Category: Policy Blog

This article was first published in Time, Ideas & Health October 2, 2024. The authors are Jirair Ratevosian and Gavin Yamey. Ratevosian is Hock Fellow at the Duke Global Health Institute and former senior advisor to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Yamey is a physician and professor of global health and public policy at Duke University, where he directs the Center for Policy Impact in Global Health As diplomats and officials from around the world gathered in New York last week for the annual United Nations General Assembly, one question dominated the attention of global leaders: who will lead the U.S. in 2025? The stakes of this election go far beyond America’s borders. The next president will play a critical role in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges:…

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…

This blog was first published in Brookings Future Development Blog, March 2, 2021. The authors are Kaci Kennedy McDade, Kenneth Munge, Gilbert Kokwaro, and Osondu Ogbuoji. Health systems in most low- and middle-income countries face two major obstacles: insufficient domestic funding and inefficient use of available resources. While the problem of insufficient domestic funding has partly been mitigated by foreign aid, these arrangements are changing quickly: As countries move from low- to middle-income status, they are perceived as capable of financing their health systems. Some donors have begun to transition out of such middle-income countries. While graduation from foreign aid is a positive milestone for any country, this transition, if poorly managed, may lead to a reversal of health gains. The suspicion is that this is happening in many countries. To…

This blog was first published in Brookings Future Development Blog, February 2, 2021. The authors are Cordelia Kenney, Kaci Kennedy McDade, Wenhui Mao, and Osondu Ogbuoji. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse progress in global poverty reduction and in global health improvements among poor people. The links between health and poverty are clear: Poverty limits people’s ability to access medical care, safe living environments, and sufficient nutrition, the absence of which can have disastrous consequences. Conversely, good health enables employment and income generation. The pandemic will make it harder to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While 70 percent of the world’s poor already reside in middle-income countries (MICs), the World Bank projects that more than 100 million more people, most of them in MICs, might have fallen below…

This blog was first published in Brookings Future Development Blog, December 1, 2020. The authors are Ashwini Deshpande, Khaing Thandar Hnin, and  Tom Traill. During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, from late March to early August, Myanmar recorded just 360 cases and 6 deaths. Early in the crisis, the government rapidly implemented measures to contain the virus. Just as it started easing them though, the country was hit by a major second wave in mid-August. Daily cases increased from less than 10 per day in early August to over 1,000 per day in mid-October. This wave has overwhelmed Myanmar’s inadequate and understaffed health infrastructure. By November 20, there were 76,414 confirmed cases and 1,695 deaths (Figure 1). Figure 1a. Cumulative active confirmed cases, discharged patients and deaths Figure 1b.…

This blog was first published in Brookings Future Development Blog. The authors are Jiaqi Zhang, Justice Nonvignon, and Wenhui Mao. The first two COVID-19 cases in Ghana were confirmed on March 12, 2020. As of July 23, 2020, there have been 32,969 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 168 deaths. The virus has disproportionately affected southern Ghana—52 percent of cases are in Greater Accra (Table 1). With a population of about 30 million—the 10th largest in sub-Saharan Africa—Ghana now has the fourth highest number of cases in sub-Saharan Africa (after South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria). The reason is that Ghana has one of the highest testing rates when compared to other African countries. Table 1. Half of Ghana’s COVID-19 cases are in and around the capital city Region Cases Greater Accra 17,152 Ashanti…