Humanitas Global Development Blog

World Tuberculosis Day: Tackling TB in the 21st Century

Guest post by Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership 

I keep asking myself and those around me, why, in the 21st Century, are 1.4 million people a year still dying from TB, when it is a curable disease?

With TB largely consigned to the history books in Europe and the US, why can we not put a stop to this disease globally? Why are so few of us outraged that women and children are dying from TB in the same way as characters from La Bohéme or Les Misérables?

I also ask why we have not had any significant breakthroughs in TB research and development science and research, despite the disease being around for the last 2000 years? Why do we still have to use the 90 year-old Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine and the same drugs that were developed 50 years ago?

One of the answers to these questions is that the global fight against TB is underfunded and has not benefited from significant attention for some time. Is it almost as if the human race has become complacent and gotten used to having TB around.

To make things worse, years of neglect in the provision of quality TB care and a lack of funding has led to the development of strains of TB that are resistant to the most commonly used anti-TB drugs. Known as multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB, these strains can spread through the air like any other airborne disease.

I need to make one point clear. We should acknowledge what the TB community has achieved in the past 15 years with the tools, financing and support it has received from the global community. By rolling out quality TB care around the world we have saved 20 million lives since 1990. TB and HIV programmes are working much better together to address this double epidemic. The voices of people affected by TB have become louder in demanding access to quality services. A new rapid diagnosis test is being rolling out, a new anti-TB drug was announced in the first days of this year and more than a dozen TB vaccines are in the clinical trial phase.

However, we have a long and difficult way in front of us and this is the time for action! We cannot afford progress to grind to a halt. We must ensure that there is enough funding to provide TB care to all, especially the vulnerable and stigmatized, and ensure that we can find and treat the 3 million people a year who get ill with TB but don’t receive the quality care they need.

Therefore we need to ensure that the Global Fund—which provides the vast majority of international financing for TB programmes—has a successful fundraising drive this year.

We must also support countries and governments to mobilize domestic sources of funding so we can scale up our efforts and provide access to TB services for all that need them. We urgently need a steep increase in the financing for research and development for new tools—drugs, vaccines and diagnostics—if we are to achieve our dreams.

Dr. Lucica Ditiu was appointed Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership in January 2011. A native of Romania, Dr. Ditiu is a physician and researcher who has devoted her career to improving the lives of people living in communities heavily burdened by tuberculosis (TB).

World Water Day: Everyday Heroes

Post by Erica Oakley, Humanitas Global Development

How often do you stop and consider how much water we use in our daily routines?  You probably woke up this morning and used fresh water to take a shower, brush your teeth, use the bathroom and make a pot of coffee or cup of tea -- all in the comfort of your home.  However, according to the UN, there are 783 million people who do not have access to clean water and almost 2.5 billion without access to adequate sanitation. 

With the expectation that the availability of clean water will decrease in the future due to growing populations, increased food demands, global warming, pollution and demand for hydropower - to  name a few, there is much to be done to ensure that this vital resource is avilable for generations to come. 

It may seem like an uphill battle, but luckily there are a host of individuals and organizations that are working hard each day to ensure that people around the globe gain access to clean water.

In honor of World Water Day, we would like to continue the tradition of recognizing a few organizations - everyday heroes - that we think are doing tremendous work in tackling our global water woes:

• Worldwide, dirty water causes girls to miss over 145 million days of school every year according to the campaign Women for Water. Through this campaign, Women for Water are uniting women's voices from around the world to fight the global water crisis that disproportionately impacts women and girls.
• Water is a catalyst for disease prevention. A lack of clean water and knowledge of proper hygiene results in diarrhea diseases killing approximately 2,000 children each and every day. Water Aid is working to curb the spread of diarrhea and other infectious diseases through digging wells, helping to build latrines, and spreading knowledge on safe hygienic practices.
• According to Water.org, those living in informal settlements (i.e. slums) often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city. The cost is even greater between developed and developing countries. With this major discrepency in the cost of water, Water.org is using their star power to create some serious change and provide affordable drinking water to everyone through forging local partnerships and creating community ownership.
• Global Water believes that water is the lifeblood of the community and when water sources are unsafe, the impact ripples throughout society. Whether it is drilling wells in Africa or handwashing and healthy school programs in Central America, Global Water is working with local groups to bringing inexpensive and realistic options to those most in need. 

These are just a few of the countless organizations who work tirelessly everyday to create a world where everyone can have access to clean, safe and reliable water. On World Water Day, we thank these organizations and people who are working to make access to clean water a reality for generations to come!

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Post by Erica Oakley, Humanitas Global Development

Today, March 20, a little-known observance day is being celebrated in communities across the U.S.: National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD).  NNHAAD is a day for drawing attention to and building support for HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care among American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian populations.

The first day of spring - the date selected to observe NNHAAD - was carefully chosen and is symbolic of the belief for many that the first day of spring brings forth a season of new beginnings and change.

With the observance of NNHAAD, we would like to highlight and draw attention to a few rates and statistics on HIV/AIDS in Native communities according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

• Among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), women account for 29% of the HIV/AIDS diagnoses. 
• For Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) populations given a diagnosis, 78% were men, 21% were women, and 1% were children (under 13 years of age) in 2005.
• From 2007 to 2010, new HIV infections among AI/NA populations increased by 8.7% (CDC).

While these percentages may seem low, one must remember to take into account the size of these populations compared to more populous races and ethnicities in the U.S. For example, according to the CDC, in 2005 American Indians and Alaska Natives ranked 3rd in rates of HIV/AIDS diagnosis, following blacks and Hispanics. To put this into numbers, the rate of new HIV/AIDS infections in 2008 per 100,000 persons were:

• 73.7 Black/African American
• 25.0 Hispanic/Latinos
• 22.85 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 
• 11.9 American Indian and Alaska Native 
• 8.2 Whites
• 7.2 Asians

Given that many of these populations live in rural areas, access to health care services can be difficult. Not to mention other roadblocks to obtaining needed services such as language and cultural barriers. Native communities have some of the shortest survival times after diagnosis of HIV/AIDS of all race and ethnicty groups in the U.S.

According to Robert Foley, President/CEO of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, the recently released CDC supplemental surveillance report of HIV in the U.S. shows that within Native communities "there needs to be persistent efforts to combat community-based stigma caused by fear, misinformation, and discrimination. These continue to serve as barriers to people who know they need to access care, but are fearful of the social ramifications of doing so."

The report also revealed that Native communities are not accessing the needed care and attention following a HIV diagnosis:

• Only 75% of AI/AN individuals (13 years or older) that tested positive for HIV during 2010 were linked to medical care within 3 months after their diagnosis.
• Only 33% of AI/AN and 44% of Native Hawaiian individuals (13 years or older) that were diagnosed with HIV in 2008 had achieved viral suppression by the end of 2009. These are the 3rd and 4th lowest rates when compared to other races/ethnicities (CDC).

There are several organizations working hard to address these barriers - and many more - within Native communities, such as: Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center, CA7AE: HIV/AIDS Prevention Project, Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Health Board, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., and National Native American AIDS Prevention Center - to name a few.  

As we are reminded of the work that still needs to be done and barriers which still need to be broken, let us applaud all of the organizations which are working hard to do this and bring forth a new spring among Native communities.

 

 

 

 

Video: Global Progress on Poverty

In the development community, we are so focused on all the work that remains to be done that we often forget to stop and consider the remarkable progress that's been made so far.  

At this year's TED2013 conference, musician and anti-poverty activist Bono highlighted the achievements made in global development over the past several decades through a series of well-designed and informative infographics.  

While it's clear that many challenges remain in achieving a poverty-free world, this talk is a good reminder of what development practicioners, policymakers, researchers, advocates and the world as a whole can accomplish when we focus our efforts on improving the quality of life of marginalized people around the world.

  

International Women's Day: Everyday Heroes

by Erica Oakley, Humanitas Global Development

International Women's Day is our time to focus on the issues that are important to women and girls. We think it is also a time to draw attention to the great work that is being done by people and organizations around the world in addressing these needs.

In honor of International Women's Day, we at the Humanitas Global Development blog would like to recognize a few organizations - everyday heroes - that we think are doing tremendous work in tackling issues that impact women and girls:

• Women are the largest untapped pool of human potential according to Vital Voices. By investing, training and mentoring thousands of women every year, Vital Voices is working to unleash this untapped resource and transform the lives of women and those around them.
• According to Every Mother Counts, 800 women die every day from pregnancy and childbirth complications - the leading cause of death for women worldwide of reproductive age. Every Mother Counts is using their resources to ensure that women do not have to die giving life through informing, engaging and mobilizing the global community.
• Women and girls are deeply impacted by the effects of conflict and war and are often invisible victims. Women for Women International is working to change this by tirelessly assisting women in war torn areas through providing key services such as education, training, and counseling. 
• Approximately 10 million girls are married before the age of 18. The White Ribbon Alliance For Save Motherhood is making great strides in tackling not only child marriage but a whole host of women's and girl's issues from ensuring government accountability to family planning - and everything in between. 
• According to Pro Mujer, Latin America has one of the highest rates of gender inequality and income disparity in the world. Approximately 200 million people—almost one-third of the population—live below the poverty line. Of these, 70% lack access to health services. Pro Mujer is working to reverse this trend by providing financial, training and healthcare services to women in 5 Latin American countries. 
• With women accounting for the majority of the world's poorest and six out of ten of the world's hungry, Women Thrive Worldwide has their work cutout for them. But Women Thrive - through their tireless effort in being a voice for women around the globe - are ensuring that women's priorities are seen and heard.
• The International Center for Research on Women believes that women are integral to alleviating global poverty and that no woman or girl can reach her full potential if her basic right to a healthy, safe life is not honored.  Through their work on child marriage, agriculture, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and technology (just to name a few), they are empowering women, fighting for gender equality and combating poverty. 

These are just a few of the countless organizations who work tirelessly everyday to create a world where women and girls are valued and gender is no longer a barrier for living a happy, healthy and productive life.  On International Women's Day, we thank these organizations and people who are working to make the world a better place!