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Dec 31, 2014

Electronic reminder increased influenza vaccination rates in late winter

Study findings indicated that an electronic vaccination reminder that utilized immunization information from a population-based system increased influenza vaccination later in the winter when few vaccine doses are administered.

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Dec 29, 2014

Immunisation partners: committed to sustainability

Concerns about the sustainability of immunisation programmes in sub-Saharan Africa are becoming increasingly vocal in international fora and at the country level. Sadly, there are still many children who are un- or not-fully immunised, development aid resources are decreasing, and many countries are not keeping up with their financial commitments for the implementation of immunisation programmes, despite the fact that many of these countries will soon be graduating from Gavi support. It is therefore urgent and imperative to take action and to encourage all immunisation stakeholders in our countries to join forces and make a difference.

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Dec 29, 2014

Still on Ebola – The Role of Technology in Global Health

It is rather unfortunate that the people of West Africa may soon be dealing with two deadly infectious epidemics, meningitis and Ebola, at the same time. In Africa’s Meningitis Belt, the beginning of the dry season (November to January) signals the start of the annual meningitis epidemic. Many more people may be infected with meningitis than have been killed during the current Ebola epidemic. Thousands may die from meningitis even as Ebola continues to kill. Yet there is little talk or even preparation to mitigate the impact.

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Dec 28, 2014

Dengue app allows Costa Rica to report mosquito hatcheries

Each year 22,000 people die from dengue fever, many of them children. More than 100 million people contract it each year, almost entirely from carrier mosquitoes. About 2.5 billion people live in areas where dengue infection is a risk.

“The real problem with dengue is it occurs in an epidemic fashion, so it can paralyse healthcare systems when it comes through a big city, causing thousands of hospitalisations,” says Gavin Screaton, at Imperial College, London. The only prevention is mosquito repellent or spraying mosquito spawning areas.

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Dec 23, 2014

2014’s top global health stories — and what they have to do with health workers

As 2014 comes to an end, the international development community stands on the cusp of major new progress, particularly in global health and development — but the war and disease that marked this year could hinder that progress for decades to come. Health workers labored on the front lines of some of 2014’s most prominent events, which will likely affect global health and the well-being for all 7 billion of us as we move into 2015 and beyond. So let’s take a look back at some of 2014’s biggest global health and development stories. Some good, some bad, all illuminating as we enter the new year.

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Dec 19, 2014

Why Data Matters

Data inspires progress and galvanizes change. To know where we need to go, we need to know what we’ve achieved – where progress is being made and where major challenges remain. After years of working at all levels – policy, civil society, and nonprofit – advocates for women’s progress know too well that despite best intentions, strong programmatic work, and impassioned debate, without reliable data on the gains and gaps that women face, it’s near to impossible to accelerate and sustain lasting progress.

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Dec 17, 2014

US approves US$ 200 million for Gavi in fiscal year 2015 budget

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance welcomed final approval of the fiscal year 2015 appropriations bill that includes US$ 200 million for Gavi. It is the largest single year contribution ever made to Gavi by the United States.

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Dec 16, 2014

Simple But Impactful: Transforming Nigeria’s Vaccine Supply Chain

Vaccine supplies and logistics are a fundamental component of any immunization system. In Nigeria, any hope of achieving the goal of 87 percent vaccine coverage by 2015 will remain out of reach unless vaccines and devices reach heath facilities on time and in the right quantity. The greatest difficultly lies in reaching the last mile—getting vaccines to those in the hardest-to-reach corners of Nigeria.

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Dec 15, 2014

Dengue fever vaccine on the cards after novel antibody discovery

A new class of antibody found in the blood of patients with dengue fever has boosted hopes for a vaccine against the virus, which debilitates millions and kills tens of thousands each year.

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Dec 15, 2014

Google Ventures Shifts Focus to Health Care

Google’s venture-capital arm is moving strongly into health care and life-sciences startups, mirroring shifts at the Internet giant. More than one-third of the money Google Ventures invested in 2014 went to health care and life-sciences companies, up from 9% each of the prior two years. The venture group plans to continue investing in the area, looking to capitalize on an explosion of health data and new ways to analyze it, said Bill Maris, head of Google Ventures.

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