News – Page 7 – Duke Global Health Innovation Center

31Aug 2023 by Melissa Slogan

Responding to unmet family planning needs

Blog

Reflections following the ReachHealth Initiative 7.7 million women in the Philippines wanted to use family planning in 2017, but were unable to do so.1 That same year, teenage pregnancies were at 9% and live births by teenage mothers (aged 10-19) were 196,478.2 In response to these dire unmet family planning needs and high teenage pregnancy rates, the Duke Global Health Innovation Center (Duke GHIC), RTI International, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs, implemented the ReachHealth Initiative. ReachHealth, a five-year initiative (2018-2023), aimed to strengthen and improve access to critical health services for Filipino families. This blog explores the challenges, key activities, and reflections following the initiative’s conclusion. [caption id="attachment_4203" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Caption: Photos from the USAID Innovation Accelerator Impact Showcase held February 2022 in the Philippines. Four digital…

22May 2023 by Melissa Slogan

The Time to Act is Now on Antimicrobial Resistance, the Shadow Pandemic

Blog

A timely #IiHForum23 panel discussion Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health threat with the potential to cause a global pandemic. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs that were previously effective in treating infections. This means that infections that were once easily treatable can become difficult, if not impossible, to treat. On April 25, 2023, key stakeholders from around the globe came together to discuss the critical challenges and necessary efforts to combat AMR at the IiH Annual Forum, at the same time that the European Commission adopted a proposal to intensify efforts to address AMR, and the United States Congress reintroduced the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act to encourage novel drug development to treat resistant infections. Panelists included AMR…

22May 2023 by Melissa Slogan

Oral Antiviral Access Critical to Saving Lives, Controlling COVID-19 Outbreaks

Blog

Oral Antiviral Access Critical to Saving Lives, Controlling COVID-19 Outbreaks This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it’s still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths. The worst thing any country could do now is to... let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about.—World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, May 5, 2023 Recent actions by the World Health Organization and the United States to remove the designation of COVID-19 as a public health emergency follow similar moves by almost all countries, deprioritizing COVID-19 responses. Yet the disease remains a serious threat, claiming thousands of lives each week, particularly…

12May 2023 by Melissa Slogan

Building Trust in Public Health Bellagio Convening Summary (Nov. 29 – Dec. 3, 2022)

News

While trust in public health declined significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public has been losing trust in a range of institutions for decades. The causes of this crisis in trust are complex, deep-rooted, and global in nature. The challenges of building and maintaining trust in health institutions are unique and reflect the important role that science and health care play in our lives. To explore this challenge, and to align on potential multistakeholder initiatives to overcome it, Duke University, in collaboration with Jack Leslie and with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, hosted a convening from November 28 to December 3, 2022, focused on “Building Trust in Public Health.” Recognizing that there are significant regional differences in key drivers of trust, as well as potential solutions to build trust, related…

11May 2023 by Melissa Slogan

Experiences, Enablers, and Challenges in Service Delivery and Integration of COVID-19 Vaccines: a Rapid Systematic Review

Our Reports

Abstract: The COVID-19 vaccination is a crucial public health intervention for controlling the spread and severity of the SARS-CoV2 virus. COVID-19 vaccines have been developed in record time, but their deployment has varied across countries, owing to differences in health system capacity, demand for the vaccine, and purchasing power of countries. The aim of this rapid review is to summarize and synthesize experiences on COVID-19 vaccine service delivery and integration to inform future COVID-19 vaccination programming and contribute to the knowledge base for future pandemic management. a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Global Index Medicus databases. Twenty-five studies were included in the analysis. Included studies spanned nine countries where COVID-19 vaccines were delivered through mass, mobile, and fixed-post vaccination service delivery models. There was limited evidence of…

09May 2023 by Melissa Slogan

Reflections following #IiHForum23

Blog

Inspiring. To summarize the Innovations in Healthcare Annual Forum in one word: inspiring.  Despite a full agenda over the two-day conference, the energy in the room never dwindled. For the first time since 2019, stakeholders from across the healthcare ecosystem came together to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and explore solutions to some of the most pressing global health issues including: Equitable access to quality care; Infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness; Antimicrobial resistance; Integrated, innovative private sector approaches for addressing non-communicable diseases; Trust in public health; Innovation lessons from global pandemics; Strengthening primary care as a foundation for resilient health systems and global health security; The use of artificial intelligence to improve health and healthcare; and Coordinated approaches to funding of health ventures in emerging markets. The Innovations in Healthcare Annual Forum enables all voices to be heard. The event…

19Apr 2023 by kmitch@duke.edu

COVID GAP Accountability Report, Issue 24

Our Reports

April 19, 2023: COVID GAP Accountability Report Issue 24 Key Changes and Insights Since Previous Report: On April 17th, India reported over 9,000 new COVID-19 cases prompting some parts of the country to reintroduce mask mandates. The XBB.1.16 variant now accounts for roughly 7.2% of sequenced COVID-19 cases in the United States. The World Health Organization’s technical advisory group on COVID vaccine composition met in March to review the performance of updated COVID-19 vaccines. The group released a statement saying that the updated vaccines that contain either BA.1 or BA.4/5 provide better protection than vaccines that contain only the original virus. The FDA authorized a second bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for seniors ages 65+ and those with compromised immune systems. The Duke Global Health Innovation Center is a proud partner of the COVID…

06Apr 2023 by Melissa Slogan

COVID GAP Accountability Report, Issue 23

Our Reports

April 5, 2023: COVID GAP Accountability Report Issue 23 Key Changes and Insights Since Previous Report: India reported over 3,600 new COVID-19 cases on April 3rd. This represents the largest single day increase in new cases in over 6 months. The World Health Organization is monitoring the XBB.1.16 subvariant that is currently circulating in India. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) have authorized the use of Bimervax as a COVID-19 booster vaccine. Bimervax is a bivalent, recombinant protein vaccine. South Korea plans to start using wastewater surveillance to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The health systems and response pillar of ACT-A has received $10 million in additional funding, and is now 35.9% funded. Botswana has achieved 70% vaccination…

30Mar 2023 by Melissa Slogan

COVID-19 Anguish Channeled into Survivor Support, Push for Better Pandemic Policies

Blog

The Global Accountability Platform (COVID GAP) blog series. March 30, 2023 By Nellie Bristol When Charonda Johnson’s 62-year-old father died from a COVID-19 infection in July, 2020, in addition to intense grief, she felt rage. A US Air Force Iraq war veteran, she was acutely attuned to early warnings about the unfolding pandemic and urged her family to take precautions. But the church her parents attended downplayed the threat, ignored mask mandates, and continued to hold regular services. Although, unlike the bulk of the congregation, her parents wore masks, they continued to attend services and church sponsored conferences, including those she later found out also were attended by some infected with COVID-19. “They were listening to the things that were being said in the media, listening to things they were hearing…

23Mar 2023 by Melissa Slogan

COVID GAP Accountability Report, Issue 22

Our Reports

March 22, 2023: COVID GAP Accountability Report Issue 22 Key Changes and Insights Since Previous Report: The Pandemic Fund received over 600 proposals in response to the call for expression of interests (EOI) for the first round of funding. The fund has $300 million available for the first round, but requests from the EOI total over $5.5 billion. The 5th meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) will take place April 3- 6. Laos, Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia have received oral antiviral treatments for high-risk patients through COVID Treatment Quick Start Consortium. The Duke Global Health Innovation Center is a proud partner of the COVID Global Accountability Platform (COVID GAP). COVID GAP’s Accountability Reports highlight and analyze recent developments, track progress toward national, regional, and global targets, and identify high-priority recommendations for…