Show Notes
LONDON—Why do some low and middle income countries manage to achieve good health outcomes while others fail? What factors drive improvements in the health system and in access to primary health care? How can we act on the social determinants of health in cash-strapped economies? Low and middle-income countries can achieve good health, without having to spend large amounts of money: they simply need to apply identifiable techniques and to have particular philosophies. This is the message emerging from a new book: entitled: Good Health At Low Cost just launched in London. It’s the result of painstaking research into health outcomes from different healthcare policies around the world. The book follows on from research in 1985 when the Rockefeller Foundation published what was to become a seminal report — Good Health At Low Cost — which became essential reading for health systems decision- and policy-makers alike. The new book draws on a series of up to date case studies from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Tamil Nadu and Thailand providing fresh insights into the role of effective institutions, innovation and country ownership in catalysing improvements in health. Peter Goodwin talked with the book’s authors: Anne Mills, Martin McKee and Dina Balabanova, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
More from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Audio News - LSHTM Podcast
ATLANTA—Efficacy of the RTS,S malaria vaccine for children — vaccinated between six and 12 weeks age — checked-in at around 30 per cent in preliminary findings from Africa released at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene conference by Dr John Lusingu of Tanzania’s National Institute of Medical Research. He told Sarah Maxwell that although this figure is lower than was hoped the data mean that a third of all cases of malaria are prevented among vaccinated children. Professor Sir Brian Greenwood of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine added his comment.
ATLANTA—Results from the first large study of a vaccine for dengue fever — in 4000 Thai children — show that it is safe to use and effective — raising immunity to three out of the four "serotypes" of this mosquito-borne virus. Although these findings — announced at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene annual meeting — show that complete protection — against all four virus types — is still not possible, Professor Jeremy Farrar of Oxford University's Unit in Ho Chi Minh city told Peter Goodwin that expectations about the vaccine were perhaps too high, and that the results just announced are encouraging, because the risk of dengue is continually rising as more people travel around the world spreading the infection.
ATLANTA—Schistosomiasis — also known as bilharzia — could be eliminated from Africa and elsewhere by using two actions together: making simple improvements in water-supply sanitation and hygiene and treating infected children with free praziquantel — recently made available by the manufacturers. At the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene annual conference Alan Fenwick, Professor of Tropical Parasitology at Imperial College in London, chaired a symposium reviewing the latest evidence about practical ways of achieving success against this parasitic disease. He discussed the conclusions with Peter Goodwin.
LONDON—A man with no legs and only one arm and a boy crippled by polio have been instrumental in steering a Red Cross team’s work in Afghanistan. The ICRC’s head of Orthopaedics in Kabul, Alberto Cairo, was invited by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to talk about his experience of 22 years’ work with disabled and war-wounded people. Together with Carl Blanchet of the London School’s International Centre for Evidence on Disability he explained to Peter Goodwin why we should see disabled people as a resource, not a liability.
LONDON—A case report in The Lancet has highlighted the threat of fake drugs for malaria — the subject of intensive research at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Dr Harparkash Kaur told Peter Goodwin what her laboratory is doing about the global threat of counterfeit drugs, and what happened in the recent case of the patient with malaria in Spain who had been taking anti-malarial drugs purchased in Equatorial Guinea.