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Global Health Connections
July 2022

We are going to take a short summer break in August. We'll be back in your inbox in September.

UNICEF: COVID-19 Pandemic Fuels Largest Continued Backslide in Vaccinations in Three Decades

"This is a red alert for child health,"warned Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director, in a communiqué issued in partnership with the World Health Organization warning that global vaccination coverage continued to decline in 2021. "We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunization in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives." Stacey Knobler, vice president of Vaccine Innovation & Global Immunization at Sabin Vaccine Institute, responded: "Childhood immunizations have long been the bedrock of stopping diseases that have historically killed and maimed countless people. If we are to reverse this backslide, we must act quickly and carry forward as a global collective the critical lessons from COVID-19 vaccination to work both with and for communities to strengthen immunization systems, especially for the most vulnerable." The release further cautions that this historic regression in childhood vaccination rates is taking place in parallel with rapidly rising rates of severe acute malnutrition. Read more here.

AMR Typhoid: Easier-to-Retrieve Data Helps Countries Know When to Vaccinate

"We developed [a method] that enables countries to determine typhoid incidence data without sophisticated surveillance infrastructure. It uses blood from finger sticks, gathered in the community or schools," said Stanford physician Jason Andrews of a new study he conducted with fellow physicians, including Stanford's Steve Luby, that was recently published in The Lancet. Validated in a host of countries, they found that the pin-prick tests can provide valid typhoid incidence data to countries that lack an easy way to determine how much of a problem they have. With information from the data, countries can choose to vaccinate—it's the best intervention against multi-drug-resistant typhoid in much of the world.

To combat the "silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance" (AMR), the WHO has called to develop more AMR vaccines. The CDC also released a report on COVID-19's impact on AMR in the US. Read more about the rise of antibiotic-resistant typhoid and the Stanford study here and here.

Congressional Leadership in Global Health Honored

Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria hosted a "Celebration of Bipartisan Congressional Leadership in Global Health" in Washington, DC, on July 13. The event honored champions of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, having saved over 44 million lives to date. The honorees were Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and representatives Kay Granger (R-TX), Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Barbara Lee (D-CA). Friends board members presented awards to the Bay Area honorees: former US Global AIDS Coordinator Dr. Eric Goosby (UCSF) to Speaker Pelosi and Maurine Murenga, executive director of the Lean on Me Foundation in Kenya, to Rep. Lee. The Global Fund's Executive Director Peter Sands and the new PEPFAR coordinator, Amb. John Nkengasong, were featured speakers. President Bush and Bill Gates offered video remarks. The US is hosting the Global Fund's seventh triennial replenishment, September 19-21 in New York City.

Pictured above: At left, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. At right, Representative Barabara Lee

Supreme Court's Dobbs Decision Alarm Bells

The Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade sent shock waves through the global health community. Bay Area Global Health Alliance members have issued statements and conducted dozens of interviews as the country—and the world—struggle to understand the decision's devastating impact. "Women have been put in jail when abortion is criminalized," Anu Kumar, president and CEO of Ipas, told NPR's Malaka Gharib. The Global Fund for Women warned, "Abortion bans … disproportionately harm historically marginalized people, including Black, Indigenous, and low-income communities." And in an email statement to NPR, Population Services International's Dr. Milly Nanyombi Kaggwa, senior clinical advisor for Africa, offered some hope, "Abortion is still available in the vast majority of the world. The effects of restricting or banning abortions in many US states are dire – but as the Global South's experience underscores: all hope is not lost." Individual articles and statements from Alliance members are included in the sections below. They can also be seen together here.

Mastercard & JSI Bring Portable Digital Health Records to Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health has partnered with Mastercard, JSI, and Gavi to bring portable, digital healthcare records to the country. The chip card, called the Wellness Pass, offers rural and marginalized communities improved access and portability through efficient healthcare tracking and offline storage of patients' medical data. The portable health credential will be accessible in connected and offline environments. Read more here.

Merck Launches Digital Sciences Studio to Bring Healthcare Innovations to Market

Merck recently launched its Digital Sciences Studio (MDSS), a biopharmaceutical accelerator program to advance innovation in drug discovery and development. "The MDSS will provide a collaborative and entrepreneurial setting where scientists have access to the tools and expertise to fuel important innovations that advance drug discovery and development," said Fiona Marshall, senior vice president, Discovery, Preclinical and Translational Medicine at Merck Research Laboratories. Read more here and apply here.

*Merck & Co. Inc., Rahway NJ, USA (known as MSD outside the US and Canada) (“MSD”).

Welcome to Our Newest Members

We extend a warm welcome to the Eleanor Crook Foundation and the Friends of Chidamoyo. The Eleanor Crook Foundation is fighting to end global malnutrition through research, policy analysis, and advocacy, and Friends of Chidamoyo supports the efforts of the 100-bed Chidamoyo Christian Hospital in northwestern Zimbabwe. We look forward to working together to promote equity and innovation in global health. Read more.

Innovations in Digitizing Distribution of Health Products: Current Trends in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya & Uganda

Join the Alliance, Salient Advisory, and Population Services International as we examine the findings of Salient's recently released market intelligence report on commercially driven innovations in health care supply chains in Africa. The report results from a longitudinal study of more than 80 digital health innovators in African health technology ecosystems. Findings from innovating early-stage start-ups to established companies like mPharma inform the report, which highlights key trends shaping the growth and impact of digitized distribution in health care across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda.

The conversation will be held on July 20 at 8 am PT and will feature Remi Adeseun, director for Africa, Salient, Dunni Lawal, engagement manager, Salient, and Martin Dale, PSI's director of Digital Health and Monitoring and Alliance board member. Register here.