Health, Education, Social Protection News & Notes 25/2009

Health, Education, Social Protection News & Notes 25/2009 A bi-weekly newsletter supported by GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) 29 November 2009 You can download back issues (2005 - 2009) of this newsletter at: http://hiv-prg.org/en/newsletters

Table of Contents: NEWS FROM THE GERMAN BACKUP INITIATIVE .......... 4 Annual Report 2008: A New Era for the Global Fund ............................................................. 4

BOOKS ................................................................................ 4 Climate Change in Africa......................................................................................................... 4 Climate Change and Global Health: Linking Science with Policy ........................................... 4 Overcoming Fragility in Africa - Forging a New European Approach ..................................... 5 EU Report on Policy Coherence for Development.................................................................. 5 Achieving Better Value for Money in Health Care................................................................... 5 Social Health Insurance: A Guidebook for Planning ............................................................... 6 Social Health Insurance for Developing Nations..................................................................... 6 The Global Gender Gap Report 2009 ..................................................................................... 6 Respect, Protect and Fulfill: Legislating for Women’s Rights in the Context of HIV/AIDS ..... 7

ONLINE PUBLICATIONS .................................................... 7 HIV - AIDS - STI ........................................................................................................... 7 AIDS epidemic update 2009 ................................................................................................... 7 New UNAIDS Journal - Outlook 2010: Fresh perspectives .................................................... 7 Progress Towards Global HIV Targets: Challenges in Monitoring National Indicators .......... 8 Meeting Report: WHO Technical Working Group on HIV Incidence Assays.......................... 8 Accuracy of serological assays for detection of recent infection with HIV and estimation of population incidence: a systematic review .............................................................................. 8 Guidelines: Clinical Management and Treatment of HIV Infected Adults in Europe............... 9 Exceptional epidemics: AIDS still deserves a global response............................................... 9 HIV/AIDS and Disability: Final Report of the 4th International Policy Dialogue...................... 9 Disability and HIV/AIDS - a systematic review of literature on Africa ..................................... 9 Helping My Child Stay Healthy: For Carers of HIV Positive Children ................................... 10 Rates of virological failure in patients treated in a home-based versus a facility-based HIVcare model in Jinja, southeast Uganda: a cluster-randomised equivalence trial .................. 10

Sexual & Reproductive Health ................................................................................... 10 Gateways to Integration: Linking Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS .............. 10 Unintended Pregnancies in the Middle East and North Africa .............................................. 11 Benefits of Meeting the Contraceptive Needs of Ugandan Women ..................................... 11

Maternal & Child Health ............................................................................................. 11 The Global Assessment on Women's Safety........................................................................ 11 Women's Safety Audit: What Works and Where?................................................................. 12 Promoting gender equality to prevent violence against women............................................ 12 Partnering with Men to end Gender-Based Violence............................................................ 12 Science in Action: Saving the lives of Africa’s mothers, newborns, and children ................. 13 The State of the World’s Children - Special Edition .............................................................. 13 Child Health Now: Together We Can End Preventable Deaths............................................ 13 Count Every Child - the right to birth registration .................................................................. 14

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Toolkit for Positive Change: Providing Family-focused, Results-driven and Cost-effective Programming for Orphans and Vulnerable Children............................................................. 14 Missing: Children without parental care in international development policy........................ 14

Malaria........................................................................................................................ 14 The Lambaréné Organ Dysfunction Score (LODS) is a Simple Clinical Predictor of Fatal Malaria in African Children .................................................................................................... 14 Cost-effectiveness analysis of rapid diagnostic test, microscopy and syndromic approach in the diagnosis of malaria in Nigeria: implications for scaling-up deployment of ACT ............ 15 Time for a “Third Wave” of Malaria Activism to Tackle the Drug Stock-out Crisis ................ 15 Predicting the impact of insecticide-treated bed nets on malaria transmission: the devil is in the detail ................................................................................................................................ 15 Malaria Advocacy Innovation Grants .................................................................................... 16 Artemether-lumefantrine in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falcip. malaria..... 16

Tuberculosis ............................................................................................................... 16 Understanding and challenging TB stigma: Toolkit for action............................................... 16 Isoniazid preventive therapy for people living with HIV: public health challenges and implementation issues........................................................................................................... 17

Other Infectious Diseases .......................................................................................... 17 The Neglected Tropical Diseases: A challenge we could rise to – will we? ......................... 17 Clinical management of human infection with pandemic (H1N1) 2009: revised guidance... 17 Dengue: Guidelines for Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention and Control ............................... 18

Essential Medicines.................................................................................................... 18 Medicinal Plants, their Conservation, Use and Production in Southern India....................... 18 WHO Model Formulary 2008................................................................................................. 18

Social Security............................................................................................................ 19 The Challenge of Integrating Social Protection Programmes ............................................... 19 Social protection policy: responses to older people’s needs in Zanzibar ............................. 19 Innovation in Namibia: Preserving Private Health Insurance and HIV/AIDS Treatment....... 19 How can the poor be better integrated into health insurance programs in Africa? ............... 20 Oxfam International Policy Compendium Note on Social Protection .................................... 20

Human Resources...................................................................................................... 20 Health Worker Retention and Performance Initiatives: Making Better Strategic Choices .... 20 Community-based health programmes: role perceptions and experiences of female peer facilitators in Mumbai’s urban slums ..................................................................................... 21 Sustainable scaling up of good quality health worker education for tuberculosis control in Indonesia: a case study......................................................................................................... 21

Health Systems & Research ...................................................................................... 21 Systems thinking for health systems strengthening.............................................................. 21 The Global Health Research and Innovation System (GHRIS) ............................................ 22 Towards building equitable health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: lessons from case studies on operational research ............................................................................................ 22 Lessons from the Cuban Health System: Comparative Mortality of Cuba, India, and the United States......................................................................................................................... 22 Getting research into policy and practice .............................................................................. 22 The Unequal World of Health Data ....................................................................................... 23

Information & Communication Technology ................................................................ 23 The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy Handbook ...................................................................................... 23 Cloud computing: Benefits, risks and recommendations for information security ................ 23 Knowledge Management Toolkit........................................................................................... 24

Education ................................................................................................................... 24 Education International Report on the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel ..... 24 Towards inclusive Schools and enhanced Learning............................................................. 24 Integration of ICT in Teacher Education ............................................................................... 25 New Lessons: The Power of Educating Adolescent Girls..................................................... 25

Harm Reduction and Drug Use .................................................................................. 25 Out of harm’s way - German support for countries reducing the harm of injecting drug use and HIV.................................................................................................................................. 25 Enhancing global control of alcohol to reduce unsafe sex and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.. 25

Millennium Development Goals.................................................................................. 26 Millennium Development Goals and people with disabilities ................................................ 26

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Empowering Women and Improving Female Reproductive Health through Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases ................................................................................................ 26

Development Assistance............................................................................................ 27 Health Aid Effectiveness - 3 Studies ..................................................................................... 27 Aid for Better Health - What are we learning about what works & what we still have to do?27 Aid and Growth: Have We Come Full Circle? ....................................................................... 27 Perspectives on Budget Support: Why and how we are delivering ...................................... 28 Danida Technical Note on Programme Support Preparation................................................ 28 The End of ODA: Death and Rebirth of a Global Public Policy............................................. 28 Overseas development aid: is it working?............................................................................. 29 Beyond Aid: Ensuring adaptation to climate change works for the poor .............................. 29 The ‘Tobin Tax’ Battle Has Only Just Begun ........................................................................ 29

Others......................................................................................................................... 30 The State of World Population 2009 ..................................................................................... 30 Hunger, disaster, hope: rethinking humanitarian action in Africa.......................................... 30 Know Your Rights! A Community Handbook on Health-Care Rights and Other Laws ......... 30 Trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the removal of organs............................................................................................................ 30

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES ............................................ 31 Climate change and global health: linking science with policy.............................................. 31 Health and Climate Change .................................................................................................. 31 50 Open Lectures on Global Health...................................................................................... 31 Malaria Drug Database ......................................................................................................... 31 Now on CD-ROM: Where There Is No Doctor and Donde no hay doctor ............................ 32

INTERESTING WEB SITES .............................................. 32 Portal for Human Rights Schools .......................................................................................... 32 Corruption in the health sector .............................................................................................. 32 The Municipal Service Project (MSP) ................................................................................... 33

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES............................................ 33 Health, Population and Nutrition in Developing Countries .................................................... 33

CONFERENCES................................................................ 33 4th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights - 2010 .................................................. 33 3rd Northern European Conference on Travel Medicine....................................................... 34 MedInfo - 13th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics 2010 ............................ 34 Impact Report: 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention ........ 34

CARTOON ......................................................................... 35 Animal World ......................................................................................................................... 35

TIPS & TRICKS ................................................................. 35 New Opera Version 10.10 ..................................................................................................... 35 Ctrl-F to search a web page .................................................................................................. 35

Fair Use: This Newsletter is produced under the principles of 'fair use'. We source relevant news articles, resources and research documents and strive to attribute sources by providing reference and/or direct links to authors and websites. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter, do not necessarily represent those of GTZ or the editor of HESP-News & Notes. While we make every effort to ensure that all facts and figures quoted by authors are accurate, GTZ and the editor of the Newsletter cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies contained in any articles. Please contact [email protected] if you believe that errors are contained in any article and we will investigate and provide feedback.

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NEWS FROM THE GERMAN BACKUP INITIATIVE http://www.gtz.de/backup-initiative

Annual Report 2008: A New Era for the Global Fund by Cheryl Toksoz, Christoph Benn, Jon Lidén et al. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, 2009 78 pp. 2.8 MB: http://www.theglobalfund.org/documents/publications/annualreport s/2008/AnnualReport2008.pdf 2008 represented a defining moment in the history of the Global Fund, marked by a high level of activity, innovation and growth that reflects a dynamic organization which is effectively managing its transition from adolescence to adulthood. All of this has been taking place in a challenging economic context, filled with fear and uncertainty. Through its work, the Global Fund is providing some reassurance that - with what we are now coming to see as relatively small investments - returns can be measured in terms of human life.

BOOKS Climate Change in Africa by Camilla Toulmin Zed Books Ltd. 160 pp. November 2009; ISBN-13: 978-1848130159 Download introductory chapter (15 pp. 132 kB) at: http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/G02579.pdf This book outlines current thinking and evidence on climate change and the impact such change will have on Africa's development prospects. It uses case studies to look at issues ranging from natural disasters to biofuels, and addresses what future there might be for Africa in a carbon-constrained world. ***

Climate Change and Global Health: Linking Science with Policy Guest Editors: Tord Kjellstrom and Rainer Sauerborn Global Health Action Special Volume, 11 November 2009 176 pp. 3.6 MB: http://www.globalhealthaction.net/index.php/gha/article/download/1966/2591 The editors together with leading experts in the field address the direct and indirect impacts of global warming upon health and suggest policy strategies. Their message is that health impacts should be a central topic in the ongoing debate on climate policies. ***

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Overcoming Fragility in Africa - Forging a New European Approach European Report on Development (ERD) 2009 by Giorgia Giovannetti, Franklin Allen, Simone Bertoli et al. European Commission for Development and Relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific States 219 pp. 2.9 MB: http://erd.eui.eu/media/2009-10-20ERD-Report-advancedCopy.pdf The report focuses on the issue of fragility in its various dimensions, on its implications for development policies and on the approaches to tackle it. The ERD is a multi-annual process which aims to enhance a European perspective on development issues by building common ground between the European research community and policymakers. ***

EU Report on Policy Coherence for Development European Commission, 2009 309 pp. 7.3 MB: http://ec.europa.eu/development/icenter/repository/EC_coherence _report_2009_en.pdf This 2009 report presents an overall conceptual framework linking the 12 EU policies to the MDGs in developing countries and gives details of three case studies in developing countries and specifically in Africa, given the particularly dramatic situation therewith regard to MDGs. Two case studies focus on MDGs (MDG1 on hunger and MDG6 on the fight against HIV/Aids) in three developing countries (Senegal, Ethiopia, Mozambique for MDG1; Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania for MDG6), the third case concentrates on the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. ***

Achieving Better Value for Money in Health Care by David Morgan, Howard Oxley, Elizabeth Docteur et al. OECD Health Policy Studies, November 2009; ISBN 978-92-64-07420-0, Price: € 24, US$ 32, £ 20, ¥ 3000 168 pp. 3.7 MB: http://browse.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/pdfs/browseit/8109171E.PDF Rising public health care spending remains a problem in virtually all OECD and EU member countries. As a consequence, there is growing interest in policies that will ease this pressure through improved health system performance. This report examines selected policies that may help countries better achieve the goal of improved health system efficiency and thus better value for money. Drawing on multinational data sets and case studies, it examines a range policy instruments. ***

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Social Health Insurance: A Guidebook for Planning by Charles Normand and Axel Weber A joint publication of ADB, GTZ, ILO and WHO, 2009 VAS-Verlag Bad Homburg, 158 pp. Price: € 16.00 ISBN: 978-3-88864-491-7 A 1994 version of the book (145 pp. 5.6 MB) can be downloaded at: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/50786.pdf This guidebook is designed to be used by planners, policy-makers and stakeholders in countries that are considering the introduction of social health insurance as a replacement for or supplement to existing financing mechanisms for health care. The focus of this guidebook is on one particular approach - social health insurance - and not on the relative merits of different mechanisms. ***

Social Health Insurance for Developing Nations by William C. Hsiao and R. Paul Shaw World Bank Institute and Harvard University, May 2007; ISBN-10: 0-82136949-0 184 pp. 4.5 MB: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/phcf/publications/Hsiao.Shaw.2007.S HI.developing.countries.pdf The publication includes a review of design and implementation issues that challenge Social Health Insurance (SHI) in low- and middle-income countries and case studies on Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, the Philippines, and Thailand that shed light on the trials and tribulations of implementing SHI in contexts far less hospitable than those in rich countries. The case studies provide a road map of design options, aims and intentions, midcourse revisions, and successes and pitfalls. The volume concludes by presenting lessons learned and policy implications. ***

The Global Gender Gap Report 2009 by Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, Saadia Zahidi World Economic Forum Geneva, Switzerland 2009 205 pp. 4.4 MB: http://www.weforum.org/pdf/gendergap/report2009.pdf For the past four years, the World Economic Forum has been quantifying the magnitude of gender based disparities and tracking their progress over time. The aim is thus to achieve parity of participation and opportunity while facilitating diversity of thoughts, opinions and approaches. This Report will serve to highlight the countries that have made continued, often remarkable, progress over the last year in closing the distance to parity and will act as an urgent call for action towards the work that still needs to be done elsewhere to fully harness the skills and talents of one half of humanity. ***

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Respect, Protect and Fulfill: Legislating for Women’s Rights in the Context of HIV/AIDS by Richard Pearshouse, Alison Symington, Joanne Csete et al. Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, November 2009 Volume One: Sexual and Domestic Violence (109 pp. 830 kB): http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=1535 Volume Two: Family and Property Issues (242 1.4 MB): http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=1537 This legislative resource draws together international human rights law and illustrative examples from various jurisdictions as the basis for developing a legal framework to respect, protect and fulfill women’s rights in the context of HIV/AIDS. It is intended as a tool to assist human rights advocates and policy-makers as they reform or develop laws to meet the legal challenges posed by the HIV epidemic.

ONLINE PUBLICATIONS HIV - AIDS - STI AIDS epidemic update 2009 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organization (WHO), November 2009; ISBN 978 92 9173 832 8 100 pp. 2.8 MB: http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/2009_epidemic_update_en.pdf According to new data in the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, new HIV infections have been reduced by 17% over the past eight years. The report highlights that beyond the peak and natural course of the epidemic - HIV prevention programmes are making a difference. The findings also show that prevention programming is often off the mark and that if a better job is done of getting resources and programmes to where they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives saved. ***

New UNAIDS Journal - Outlook 2010: Fresh perspectives UNAIDS Outlook Report, 2010 44 pp. 3.6 MB: http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/2009_UNAIDSOutlook_en.pdf At the moment globally five people are becoming infected with HIV for every two people accessing treatment. It is critical that the way we respond keeps pace with and overtakes the epidemic if we are to see a real change in people’s lives, aspirations and futures. UNAIDS Outlook 2010, a new publication just launched, explores new ideas and provides fresh perspectives on the 2009 epidemiological data. ***

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Progress Towards Global HIV Targets: Challenges in Monitoring National Indicators Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, December 2009, Volume 52 - Supplement 2, pp. S69-S159 http://journals.lww.com/jaids/toc/2009/12012 The Journal’s supplement explores thematic, technical analysis of data and key findings derived from the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) reporting system. The volume covers issues such as human rights in the global response to HIV and estimating the level of HIV prevention coverage, as well as addressing the key question: Are we on course for reporting on the Millennium Development Goals in 2015? All articles are free for reading and downloading. ***

Meeting Report: WHO Technical Working Group on HIV Incidence Assays Held in Cape Town, South Africa - 16 and 17 July 2009 World Health Organization, 5th October 2009 35 pp. 400 kB: http://groups.google.com/group/health-education-social-protection-newsnotes/web/HIV-Incidence-Assays-Cape-Town-July-2009.pdf HIV incidence is the number of HIV infections per unit of person-time at risk, usually expressed as a rate per 100 person-years. It is measured by national HIV/AIDS control programmes in order to monitor the epidemic and assess the impact of prevention, treatment and care programmes. The importance of HIV incidence as a key indicator of national programme success or failure was highlighted during the meeting and it was clear that Ministries of Health need to be aware of the complexities of producing estimates based on data generated by the currently available assays. ***

Accuracy of serological assays for detection of recent infection with HIV and estimation of population incidence: a systematic review by Rebecca Guy, Judy Gold, Jesus M García Calleja et al. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Vol. 9, Issue 12, pp. 747-759, December 2009 13 pp. 335 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laninf/PIIS1473309909703007.pdf?i d=40bade4753939e7f:71ebc358:1251a73317f:-256d1258872226358 The authors systematically reviewed the accuracy of serological tests for recent infections with HIV that have become widely used for measuring population patterns incidence of HIV. Serological assays have reasonable sensitivity for the detection of recent infection with HIV, but are vulnerable to misclassifying established infections as recent potentially leading to biases in incidence estimates. There is an urgent need for an internationally agreed framework for evaluating and comparing these tests. ***

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Guidelines: Clinical Management and Treatment of HIV Infected Adults in Europe Version 5 The European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS), November 2009 81 pp. 580 kB: http://www.europeanaidsclinicalsociety.org/guidelinespdf/EACSEuroGuidelines2009FullVersion.pdf The new European guidelines have just been published and attempt to summarise the key treatment standards across all European countries and in every aspect of treatment. ***

Exceptional epidemics: AIDS still deserves a global response by Alan Whiteside and Julia Smith Globalization and Health 2009, 5:15 (14 November 2009) 18 pp. 226 kB: http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/pdf/1744-8603-5-15.pdf There has been a renewed debate over whether AIDS deserves an exceptional response. The authors argue that as AIDS is having differentiated impacts depending on the scale of the epidemic, and population groups impacted, and so responses must be tailored accordingly. AIDS is exceptional, but not everywhere. Exceptionalism developed as a Western reaction to a once poorly understood epidemic, but remains relevant in the current multi-dimensional global response. ***

HIV/AIDS and Disability: Final Report of the 4th International Policy Dialogue International Affairs Directorate, Health Canada, March 2009 44 pp. 504 kB: http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/20091111_hiv_and_disability_en.pdf

The report has called for a greater focus on rights of people with disabilities in HIV policy. The report makes recommendations for policy change by shifting the disability discourse from charity-based or medical-based approaches to a rights-based approach. This approach views people with disabilities as active participants in society, ensuring their wellbeing rather than treating them as passive recipients of charitable goodwill. ***

Disability and HIV/AIDS - a systematic review of literature on Africa by Jill Hanass-Hancock email Journal of the International AIDS Society 2009, 2:9 (13 November 2009) 40 pp. 255 kB: http://www.jiasociety.org/content/pdf/1758-2652-2-9.pdf

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This systematic review focuses on empirical work on disability and HIV/AIDS in Africa in the past decade and considers all the literature currently accessible. It reveals that people with disabilities are very vulnerable to contracting HIV, and lack access to information, testing and treatment. A growing area of concern is sexual abuse and exploitation of people with disabilities. Only a few studies or interventions focus on this crucial area. ***

Helping My Child Stay Healthy: For Carers of HIV Positive Children Family Health International (FHI), Cambodia, 2009 86 pp. 2.5 MB: http://www.fhi.org/NR/rdonlyres/ewqonx5dxyfkvlvj4obt4orbtinnhaj7k43n5kcggjxdnvnmolep2jw26a23xow36njif5uycbz46n/HelpingChil dStayHealthyENGHV.pdf The publication gives suggestions on how to talk to children about HIV, support them on antiretroviral therapy, and provide support on general health and prevention of opportunistic infections. It provides information on the special needs of HIV-positive children and suggests ways to involve them in their own care. In addition to guidance for caregivers, the book also has practical suggestions for health-facility and home-based care teams who work with children (regardless of HIV status). ***

Rates of virological failure in patients treated in a home-based versus a facility-based HIV-care model in Jinja, southeast Uganda: a clusterrandomised equivalence trial by Shabbar Jaffar, Barbara Amuron, Susan Foster et al. The Lancet - Published online November 24, 2009 12 pp. 428 kB: http://press.thelancet.com/hivcare.pdf The authors conclude that the home-based HIV-care strategy is as effective as is a clinic-based strategy, and therefore could enable improved and equitable access to HIV treatment, especially in areas with poor infrastructure and access to clinic care.

Sexual & Reproductive Health Gateways to Integration: Linking Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS A case study from Serbia by Susan Armstrong, Lynn Collins, Kevin Osborne et al. WHO, UNFPA, UNAIDS, IPPF, September 2009 24 pp. 401 kB: http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/public ations/2009/serbia_gateways_integration.pdf The process of linking sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS needs to work in HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 10

both directions: traditional sexual and reproductive health services need to integrate HIV/AIDS interventions, and programmes set up to address the AIDS epidemic need to integrate more general services for sexual and reproductive health. The case studies featured in this series have been chosen to demonstrate this two-way flow and to reflect the diversity of integration models. ***

Unintended Pregnancies in the Middle East and North Africa by Farzaneh Roudi and Ahmed Abdul Monem Population Reference Bureau, November 2009 Read online at: http://www.prb.org/Articles/2009/menaunintendedpregnancies.aspx Unintended pregnancies are widespread in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and are a burden on women’s health and their families, as well as on countries’ health systems and social and economic development. Although the challenge of unintended pregnancies may appear to be a private concern for women and their families, the health and demographic consequences require a public policy response for both individuals’ and societies’ well-being. ***

Benefits of Meeting the Contraceptive Needs of Ugandan Women by Michael Vlassoff, Aparna Sundaram, Akinrinola Bankole et al. Guttmacher Institute, November 2009 8 pp. 126 kB: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/IB_Contraceptive-Needs-Uganda.pdf Low levels of contraceptive use in Uganda result in high levels of unintended pregnancy which, in turn, result in a broad range of negative consequences for women, their families and the national health care system. The report documents the considerable financial and health benefits that would accrue from investing in contraceptive services.

Maternal & Child Health The Global Assessment on Women's Safety Edited by Roman Rollnick United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), 2008 85 pp. 6.1 MB: http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.asp?nr=2848&alt=1 Women are at risk of violence both in public and private spheres, in and around the home, in neighbourhoods and at city level. Women experience a higher degree of insecurity which can restrict their access and use of the city. To create inclusive cities that respect the rights of everyone, we need to create conditions and physical environments where women, men, girls and boys can live, work, go to school, move around, and socialise without fear of harm. ***

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Women's Safety Audit: What Works and Where? by Melanie Lambrick and Kathryn Travers United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), 2008 57 pp. 3.2 MB: http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.asp?nr=2847&alt=1 The Women’s Safety Audit is a tool that enables a critical evaluation of the urban environment. In many cities women and girls face violence not only in their homes and in relationships, but also in public spaces due to poor urban design and poor management of public spaces. One of the ways in which women can feel safer and fully benefit from the services and resources cities can offer is to actively seek changes in their physical environment by working together with municipal authorities and other community institutions and groups. ***

Promoting gender equality to prevent violence against women Series of briefings on violence prevention World Health Organization, June 2009 18 pp. 591 kB: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-7VYMCF/$file/who-violenceprevention-gender-sep09.pdf?openelement This document focuses on violence against women by intimate partners. It examines the relationship of gender inequalities to gender-based violence and finds evidence that school, community, and media interventions can promote gender equality and prevent violence against women by challenging stereotypes that give men power over women. It then describes some of the promising methods of promoting gender equality and their effectiveness. ***

Partnering with Men to end Gender-Based Violence Practices that work from Eastern Europe and Central Asia by Elisa Levy, Lois Jensen and Raquel Wexler United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 2009 108 pp. 1.8 MB: http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/public ations/2009/partnering_with_men.pdf This report documents good practices in preventing and responding to gender-based violence. The five case studies document initiatives in Armenia, Romania, Turkey and the Ukraine that were implemented by governments and other partners with the support of UNFPA. Although the reports focus on initiatives in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the practices and lessons learned can be applied throughout the globe. ***

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Science in Action: Saving the lives of Africa’s mothers, newborns, and children by Henrik Axelson, Anne-Marie Bergh, Robert Black et al. African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI), Cape Town, South Africa, November 2009 28 pp. 3.3 MB: http://www.nationalacademies.org/asadi/2009_Conference/PDFs/ ScienceInActionFullReport.pdf The publication presents an overview of the current status of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) in sub-Saharan Africa and reports a new analysis of how many lives could be saved if science translated into action through health systems. ***

The State of the World’s Children - Special Edition Celebrating 20 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by Patricia Moccia, David Anthony, Chris Brazier et al. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), November 2009 ISBN: 978-92-806-4442-5 100 pp. 4.1 MB: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/SOWC_Spec._Ed._CRC_Main _Report_EN_090409(1).pdf To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF is dedicating a special edition of its flagship report “The State of the World’s Children” to examining the Convention’s evolution, progress achieved on child rights, challenges remaining, and actions to be taken to ensure that its promise becomes a reality for all children. ***

Child Health Now: Together We Can End Preventable Deaths by Regina Keith, Garth Luke, Wendy Therrien et al. World Vision, October 2009 94 pp. 4.2 MB: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/EGUA7XUMSR/$file/wv_child_health_now_nov09.pdf?openelement Most child deaths are accounted for by just four main causes: neonatal complications and infections, with 40% of child deaths occurring in the first 28 days of life, and pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, which together account for a further 45% of child mortality. All of these causes are largely preventable - very few children die from them in the world’s richest countries - and an estimated two thirds of children could be saved through simple interventions such as better nutrition and skilled birth attendance. ***

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Count Every Child - the right to birth registration by Claire Cody Plan Ltd. 2009 100 pp. 1.5 MB: http://www.crin.org/docs/Count2009.pdf The report examines the issues and the impact of non-registration for children today and in the future, and highlights the challenges faced in achieving birth registration for every child. The aim of this report is to help future campaigners to build on our knowledge and examples of good practice. You are encouraged to replicate and adapt the campaign’s successes, to ensure that the right to birth registration becomes a reality for all children. ***

Toolkit for Positive Change: Providing Family-focused, Results-driven and Cost-effective Programming for Orphans and Vulnerable Children by Samson M. Radeny and Kelley McCreery Bunkers Save the Children Federation, Inc., Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2009 96 pp. 1.6 MB: http://www.crin.org/docs/Toolkit%20for%20Positive%20Change.pdf This document provides a road map for implementing programs for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and offers evidence-based approaches and tools that could be used to help scale-up services and make them more effective. For practitioners, this document is a practical guide about how to successfully implement a comprehensive package of services and interventions for OVC and their caregivers. ***

Missing: Children without parental care in international development policy by Emily Delap, James Georgalakis and Anna Wansbrough-Jones EveryChild, 2009 40 pp. 1.8 MB: http://www.everychild.org.uk/docs/EvC_Missing_final.pdf The report warns that failure to keep children in families, out of residential institutions and off the streets, will be another barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and condemn a generation of children to a life of abuse and neglect without the support and protection of parents. Research shows the number of children growing up without parental care is growing most rapidly in less developed countries.

Malaria The Lambaréné Organ Dysfunction Score (LODS) is a Simple Clinical Predictor of Fatal Malaria in African Children by Raimund Helbok, Eric Kendjo, Saadou Issifou et al. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 200:1834-1841 (15 December 2009) HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 14

8 pp. 420 kB: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/648409 The Lambaréné Organ Dysfunction Score (LODS) combines 3 variables: coma, prostration, and deep breathing. A LODS >0 has 85% sensitivity to predict death, and a LODS <3 is highly (98%) specific for survival. The authors conclude that the LODS is a simple clinical predictor of fatal malaria in African children. This score provides accurate and rapid identification of children needing either referral or increased attention. ***

Cost-effectiveness analysis of rapid diagnostic test, microscopy and syndromic approach in the diagnosis of malaria in Nigeria: implications for scaling-up deployment of ACT by Benjamin SC Uzochukwu, Eric N Obikeze, Obinna E Onwujekwe et al. 47 pp. 389 kB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-8-265.pdf Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) is cost-effective when compared to other diagnostic strategies for malaria treatment and therefore a very good strategy for diagnosis of malaria in Nigeria. There is opportunity for cost savings if rapid diagnostic tests are introduced in health facilities in Nigeria for case management of malaria. ***

Time for a “Third Wave” of Malaria Activism to Tackle the Drug Stock-out Crisis The PLoS Medicine Editors PLoS Med 6(11): e1000188 (24 November 2009) 3 pp. 79 kB: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action?uri=info%3Ado i%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000188&representation=PDF The PLoS Medicine Editors discuss shortages of artemisinin-based combination therapy in Africa at the point of care and how these can be addressed. ***

Predicting the impact of insecticide-treated bed nets on malaria transmission: the devil is in the detail Weidong Gu and Robert J Novak Malaria Journal 2009, 8:256 (16 November 2009) 10 pp. 284 kB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-8-256.pdf Insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) play a primary role in global campaigns to roll back malaria in tropical Africa. This study highlights that increased ITN coverage led to significant reduction in risk exposure and malaria incidence only when treated nets yielded HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 15

high killing effects. It is necessary to test efficacy of treated nets on local dominant vector mosquitoes, at least in laboratory, for monitoring and evaluation of ITN programmes. ***

Malaria Advocacy Innovation Grants by Karl Deering Malaria Consortium Advocacy, November 2009 4 pp. 383 kB: http://www.malariaconsortium.org/userfiles/file/Malaria%20Advocacy%20Innovati on%20Grants.pdf Supporting small scale, community-led advocacy efforts is an extremely cost-effective way of raising local political awareness to ensure government commitment in the fight against malaria. These successful community-led advocacy efforts were fostered through a series of Innovation Grants to local non-governmental organisations across Africa. The Innovation Grants have been extremely successful, linking with other malaria advocacy initiatives in their respective countries. ***

Artemether-lumefantrine in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falcip. malaria by Stephan Ehrhardt Christian G Meyer Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management 2009:5 805-815 (5 October 2009) 11 pp. 245 kB: http://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=5340 The pharmacological properties and the therapeutic options of artemether and lumefantrine (AL) are briefly reviewed and a cursory overview is given on recent trials that have compared the therapeutic effects of AL in the standard 6-dose regimen with other antimalarials and combinations. In order to ensure the most achievable and reliable adherence and compliance of children in the treatment of malaria, a dispersible formulation of AL is now attainable. Recent reports on the emergence of resistance to artemisininbased combination therapy (ACT) regimens in Asia, however, are alarming.

Tuberculosis Understanding and challenging TB stigma: Toolkit for action by Ross Kidd, Sue Clay, Steve Belemu et al. Strengthening TB, AIDS and Malaria Prevention Programmes (STAMPP), CREATE and International HIV/AIDS Alliance, March 2009 ISBN: 1-905055-55-2 70 pp. 2.6 MB: http://www.aidsalliance.org/graphics/secretariat/publications/TB_and_Stigma_May09.pdf

This module was written by and for trainers. It has been designed to help trainers plan HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 16

and organise participatory educational sessions with community leaders or organised groups to raise awareness and promote practical action to challenge HIV and TB stigma and discrimination. It can be used as a stand alone resource or in conjunction with the modules on understanding and challenging HIV stigma. ***

Isoniazid preventive therapy for people living with HIV: public health challenges and implementation issues by N. Aït-Khaled, E. Alarcon, K. Bissell, F. Boillot et al. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 13(8):927-935, 2009 9 pp. 317 kB: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000008/art00003

Isoniazid preventive therapy is recognised as an important component of collaborative tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activities to reduce the burden of tuberculosis in people living with HIV. The authors review the background of isoniazid preventive therapy. They discuss the important challenges of the therapy in people living with HIV, namely responsibility and accountability for the implementation, identification of latent tuberculosis infection, exclusion of active tuberculosis and prevention of isoniazid resistance, length of treatment and duration of protective efficacy.

Other Infectious Diseases The Neglected Tropical Diseases: A challenge we could rise to – will we? by Alan Fenwick Report for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (APPMG) 15 pp. 740 kB: http://www.appmg-malaria.org.uk/uploads/2AEB6AB6-9ABB-9B4C3EA9F52A9121B7EB/APPMG%20NTD%20Deport%20Final.pdf The report highlights the tragic burden of some of the world’s most debilitating and neglected tropical diseases (NDTs) and calls for concerted action from the international community to help control and ultimately eliminate them. NTDs are a diverse group of infections which tend to affect the poorest of the poor with most drugs remaining unaffordable. The report does not shrink from documenting the horrific and tragic consequences of these infections. ***

Clinical management of human infection with pandemic (H1N1) 2009: revised guidance World Health Organization, November 2009 15 pp. 304 kB: http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/swineflu/clinical_management_h1n1.pdf

This guidance provides updated information for health care providers managing patients with suspected or confirmed pandemic (H1N1) virus. It incorporates knowledge gained about clinical features of pandemic influenza through international consultations. Key HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 17

topics:  risk factors for severe disease  signs and symptoms of progressive disease  diagnosis  treatment, both outpatient and in hospitals, and  clinical care for resource-poor settings. ***

Dengue: Guidelines for Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention and Control New Edition 2009: World Health Organization, 157 pp. 2009; ISBN-13 9789241547871 Price: CHF 40.00 / US$ 40.00; Developing countries: CHF 28.00 This new edition has been produced to make widely available to health practitioners, laboratory personnel, those involved in vector control and other public health officials, a concise source of information of worldwide relevance on dengue. The guidelines provide updated practical information on the clinical management and delivery of clinical services; vector management and delivery of vector control services; laboratory diagnosis and diagnostic tests; and surveillance, emergency preparedness and response.

Essential Medicines Medicinal Plants, their Conservation, Use and Production in Southern India by R.V. Singh, P. Singh, L.A. Hansen and L. Graudal Forest & Landscape Denmark, November 2008 76 pp. 2.9 MB: http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/upload/de11.pdf The millennia old indigenous knowledge of traditional health care as well as the natural resource base of the traditional health systems in India has become endangered. To initiate a reverse of this situation, a project called “Strengthening the Medicinal Plants Resource Base in Southern India in the Context of Primary Health Care” was executed. The report summarise status in 2007 of experiences and lessons learnt from the project activities and provide recommendations for improvements of the different models for conservation and development used in India so far. ***

WHO Model Formulary 2008 Editors: Marc C. Stuart, Maria Kouimtzi, Suzanne R. Hill World Health Organization, 2009; ISBN 978 92 4 154765 9 644 pp. 3.6 MB: http://www.who.int/selection_medicines/list/WMF2008.pdf In 1995, the WHO Expert Committee on the Use of Essential Drugs recommended that WHO develop a Model Formulary which would complement the WHO Model List of Essential Drugs (the “Model List”). It was considered that such a WHO Model Formulary would be a useful resource for countries wishing to develop their own national formulary. HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 18

This edition of the WHO Model Formulary is fully compatible with the 15th WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

Social Security The Challenge of Integrating Social Protection Programmes Brazil & Africa Newsletter # 7, November 2009 International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC - IG) 6 pp. 242 kB: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCNewsletter7.pdf Coordinating social protection programmes across different ministries is a challenge in every country. It is not easy to make public organisations engage in dialogue. Exploring different institutional models may be crucial to finding solutions to an often “dysfunctional” government. Brazil, Chile and Colombia are cases worth exploring in Latin America, while Kenya and Ghana in Sub-Saharan Africa are examples of new experiences that are now being developed. ***

Social protection policy: responses to older people’s needs in Zanzibar by Anna Pearson HelpAge International, 2009 30 pp. 330 kB: http://www.helpage.org/Resources/Researchreports/main_content/DX1x/ZanzibarsocialprotectionFINAL.pdf

Zanzibar runs a system of contributory pensions (the ZSSF) covering those employed in the public and formal sectors. But overall, only about 40 per cent of older people receive any form of cash payment in their old age. The report focuses on social protection in the Zanzibar archipelago, and presents policy recommendations of expert consultants on social protection and health, making links between the two areas where possible. It also includes examples of international experience on the positive impacts of cash transfers and pensions. ***

Innovation in Namibia: Preserving Private Health Insurance and HIV/AIDS Treatment by Onno P. Schellekens, Ingrid de Beer, Marianne E. Lindner et al. Health Affair Vol. 28, Number 6, 1799-1806, November/December 2009 8 pp. 104 kB: http://groups.google.com/group/health-education-social-protectionnews-notes/web/HAff%20Namibia%20AIDS%20Insurance.pdf In 2006 the Namibian medical aid industry, with donor support, created a special fund to subsidize private health insurance, including HIV/AIDS services. This article shows how donor money, used to subsidize private insurance, has helped preventing the crowding out of private funding amid free public care for HIV patients, and has contributed to improved quality of care for HIV patients. ***

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How can the poor be better integrated into health insurance programs in Africa? An overview of possible strategies by Florence Morestin & Valéry Ridde Université de Montréal, Canada, July 2009 8 pp. 246 kB: http://www.usi.umontreal.ca/pdffile/publications/assurance_en.pdf Health insurance is among the solutions promoted in developing countries since the 1990s to improve access to health care services because it avoids direct payment of fees by patients and spreads the financial risk among all the insured. This policy brief assesses the situation of the poor, examines the problems they encounter and presents measures taken by some insurance organization to remedy these problems. ***

Oxfam International Policy Compendium Note on Social Protection Oxfam International, November 2009 6 pp. 65 kB: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/policy/conflict_ disasters/downloads/oi_hum_policy_social_protection.pdf According to Oxfam, social protection is a basic right for all people that is realized through public or publicly mandated actions that enable people to deal with risk and vulnerability, that provide support in cases of extreme and chronic poverty and enhance the social status and rights of marginalized groups. The choice of specific instruments to provide social protection will depend on the needs of people and specific country contexts. However the instrument chosen should respect a number of principles based on social protection as a right for all.

Human Resources Health Worker Retention and Performance Initiatives: Making Better Strategic Choices by James A. McCaffery, Steve Joyce and Beth Massie The Capacity Project - IntraHealth International, Inc. September 2009 4 pp. 132 kB: http://www.capacityproject.org/images/stories/files/techbrief_16.pdf In this technical brief, the authors focus on issues around motivation, job satisfaction, incentives, retention and performance, and propose an approach based on existing motivation theories and experience in the international health field. ***

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Community-based health programmes: role perceptions and experiences of female peer facilitators in Mumbai’s urban slums by Glyn A. Alcock, Neena Shah More, Sarita Patil et al. Health Education Research 2009 24(6):957-966 (3 August 2009) 10 pp. 226 kB: http://her.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/24/6/957 Community-based initiatives have become a popular approach to addressing the health needs of underserved populations, in both low- and higher-income countries. This article presents findings from a study of female peer facilitators involved in a community-based maternal and newborn health intervention in urban slum areas of Mumbai. The findings focus on how the facilitators understand and enact their role in the community setting, how they negotiate relationships and health issues with peer groups, and the influence of credibility. ***

Sustainable scaling up of good quality health worker education for tuberculosis control in Indonesia: a case study by Carmelia Basri, Karin Bergstrom, Wanda Walton et al. Human Resources for Health 2009, 7:85 (16 November 2009) 28 pp. 1.3 MB: http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/pdf/1478-4491-7-85.pdf In 2000, an external review mission of the National Tuberculosis Control Programme of Indonesia identified suboptimal results of TB control activities. This led to a prioritization on human resource capacity building - representing a major shift in the approach. The authors conclude that the strategic decision to put the highest priority on capacity building has resulted in impressive progress towards TB control targets, a progress that despite many challenges has been sustained.

Health Systems & Research Systems thinking for health systems strengthening Editors: Don de Savigny and Taghreed Adam World Health Organization, 2009, ISBN: 978 924 156389 5 English version (112 pp. 1.5 MB): http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241563895_eng.pdf Spanish PDF version: http://www.who.int/alliance-hpsr/AllianceHPSR_flagship_report_Spanish.pdf This report offers a practical approach to strengthening health systems through “systems thinking”. In its “Ten steps to systems thinking”, the report shows how we can better capture the wisdom of diverse health system stakeholders in designing solutions to system problems. It suggests ways to more realistically forecast how health systems might respond to system-strengthening interventions, while also exploring potential synergies and dangers among those interventions.

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The Global Health Research and Innovation System (GHRIS) Stephen A Matlin and Gill MR Samuels The Lancet, Vol. 374, Issue 9702, pp. 1662-1663, 14 November 2009 2 pp. 48 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673609619127.pdf?i d=4d037fefcb72946c:6c5e247b:12507f58bee:-246f1258561210961 A comprehensive systems approach is needed to improve health innovation in developing countries. A Global Health Research and Innovation System (GHRIS) approach recognises that innovation is both technological - for example inventing new materials - and social, for example finding new ways to manage people and information. GHRIS incorporates a complex array of actors - from research institutions to funders - and infrastructure within an environment of drivers, incentives, promoters and barriers. Understanding GHRIS can help identify ways of making the system more effective. ***

Towards building equitable health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: lessons from case studies on operational research by Sally Theobald, Miriam Taegtmeyer, Stephen Bertel Squire et al. Health Research Policy and Systems 2009, 7:26 (25 November 2009) 17 pp. 402 kB: http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content/pdf/1478-4505-7-26.pdf Published practical examples of how to bridge gaps between research, policy and practice in health systems research in Sub Saharan Africa are scarce. The aim of this study was to use a case study approach to analyse how and why different operational health research projects in Africa have contributed to health systems strengthening and promoted equity in health service provision. ***

Lessons from the Cuban Health System: Comparative Mortality of Cuba, India, and the United States by Rahima Dosani Global Pulse - American Medical Student Association, June 2009 9 pp. 288 kB: http://www.globalpulsejournal.com/pdf/2009_dosani_rahima_le ssons_cuban_health.pdf This paper compares mortality, morbidity, and other health systems indicators for India, Cuba, and the United States, and will attempt to explain the underlying reasons behind main differences in health statuses between these three countries. ***

Getting research into policy and practice Experiences from sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS by Jo Crichton and Sally Theobald HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 22

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, November 2009 Read online at: http://www.eldis.org/index.cfm?objectid=818E2452-AA21-4C27-07DE0B0251AC3718 The true test of the effectiveness of health and development research is whether people use it – for decision-making, influencing, referencing, or most importantly, to bring about change. Development actors are paying increasing attention to the question of how research, despite barriers, can fulfil its potential to improve policy and practice. ***

The Unequal World of Health Data by Peter Byass PLoS Med 6(11): e1000155 (24 November 2009) 3 pp. 97 kB: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=B5E44FE7B944DDD4D0F E2966B27BC08F?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000155&representation=PDF

The author argues that less data are available on the health of the poor than of the rich, and discusses several alternative strategies to improve the representativeness of health data.

Information & Communication Technology The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy Handbook Second Edition by David Souter, Peter da Costa, Avri Doria et al. Association for Progressive Communications (APC), 2009 ISBN 92-95049-73-X 229 pp. 2.7 MB: http://www.apc.org/en/system/files/APCHandbookWeb_EN.pdf This handbook aims to take the mystery out of ICT policy and make it easier to understand. In particular, it aims to build the capacity of those who want to understand more about the issues surrounding policy on ICT development and regulation, to grasp the policy process, and to become more involved as informed participants. ***

Cloud computing: Benefits, risks and recommendations for information security by Daniele Catteddu and Giles Hogben The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), November 2009 123 pp. 1.9 MB: http://www.enisa.europa.eu/act/rm/files/deliverables/cloudcomputing-risk-assessment/at_download/fullReport HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 23

Cloud computing is a new way of delivering computing resources, not a new technology. The report highlights the benefits of the technology but warns against potential security issues. It partly bases its security assessment of cloud computing on an e-health scenario, maintains that given the reduced cost and flexibility it brings, cloud computing is compelling for many Small and Medium Enterprises. ***

Knowledge Management Toolkit Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Knowledge and Learning Processes Division, August 2009 126 pp. 5.3 MB: http://www.deza.admin.ch/ressources/resource_en_183581.pdf This Knowledge Management Toolkit describes a great variety of tools in detail: From “After Action Review” over “Community of Practice (CoP)” and “SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)” to "Yellow Pages".

Education Education International Report on the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel Education International, September 2009 40 pp. 837 kB: http://download.eiie.org/Docs/WebDepot/2009_EIReporttoCEART_en.pdf Education International’s report aims to assess the implementation of recommendations from the perspective of education personnel represented by teachers’ unions worldwide. This report addresses key issues pertaining to the teachers and higher-education teaching personnel. The report finds that, albeit the recommendations being of a longstanding nature, key provisions made therein, in relation to all the major issues addressed in this report, fail to be duly implemented by states and educational institutions worldwide. ***

Towards inclusive Schools and enhanced Learning by R. Govinda United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2009 40 pp. 213 kB: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001860/186030e.pdf This publication is based on an analysis of sixteen case studies from as many countries drawn from different parts of the world. The purpose of the synthesis is to collate critical messages derived from various experiences for making schools more accessible and inclusive. It also considers the participation in schooling and learning as to be more meaningful to children since it is contributing to their overall development in general, and to cognitive development in particular. HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 24

Integration of ICT in Teacher Education by Gursharan Singh Kainth and Gurinder Kaur Institute of Development Studies, Amritsar and College of Education Pathankot, Gurdaspur 15 pp. 69 kB: http://zunia.org/uploads/media/knowledge/Integration%20of%20ICT%20in%20Te acher%20Education1258801653.doc In this paper, the authors discuss the role of information and communication technologies for skill upgradation. They also discuss integrating ICT education at various levels of learning. ***

New Lessons: The Power of Educating Adolescent Girls by Cynthia B. Lloyd and Juliet Young Population Council, 2009 162 pp. 4.7 MB: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/2009PGY_NewLessons.pdf “If you want to change the world, invest in an adolescent girl”. This report is intended as a “call to action” for governments, education ministries, donors, NGOs, and corporations to collaborate, innovate, and invest in a range of educational opportunities for adolescent girls.

Harm Reduction and Drug Use Out of harm’s way - German support for countries reducing the harm of injecting drug use and HIV by James Boothroyd, Patricia Kramarz, Jürgen Klee et al. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, October 2009 28 pp. 835 kB: http://hiv-prg.org/en/reviewed-publications#Harm-Reduction A key to HIV prevention and other social benefits is reducing the harms of drug use, a major mode of HIV transmission. Harm reduction measures include providing easy (lowthreshold) access to sterile drug paraphernalia and contact centres, drug consumption rooms and clinics for medically assisted substitution therapy. This report gives an up to date overview of the controversial international debate on this issue and describes projects supported by GTZ in five countries that are struggling to reduce the severe personal, social and economic harms of illicit drug use and HIV. ***

Enhancing global control of alcohol to reduce unsafe sex and HIV in subSaharan Africa by Matthew F Chersich, Helen V Rees, Fiona Scorgie and Greg Martin HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 25

Globalization and Health 2009, 5:16 (17 November 2009) 18 pp. 205 kB: http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/pdf/1744-8603-5-16.pdf Sub-Saharan Africa carries a massive dual burden of HIV and alcohol disease, and these pandemics are inextricably linked. Physiological and behavioural research indicates that alcohol independently affects decision-making concerning sex, and skills for negotiating condoms and their correct use. Implementation of known effective interventions could alleviate a large portion of the alcohol-attributable burden of disease, including its effects on unsafe sex, unintended pregnancy and HIV transmission.

Millennium Development Goals Millennium Development Goals and people with disabilities by Nora Ellen Groce and Jean-François Trani The Lancet, Vol. 374, Issue 9704, pp. 1800-1801, 28 November 2009 2 pp. 203 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673609619097.pdf?i d=e16241398b8eb460:16e438c0:1253677f82e:-11581259343127453 The MDGs encourage collaborative action to address pressing development issues that affect the lives of poor and marginalised individuals in society. Regrettably, however, nowhere in the MDGs are individuals with disabilities explicitly mentioned. This oversight is striking, particularly in view of the World Bank’s report that, although people with disabilities make up 10% of the global population, they make up 20% of the world's poor people. A growing body of research shows the inter-relation between individuals with disabilities and poverty. ***

Empowering Women and Improving Female Reproductive Health through Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases by Peter J. Hotez PLoS Negl Trop Dis 3(11): e559 (24 November 2009) 4 pp. 91 kB: http://www.plosntds.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=00973585003405F339C66 62D80113BD9?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0000559&representation=PDF

Because the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are the most common infections among the world's poorest people, including girls and women, there is now a strong case to be made for controlling the NTDs as a means of directly addressing MDG 3 “Promote gender equality and empower women” and MDG 5 “Improve maternal health”. Interventions focused on NTD control and elimination could offer an opportunity for improving the health and rights of girls and women in the poorest countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. ***

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Development Assistance Health Aid Effectiveness - 3 Studies ‘Action for Global Health’ has conducted three case studies in Ethiopia, Zambia and Nepal to explore progress in terms of Aid Effectiveness. The main findings highlighted that despite some progresses made towards alignment, harmonisation between donors and government, there are areas of great concern such as the restriction of freedom of civil society organisations and their lack of participation in health policies. Published in September 2009. Health aid effectiveness in Nepal - Paris, Accra, civil society and the poor 31 pp. 803 kB: http://www.actionforglobalhealth.eu/content/download/39225/193693/file/Aid_effe ctiveness_in_Nepal_Final.pdf Zambia Aid effectiveness in the health sector - A case study 27 pp. 610 kB: http://www.actionforglobalhealth.eu/content/download/39224/193682/file/AE%20 Zambia%20Case%20Study%20Final%20version.pdf Ethiopia Aid effectiveness in the health sector - A case study 27 pp. 595 kB: http://www.actionforglobalhealth.eu/content/download/39221/193663/file/AE%20 Ethiopia%20Case%20Study%20final%20version.pdf ***

Aid for Better Health - What are we learning about what works & what we still have to do? An interim report from the Task Team on Health as a Tracer Sector by Salif Samake , Gerard Schmets, Prerna Banati et al. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), November 2009 78 pp. 851 kB: http://www.actionforglobalhealth.eu/content/download/40120/197577/file/Aid%20f or%20better%20health%20report.pdf The interim report identifies the main features of the health sector and the challenges that need to be addressed if satisfactory progress is to be made towards meeting the health MDGs. By means of a number of interesting country case studies it illustrates actions taken towards achieving health outcomes, outlines the progress made and highlights lessons learned. To be more effective in managing aid, partner countries expect development partners to increase the predictability and transparency of aid, since this will help maintain the integrity and avoid distortion of country plans and programs. ***

Aid and Growth: Have We Come Full Circle? by Channing Arndt, Sam Jones and Finn Tarp World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER), October 2009 HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 27

38 pp. 223 kB: http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/discussion-papers/2009/en_GB/dp200905/_files/82241141821472794/default/dp2009-05-0710-10-07.pdf

Recent literature has been pessimistic to the ability of foreign aid to foster economic growth. This paper attempts to provide a balanced assessment of the recent aid-growth literature. It analyses the conclusion that there is hardly any systematic effect of aid on growth. It observes that, while aid may have very high returns at times, there is an emerging consensus that expectations surrounding the average potency of aid have been too high. ***

Perspectives on Budget Support: Why and how we are delivering by Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), September 2009 15 pp. 2.1 MB: http://www.ecdpm.org/Web_ECDPM/Web/Content/Download.nsf/ 0/D0283840CA942CDEC1257640002D7AA8/$FILE Few aid instruments have caused such intense debate in the past few years as budget support .In this paper the author presents the views of Germany on budget support. This is the second paper of a series launched by ECDPM to contribute to the debate on aid and development effectiveness. ***

Danida Technical Note on Programme Support Preparation Technical Advisory Services (TAS), Danida, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, September 2009 49 pp. 808 kB: http://www.danidadevforum.um.dk/NR/rdonlyres/6D39D604-00F841B7-97D3B808A778A5C7/0/TECHNICAL_NOTE_ProgramSupportPreparation.pdf The most fundamental change in programme management implied by the “Guidelines for Programme Management” is the introduction of the principle that sector budget support (SBS) is now the default modality of Danish sector (and thematic) programme support to the public sector. This is the consequence taken by Danida of the donor commitment in the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) to make maximum use of country systems. ***

The End of ODA: Death and Rebirth of a Global Public Policy by Jean-Michel Severino and Olivier Ray Center for Global Development (CGD) Working Paper 167, March 2009 32 pp. 566 kB: http://www.afd.fr/jahia/webdav/site/afd/users/administrateur/public/article/articles 2009/200903_Severino_Ray_End_of_ODA.pdf The world of international development assistance is undergoing three concomitant HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 28

revolutions, which concur to the emergence of a truly global policy. Yet surprisingly, this triple revolution in goals, actors and tools has not yet impacted the way we measure both the financial volumes dedicated to this emerging global policy nor the concrete impacts it aims to achieve. This paper argues for the need to move from the conventional measure of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the construction of clearer benchmarks for what ultimately matters: resources and results that concur to 21st century international development. ***

Overseas development aid: is it working? by Phil Vernon openDemocracy, 9 November 2009 Read online at: http://www.opendemocracy.net/phil-vernon/overseas-development-aid-is-it-working This is a good moment for taking a step back and asking ourselves whether we would call today’s overseas development aid policy and practise successful - successful, that is, in providing sufficient impetus to overcome the strong forces worldwide that keep people poor. This article attempts to take a look at the way aid is delivered and recommends that we take advantage of present circumstances for a substantial rethink. ***

Beyond Aid: Ensuring adaptation to climate change works for the poor by Catherine Pettengell, Anju Sharma, Robert Bailey et al. Oxfam International Briefing Paper # 132, 16 September 2009 32 pp. 582 kB: http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp_132_beyond_aid_en_0.pdf Climate-related shocks are affecting the lives of millions of poor people with increasing frequency and severity. Without urgent action, recent development progress will stall – then go into reverse. The report warns that at least 4.5 million children could die unless world leaders deliver additional funds to help poor countries fight the growing impact of climate change, rather than diverting it from existing aid promises. ***

The ‘Tobin Tax’ Battle Has Only Just Begun by Anna White Share The World’s Resources, 13 November 2009 Read online at: http://www.stwr.org/globalization/the-tobin-tax-battle-has-only-justbegun.html Three decades after its inception, the ‘Tobin tax’ has finally entered the mainstream political debate. Campaigners must now ensure its primary purpose remains to redistribute finance away from the failed banking system and toward benefiting the world’s poor. ***

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Others The State of World Population 2009 Facing a changing world: women, population and climate by Robert Engelman, Janet Macharia, Kaveh Zahedi et al. United Nations Population Fund, November 2009 104 pp. 4.3 MB: http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2009/en/pdf/EN_SOWP09.pdf How do population dynamics affect greenhouse gases and climate change? Will urbanization and an ageing population help or hinder efforts to adapt to a warming world? And could better reproductive health care and improved relations between women and men make a difference in the fight against climate change? Find the answers in the State of World Population 2009. ***

Hunger, disaster, hope: rethinking humanitarian action in Africa International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2009 24 pp. 1.1 MB: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/JBRN7XYJU5/$file/IFRC_nov09.pdf?openelement Food insecurity, disasters, overlapping climatic extremes and rapid urbanization - these are all major contributors to vulnerability in Africa on which this report is focused. There are more, of course, such as inadequate access to water and sanitation, and the heavy burden of communicable diseases. They all have a dramatic impact on the humanitarian state of the African continent. ***

Know Your Rights! A Community Handbook on Health-Care Rights and Other Laws by Joseph Mafurebo WE-ACTx for Hope, Kigali, Rwanda, January 2008 125 pp. 4.7 MB: http://www.we-actx.org/wpcontent/uploads/WEACTx_BookEng_March_28_2008.pdf This Handbook provides a brief overview of the main health care rights in Rwanda. All Rwandans have a right to privacy, freedom from discrimination, health care, and others that guarantee equal treatment under the law. All these legal rights belong to people with HIV/AIDS, too. This Handbook focuses especially on how these rights apply to women with HIV/AIDS. ***

Trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the removal of organs by Arthur Caplan, Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, Rafael Matesanz et al. Joint Council of Europe / United Nations Study, 2009 HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 30

103 pp. 1.2 MB: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/trafficking/Docs/News/OrganTrafficking_study.pdf

Trafficking in human beings is a real and growing problem all over the world. Human beings are bought and sold as a commodity. The criminals responsible for these massive violations of human rights and the rule of law are buying and selling human beings for different reasons, but the trafficking for the purpose of the removal of organs is clearly one of its most abhorrent forms. In spite of that, this form of trafficking has been relatively unknown and insufficiently researched.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES Climate change and global health: linking science with policy Global Health Action, Vol. 2 (November 2009) Table of contents: http://www.globalhealthaction.net/index.php/gha/issue/view/282/showToc Global Health Action is an international peer-reviewed ‘Open Access’ journal affiliated with the Centre for Global Health Research (CGH) at Umeå University, Sweden. A Special Supplement on climate change and health is being published in conjunction with the UN Climate Change Conference. Free access to all articles. ***

Health and Climate Change The Lancet, 25 November 2009 http://www.lancet.com/series/health-and-climate-change# Climate change already affects human health, and, if no action is taken, problems such as malnutrition, deaths and injury due to extreme weather conditions, and change in geographical distribution of disease vectors will worsen. This Lancet Series is the result of an international collaboration of scientists supported by a consortium of funding bodies. The Comments and Articles make a strong case for linking climate and health goals, and provide a quantitative underpinning for this important health message. ***

50 Open Lectures on Global Health http://www.onlinenursingprograms.net/2009/50-incredibleopen-lectures-on-global-health/ A series of lectures, prepared for US nurses but of great interest to others involved in global health matters, is available free online from Online Nursing Programs.net. ***

Malaria Drug Database http://www.actwatch.info/resources/drugs_home.asp HESP-News & Notes - 25/2009 - page 31

This comprehensive database lists anti-malarial medicines alphabetically by brand / marketing name. For each drug listed there is a photograph and details about its manufacture. ***

Now on CD-ROM: Where There Is No Doctor and Donde no hay doctor Hesperian has just released a CD-ROM version of “Where There Is No Doctor” / “Donde no hay doctor”. The CD contains hi-res and low-res PDFs of the entire contents in both English and Spanish, exactly as they appear in the books. Because it’s lightweight, the CD is easier to transport and much less expensive to post than a book. Hesperian also has the CD version of “A Community Guide to Environmental Health”. The ‘No Doctor’-CDs is available for sale at: http://www.hesperian.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HB&Produ ct_Code=CD010&Category_Code= The Environmental Health CD at: http://www.hesperian.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HB&Produ ct_Code=CD160&Category_Code= and their contents can be downloaded for free at http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download.php . The Doctor/Donde CD is US $16, and the Environmental Health CD is US$ 18.

INTERESTING WEB SITES Portal for Human Rights Schools http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=33 The human rights-based approach (HRBA) to schooling is based on the principle that human rights should be conveyed both in and through education. The HRBA process involves complex interactions between the right to education in general, the implementation of human rights practices within the structure of the school itself, and the teaching of human rights through schooling. ***

Corruption in the health sector http://www.u4.no/themes/health/ These pages present some essential resources for anyone promoting anti-corruption in the health sector, or otherwise wanting to learn about the challenges of corruption in the health sector. These web pages were developed by U4 based on research by Carin Norberg of Transparency International and were later updated by Taryn Vian of Boston University. Download: Corruption in the health sector U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, updated November 2008 88 pp. 417 kB: http://www.u4.no/document/u4-issue/u4_issue_7_2008_web.pdf

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The Municipal Service Project (MSP) http://www.municipalservicesproject.org/ The Municipal Service Project systematically explores alternatives to the privatization and commercialization of service provision in the health, water, sanitation and electricity sectors. They evaluate service delivery models deemed to be successful alternatives to commercialization in an effort to understand the conditions required for their sustainability and reproducibility. This website is an interactive platform for researchers and others around the world to engage in discussions of this topic.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Health, Population and Nutrition in Developing Countries January 2010 and September 2010 Keele University, Keele, United Kingdom Course Content: Core modules: health planning and management, health economics and financial management, human resource management, health information and management science, marketing and community participation. Target Audience: Professionals working in the health sectors of transitional/developing countries. Entry Requirements: Honours degree or professional qualification, 5 years of professional experience in a relevant field. For more information contact: Sarah Newton Tel.: +44-1782-733-191 Fax: +44-1782-711-737 mailto:[email protected] or see: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/postgraduate/courses/healthpop.html For more courses and conferences see also: http://www.going-international.at/index.php?lang=EN

CONFERENCES 4th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights - 2010 8-15 February, 2010 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia The 4th African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights is part of a long-term process of building and fostering regional dialogue on sexual rights and health that leads to concrete action to influence policy particularly that of the African Union and its bodies. For more information see: http://www.africasexuality.org/

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3rd Northern European Conference on Travel Medicine 26 - 29 May, 2010 Hamburg, Germany The conference will cover the “basics” of travel medicine like vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis and travellers diarrhoea - but we will also try to substantiate travel medicine advice on a sound scientific basis and on good epidemiological data. We will discuss how evidence obtained from research can be transferred into actual practice. Travel medicine in a globalized world - according to our opinion - also includes migration medicine, occupational medicine abroad as well as environmental issues. For more information and detailed instructions for abstract submission see the conference website at: http://www.nectm.com Abstract submission deadline is February 19, 2010. ***

MedInfo - 13th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics 2010 12-15 September, 2010 Cape Town, South Africa This will be the first time MEDINFO is held in Africa. It promises to boost exposure to grassroots healthcare delivery and the underpinning health information systems. This will open the door to new academic partnerships in the future and help to nurture a new breed of health “informaticians”. For more information see: http://www.medinfo2010.org/ ***

Impact Report: 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention 19-22 July 2009, Cape Town, South Africa Summary of Key Research and Implications for Policy and Practice - International AIDS Society (IAS), November 2009 27 pp. 2.0 MB: http://www.iasociety.org/Web/WebContent/File/IAS%202009_impact_report.pdf Attracting more than 5,800 participants from 123 countries, the conference offered more than 1,550 reports on original research in four areas: Basic Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Biomedical Prevention and - new at this meeting - Operations Research. This report aims not only to highlight particularly important original research and other developments detailed at IAS 2009, but also to analyze their potential impact on policy and practice in the coming years for those working in HIV or related fields. ***

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CARTOON Animal World

TIPS & TRICKS New Opera Version 10.10 http://www.opera.com/browser/ Opera’s latest Web browser introduces a new technology platform, “Opera Unite”. Opera Unite allows you to share content directly with friends without having to upload anything to a Web site. You can stream music, show photo galleries, share files and folders or even host your own Web pages directly from your browser. Opera Unite is a technology of the future. It opens up a world of possibilities, where any device can easily communicate with another. ***

Ctrl-F to search a web page Are you looking down the barrel of an exceedingly long web page in search for something? That is fine if you have got time to spare, but there is a better/faster way: In most web browsers, all you have to do is hit the key combination Ctrl+F. This will bring up a search box where you can input the phrase you are looking for. You can also go to Edit | Find menu, if you are a bigger fan of the mouse.

Best regards, Dieter Neuvians MD

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