Global health briefs - March 2016

March / April 2016 | Volume 15, Issue 2

Vaginal ring provides HIV protection

A device that constantly releases an experimental antiretroviral drug into the vagina safely provided a modest level of protection against HIV infection, a large NIH-funded study conducted in Africa found. The ring reduced risk of HIV infection among all participants, most significantly in women 25 and older.

• Read the full February 22, 2016 NIAID news release, Vaginal ring provides partial protection from HIV in large multinational trial.

Global burden of dengue investigated

There are nearly 10,000 global deaths due to dengue each year, according to a recently published analysis by the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The incidence of dengue has rapidly increased since 1990, more than doubling each decade.

• Read the full article The global burden of dengue: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, published online February 10, 2016.

Health Affairs considers vaccine benefits

Global investments in vaccines yield an average sixteenfold return on investment - in terms of reduced health care costs and benefits - in addition to broader economic gains. These and other issues related to vaccines were examined in a recent special issue of the journal Health Affairs.

• Access the February 2016 special issue of Health Affairs on vaccines.

Lancet examines preventable stillbirths

The majority of the world’s 2.6 million annual stillbirths occur in developing countries, according to a recent series published by The Lancet. Most stillbirths result from preventable conditions such as infections, noncommunicable diseases or obstetric complications.

• Access Ending preventable stillbirths from The Lancet, published January 19, 2016.

WHO studies global childhood obesity

The prevalence of childhood obesity is rising around the world - including in developing countries - and can affect health, educational attainment and quality of life, according to a new WHO report. The Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity produced a series of comprehensive, integrated recommendations to address the problem.

• Access the full 2016 Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Research videos available online

More than 3,500 hours of research videos providing insights into human learning and development have been made available in a virtual resource called Databrary. The repository is funded by NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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