Global health briefs - June 2018
May / June 2018 | Volume 17, Number 3
WHO issues first list of essential diagnostics
Without an accurate diagnosis, many people around the world don’t receive the treatment they need, or are incorrectly diagnosed and receive the wrong treatment. To address this gap, WHO has issued its first Essential Diagnostics List, a catalogue of the tests needed to diagnose the most common conditions as well as a number of global priority diseases.
Vaccines task force report released
Robust clinical research capacity in low- and middle-income countries is key to stemming the spread of epidemics, according to a new report from the International Vaccines Task Force (IVTF). The report, entitled Money and Microbes: Strengthening Research Capacity to Prevent Epidemics, lays out how to develop the political support, financing and coordination required to build this capacity as a crucial component of global epidemic preparedness. The task force was convened by the World Bank Group and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
WHO details global smoking disparities
Worldwide smoking is declining but stark disparities exist between countries and regions. A WHO investigation reveals that while more than 62 million smokers in high-income countries quit smoking since 2000, the number of smokers in low- and middle-income countries has increased by 33 million.
Child road safety study details health impact
Road traffic is a neglected health issue that kills 350,000 children and adolescents each year and causes serious harm and injury to millions more, says a new report from the FIA Foundation. It argues for integrating road traffic injury prevention, air pollution and child NCDs into the UN agenda and calls for a summit on child and adolescent health.
NIH produces plan for data science
To capitalize on the opportunities presented by advances in data science, the NIH has developed a strategic plan to promote modernization of the NIH-funded biomedical data science ecosystem. The goal is to maximize the value of data generated through NIH-funded efforts to accelerate the pace of biomedical discoveries and medical breakthroughs for better health outcomes.
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