In
May, a team composed of three members of EHP�s staff traveled to
India on a three-week assignment to identify a strategy and initiate a
work plan for the design and implementation of USAID/India�s Urban
Health Program. The broad goal of the Urban Health Program is to
improve the health of poor people dwelling in urban slums in selected
areas of India. Based on the strengths and experiences of
USAID/India�s Regional Urban Development Office (RUDO), two cities
have been identified in which to implement the program initially:
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh).
EHP
will be the lead organization to guide the implementation of the
USAID/India Urban Health Program. In this capacity, EHP anticipates
playing a variety of roles to achieve program goals and objectives.
These roles include, but are not limited to, technical assistance in
areas within EHP�s mandate and manageable interest; identification
and coordination of cooperating agencies and nongovernmental
organizations for other technical assistance activities beyond EHP�s
mandate; creating a mechanism for providing small grants to local
nongovernmental organizations; and overall leadership, coordination,
and facilitation with other cooperating agencies, nongovernmental
organizations, and international agencies.
For
information on this activity, please contact Eddy Perez (mailto:[email protected])
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With
funding from USAID/Asmara, EHP provides technical support to the
Ministry of Health in Eritrea for implementing its National Malaria
Control Program.
Mosquito
control is an important part of Eritrea�s National Malaria Control
Program (NMCP), which currently uses indoor spraying, the chemical
larvicide temephos, and community-based environmental management to
control adult and larval mosquito populations. EHP is helping NMCP
conduct field trials to evaluate the potential for using two
biological larvicides, Bacillus
thuringiensis var. israelensis
and Bacillus sphaericus. The
trials, which will begin in September, will have two components: The
first will confirm the efficacy of the larvicides, and the second will
examine several issues that will determine the effectiveness of a
larvicide program. During a recent trip, EHP consultant Dr. Robert
Novak and EHP Resident Adviser Dr. Josephat Shililu prepared detailed
plans and protocols for the trials and completed the site selection
process.
For
information on this activity, please contact Gene Brantly (mailto:[email protected])
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The
USAID/Democratic Republic of Congo Urban Environmental Health Strategy
developed by EHP in collaboration with the Regional Urban Development
Office presents a framework for both short-term and long-term
interventions. Short-term interventions include the implementation of
results-oriented pilot projects. The International Rescue Committee, in
close collaboration with local nongovernmental organizations, is
implementing one pilot project in Kananga.
The
main objective of the Kananga activity is to reduce the incidence of
morbidity and mortality due to waterborne diseases, particularly among
women and children, by enabling better health and hygiene practices,
increasing quantity of household water, and improving the sustainability
of water supplies.
To
date, 60 springs have been improved and 2 cisterns have been
constructed. To support sustainability of the water supplies, each new
source is privately owned and operated. Additionally, 10 local
nongovernmental organizations have been trained to improve and manage
water points, and 48 social animators trained in hygiene and health
sensitization techniques have been mobilized. Another component of the
Kananga pilot project is the implementation of baseline and impact
surveys related to health and hygiene practices in the Kananga
population. The University of Kinshasa School of Public Health, with
support from EHP and the USAID Regional Urban Development Office,
recently completed the baseline study.
For
information on this activity, please contact Chris McGahey (mailto:[email protected])
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In
July 2000, EHP organized an initial workshop for representatives from
vector-borne disease programs in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal to
discuss the potential for collaboration on cross-border initiatives. The
workshop was funded by the USAID Regional Bureau for Asia and Near East
and was held in Nepal. An outcome of the workshop was the Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Network.
As
part of its support for the Regional Infectious Diseases Strategy in
South Asia, the USAID Asia and Near East Bureau is increasing its
funding for continued development of the BBIN Network and its related
cross-border activities, through EHP. Under this new activity, EHP will
work with BBIN Network members to improve communication among members;
standardize diagnostic and surveillance procedures for priority
infectious diseases; improve the quality of data available regarding the
epidemiology of infectious diseases, resistance to antimicrobial drugs,
vector ecology, and vector susceptibility to insecticides; and increase
information shared related to infectious diseases among BBIN Network
members.
The
BBIN Network has launched its Web site at http://www.bbin.org.
Next steps for standardizing diagnostic and surveillance procedures were
discussed at the Inter-country Meeting on Cross-border Initiatives on
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Kala-azar, organized by the World
Health Organization Southeast Asia Regional Office and the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation and held in Kathmandu from March 6
to March 9, 2001.
For
information on the BBIN Network and its cross-border activities, please
contact Gene Brantly (mailto:[email protected])
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Diarrhea
is the second most important killer of children under 5. Although there
is clear evidence of reduction of diarrheal disease mortality in recent
years (thanks to case management with oral rehydration salts), existing
data suggest that to reduce morbidity and mortality related to diarrheal
disease further, programs must also focus on primary prevention of
diarrhea.
Although several preventive interventions have
been promoted, proper disposal of feces of children under 5--a key
hygiene behavior essential in primary prevention of diarrhea--has been
generally overlooked.
EHP's
Information Center is establishing an interactive e-mail information
exchange network on the topic, titled �Proper Excreta Disposal and Its
Impact on Diarrhea Prevention in Children Under 5." This is a free
service open to all interested professionals.
To
join the network, please send us an e-mail (mailto:[email protected]).
The
discussions are tentatively scheduled to start August 6 and will last
about 4 weeks.
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- August 20-24, 2001, Lusaka, Zambia: 27th WEDC
Conference: People and Systems for Water, Sanitation and Health http://www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc/conferences/27contents.htm
- August 28-September
1, 2001, Leeds, United Kingdom: 12th British Society for Parasitology
Malaria Meeting http://www.biology.leeds.ac.uk/school/Conferences/malaria/index.htm
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A. Links
to Counters on Malaria and Diarrheal Diseases
-
Diarrheal
Diseases counter by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative
Council shows the daily number of cases and deaths from diarrhea
worldwide.
-
Malaria
counter by Science Controversies On-Line: Partnerships in Education
(SCOPE) shows number of cases and deaths due to malaria
globally since January 1, 2001
B. Info Services
C. Meeting
Alert - Update
D. Safe
Excreta Disposal Information Exchange Network
E. New
Links
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Previous
Issues of "What's New?"
The main topics or countries
discussed are given in parentheses.
June 2001 (Mozambique,
Madagascar, Nepal, Dominican Republic, indoor air pollution consultation,
Nairobi SIMA Conference)
May 2001
(Central America handwashing initiative, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Eritrea, Nepal, Bolivia)
March
2001 (Nicaragua, Madagascar, Africa, DDT cost comparison)
January
2001 at EHP (EHP
Activities, E-Newsletter, National Malaria Control Programs in 4 African
Countries, Congo, Decentralization in Latin America, Peru, WSSCC Forum,
Global WS&S Assessment from WHO/UNICEF)
November
2000 at EHP (Nicaragua,
Dominican Republic, Madagascar, SANICONN)
September
2000 at EHP (Nepal/Regional,
EHP and E-conferences)
July
2000 at EHP
(Nicaragua, Malaria
Vaccine Development, "Water for the World")
May/June
2000 at EHP
(Nicaragua, International
Consultation on Indoor Air Pollution)
April 2000 at EHP (Nicaragua,
Madagascar, Mozambique)
March 2000 at EHP
(Benin, South Africa,
Eritrea, Madagascar)
February 2000 at EHP
(Nicaragua, Paraguay,
Ukraine, Mozambique and Eritrea)
January
2000 at EHP (Nicaragua,
EHP Lessons Learned)
Previous
Issues of "What's New?" by country
How do we look?
EHP�s web site has a new look. Any comments or suggestions? Please send
us your feedback. |
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