossal Institute and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are leading a consortium to strengthen rehabilitation services for millions of people in low- and middle-income countries. The consortium are implementing a program, Learning, Acting and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS), with a USD$39.5 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Leahy War Victims Fund. Read more
Prof Julie Bines finalist in the AIDRC Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research: MCRI
Professor Julie Bines, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, is a finalist in the AIDRC Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research for work she has led on a neonatal rotavirus vaccine RV3-BB with teams from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, and Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust. Join the finalists for the 2021 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes at the award ceremony 7:00pm AEST Thursday 7 October.
Use it or rapidly lose it: how to keep up strength training in lockdown: Deakin University
Associate Professor David Scott from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, urged those in lockdown states to keep up some strength training while at home or risk losing muscle mass. Age-related loss of muscle mass starts in our 30s and accelerates as we age. People who decrease their usual physical activity levels can experience worrying changes in lean mass, insulin sensitivity and function in a matter of weeks. Read more in The Conversation.
Landmark study shows simple salt swap could prevent millions of deaths each year: George Institute
Replacing table salt with a reduced-sodium, added-potassium ‘salt substitute’ significantly reduces rates of stroke, heart attack and death, according to the results of one of the largest dietary intervention studies ever conducted. Read the study.
Research begins into new digital tools to support patients and healthcare workers through tuberculosis treatment: Unitaid
A large global study which aims to determine if digital adherence technologies (DATs) can provide more patient-friendly approaches to improve tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes has launched in Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa, the Philippines and Ukraine, as part of the ASCENT project.
The digital adherence technologies studied include medication labels and sleeves, smart pill boxes and video supported treatment that allow for remote communication between patients and healthcare centers.
These technologies respond to a key challenge in TB treatment: treatment is long and difficult to complete, lasting anywhere from six months to two years. Because of this, public health strategies have historically relied on Directly Observed Therapy (DOT), in which a clinician observes a patient taking their medicine each day to ensure adherence. These technologies aim to reduce or remove regular in-person visits required under the DOT model and enable healthcare workers to intervene only when necessary.
ChildFund is supporting vaccination efforts in Timor-Leste
As the global pandemic continues to impact millions of lives around the world, ChildFund Timor-Leste is working with the Ministry of Health to make sure communities in remote and rural areas can access the vaccine and stay safe from COVID-19. ChildFund has helped Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Health distribute vaccines in Iliomar and Lautem – with 11,562 people receiving their first dose and 970 people having received both doses. Read more.
Help RESULTS end poverty for all at the 2021 (virtual) City2Surf
For the second year in a row, the City2Surf is going virtual, and RESULTS would love for you to join them on Sunday 17 October, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, to run, dance, skip or walk 14kms in your local neighbourhood.
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to wipe out a decade of gains in the reduction of global poverty. According to World Bank estimates, 120 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty since the pandemic began. Our work has never been more important. By participating in this special event and fundraising for Results Australia, every step you take will help them advocate for a world without poverty.
Issues in Global Health: A series of discussions from the Nossal Institute
Professor Barbara McPake, Director, Nossal Institute for Global Health, has penned a series on issues related to global health. Recent reflections include:
20 years of health system progress in Afghanistan: what now? As the Taliban resume control of Afghanistan, Professor McPake gives some thought to the impact on the Health Systems. What are the prospects for retaining any of the gains made since 2001?
Sign up to Issues in Global Health to receive regular thought pieces on current issues in Global Health delivered straight to your inbox.
Preventing falls in older adults: new from Deakin University
Falls are a major public health problem and a common cause of injury and death in adults aged 60 years and older, placing significant burden on health systems.
Globally, it is estimated that each year, 30 per cent of older adults experience at least one fall and around 684,000 deaths are caused by falls. Falls are also the leading cause of fractures and injury-related hospitalisation in Australia in people aged 65 years and over.
Health care costs from a single fall are substantial – averaging between $1600 and $5688 AUD. Given our ageing population, the financial cost of falls is expected to rise to around $1.4 billion per year by 2051.
In this piece, IPAN experts detail how exercise and nutrition can reduce the risk of falls and fractures.
Hidden sugars making Aussies’ sweet habit hard to crack: George Institute
Up to two-thirds of ‘hidden’ or added sugars in the Australian diet come from packaged foods, with Australians buying up to 11 teaspoons per person each day in their supermarket shop, according to new research.
ChildFund health project helps Hai see a brighter future
Fourteen-year-old Hai from was born with congenital drooping in one eye. Through a health project supported by ChildFund Vietnam, Hai was able to get his eyes tested. With support from ChildFund, Hai was able to travel to Hanoi to have surgery to treat his condition. Hai is one of 31 children to have received treatment for an eye condition and is one of 4,758 students to have had an eye examination since ChildFund’s project started in 2020. The health project runs preventative health screenings for children in rural areas and helps them access the treatment they need. So far, the project has been implemented in 15 primary and secondary schools in Kim Boi and Tan Lac districts. Read more.
The George Institute to conduct the 'Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey' with partners
The George Institute, in partnership with the Centre for Vision Research at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR), University of New South Wales, Brien Holden Foundation and Macquarie University, has been awarded a tender to undertake the ‘Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey’
RESEARCH IN FOCUS: Malaria Vaccination
New research shows that hundreds of thousands of children’s lives could be saved each year in Africa by combining the world’s first effective malaria vaccine with prophylactic antimalarials.
Devils in the Details – Making sense of COVID-19 | ASHM | Free conference | 10 September 2021, 9am-5pm AEST |Register here
This inaugural, free and open to all, day-long Conference is an opportunity for the Australasian region to hear more about emerging and unpublished science on COVID-19 and to strengthen collaboration between research groups nationally, across our region and internationally. This event is convened by Professor Sharon Lewin, AO, Director of the Peter Doherty Institute and Co-Chaired by Associate Professor Edwina Wright, AM, of the Alfred Hospital and Monash University in Melbourne.
Who can attend? Anyone who has an interest in the latest science and research related to COVID-19 and is open to all – both health professionals, non-specialists and the general public on a complimentary basis.
Postgraduate Webinar Series | Deakin University | Health 9 September, 6-7:30pm; Sport science and exercise physiology, 13 September, 6-7pm; Psychology, 14 September, 6-7pm; Nutrition and dietetics, 16 September, 6-7pm; Paramedicine, 13 October, 12-1pm | Details
Secure your future with a degree shaped by industry leaders. Realise your full potential when you choose to study at Deakin. With a postgraduate degree, you get the flexible study options and support services to help you succeed. If you’re looking for real professional development, not just a qualification, our postgraduate courses set you up for a confident transition into your dream position. Building better health systems [Free Course] | Nossal Institute for Global Health | Enrol now.
The greatest challenges and advances in global health, demand systems strengthening interventions. Nossal has developed an online course to promote systems thinking and build the capacity of global health practitioners to apply health system strengthening tools and approaches to their work. Nossal Institute with the support of UNICEF, are offering a modified version of this course as Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs). Everyone who joins this course gets the full benefits of studying online for free including a Certificate of Achievement on successful course completion.
Giving Voice to the Silent Burden: Maternal Mental Health Technical Consultation | 7-9 September 2021 | 9.30pm - 1:00am AEST | Register
Despite evidence that effective psychosocial and health promotion interventions exist, MMH remains a silent burden that has not yet received the political and programmatic attention it warrants from the global health community. This consultation will inform the efforts to strengthen the MMH research agenda, implementation approaches, and integration within health programs and services. COVID-19 and detention: towards a data-driven global response | University of Melbourne Centre for Health Equity | 9 September, 7.00-8.30pm AEST |Details
This webinar will focus will on the need for reliable, routine, publicly-reported data on health status and services in detention, to inform the global response going forward. Our international panel will consider what data are currently available on COVID-19 infection and responses in custodial settings globally; what additional data are required; and potential opportunities for enhancing global data collection on the health of incarcerated people. This will be followed by a facilitated discussion enabling questions from participants via the Q & A function.
...and for the night owls (international events)
Pumphandle Lecture 2021: Dr Anthony Fauci. COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Remaining Challenges | 9 September 2.30-4.30am AEST | Details
Women’s Economic Development at the Generation Equality Forum: What’s Been Promised and What’s Next | 15 September 1.00-2.30am AEST | Details
COVID, climate and cooperation: what will it take to fix our fractured world. A strategic preview of the UN general assembly | 16 September 1.00-3.00am AEST | Details
📖Applying gender lenses to the interlinkages and synergies between SDGs
Making sure that Agenda 2030 will not leave women behind. Informed by contributions from 47 international academic and development experts from across 14 thematic areas, this report shows that to realise gender equality through the SDGs requires transformation in how gender is understood when SDGs are analysed for implementation, and in particular how SDG5 is treated compared to other SDGs.
🎧 The Burnet's How Science Matters Podcast: Motherhood in a time of pandemic In this episode, you’ll meet Burnet Institute’s Professor Caroline Homer AO, a leading midwifery researcher and maternal and newborn health expert. She talks about the crushing emotional toll of the pandemic on expectant mothers worldwide, alongside the success stories for maternal health. Content warning: this episode discusses miscarriage.
📖Call for Emergency Action to Limit Global Temperature Increases, Restore Biodiversity, and Protect Health Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021, the biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, and the climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom, editors of health journals worldwide call for urgent action to keep average global temperature increases below 1.5° C, halt the destruction of nature, and protect health.
🎧 Podcast: Seeing the full picture ‘Seeing the full picture’ is a special podcast series about systems thinking for health systems strengthening from the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research. It was developed with the George Institute for Global Health.
🎧 Healing Health Podcast: Talking all things COVID with Catherine Bennett Tune in for a special episode of Healing Health featuring a conversation with renowned epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett on what our public health response during COVID-19 revealed about our health systems – the good, the bad and the untold. You can also watch the highlights on YouTube.
Professor Mike Toole, from the Burnet Institute, is a medical epidemiologist and public health physician with 45 years experience working in low-income countries, including Afghanistan. In this piece he recaps the appalling record of the Taliban on women’s health, and suggests strategies for the international community and aid organisations to safeguard the human rights of women and girls, and protect the health gains of the past two decades
PHD OPPORTUNITIES
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University
The Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, has two scholarship positions for PhD candidates for a project using digital health to improve self-management behaviours in people with heart failure. The Smart-Heart ecosystem is part of an NHMRC-funded IDEAS grant. The positions are open to domestic and international students currently living in Australia. Click here for more details.
The George Institute PhD Scholarship Opportunity: Food and Nutrition Research
A PhD scholarship is available for a suitably qualified individual to undertake research studies related to novel ‘Food is medicine’ programs that link the provision of healthy foods into the healthcare system to help patients with non-communicable diseases better manage their conditions. Learn more.
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The Australian Global Health Alliance acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, and pay our respects to their elders, past and present.
