"The IMF and the World Bank have stepped up aid to flood-hit Pakistan to help the country cope with its worst-ever humanitarian disaster," Agence France-Presse reports.

VOA News Examines U.S. Global Health Initiative

VOA News examines President Barack Obama's $63 billion Global Health Initiative (GHI), noting the initiative's emphasis on cost-effective strategies to improve child- and maternal-health as well as programs to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

Recent Releases In Global Health

FAO Calls For Special Meeting To Address Global Food Price Spikes

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "has called a special meeting on the recent spike in food prices, responding to fears of a repeat of the shortages that led to riots in parts of the world two years ago," the Associated Press reports. The inter-governmental committee on grains will meet on Sept. 24, most likely in Rome, according to FAO spokesperson Christopher Matthews. "He said a large number of member countries had expressed concern about a possible repeat of the 2008 food crisis," the AP reports (9/3).

To see Partnership Description, click below:
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TIME FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN, NEW FOCUS AND NEW PASSION MAKE IT POSSIBLE. IT BEGINS WITH YOU!

The ABMP has launched a fresh 12-month TV and radio campaign (August 2010 – August 2011) focusing on the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The ABMP’s campaign is part of a worldwide effort to achieve universal access to PMTCT services and to end HIV infection in babies by 2015. It is achievable. Today, the risks of HIV transmission from mother to child can be virtually eliminated if the mother follows the correct PMTCT protocol.

To learn more, click here
To access the full report on the PMTCT Strategic Vision (2010–2015), click here

The ABMP ads focus on:

increasing awareness of PMTCT and its effectiveness in reducing HIV infection in babies;
encouraging pregnant women to test early for HIV and to register for PMTCT if necessary;
reducing stigma by underscoring that pregnant women need support from family and community in accessing PMTCT services;
promoting collective responsibility for achieving the goal of an end to HIV infection in babies (Make it Possible: It Begins with YOU!).

To view the television ads, click here.
To listen to the radio ads, click here.

PMTCT Study Shows Few Infants Get Protective Drug

"In parts of Africa, only about half of babies born to mothers with HIV receive the HIV prevention drug nevirapine," according to a study published July 21, 2010 by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The HealthDay News/U.S. News & World Report writes that the study, which was part of an HIV/AIDS theme issue in JAMA to coincide with the International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010, "highlights the need to expand global programs designed to prevent HIV/AIDS in newborns. It also points to the need to incorporate ongoing monitoring and quality improvements into all nevirapine-based care programs, the study authors concluded." Read more here.

To see JAMA study, click here.
For WHO international guidelines for use of antiretroviral drugs, go here
To read WHO press release, click here.

New Radio Programming Guides for Radio Producers

A new HIV/AIDS programming guide for radio program producers is now available. Designed to provide ideas about longer form programs such as talk shows, documentaries, news and magazine programs that expand the key themes of the YOU campaign, the guide follows the unfolding saga of the mini radio drama series Can Tru Luv Withstand the Test? The series, now in its second year, follows the daily lives of a group of twenty-somethings as they navigate their way through the challenges of early adulthood. The current series focus specifically on themes of gender equity, stigma reduction, HIV-testing, and multiple concurrent partnerships.
To access the Programming Guide, click here
To hear episodes of Can Tru Luv Withstand the Test? click here