Synopsis of the Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly
The World Health Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO). This group determines and supervises the policies of the WHO, and reviews and approves the proposed annual program budget. The Assembly convenes once a year in Geneva to review the work of WHO, and to set new goals and assign new tasks for the organization. This year, this meeting took place from May 18 to May 26, and more than 3,000 delegates from the 194 Member States of WHO were estimated to have attended. Some of these individuals were leaders from member organizations of the Triangle Global Health Consortium, including Intrahealth International President and CEO, Pape Gaye! Committee and plenary meetings were held each day, as well as technical briefings for specific public health topics.
Topics of briefings included health in the post-2015 sustainable development goals, the Ebola outbreak, and climate and health preparations for the third UN High-Level meeting on noncommunicable diseases in 2018, among many other subjects. The planned budget and program of work for 2016 and 2017 was approved, and progress reports on issues such as adolescent health, immunization, noncommunicable disease, and WHO’s response in severe, large-scale emergencies, were reviewed. A new global malaria strategy was also agreed upon for 2016 to 2030, which will aim to reduce global disease burden by 40 percent by 2020, and at least 90 percent by 2030. Delegates hope that malaria will be eliminated in at least 35 new countries by 2030.
The annual public health awards, including the Sasakawa Health Prize, the United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize, among a few others, were also presented. Member States came to a consensus that polio eradication can only be achieved through global solidarity, and noted the success and progress made in Africa and the Middle East. The deadline for countries to meet international health regulations has been extended to 2016, in order to provide adequate time for these regions to be prepared to quickly detect, respond to, and prevent global health threats, particularly after observing the difficulties with
response to the Ebola outbreak. Another reflection of the impact of this epidemic was the Assembly giving the WHO permission to implement structural reforms to prepare for and respond quickly, flexibly, and effectively to emergencies and disease outbreaks. The WHO will establish an emergency program, with a 100 million US dollar contingency fund, to finance in-field operations for up to three months. The Assembly applauded the WHO for its work to develop vaccines, diagnostics, and drugs for the Ebola virus disease, but also requested the continuance and enhancement of the organization’s work in assisting countries with better preparation for health emergencies, via the strengthening of national health systems.
Delegates also endorsed a five objective global action plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance, including the issue of antibiotic resistance. Participants noted that progress with the Global Vaccine Action Plan has been slow and inconsistent, as a result of limited access to sustainable supplies to affordable vaccines by low and middle-income countries. As a result, the WHO will coordinate efforts to counteract the gaps in progress with the plan.
Resolutions to combating malnutrition were also discussed, including the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and a Framework for Action, as well as a set of six indicators to measure nutrition among mothers, babies, and young children. The Rome Declaration on Nutrition and a Framework for Action suggests policies and programs spanning health, food, and agriculture sectors to address malnutrition.
On the last day of the assembly, three final resolutions were made. Delegates discussed how to address air pollution, the world’s largest single environmental health risk, for the first time. After the debate, the role of the national health authorities to encourage strong cooperation between different sectors, and to integrate health concerns into national, regional, and local air pollution- related policies, was highlighted. The second resolution focused on strengthening care for epilepsy, due to a lack of proper diagnoses and treatment for 90 percent of people with this condition in resource-poor settings. There is a need for government involvement with national policies and legislation, a need for strengthening of the health information and surveillance system, as well as a need to stress the importance of non-specialist healthcare providers to counteract the treatment gap. Access to, and affordability of, medications was also discussed, and the idea of public awareness activities and increased research capacity, to address the stigmas associated with this condition. The third resolution was directed towards working with non-state actors, such as NGOs, private sector entities, philanthropic foundations, and academic institutions. A register of these types of organizations will be created by the WHO Secretariat, and will be invited to next year’s assembly.
If you would like to see a full breakdown with details of each day of this event, visit this page on the WHO website!
If you are interested in a live, one-hour broadcast including interviews with experts about key health issues under discussion at the Assembly, visit this page.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Chimerix, Inc. Awarded $100M Smallpox Contract
As some of you may remember, Chimerix, Inc. won the Triangle Global Health Consortium’s Corporate Impact Award in February for their work in developing oral antivirals to prevent disease in individuals with weakened immune systems and to treat viral diseases where no treatment is available. 
We are happy to share that this biopharmaceutical company is at it again, recently announcing that it will accept a 5-year contract with the federal government, worth 100 million dollars, to produce treatment courses of its experimental antiviral drug brincidofovir for defense against the spread of smallpox disseminated by a bioterror attack or accidental release.
The sole recipient of the contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Chimerix may be delivering as many as 1.7 million treatment courses of brincidofovir to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the Strategic National Stockpile.
Outside of its potential role in preventing the transmission of smallpox, the company is also investigating brincidofovir for a variety of public health applications, including fighting infections of cytomegalovirus and adenovirus in patients who have received transplants, and in individuals with compromised immune systems. In fact, Chimerix plans to begin clinical trials that will test brincidofovir as a treatment for kidney transplant recipients at risk of infection, in the coming months.
According to The News & Observer, “The drug could be commercially available as early as next year.”
We would like to congratulate Chimerix for receiving this exciting award, and we look forward to seeing the work accomplished as a result of this opportunity!
You can find the full article on The News & Observer.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )World Health Day
As many of you may know, today is World Health Day! Every year, April 7 is designated as a day for global health awareness,
under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization. The Triangle Global Health Consortium (TGHC) is celebrating by working to advance global health in the Triangle! We have 15 member groups that are either academic, nonprofit, or corporate organizations. Although within different sectors, each member is recognized for their role in discovering, developing, and promoting innovations in global health, research, education, policy, and service.
Each organization in this area has a unique focus and skillset, but also possesses a shared vision of addressing and improving the health of underserved populations. As a result, North Carolina can be considered an international center for research, training, education, advocacy and business dedicated to improving the health of the world’s communities. The mission of TGHC is to raise awareness around, and to further establish, this distinction. We strive to serve as a catalyst to leverage the breadth of resources across our members, to build relationships within a strong network of elite global health professionals, and to create opportunities for shared knowledge, partnership, and innovation.
What better way to 
celebrate World Health Day, and to effectively discuss important topics and issues within the global health field, other than to bring together individuals who have the resources and power to facilitate change? TGHC was thrilled to host a lunch with Congressman David Price today, to have a conversation around insights on congressional response and support for global health, house democracy partnership, global health in the Triangle, and appropriations for Global Health (including Department of State, USAID, NIH and CDC). Senior leadership from TGHC’s member organizations and institutions, including HEAG Pain Management Center, Ipas, GlaxoSmithKline, Curamericas Global, Family Health Ministries, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Indelible Partners, North Carolina State University, FHI360, UNC Gillings School of Public Health, and RTI International, were also present and engaged. By the end of the discussion, other topics covered included health systems strengthening, greater investments in approaching the complex factors influencing disease, and the importance of partnership and collective action. The relevance and significance of each of these areas were heavily stressed.
Due to having leading academic institutions, a significant pharmaceutical and biotechnology center, as well as major international development organizations headquartered in the Triangle, it is not surprising that the economy of North Carolina is significantly impacted by the global health sector. There are more than 7,000 global health jobs supported annually, which is reflected in 508 million salaries and wages. In fact, this sector has been estimated to have a financial impact of up to 2 billion dollars per year!
We would like to extend another thank you to Congressman Price, and his team, for taking the time to meet with us today. We would also like to thank our fellow players in the global health field, whose daily work and dedication are improving health locally, and internationally!
How are you celebrating World Health Day, and what organizations or individuals would you like to recognize?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )TGHC Celebrates Local Global Health Leaders
On February 12, the Triangle Global Health Consortium hosted the Triangle Global Health Award Celebration, in order to recognize the contributions of individuals and companies making a difference in North Carolina, and all over the world. Over 100 global health professionals from each area of the Triangle were present at the event, where they enjoyed a meal from Top of the Hill and supported each of the nominees and winners of the awards given that night. Attendees also had the opportunity to further support the Triangle Global Health Consortium by participating in a raffle, wine pull, and a silent auction. Prizes won included a bottle of 2010 Somerston Stornoway, gift certificates to local businesses, and a variety of local and international art pieces.
Dr. Wayne Holden, President and CEO of RTI International, was honored as the 2015 Triangle Global Health Champion. Dr. Holden was selected for his many contributions to improving the health of the world’s communities, and for advancing global health in North Carolina. Attendees also learned that he was a key instigator in the conceiving and launching of our Triangle Global Health Consortium. Dr. Holden saw the possibility to harness the tremendous global health capability in our region, representing wide-ranging organizations and interests toward common goals in global health.
Chimerix, Inc. was recognized with the Corporate Impact Award for their work in developing oral antivirals to prevent disease in individuals with weakened immune systems, and to treat viral diseases where no treatment is available. Chimerix is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to preventing and treating life-threatening infections, and the Corporate Impact Award recognizes the efforts of North Carolina companies to improve the health of the world’s communities.
We also had three outstanding finalists chosen for the Emerging Leader Award: Dr. Smisha Agarwal, Dr. Kathryn Muessig and Dr. Eve Puffer. All three women were recognized for their collaborative efforts, for their dedication and innovation with respect to helping neglected populations, and for their overall progress within the global public health field. After a community vote where thousands of people participated, Dr. Puffer was chosen as the winner, for her work with community-based approaches to address both mental health and HIV prevention in very low-resource settings. Her leadership is helping to close the treatment gap in global mental health, by identifying models of implementation that are both feasible and cost-effective.
We would like to thank all who supported the consortium, as well as all of the global health leaders recognized that night! The event was a success, and we look forward to celebrating future global health advancements next year!
A special thank you to David Williams Photography for donating your services!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Pape Gaye Addresses US Senate About Ebola Epidemic
On December 10, Pape Gaye, IntraHealth International CEO and Triangle Global Health Consortium board member, testified before the United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs regarding the international response to Ebola. The 2014 Ebola outbreak is the largest in history, claiming over 6,300 lives across West Africa since March. Three hundred and forty of the individuals lost were health workers, a factor that Gaye states will continue to help the Ebola virus spread – the absence of a sustainable and resilient global health workforce.
Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea all had fewer than three doctors, nurses, and midwives per 10,000 people before the Ebola outbreak, which is astoundingly limited in relation to the minimum established threshold of 22.8 doctors, nurses, and midwives needed per 10,000 people to provide essential health services to a population. Gaye makes the point that health workforce deficiencies are a threat not only to addressing current epidemics and to the health of communities, but also to global health security as a whole. Gaye also expresses concern that the progress that has been made in saving the women and children’s lives fighting other infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, will be negated if changes are not made. As a result, Gaye makes it clear that this lack of manpower needs high-level political attention, and that America must act as a model for commitment to strengthening health work forces and systems in developing nations, whom other prosperous countries can emulate.
Gaye also touched upon innovations designed to improve health information dissemination, such as mHero – mHero is a new tool that IntraHealth and UNICEF are developing, in partnership with the Liberian government, to catalyze communication of critical information between the Ministry of Health and health workers. Similar tools have been used in the past to save low-income country partners millions of dollars in resources, as well as to facilitate greater domestic investment in health workers.
Overall, the picture that Gaye painted was not one of a lack of commitment or interest from healthcare limited countries, like those of West Africa, but rather a lack of donor commitment and an absence of resources. He concluded with a synopsis of the recommendations released by the Frontline Health Workers Coalition for how the United States can take the lead in helping West African, and other low-income, country partners to build the resilient and sustainable health workforce necessary for the 21st century. The overarching themes are a need for a more concerted effort to address the needs of local health workers in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, as well as for a political push for global action to meaningfully address the most critical deficiencies of the global frontline health workforce.
Gaye, quoted a Wolof proverb from his native Senegal,
“Nit, nit ay garabam”, or “The best medicine for a person is another person”.
We look forward to the changes inspired in the coming year due to the important efforts of IntraHealth, and other local organizations committed to promoting global health.
Please take some time to learn more:
- Read about IntraHealth’s work with the Ebola outbreak.
- Read the transcript for Gaye’s testimony.
- Review full coverage of the hearing on the Ebola epidemic.
- Learn about Triangle Global Health Consortium members’ Ebola response activities.
Triangle Global Health Consortium 