Disasters Emergency Committee [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.dec.org.uk/media-centre
[Action Aid, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan UK, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision]

.
UK aid agencies battle monsoon rains to reach 2.2 million quake survivors in Nepal
24/07/2015
Three months after the devastating Nepal earthquake, 13 of the UK’s leading aid agencies have reached more than 2.2 million people with aid including emergency shelter, food, clean water, sanitation, education services, and healthcare.

The Elders [to 25 July 2015]
http://theelders.org/news-media

.
Guest blog – Nathan J. Brown 23 July 2015
Israel & Palestine: Starting the peace process again, this time from the real world
Professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, Nathan J. Brown wonders if, one year on from the Gaza war, now is the appropriate time to internationalise the peace process.

.
News 20 July 2015
Confronting the challenge of climate change is a problem for us all
Speaking at the Sommet des Consciences pour le Climat in Paris, 21 July, Kofi Annan reflects on what kind of world he will be leaving his grandchildren and suggests that change is not only in the hands governments, but also businesses and individuals.

InterAction [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.interaction.org/media-center/press-releases

.
Respecting Local Traditions, Saving Lives
Jul 16, 2015
At the height of the Ebola Crisis in Liberia, Global Communities’ George Woryonwon realized that they key to reducing the rate of transmission was rapid, safe, and dignified burials. His team had been working in all 15 counties of Liberia…
…Woryonwon recieved the InterAction 2015 Humanitarian Award for his efforts, and spoke to Devex about his experience and lessons learned.

Start Network [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.start-network.org/news-blog/#.U9U_O7FR98E
[Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies]

.
Start Fund disburses £200,000 to address oil spill crisis in Colombia
July 23, 2015
Posted by Tegan Rogers in News.
On the 21st of June 2015, a rebel group sabotaged an oil pipeline in the rural area of Tumaco (Pacific coast of Colombia) causing the “the worst environmental and social damage in the last ten years in Colombia”, according to the Colombian Ministry of Environment. Large amounts of crude oil were spilled into water sources, threatening access to safe drinking water for over 160,000 people.

Following an initial response provided by the local government, Plan UK and Action Against Hunger (ACF) UK alerted the Start Fund to gaps in the response. In less than 72 hours, agencies submitted proposals which were technically peer reviewed and selected by a committee of Start Network representatives. Both ACF and Plan UK were awarded £100,000 each to conduct critical relief activities, including distribution of water tanks, filters and hygiene kits.

This rapid fund allocation will help respond to the needs of the most vulnerable households, and hopefully trigger some larger-scale involvement of international donors and NGOs. All Start Fund responses are completed within 45 days….

ODI [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.odi.org/media

.
Progress despite adversity: women’s empowerment and conflict in Colombia
Research reports and studies | July 2015 |
Pilar Domingo, Alina Rocha Menocal and Verónica Hinestroza
This case study explores the trajectory of women’s empowerment in Colombia over the past 20 years in the context of conflict. It analyses important changes in women’s political voice and legal activism, and how these in turn, are contributing to shaping policy on…

Managing crises together: towards coherence and complementarity in recurrent and protracted crises
Working and discussion papers | July 2015 |
Samuel Carpenter and Christina Bennett
Hundreds of millions of people are affected by recurrent and protracted crises every year. This paper calls for a more collective approach when responding to such crises and offers suggestions for fundamental technical and architectural change.

Strengthening access and proximity to serve the needs of people in conflict
Working and discussion papers | July 2015 |
Eva Svoboda
Many of today’s humanitarian crises are marked by conflict. This paper looks at the legal framework on armed conflict, operational difficulties on the ground and reflects on how to overcome some of the major challenges facing humanitarian operations in conflicts.

Uncommon bedfellows: local response to the crisis in Ukraine
Briefing papers | July 2015 |
Christina Bennett and Kristina Jovanovski
This IRIN/HPG Crisis Brief looks at how a Ukrainian oligarch, local organisations and Russian aid are providing a lifeline in rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine.

Why investing in disaster risk management pays off
Briefing papers | July 2015 |
Thomas Tanner, Emma Lovell, Emily Wilkinson, Francis Ghesquiere, Robert Reid and Sumati Rajput
This briefing provides seven key messages that should be addressed by the Third Conference on Financing for Development to ensure that disaster risk does not hamper the progress of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ford Foundation [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.fordfoundation.org/newsroom
20 July 2015:

.
‘An important shift for American philanthropy’
Tom Watson explains why Ford’s commitment to general operating support matters

David and Lucile Packard Foundation [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.packard.org/news/

.
New Children’s Health Leadership Development Program Announced
July 22, 2015 • In Children, Families & Communities, Foundation News
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies are proud to introduce the Children’s Health Leadership Network, a new leadership development program to strengthen the field of state-based advocates for children’s health policy. With funding from these three foundations over the course of several 16-month cohorts, this program will build a powerful collective of nearly 100 advocates serving throughout the country in leadership capacities on behalf of our nation’s children.

This network of strong, adaptive and diverse leaders with experience in policy, advocacy and strategic communications will be uniquely positioned to inform policy and implementation that puts health and well-being of children and families first. Selection of the first class of up to 15 leaders will take place in the fall of 2015, with the leadership seminars beginning in January 2016.

The candidate application and additional details about the Children’s Health Leadership Network can be found here.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpregnancychildbirth/content
(Accessed 25 July 2015)

.
Research article
The relationship of women’s status and empowerment with skilled birth attendant use in Senegal and Tanzania
Kyoko Shimamoto* and Jessica D. Gipson
Author Affiliations
BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth 2015, 15:154 doi:10.1186/s12884-015-0591-3
Published: 24 July 2015
Abstract
Background
Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high in sub-Saharan Africa with 179,000 deaths occurring each year, accounting for 2-thirds of maternal deaths worldwide. Progress in reducing maternal deaths and increasing Skilled Birth Attendant (SBA) use at childbirth has stagnated in Africa. Although several studies demonstrate the important influences of women’s status and empowerment on SBA use, this evidence is limited, particularly in Africa. Furthermore, few studies empirically test the operationalization of women’s empowerment and incorporate multidimensional measures to represent the potentially disparate influence of women’s status and empowerment on SBA use across settings.
Methods
This study examined the relationship of women’s status and empowerment with SBA use in two African countries – Senegal and Tanzania – using the 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys (weighted births n = 10,688 in SN; 6748 in TZ). Factor analysis was first conducted to identify the structure and multiple dimensions of empowerment. Then, a multivariate regression analysis was conducted to examine associations between these empowerment dimensions and SBA use.
Results
Overall, women’s status and empowerment were positively related to SBA use. Some sociodemographic characteristics showed similar effects across countries (e.g., age, wealth, residence, marital relationship, parity); however, women’s status and empowerment influence SBA use differently by setting. Namely, women’s education directly and positively influenced SBA use in Tanzania, but not in Senegal. Further, each of the dimensions of empowerment influenced SBA use in disparate ways. In Tanzania women’s higher household decision-making power and employment were related to SBA use, while in Senegal more progressive perceptions of gender norms and older age at first marriage were related to SBA use.
Conclusions
This study provides evidence of the disparate influences of women’s status and empowerment on SBA use across settings. Results indicate that efforts to increase SBA use and to reduce maternal mortality through the improvement of women’s status and empowerment should focus both on improving girls’ education and delaying marriage, as well as transforming gender norms and decision-making power. However, given the multi-dimensional and contextual nature of women’s status and empowerment, it is critical to identify key drivers to increase SBA use in a given setting for contextually tailored policy and programming.

Research article
A cross sectional comparison of postnatal care quality in facilities participating in a maternal health voucher program versus non-voucher facilities in Kenya
Charlotte E Warren, Timothy Abuya, Lucy Kanya, Francis Obare, Rebecca Njuki, Marleen Temmerman, Ben Bellows
BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth 2015, 15:153 (24 July 2015)

BMC Public Health
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content
(Accessed 25 July 2015)
.
Research article
Informal employment and health status in Central America
María López-Ruiz, Lucía Artazcoz, José Martínez, Marianela Rojas, Fernando Benavides BMC Public Health 2015, 15:698 (24 July 2015)

British Medical Journal
25 July 2015 (vol 351, issue 8018)
http://www.bmj.com/content/351/8018

.
Editorials
Rethinking governance for trade and health
BMJ 2015; 351 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h3652 (Published 08 July 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;351:h3652
Helen Walls, research fellow,
Richard Smith, professor
Author affiliations
1London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health, London, UK
The mechanism for dispute settlement in preferential trade agreements risks riding roughshod over health
[Initial text]
Strengthening governance for more “healthy” trade is a recognised public health priority,1 and increasingly so given recent shifts in the international trade regime.2 After the second world war increasing trade liberalisation became a focus of international attention, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was set up to coordinate international trade agreements. This was highly successful, and average world tariff rates fell from about 40% in 1948 to 4% in the early 1990s.3
At this time, GATT was replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO), which had an increased scope. However, over the past two decades bilateral and regional trade agreements have proliferated. These have generally been negotiated in extreme secrecy, with increasingly “deep” commitments that go beyond those required by the WTO.2 4 These commitments, the specifics of which have been well documented,2 5 6 7 have important implications for public health. One focus of concern is the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which allows foreign companies to sue host governments for compensation when policy changes …

Developing World Bioethics
August 2015 Volume 15, Issue 2 Pages ii–iii, 59–114
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dewb.2015.15.issue-2/issuetoc

.
ARTICLE
Prioritising Healthcare Workers for Ebola Treatment: Treating Those at Greatest Risk to Confer Greatest Benefit
Priya Satalkar*, Bernice E. Elger and David M. Shaw
Article first published online: 6 FEB 2015
DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12079
Abstract
The Ebola epidemic in Western Africa has highlighted issues related to weak health systems, the politics of drug and vaccine development and the need for transparent and ethical criteria for use of scarce local and global resources during public health emergency. In this paper we explore two key themes. First, we argue that independent of any use of experimental drugs or vaccine interventions, simultaneous implementation of proven public health principles, community engagement and culturally sensitive communication are critical as these measures represent the most cost-effective and fair utilization of available resources. Second, we attempt to clarify the ethical issues related to use of scarce experimental drugs or vaccines and explore in detail the most critical ethical question related to Ebola drug or vaccine distribution in the current outbreak: who among those infected or at risk should be prioritized to receive any new experimental drugs or vaccines? We conclude that healthcare workers should be prioritised for these experimental interventions, for a variety of reasons.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
Volume 9 – Issue 04 – August 2015
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=DMP&tab=currentissue

.
Systematic Review
Core Competencies in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance: A Systematic Review
Alba Ripoll Gallardoa1 c1, Ahmadreza Djalalia1, Marco Folettia1, Luca Ragazzonia1, Francesco Della Cortea1, Olivera Lupescua2, Chris Arculeoa3, Gotz von Arnima4, Tom Friedla4, Michael Ashkenazia5, Philipp Fishera5, Boris Hreckovskia6, Amir Khorram-Manesha7, Radko Komadinaa8, Konstanze Lechnera9, Marc Stala10, Cristina Patrua11, Frederick M. Burklea12 and Pier Luigi Ingrassiaa1
a1 CRIMEDIM, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
a2 URGENTA, Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
a3 Hanover Associates, Teddington, London, UK
a4 NHCS, National Health Career School of Management, Hennigsdorf/Berlin,Germany
a5 Bonn International Center for Conversion, Bonn, University Clinic Bonn Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Bonn, Germany
a6 CROUMSA, Croatian Urgent Medicine and Surgery Association, Slav. Brod, Croatia
a7 Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden
a8 SBC, General & Teaching Hospital Celje, Medical Faculty Ljubljana, Slovenia
a9 German Aerospace Center (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
a10 Global Risk Forum GRF Davos, Davos, Switzerland
a11 Clinical Emergency Hospital Bucharest, Romania
a12 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Abstract
Disaster response demands a large workforce covering diverse professional sectors. Throughout this article, we illustrate the results of a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies to identify existing competency sets for disaster management and humanitarian assistance that would serve as guidance for the development of a common disaster curriculum. A systematic review of English-language articles was performed on PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, ERIC, and Cochrane Library. Studies were included if reporting competency domains, abilities, knowledge, skills, or attitudes for professionals involved disaster relief or humanitarian assistance. Exclusion criteria included abstracts, citations, case studies, and studies not dealing with disasters or humanitarian assistance. Thirty-eight papers were analyzed. Target audience was defined in all articles. Five references (13%) reported cross-sectorial competencies. Most of the articles (81.6%) were specific to health care. Eighteen (47%) papers included competencies for at least 2 different disciplines and 18 (47%) for different professional groups. Nursing was the most widely represented cadre. Eighteen papers (47%) defined competency domains and 36 (94%) reported list of competencies. Nineteen articles (50%) adopted consensus-building to define competencies, and 12 (31%) included competencies adapted to different professional responsibility levels. This systematic review revealed that the largest number of papers were mainly focused on the health care sector and presented a lack of agreement on the terminology used for competency-based definition. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:430–439)

.
Original Research
The Public Sphere in Emerging Infectious Disease Communication: Recipient or Active and Vocal Partner?
Anat Gesser-Edelsburga1 c1, Yaffa Shir-Raza2, Nathan Waltera2, Emilio Mordinia3, Dimitris Dimitrioua4, James J. Jamesa5 and Manfred S. Greena1
a1 School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
a2 Department of Communication, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
a3 Responsible Technology SAS, Paris, France
a4 Zadig Communication, Information and Education in Science, Rome, Italy
a5 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Rockville, MD
ABSTRACT
Objective
Recent years have seen advances in theories and models of risk and crisis communication, with a focus on emerging epidemic infection. Nevertheless, information flow remains unilateral in many countries and does not take into account the public’s polyvocality and the fact that its opinions and knowledge often “compete” with those of health authorities. This article addresses the challenges organizations face in communicating with the public sphere.
Methods
Our theoretical approach is conceptualized through a framework that focuses on the public sphere and that builds upon existing guidelines and studies in the context of health and pandemics. We examine how health organizations cope with the public’s transformation from recipients to an active and vocal entity, ie, how and to what extent health organizations address the public’s anxiety and concerns arising in the social media during outbreaks.
Results Although international organizations have aspired to relate to the public as a partner, this article identifies notable gaps.
Conclusions
Organizations must involve the public throughout the crisis and conduct dialogues free of prejudices, paternalism, and preconceptions. Thereby, they can impart precise and updated information reflecting uncertainty and considering cultural differences to build trust and facilitate cooperation with the public sphere. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:447–458)

The European Journal of Public Health
Volume 25, Issue 4, 1 August 2015
http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/4

.
Access to healthcare for undocumented migrants with communicable diseases in Germany: a quantitative study
Maren Mylius, Andreas Frewer
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckv023 582-586 First published online: 15 March 2015
Abstract
Background:
Migrants without residence permits are de facto excluded from access to healthcare in Germany. There is one exception in relevant legislation: in the case of sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis, the legislator has instructed the local Public Health Authorities to offer free and anonymous counseling, testing and, if necessary, treatment in case of apparent need. Furthermore, recommended vaccinations may be carried out free of charge. This study intends to comprehensively capture the services for undocumented migrants at Public Health Authorities in Germany.
Methods:
An e-mail survey of all Local Public Health Authorities (n = 384) in Germany was carried out between January and March 2011 using a standardized questionnaire.
Results:
One hundred thirty-nine of 384 targeted local Health Authorities completed the questionnaire (36.2%), of which approximately a quarter (n = 34) reported interaction with ‘illegal’ immigrants. Twenty-give authorities (18.4%) gave the indication to carry out treatment. This outpatient treatment option is mostly limited to patients afflicted with sexually transmitted infections with the distinct exception of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Conclusions:
The study highlights the gap between legislation and the reality of restricted access to medical services for undocumented migrants in Germany. It underlines the need of increased financial and human resources in Public Health Authorities and, overall, the simplification of national legislation to assure the right to healthcare.

.

Severe maternal morbidity associated with maternal birthplace in three high-immigration settings
Marcelo L. Urquia, Richard H. Glazier, Laust Mortensen, Anne-Marie Nybo-Andersen, Rhonda Small, Mary-Ann Davey, Mattias Rööst, Birgitta Essén,
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku230 620-625 First published online: 13 January 2015
Abstract
Background:
Maternal mortality and morbidity vary substantially worldwide. It is unknown if these geographic differences translate into disparities in severe maternal morbidity among immigrants from various world regions. We assessed disparities in severe maternal morbidity between immigrant women from various world regions giving birth in three high-immigration countries. Methods:
We used population-based delivery data from Victoria; Australia and Ontario, Canada and national data from Denmark, in the most recent 10-year period ending in 2010 available to each participating centre. Each centre provided aggregate data according to standardized definitions of the outcome, maternal regions of birth and covariates for pooled analyses. We used random effects and stratified logistic regression to obtain odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), adjusted for maternal age, parity and comparability scores.
Results:
We retrieved 2,322,907 deliveries in all three receiving countries, of which 479,986 (21%) were to immigrant women. Compared with non-immigrants, only Sub-Saharan African women were consistently at higher risk of severe maternal morbidity in all three receiving countries (pooled adjusted OR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.43, 1.95). In contrast, both Western and Eastern European immigrants had lower odds (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.96 and OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.83, respectively). The most common diagnosis was severe pre-eclampsia followed by uterine rupture, which was more common among Sub-Saharan Africans in all three settings.
Conclusions:
Immigrant women from Sub-Saharan Africa have higher rates of severe maternal morbidity. Other immigrant groups had similar or lower rates than the majority locally born populations.

Global Public Health
Volume 10, Issue 7, 2015
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rgph20/current

.
Policy responses to HIV/AIDS in Central Asia
DOI:10.1080/17441692.2015.1043313
Svetlana Anckera* & Bernd Rechelb
pages 817-833
Published online: 20 Jul 2015
Abstract
The countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) are confronted with one of the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemics worldwide, largely driven through injecting drug use. This article, based on a review of academic and grey literature, explores how they have responded. We find major similarities and differences across the region. At one extreme is Turkmenistan, which denies that there is any problem, does not offer harm reduction services or HIV/AIDS treatment and does not report any meaningful data to the international community. Uzbekistan is also pretty closed to outside influences, has discontinued its opioid substitution project and shares with Turkmenistan the legal prohibition of male-to-male sex. Kyrgyzstan originally led many progressive approaches in the region and, like neighbouring Tajikistan, has received substantial assistance by international agencies, in particular the Global Fund. Kazakhstan, with a much higher gross domestic product per capita, has taken on the financing of harm reduction activities through its national budget and has liberalised its drug policies. Yet, across the region punitive approaches to injecting drug use and people living with HIV/AIDS persist as do stigma and discrimination, while coverage with harm reduction programmes and treatment services is still low although with substantial variation across countries.

The experience of cash transfers in alleviating childhood poverty in South Africa: Mothers’ experiences of the Child Support Grant
Open access
DOI:10.1080/17441692.2015.1007471
Wanga Zembe-Mkabilea*, Rebecca Surrenderb, David Sandersc, Debra Jacksonc & Tanya Dohertyacd
pages 834-851
Published online: 16 Feb 2015
Abstract
Cash transfer (CT) programmes are increasingly being used as policy instruments to address child poverty and child health outcomes in developing countries. As the largest cash-transfer programme in Africa, the South African Child Support Grant (CSG) provides an important opportunity to further understand how a CT of its kind works in a developing country context. We explored the experiences and views of CSG recipients and non-recipients from four diverse settings in South Africa. Four major themes emerged from the data: barriers to accessing the CSG; how the CSG is utilised and the ways in which it makes a difference; the mechanisms for supplementing the CSG; and the impact of not receiving the grant. Findings show that administrative factors continue to be the greatest barrier to CSG receipt, pointing to the need for further improvements in managing queues, waiting times and coordination between departments for applicants trying to submit their applications. Many recipients, especially those where the grant was the only source of income, acknowledged the importance of the CSG, while also emphasising its inadequacy. To maximise their impact, CT programmes such as the CSG need to be fully funded and form part of a broader basket of poverty alleviation strategies.

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
August 2015 Volume 37, p1
http://www.ijidonline.com/current

.
Editorial
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome – need for increased vigilance and watchful surveillance for MERS-CoV in sub-Saharan African Africa
Alimuddin Zumla, Roxana Rustomjee, Francine Ntoumi, Peter Mwaba, Matthew Bates, Markus Maeurer, David S. Hui, Eskild Petersen
p77–79
Published online: June 30 2015
Open Access
Abstract
The past two decades have witnessed the emergence of several new and old respiratory tract infectious diseases, which threaten global health security due to their epidemic potential.1,2 These include multi-drug resistant TB, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), avian and swine influenza and more recently the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). MERS is a new zoonotic disease of humans caused by a coronavirus (MERS-CoV) which was first isolated in September, 2012 from a patient who died from a severe respiratory disease in Jeddah Saudi Arabia.

Outbreak of varicella in a highly vaccinated preschool population
Jiye Fu, Juguang Wang, Chu Jiang, Rujing Shi, Tianwei Ma
Beijing Haidian Center for Disease Control and Prevention, NO.5 Xibeiwang 2nd Road, Haidian district, Beijing 100094, People’s Republic of China
Corresponding Editor: Eskild Petersen, Aarhus, Denmark
Open Access
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2015.06.003
Highlights
:: Breakthrough varicella may be as infectious as varicella in unvaccinated persons.
:: The potential for transmission due to breakthrough varicella should be focused on.
:: No increased risk for breakthrough varicella was found in 1-dose vaccine recipients.
:: High 1-dose varicella vaccination coverage is not sufficient to prevent outbreak.
:: To control varicella outbreak, a second dose may deserve additional consideration.
Summary
Background
Varicella vaccine is available for private purchase in Beijing, with single dose recommended for children aged ≥12 months before 2013. Despite the success achieved in reducing varicella incidence, varicella outbreaks continued to occur, including in schools and kindergartens among highly vaccinated children. We investigated a varicella outbreak in a preschool with high varicella vaccination coverage in Haidian district, Beijing.
Methods
Through questionnaires, data including children’s medical and vaccination history were collected from their parents. A case of varicella was defined as an acute, generalized, maculopapulovesicular rash without other apparent cause in a child in the preschool from March 10 through March 29, 2010. Attack rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated children were calculated, and the analyses of vaccine effectiveness (VE) and of risk factors for breakthrough disease (varicella occurring >42 days after vaccination) were conducted.
Results
A total of 12 cases occurred during the outbreak, and ten of them (83.3%) had breakthrough varicella. The index case with mild varicella occurred in a child who had been vaccinated four years previously. Questionnaires were returned for all of 150 children in the preschool. Of all the 150 children, 144 (96.0%) had no prior history of varicella disease. Among these children, 135(93.7%) had received single-dose varicella vaccine before the outbreak. VE was 84.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 62.8%∼93.5%] in preventing varicella of any severity, and VE was 92.2% (95% CI: 81.4%∼96.8%) against moderate to severe varicella. Age at vaccination (<15 months vs. ≥15 months) and time since vaccination before the outbreak (<3 years vs. ≥3 years) were not associated with the increased risk of breakthrough varicella(P=0.124 and 1, respectively). All the varicella cases with vaccination history verified through immunization records had received varicella vaccine and measles-mumps-rubella vaccine >30 days apart.
Conclusions
Breakthrough infection with fever in vaccinated person may be as infectious as varicella in unvaccinated persons. High single-dose varicella vaccination coverage is effective in reducing varicella incidence, but not sufficient to prevent outbreak. To control varicella outbreak a second dose may deserve additional consideration.

Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Volume 5 Issue 2
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/toc/jhlscm/5/2

.
Measuring while moving (humanitarian supply chain performance measurement – status of research and current practice)
Charles D’Haene (Médecins Sans Frontières, Brussels, Belgium).
Sara Verlinde (Research Group MOBI (Mobility, Logistics and Automotive Technology), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium)
Cathy Macharis (Research Group MOBI (Mobility, Logistics and Automotive Technology), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium)
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHLSCM-04-2013-0016
Abstract:
Purpose
– Raising standards are leading humanitarians to become increasingly interested in measuring the performance of their supply chain. A few researchers have addressed this topic, building on classical measurement theories and trying to identify the salient features of the humanitarian sector. This young body of literature must now be tested against current practice. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
– The practitioners’ perspective is explored through a multiple case study, based on qualitative evidence, within three major humanitarian organizations. Results are discussed using a situation-actor-process – learning-action-performance model of inquiry. Preceding this investigation, a literature review delves into research on humanitarian supply chain performance measurement and presents the most relevant pieces in a general framework.
Findings
– Humanitarians have elaborated measures whose essential focus is laid on service level. The more comprehensive approach advocated by researchers has received some consideration but is still poorly implemented. An issue that is given more priority by humanitarians is the accelerated supply chain integration they are going through.
Originality/value
– In addition to an unprecedented literature review, this paper offers a comparative study of humanitarian organizations’ practices in the field of supply chain performance measurement. Humanitarian procurement centres, virtually ignored in literature until now, are scrutinized at a turning point of their evolution.

.

Three dimensional printing – a key tool for the humanitarian logistician?
Peter Tatham (Department of International Business and Asian Studies, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia)
Jennifer Loy (Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia)
Umberto Peretti (Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Vicenza, Italy)
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHLSCM-01-2014-0006
Abstract:
Purpose
– 3D printing (3DP), which is technically known as additive manufacturing, is being increasingly used for the development of bespoke products within a broad range of commercial contexts. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential for this technology to be used in support of the preparation and response to a natural disaster or complex emergency and as part of developmental activities, and to offer a number of key insights following a pilot trial based in the East African HQ of a major international non-governmental organisation.
Design/methodology/approach
– Using an illustrative example from the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) field this paper demonstrates, from both a theoretical and practical standpoint, how 3DP has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian logistic (HL) operations.
Findings
– Based on the pilot trial, the paper confirms that the benefits of 3DP in bespoke commercial contexts – including the reduction of supply chain lead times, the use of logistic postponement techniques and the provision of customised solutions to meet unanticipated operational demands – are equally applicable in a humanitarian environment. It also identifies a number of key challenges that will need to be overcome in the operationalisation of 3DP in a development/disaster response context, and proposes a hub-and-spoke model – with the design and testing activities based in the hub supporting field-based production at the spokes – to mitigate these.
Research limitations/implications
– In addition to an extensive review of both the HL and additive manufacturing literature, the results of the pilot trial of 3DP in support of humanitarian operations, are reported. The paper recommends further detailed analysis of the underpinning cost model together with further field trials of the recommended organisational construct and testing of the most appropriate materials for a given artefact and environment.
Practical implications
– 3DP has the potential to improve the response to disasters and development operations through the swift production of items of equipment or replacement spare parts. With low capital and running costs, it offers a way of mitigating delays in the supply chain through on site fabrication to meet an identified requirement more swiftly and effectively than via the traditional re-supply route, and it allows for adaptive design practice as multiple iterations of a product are possible in order to optimise the design based on field testing.
Social implications
– The logistic challenges of responding in a disaster affected or development environment are well documented. Successful embodiment of 3DP as part of the humanitarian logistician’s portfolio of operational techniques has the potential to deliver more efficient and effective outcomes in support of the beneficiaries as well as a sense of empowerment in relation to problem solving. In addition, it has the longer term potential for the creation of a new industry (and, hence, income source) for those living in remote locations.
Originality/value
– The research demonstrates that, whilst 3DP is increasingly found in a commercial environment, its use has not previously been trialled in a humanitarian context. The research reported in this paper confirms the potential for 3DP to become a game-changer, especially in locations which are logistically difficulty to support.

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 17, Issue 4, August 2015
http://link.springer.com/journal/10903/17/4/page/1

.
HPV Awareness and Vaccine Willingness Among Dominican Immigrant Parents Attending a Federal Qualified Health Clinic in Puerto Rico
Vivian Colón-López, Valerie Quiñones, Lizbeth M. Del Toro-Mejías, Alexandra Conde-Toro, Michelle J. Serra-Rivera, Tania M. Martínez, Verónica Rodríguez, Luis Berdiel,
Héctor Villanueva
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to describe the socio-demographic characteristics, awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV), and willingness to vaccinate among a convenience sample of 60 immigrant Dominican parents of adolescent sons in a Federal Qualified Health Clinic in Puerto Rico. Participation involved completing a self-administered survey. Even though more than half of the parents had not received proper HPV vaccine orientation from healthcare provider (58.3 %) nor asked provider for vaccination recommendation for their adolescent sons (56.7 %), most parents were aware of HPV (91.7 %) and HPV vaccination among males (55.0 %). Among those with unvaccinated sons, willingness to vaccinate the son within the next year was high (83.8 %). The low vaccination percentage (31.7 %) and information exchange between the parents and the son’s healthcare provider indicates an opportunity for future culturally tailored interventions to target HPV vaccination among healthcare providers and parents of foreign descent in order to increase HPV vaccine uptake among males.

Effect of Influenza Vaccination on Acute Respiratory Symptoms in Malaysian Hajj Pilgrims
Habsah Hasan, Zakuan Zainy Deris, Siti Amrah Sulaiman, Mohd Suhaimi Abdul Wahab, Nyi Nyi Naing, Zulkefle Ab Rahman, Nor Hayati Othman
Abstract
Respiratory illness were a major problem and caused high hospital admission during hajj seasons. One of the contributing cause to this illness is infection. Various measures had been implemented to reduce respiratory infections. The aim on the study is to determine the effect of influenza vaccination against acute respiratory illness among Malaysian Hajj pilgrims. This is an observational cohort study. Influenza vaccination was given to pilgrims at least 2 weeks prior to departure. The occurrence of symptoms for respiratory illness such as cough, fever, sore throat and runny nose was monitored daily for 6 weeks during pilgrimage using a health diary. A total of 65 vaccinated hajj pilgrims and 41 controls were analyzed. There was no significant difference in pattern of occurrence of symptoms of respiratory illness by duration of pilgrimage as well as the number of symptoms between both groups. Hajj pilgrims have frequent respiratory symptoms. We were unable to document benefit from influenza vaccination, but our study was limited by a small sample size and lack of laboratory testing for influenza.

The Lancet
Jul 25, 2015 Volume 386 Number 9991 p311-402
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

.
Editorial
Financing global health: the poverty of nations
The Lancet
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61392-7
Summary
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), the outcome from the first of three meetings in 2015 intended to set the course for the next 15 years of sustainable development, is remarkable only for its alliteration. The third Financing for Development conference (FFD3), which followed meetings in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2002 and Doha, Qatar, in 2008, was an opportunity for the world to restate its vision of a shared, sustainable, prosperous future, and to make plans for achieving it. In this, FFD3 was a resounding disappointment.

Editorial
Ending institutionalisation of children
The Lancet
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61394-0
Summary
Childhood is a time when the seeds of a person’s future health and wellbeing are sown. Ideally, it happens within a family setting that provides individualised care in a loving, safe, enriching, and happy environment. Sadly, more than 8 million vulnerable children worldwide do not have access to such care and grow up in large institutions or orphanages. Such environments share conditions that can be detrimental to children, such as depersonalisation—through lack of personal possessions, care relationships, or symbols of individuality—strict routines, group treatment, and isolation from wider society.

Special Report
The World Bank under Jim Kim
Sam Loewenberg

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
August 2015; 44 (4)
http://nvs.sagepub.com/content/current

.
Nonprofit Collaboration With Luxury Brands – Positive and Negative Effects for Cause-Related Marketing
Silke Boenigk1, Viktoria Schuchardt2
1University of Hamburg, Germany
2Henkel Germany, Düsseldorf, Germany
Abstract
Luxury brands and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) increasingly engage in cause-related marketing (CRM) relationships. However, most previous studies analyzed CRM effects from a corporate, rather than a nonprofit, perspective. This study reverses the viewpoint to determine if luxury brand partners are beneficial for NPOs. Using a fictitious CRM cooperation between Plan International Germany and the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, two experimental studies obtained responses from 791 customers and 259 nonprofit employees/volunteers. The results show that partnering with a luxury brand can be beneficial because it enables the NPO to raise additional donations, enhances attitudes toward the nonprofit brand, and increases the chances of acquiring wealthy customers as future donors. Yet negative effects also arise, such as identification conflicts, especially among nonprofit employees and volunteers. Overall, this study reveals that nonprofit managers can pursue cooperation strategies with luxury brands—as long as they consider some important precautions.

Analysis of Audit Fees for Nonprofits
Resource Dependence and Agency Theory Approaches
Sandra Verbruggen1, Johan Christiaens2. Anne-Mie Reheul1, Tom Van Caneghem1
1KU Leuven, Campus Brussels, Belgium
2Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Abstract
In contrast to the extensive research on audit fees of for-profit companies, literature on nonprofit audit fees is limited. In this article, audit fee determinants are tested using a Belgian sample of nonprofits. We find that Big4 auditors charge fee premiums, and that nonprofit expert auditors charge lower fees when expertise is measured at audit partner level (as opposed to audit firm level). These findings hold after controlling for self-selection by using propensity score matching. We also address the resource dependence and agency characteristics of nonprofit audit clients and find that both are relevant in explaining audit pricing.

Nonprofit–Public Collaborations – Understanding Governance Dynamics
Chris Cornforth1, John Paul Hayes1, Siv Vangen1
1Open University Business School, Milton Keynes, UK
Abstract
As many of the challenges facing society are too complex to be addressed by single organizations working alone, nonprofit organizations are increasingly working in collaboration with public authorities. The governance of nonprofit–public collaborations is important for their effectiveness, yet it remains poorly understood. Drawing on case study research, this article examines and develops an extant conceptual model developed by Takahashi and Smutny that seeks to explain the formation and demise of nonprofit collaborations in terms of “collaborative windows” and the inability to adapt initial governance structures. The research finds that while initial governance structures are an important constraint on development, they can be adapted and changed. It also suggests that the development of collaborations is not only influenced by changes in the collaborative window but also by how key actors in the collaboration respond to important internal tensions.

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 25 July 2015)

.
Guidelines and Guidance
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Meta-analyses of Randomised Controlled Trials: Guidance on Their Use
Jayne F. Tierney, Claire Vale, Richard Riley, Catrin Tudur Smith, Lesley Stewart, Mike Clarke,
Maroeska Rovers
Published: July 21, 2015
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001855
Summary Points
:: Systematic reviews are most commonly based on aggregate data extracted from publications or obtained from trial investigators.
:: Systematic reviews involving the central collection and analysis of individual participant data (IPD) usually are larger-scale, international, collaborative projects that can bring about substantial improvements to the quantity and quality of data, give greater scope in the analyses, and provide more detailed and robust results.
:: The process of collecting, checking, and analysing IPD is more complex than for aggregate data, and not all IPD meta-analyses are done to the same standard, making it difficult for researchers, clinicians, patients, policy makers, funders, and publishers to judge their quality.
:: Following our step-by-step guide will help reviewers and users of IPD meta-analyses to understand them better and recognise those that are well designed and conducted and so help ensure that policy, practice, and research are informed by robust evidence about the effects of interventions.