Author: Kiara Ekeigwe

The authors—Adeniyi Adesola, David Akoki, Joshua Lawal, Abigail Oyedokun, Anuoluwapo Babawale, and Oluwatomisin Agboola—are part of a Mentored Child Health Research Project led by the Duke Center for Policy Impact in Global Health and the University of Ibadan Medical Students' Association. Background: the scope of the disease Imagine a world where your own blood turns against you. That is the reality for millions of people living with sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic condition that turns red blood cells into rigid and fragile, crescent-shaped obstacles. These cells can clog blood vessels, causing severe pain and life-threatening complications. Globally, Nigeria bears the highest burden—about 2% to 3% of the population has the disease—with about 150,000 newborns affected yearly and 50 million people carrying the sickle cell trait.1 Nearly half of affected…

The authors—Akinrinde Deborah, Ayeni Samuel, Akande Damilola, and Adegbite Adedapo—are part of a Mentored Child Health Research Project led by the Duke Center for Policy Impact in Global Health and the University of Ibadan Medical Students Association. Introduction: a neglected global health issue "When we ignore the mental health of children, we undercut their capacity to learn, work, build meaningful relationships and contribute to the world. When we ignore the mental health of parents and caregivers, we fail to support them to nurture and care for their children to the best of their ability. And when we ignore mental health issues in our societies, we close off conversation, reinforce stigma and prevent children and caregivers from seeking the help they need."                                                                        -The State of the World’s Children, UNICEF 2021 Adolescent…

The authors, Taofeeq Oluwatosin Togunwa and Abdulhammed Opeyemi Babatunde, are part of a Mentored Child Health Research Project led by the Duke Center for Policy Impact in Global Health and the University of Ibadan Medical Students Association.IntroductionPneumonia is the number one infectious cause of death in childhood, causing about 700,000 deaths a year.1  India bears the highest burden, contributing to nearly 20% of global childhood pneumonia deaths.2 Pneumonia remains one of the leading causes of death among children under 5 years in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA),3 threatening the achievement of target 3.2 of Sustainable Development Goal 3, the target of reducing child mortality to 25 deaths per 1,000 live births or lower by 2030. The region's high pneumonia mortality is linked to inadequate healthcare resources, poor health financing, and a high…

This blog was first published in Brookings Future Development Blog, July 22, 2024. The authors are Gavin Yamey, Shingai Machingaidze, Osondu Ogbuoji, and Marco Schäferhoff. Investments in global health research and development (R&D) have led to the launches of many life-saving health technologies. Twenty years ago, for example, we had no malaria vaccine. Today, two effective malaria vaccines are being rolled out across Africa. And the future looks bright: The pipeline of candidate products for most global health conditions is more robust than ever (though some neglected diseases, such as leprosy, scabies, and trachoma, still have too few candidate products). In theory at least, the next 20 years could be even better than the last 20 years for launching breakthrough global health technologies.However, strong headwinds are getting in the way of bringing new global health products quickly to market. The…