BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpregnancychildbirth/content
(Accessed 13 February 2016)

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Research article
Improved pregnancy outcomes with increasing antiretroviral coverage in South Africa
An improvement in birth outcomes is likely associated with the increased coverage of triple antiretroviral treatment for pregnant women. And untreated HIV infected women and women who do not seek antenatal care should be considered most at risk for poor birth outcomes.
Theron Moodley, Dhayendre Moodley, Motshedisi Sebitloane, Niren Maharaj and Benn Sartorius
Published on: 11 February 2016

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 13 February 2016)

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Research article
Effects of parent and child behaviours on overweight and obesity in infants and young children from disadvantaged backgrounds: systematic review with narrative synthesis
Catherine Georgina Russell, Sarah Taki, Rachel Laws, Leva Azadi, Karen J. Campbell, Rosalind Elliott, John Lynch, Kylie Ball, Rachael Taylor and Elizabeth Denney-Wilson
BMC Public Health 2016 16:151
Published on: 13 February 2016
Abstract
Background
Despite the crucial need to develop targeted and effective approaches for obesity prevention in children most at risk, the pathways explaining socioeconomic disparity in children’s obesity prevalence remain poorly understood.
Methods
We conducted a systematic review of the literature that investigated causes of weight gain in children aged 0–5 years from socioeconomically disadvantaged or Indigenous backgrounds residing in OECD countries. Major electronic databases were searched from inception until December 2015. Key words identified studies addressing relationships between parenting, child eating, child physical activity or sedentary behaviour and child weight in disadvantaged samples.
Results
A total of 32 articles met the inclusion criteria. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool quality rating for the studies ranged from 25 % (weak) to 100 % (strong). Studies predominantly reported on relationships between parenting and child weight (n = 21), or parenting and child eating (n = 12), with fewer (n = 8) investigating child eating and weight. Most evidence was from socio-economically disadvantaged ethnic minority groups in the USA. Clustering of diet, weight and feeding behaviours by socioeconomic indicators and ethnicity precluded identification of independent effects of each of these risk factors.
Conclusions
This review has highlighted significant gaps in our mechanistic understanding of the relative importance of different aspects of parent and child behaviours in disadvantaged population groups.

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Research article
What is positive youth development and how might it reduce substance use and violence? A systematic review and synthesis of theoretical literature
Chris Bonell, Kate Hinds, Kelly Dickson, James Thomas, Adam Fletcher, Simon Murphy, G. J. Melendez-Torres, Carys Bonell and Rona Campbell
BMC Public Health 2016 16:135
Published on: 10 February 2016
Abstract
Background
Preventing adolescent substance use and youth violence are public health priorities. Positive youth development interventions are widely deployed often with the aim of preventing both. However, the theorised mechanisms by which PYD is intended to reduce substance use and violence are not clear and existing evaluated interventions are under-theorised. Using innovative methods, we systematically searched for and synthesised published theoretical literature describing what is meant by positive youth development and how it might reduce substance use and violence, as part of a broader systematic review examining process and outcomes of PYD interventions.
Methods
We searched 19 electronic databases, review topic websites, and contacted experts between October 2013 and January 2014. We included studies written in English, published since 1985 that reported a theory of change for positive youth development focused on prevention of smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use or violence in out-of-school settings. Studies were independently coded and quality-assessed by two reviewers.
Results
We identified 16 studies that met our inclusion criteria. Our synthesis suggests that positive youth development aims to provide youth with affective relationships and diverse experiences which enable their development of intentional self-regulation and multiple positive assets. These in turn buffer against or compensate for involvement in substance use and violence. Existing literature is not clear on how intentional self-regulation is developed and which specific positive assets buffer against substance use or violence.
Conclusions
Our synthesis provides: an example of a rigorous systematic synthesis of theory literature innovatively applying methods of qualitative synthesis to theoretical literature; a clearer understanding of how PYD might reduce substance use and violence to inform future interventions and empirical evaluations.

Conflict and Health
http://www.conflictandhealth.com/
[Accessed 13 February 2016]

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Research
Psychometric properties and reliability of the Assessment Screen to Identify Survivors Toolkit for Gender Based Violence (ASIST-GBV): results from humanitarian settings in Ethiopia and Colombia
Alexander Vu, Andrea Wirtz, Kiemanh Pham, Sonal Singh, Leonard Rubenstein, Nancy Glass and Nancy Perrin
Published on: 9 February 2016
Abstract
Background
Refugees and internally displaced persons who are affected by armed-conflict are at increased vulnerability to some forms of sexual violence or other types of gender-based violence. A validated, brief and easy-to-administer screening tool will help service providers identify GBV survivors and refer them to appropriate GBV services. To date, no such GBV screening tool exists. We developed the 7-item ASIST-GBV screening tool from qualitative research that included individual interviews and focus groups with GBV refugee and IDP survivors. This study presents the psychometric properties of the ASIST-GBV with female refugees living in Ethiopia and IDPs in Colombia.
Methods
Several strategies were used to validate ASIST-GBV, including a 3 month implementation to validate the brief screening tool with women/girls seeking health services, aged ≥15 years in Ethiopia (N = 487) and female IDPs aged ≥ 18 years in Colombia (N = 511).
Results
High proportions of women screened positive for past-year GBV according to the ASIST-GBV: 50.6 % in Ethiopia and 63.4 % in Colombia. The factor analysis identified a single dimension, meaning that all items loaded on the single factor. Cronbach’s α = 0.77. A 2-parameter logistic IRT model was used for estimating the precision and discriminating power of each item. Item difficulty varied across the continuum of GBV experiences in the following order (lowest to highest): threats of violence (0.690), physical violence (1.28), forced sex (2.49), coercive sex for survival (2.25), forced marriage (3.51), and forced pregnancy (6.33). Discrimination results showed that forced pregnancy was the item with the strongest ability to discriminate between different levels of GBV. Physical violence and forced sex also have higher levels of discrimination with threats of violence discriminating among women at the low end of the GBV continuum and coercive sex for survival among women at the mid-range of the continuum.
Conclusion
The findings demonstrate that the ASIST-GBV has strong psychometric properties and good reliability. The tool can be used to screen and identify female GBV survivors confidentially and efficiently among IDPs in Colombia and refugees in Ethiopia. Early identification of GBV survivors can enable safety planning, early referral for treatment, and psychosocial support to prevent long-term harmful consequence of GBV.

Development in Practice
Volume 26, Issue 2, 2016
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cdip20/current

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Articles
Supporting farmer participation in formal seed systems: lessons from Tharaka, Kenya
Megan Mucioki, Gordon M. Hickey, Lutta Muhammad & Timothy Johns
pages 137-148
DOI:10.1080/09614524.2016.1131812
Published online: 10 Feb 2016
ABSTRACT
This article examines contemporary challenges of formal seed sector participation for resource-poor farmers in Tharaka and engages in a wider discussion of national seed policy and formal seed sector development in Kenya. While many farmers reported utilising modern seed varieties developed by the formal seed sector, the majority of these were introduced through seed aid and maintained through seed saving, supporting seed system integration strategies. Building on these findings, the article discusses ways in which national seed policy in Kenya might be refined to better meet national and regional development goals focused on decreasing the incidence of hunger and poverty.

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African solutions to African problems and the Ebola virus disease in Nigeria
Nathaniel Umukoro
pages 149-157
DOI:10.1080/09614524.2016.1133563
Published online: 10 Feb 2016
ABSTRACT
Africa grapples with the world’s most serious public health crisis, but this article shows that there are public health solutions that work in the African setting. When the Ebola virus disease outbreak was announced in Nigeria in July 2014, some public health specialists worried that an apocalyptic outbreak would sweep through the vast slums of Lagos. The words “Ebola” and “Lagos” in the same sentence were viewed as a dangerous combination, due to the large population of Lagos and the inefficient health care system in the city. Contrary to this view, the outbreak of Ebola virus disease was successfully contained in Nigeria. This article focuses on the factors that were responsible for this success. It examines strategies developed within Nigeria that help to ensure the successful containment of the disease. The paper identifies lessons that can be learnt by other countries from the Nigerian experience.

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Practical Note
Management and safety of a medical mission: occupational hazards of volunteering
Aidan Tan, Yuke Tien Fong, Sweet Far Ho, Boon Keng Tay & Yeow Leng Chua
pages 251-257
DOI:10.1080/09614524.2016.1131245
Published online: 10 Feb 2016
ABSTRACT
Medical aid missions involve travel to conflict or danger zones, posing safety risks in addition to the usual occupational risks arising from daily medical work. The note reports on a volunteer mission, using personal reports, anecdotal experiences, and the formal annual report to undertake an assessment similar to worksite assessments for hazards and control measures. Hazards were found to be prevalent, including physical noise and heat, infectious exposure from patients and local vectors, poor water sanitation, and psychosocial stress from unfamiliar environments and large patient numbers with limited means. Implementable preventative measures include increasing awareness with appropriate protective equipment usage and safety guidelines. Mission planning and management should also involve occupational health input.

Epidemiology and Infection
Volume 144 – Issue 04 – March 2016
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=HYG&tab=currentissue

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Original Papers
Other respiratory infections
Shelter crowding and increased incidence of acute respiratory infection in evacuees following the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and tsunami
T. KAWANO, Y. TSUGAWA, K. NISHIYAMA, H. MORITA, O. YAMAMURA and K. HASEGAWA
SUMMARY
Although outbreaks of acute respiratory infection (ARI) at shelters are hypothesized to be associated with shelter crowding, no studies have examined this relationship. We conducted a retrospective study by reviewing medical records of evacuees presenting to one of the 37 clinics at the shelters in Ishinomaki city, Japan, during the 3-week period after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011. On the basis of a locally weighted scatter-plot smoothing technique, we categorized 37 shelters into crowded (mean space <5·5 m2/per person) and non-crowded (≥5·5 m2) shelters. Outcomes of interest were the cumulative and daily incidence rate of ARI/10 000 evacuees at each shelter. We found that the crowded shelters had a higher median cumulative incidence rate of ARI [5·4/10 000 person-days, interquartile range (IQR) 0–24·6, P = 0·04] compared to the non-crowded shelters (3·5/10 000 person-days, IQR 0–8·7) using Mann–Whitney U test. Similarly, the crowded shelters had an increased daily incidence rate of ARI of 19·1/10 000 person-days (95% confidence interval 5·9–32·4, P < 0·01) compared to the non-crowded shelters using quasi-least squares method. In sum, shelter crowding was associated with an increased incidence rate of ARI after the natural disaster.

The European Journal of Public Health
Volume 26, Issue 1, 1 February 2016
http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/1

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Viewpoints
Europe’s migration challenges: mounting an effective health system response
Govin Permanand, Allan Krasnik, Hans Kluge, Martin McKee
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckv249 3-4 First published online: 1 February 2016
Extract
Health systems are at the forefront of the response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing refugees and other migrants fleeing to Europe, both as a first point of contact for arrivals and later during their resettlement and beyond. (The term ‘migrant’ is used here with the understanding that there are numerous groups that fall within this categorization, but which are distinct in terms of their status, e.g. asylum-seeker, refugee, undocumented migrant, economic migrant, family-reunited migrant, etc., where a specific group is mentioned by name, it is in a context where this specificity is required.) Yet even if the scale of migration is new, at least in the post-war period, some European countries have considerable experience of sudden large-scale immigration, whether from Algeria to France in the 1960s, East African Asians coming to the United Kingdom in the 1970s, refugees from former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and, more recently, across the Mediterranean to Italy, Malta and Spain.

However, few lessons seem to have been learnt, and European health systems vary greatly in their ability to respond to this new challenge.1The situation is complicated further by differences in formal entitlement to health care,2 even though it is now clear that restricting access costs more money in the long run.3 The challenges facing undocumented migrants are particularly alarming, as many of those now moving either fall into this category already or will soon do so if their applications for asylum are rejected.

Even where migrants are entitled to care they may face many barriers. These include language barriers and inadequate information about their rights and how to claim them…

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Europe’s response to the refugee crisis: why relocation quotas will fail to achieve ‘fairness’ from a health perspective
Kayvan Bozorgmehr, Joachim Szecsenyi, Christian Stock, Oliver Razum
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckv246 5-6 First published online: 1 February 2016
Extract
EU refugee law is deficient—this has become obvious as thousands of refugees cross the Mediterranean and EU borders to reach a safe destination. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for a scheme of compulsory relocation of refugees to EU member states to achieve a ‘fair’ distribution1 based on ‘objective, quantifiable and verifiable criteria’ such as GDP, population size and unemployment rates.2 While we strongly believe that providing international protection to refugees is a collective duty of EU member states, we argue that the concept of their ‘fair’ (but factually enforced) relocation across the EU is flawed and may ultimately be detrimental from a public health perspective.

First, if fairness is defined as the product of a quota based on a contract between EU member states, the interests of non-contractors (here refugees) remain neglected—a dilemma inherent in contractarian concepts of fairness.3…

Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 13 February 2016]

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Research
Sexual and reproductive health of young people with disability in Ethiopia: a study on knowledge, attitude and practice: a cross-sectional study
Tigist Alemu Kassa, Tobias Luck, Assegedech Bekele and Steffi G. Riedel-Heller
Published on: 10 February 2016
Abstract
Background
As is common in developing countries, in Ethiopia young people with disabilities (YPWD) are more likely than the general population to be illiterate, unemployed and impoverished. They often lack equal access to information and education for reasons ranging from barriers regarding physical access to services to varied special learning needs. Very little is known about knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of YPWD regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) related issues. We, therefore, aimed to assess the KAP of 426 YPWD in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2012. Data were collected by trained interviewers using a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic information, as well as information on KAP regarding SRH.
Results
Only 64.6 % of YPWD were aware of SRH services. Radio and TV were mentioned as the main sources of information by 62.2 % of the participants. 77.9 % had never had a discussion about SRH topics with their parents. Even though 96.7 % of the respondents had heard about HIV, 88 % had poor knowledge about ways of preventing HIV. Perception of the risk of getting infected with HIV was found to be generally low in YPWD; only 21.6 % believed that they were at risk of acquiring HIV.
Conclusions
Our study, in general, demonstrated that there is a lack of comprehensive knowledge, appropriate practice and favorable attitude of YPWD regarding different SRH-related issues. Our findings thus clearly indicate the need for strategies and programs to raise SRH-related awareness and to help YPWD to develop the appropriate skills and attitudes needed for a healthy reproductive life.

Health Affairs
February 2016; Volume 35, Issue 2
http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/current
Issue Focus: Vaccines
Vaccine Discovery, Production, And Delivery
Alan R. Weil
Extract
Vaccines are a bit like a wonder drug. A shot or two is all it takes to prevent premature death or a lifetime of disability. What more do we need to know? Quite a lot, it turns out. The gap between the potential vaccines offer and what we actually achieve is determined by myriad social, economic, political, and health system factors.

As Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, notes in an interview in these pages: “Vaccines do not deliver themselves.” They also don’t finance their own development or distribution, educate the public about their benefits, or eliminate income disparities in access to health services.
The complex environment in which vaccines are discovered, produced, and delivered is the theme of this month’s Health Affairs.

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DataGraphic
Why The Decade Of Vaccines?
Health Aff February 2016 35:188-189; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1518

Interview
Eliminating Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Around The World
Alan R. Weil

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Value Of Vaccines
Return On Investment From Childhood Immunization In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, 2011–20
Sachiko Ozawa, Samantha Clark, Allison Portnoy, Simrun Grewal, Logan Brenzel, and Damian G. Walker

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Sustainable Financing For Vaccines
Vaccine Assistance To Low- And Middle-Income Countries Increased To $3.6 Billion In 2014
Annie Haakenstad, Maxwell Birger, Lavanya Singh, Patrick Liu, Stephen Lim, Marie Ng, and Joseph L. Dieleman

Gavi’s Transition Policy: Moving From Development Assistance To Domestic Financing Of Immunization Programs
Judith Kallenberg, Wilson Mok, Robert Newman, Aurélia Nguyen, Theresa Ryckman, Helen Saxenian, and Paul Wilson
Health Aff February 2016 35:250-258; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1079

EPIC Studies: Governments Finance, On Average, More Than 50 Percent Of Immunization Expenses, 2010–11
Logan Brenzel, Carl Schütte, Keti Goguadze, Werner Valdez, Jean-Bernard Le Gargasson, and Teresa Guthrie

ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY: Routes Countries Can Take To Achieve Full Ownership Of Immunization Programs
Michael McQuestion, Andrew Carlson, Khongorzul Dari, Devendra Gnawali, Clifford Kamara, Helene Mambu-Ma-Disu, Jonas Mbwanque, Diana Kizza, Dana Silver, and Eka Paatashvili
Health Aff February 2016 35:266-271; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1067

PERSPECTIVE: Country Ownership And Gavi Transition: Comprehensive Approaches To Supporting New Vaccine Introduction
Angela K. Shen, Jonathan M. Weiss, Jon Kim Andrus, Clint Pecenka, Deborah Atherly, Katherine Taylor, and Michael McQuestion

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Strengthening Immunization Programs
ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative: Progress, Lessons Learned, And Polio Legacy Transition Planning
Stephen L. Cochi, Lea Hegg, Anjali Kaur, Carol Pandak, and Hamid Jafari
Health Aff February 2016 35:277-283; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1104

Reorganizing Nigeria’s Vaccine Supply Chain Reduces Need For Additional Storage Facilities, But More Storage Is Required
Ekundayo Shittu, Melissa Harnly, Shanta Whitaker, and Roger Miller

INNOVATION PROFILE: Argentina’s Successful Implementation Of A National Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Program
Hannah Patel, Ellen Wilson, Carla Vizzotti, Greg Parston, Jessica Prestt, and Ara Darzi

Strategies To Boost Maternal Immunization To Achieve Further Gains In Improved Maternal And Newborn Health
Mark R. Steedman, Beate Kampmann, Egbert Schillings, Hanan Al Kuwari, and Ara Darzi

As Oral Vaccines Fall Short In Low-Income Countries, Researchers Look For Solutions
Carina Storrs

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Eliminating Measles & Rubella
ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY: Combining Global Elimination Of Measles And Rubella With Strengthening Of Health Systems In Developing Countries
Jon Kim Andrus, Stephen L. Cochi, Louis Z. Cooper, and Jonathan D. Klein

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Human Rights Quarterly
Volume 38, Number 1, February 2016
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/human_rights_quarterly/toc/hrq.38.1.html

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Articles
Rigorous Morality: Norms, Values, and the Comparative Politics of Human Rights
pp. 1-20
Todd Landman
ABSTRACT:
This article argues that there is a strong role for empirical analysis to be used to address fundamental normative questions. Using human rights as an example, the article shows that the evolution of the international regime of human rights provides a standard against which country level performance can be both judged and explained through the application of empirical approaches in comparative politics. It argues further that different kinds of human rights measures (events, standards, surveys, and official statistics) and comparative methods (large-N, small-N, and single-country studies) offer systematic ways in which to map, to explain, and to understand the variation in human rights abuse around the world. The comparative politics of human rights is a prime example of how the “is” of the world can be used to address the “ought” of international human rights theory, philosophy, and law. The example of human rights analysis in comparative politics shows a strong role for value-based and problem-based research that remains systematic in its approach while at the same time producing outputs that are of public value.

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Uncloaking Secrecy: International Human Rights Law in Terrorism Cases
pp. 58-84
Jeffrey Davis
Abstract
ABSTRACT:
When those swept up in counterterrorism operations try to hold governments accountable for rights violations, legal secrecy doctrines such as the “state secrets privilege” and “public interest immunity” frequently derail their efforts. This article shows the effects of legal secrecy doctrines on efforts to hold officials accountable for rights violations in counterterrorism cases. It sets out the limits imposed by international human rights law on these secrecy doctrines, and it explores how these limits are handled in US and British courts. Finally, it sets out requirements in order for legal secrecy practices to comply with international human rights law.

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Reaching the Tipping Point?: Emerging International Human Rights Norms Pertaining to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
pp. 134-163
Elizabeth Baisley
ABSTRACT:
This article challenges a few assumptions about emerging international norms pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). First, although UN experts and expert bodies were the first to address SOGI issues at the UN, they have not been the most progressive. Second, social movement actors have not always been the most effective norm entrepreneurs. Third, although states are often accused of failing to take action on SOGI issues, there is a clear, emerging pattern of state involvement and progress. The norms constructed by states are less radical than those constructed by UN experts and civil society organizations, but they are more effective.

Health Research Policy and Systems
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content
[Accessed 13 February 2016]

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Research
A multiple case study of intersectoral public health networks: experiences and benefits of using research
Anita Kothari, Charmaine McPherson, Dana Gore, Benita Cohen, Marjorie MacDonald and Shannon L. Sibbald
Published on: 11 February 2016

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Research
Setting priorities in health research using the model proposed by the World Health Organization: development of a quantitative methodology using tuberculosis in South Africa as a worked example
Damian Hacking and Susan Cleary
Published on: 9 February 2016

Journal of Global Infectious Diseases (JGID)
January-March 2016 Volume 8 | Issue 1 Page Nos. 1-56
http://www.jgid.org/currentissue.asp?sabs=n

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SPECIAL ARTICLE
The emergence of zika virus as a global health security threat: A review and a consensus statement of the INDUSEM Joint working Group (JWG)
DOI: 10.4103/0974-777X.176140
Veronica Sikka1, Vijay Kumar Chattu2, Raaj K Popli3, Sagar C Galwankar4, Dhanashree Kelkar4, Stanley G Sawicki5, Stanislaw P Stawicki6, Thomas J Papadimos7
1 Department of Emergency Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Orlando, USA
2 Institute for International Relations, The University of West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, USA
3 Digestive Disease Consultants of Central Florida, Altamonte Springs, Florida, USA
4 Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
5 Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and the Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, USA
6 Department of Research and Innovation, St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
7 Department of Anesthesiology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Abstract
The Zika virus (ZIKV), first discovered in 1947, has emerged as a global public health threat over the last decade, with the accelerated geographic spread of the virus noted during the last 5 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that millions of cases of ZIKV are likely to occur in the Americas during the next 12 months. These projections, in conjunction with suspected Zika-associated increase in newborn microcephaly cases, prompted WHO to declare public health emergency of international concern. ZIKV-associated illness is characterized by an incubation period of 3-12 days. Most patients remain asymptomatic (i.e., ~80%) after contracting the virus. When symptomatic, clinical presentation is usually mild and consists of a self-limiting febrile illness that lasts approximately 2-7 days. Among common clinical manifestations are fever, arthralgia, conjunctivitis, myalgia, headache, and maculopapular rash. Hospitalization and complication rates are low, with fatalities being extremely rare. Newborn microcephaly, the most devastating and insidious complication associated with the ZIKV, has been described in the offspring of women who became infected while pregnant. Much remains to be elucidated about the timing of ZIKV infection in the context of the temporal progression of pregnancy, the corresponding in utero fetal development stage(s), and the risk of microcephaly. Without further knowledge of the pathophysiology involved, the true risk of ZIKV to the unborn remains difficult to quantify and remediate. Accurate, portable, and inexpensive point-of-care testing is required to better identify cases and manage the current and future outbreaks of ZIKV, including optimization of preventive approaches and the identification of more effective risk reduction strategies. In addition, much more work needs to be done to produce an effective vaccine. Given the rapid geographic spread of ZIKV in recent years, a coordinated local, regional, and global effort is needed to generate sufficient resources and political traction to effectively halt and contain further expansion of the current outbreak.

The Lancet
Feb 13, 2016 Volume 387 Number 10019 p619-716 e20
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

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Editorial
Australia’s immigration centres are no place for children
The Lancet
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)00317-2
Summary
Last week, the High Court in Australia ruled that the country was within its constitutional rights to detain asylum seekers offshore. This ruling is scandalously objectionable not only for the health and wellbeing of individuals seeking asylum or refuge in Australia, but also for the more than 260 people, including children, on the mainland who are now at risk of deportation.

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Comment
A crucial time for public health preparedness: Zika virus and the 2016 Olympics, Umrah, and Hajj
Published Online: 06 February 2016
Habida Elachola, Ernesto Gozzer, Jiatong Zhuo, Ziad A Memish
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)00274-9

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Series
Ending preventable stillbirths
Stillbirths: recall to action in high-income countries
Vicki Flenady, Aleena M Wojcieszek, Philippa Middleton, David Ellwood, Jan Jaap Erwich, Michael Coory, T Yee Khong, Robert M Silver, Gordon C S Smith, Frances M Boyle, Joy E Lawn, Hannah Blencowe, Susannah Hopkins Leisher, Mechthild M Gross, Dell Horey, Lynn Farrales, Frank Bloomfield, Lesley McCowan, Stephanie J Brown, K S Joseph, Jennifer Zeitlin, Hanna E Reinebrant, Claudia Ravaldi, Alfredo Vannacci, Jillian Cassidy, Paul Cassidy, Cindy Farquhar, Euan Wallace, Dimitrios Siassakos, Alexander E P Heazell, Claire Storey, Lynn Sadler, Scott Petersen, J Frederik Frøen, Robert L Goldenberg, The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths study group, The Lancet Stillbirths In High-Income Countries Investigator Group

Ending preventable stillbirths
Stillbirths: ending preventable deaths by 2030
Luc de Bernis, Mary V Kinney, William Stones, Petra ten Hoope-Bender, Donna Vivio, Susannah Hopkins Leisher, Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Metin Gülmezoglu, Matthews Mathai, Jose M Belizán, Lynne Franco, Lori McDougall, Jennifer Zeitlin, Address Malata, Kim E Dickson, Joy E Lawn, The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series study group, The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series Advisory Group

Lancet Global Health
Feb 2016 Volume 4 Number 2 e69-e136
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

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Editorial
Stillbirths: still neglected?
Zoë Mullan
Summary
5 years ago, The Lancet published a groundbreaking (and taboo-breaking) Series on stillbirths. Its powerful mix of advocacy and hard data attracted more media attention than perhaps any other Series, and made waves on numerous levels, from the individual to the intergovernmental. Working closely with countries and WHO, the Series authors fought to bring “out of the shadows” the unacceptable toll of intrapartum stillbirths in low-income countries, the addressable differences in stillbirth rates between countries with advanced health systems, and the deplorable absence of such devastating events from global tracking efforts such as those of the UN, the Millennium Development Goals, and the Global Burden of Disease.

Comment
Success of rotavirus vaccination in Africa: good news and remaining questions
Timo Vesikari

Borders and migration: an issue of global health importance
James Smith, Leigh Daynes

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Articles
National, regional, and worldwide estimates of stillbirth rates in 2015, with trends from 2000: a systematic analysis
Hannah Blencowe, Simon Cousens, Fiorella Bianchi Jassir, Lale Say, Doris Chou, Colin Mathers, Dan Hogan, Suhail Shiekh, Zeshan U Qureshi, Danzhen You, Joy E Lawn, The Lancet Stillbirth Epidemiology Investigator Group
Summary
Background
Previous estimates have highlighted a large global burden of stillbirths, with an absence of reliable data from regions where most stillbirths occur. The Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) targets national stillbirth rates (SBRs) of 12 or fewer stillbirths per 1000 births by 2030. We estimate SBRs and numbers for 195 countries, including trends from 2000 to 2015.
Methods
We collated SBR data meeting prespecified inclusion criteria from national routine or registration systems, nationally representative surveys, and other data sources identified through a systematic review, web-based searches, and consultation with stillbirth experts. We modelled SBR (≥28 weeks’ gestation) for 195 countries with restricted maximum likelihood estimation with country-level random effects. Uncertainty ranges were obtained through a bootstrap approach.
Findings
Data from 157 countries (2207 datapoints) met the inclusion criteria, a 90% increase from 2009 estimates. The estimated average global SBR in 2015 was 18·4 per 1000 births, down from 24·7 in 2000 (25·5% reduction). In 2015, an estimated 2·6 million (uncertainty range 2·4–3·0 million) babies were stillborn, giving a 19% decline in numbers since 2000 with the slowest progress in sub-Saharan Africa. 98% of all stillbirths occur in low-income and middle-income countries; 77% in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Interpretation
Progress in reducing the large worldwide stillbirth burden remains slow and insufficient to meet national targets such as for ENAP. Stillbirths are increasingly being counted at a local level, but countries and the global community must further improve the quality and comparability of data, and ensure that this is more clearly linked to accountability processes including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Funding
Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives programme to The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

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Effect of pentavalent rotavirus vaccine introduction on hospital admissions for diarrhoea and rotavirus in children in Rwanda: a time-series analysis
Fidele Ngabo, Jacqueline E Tate, Maurice Gatera, Celse Rugambwa, Philippe Donnen, Philippe Lepage, Jason M Mwenda, Agnes Binagwaho, Umesh D Parashar
Summary
Background
In May, 2012, Rwanda became the first low-income African country to introduce pentavalent rotavirus vaccine into its routine national immunisation programme. Although the potential health benefits of rotavirus vaccination are huge in low-income African countries that account for more than half the global deaths from rotavirus, concerns remain about the performance of oral rotavirus vaccines in these challenging settings.
Methods
We conducted a time-series analysis to examine trends in admissions to hospital for non-bloody diarrhoea in children younger than 5 years in Rwanda between Jan 1, 2009, and Dec 31, 2014, using monthly discharge data from the Health Management Information System. Additionally, we reviewed the registries in the paediatric wards at six hospitals from 2009 to 2014 and abstracted the number of total admissions and admissions for diarrhoea in children younger than 5 years by admission month and age group. We studied trends in admissions specific to rotavirus at one hospital that had undertaken active rotavirus surveillance from 2011 to 2014. We assessed changes in rotavirus epidemiology by use of data from eight active surveillance hospitals.
Findings
Compared with the 2009–11 prevaccine baseline, hospital admissions for non-bloody diarrhoea captured by the Health Management Information System fell by 17–29% from a pre-vaccine median of 4051 to 2881 in 2013 and 3371 in 2014, admissions for acute gastroenteritis captured in paediatric ward registries decreased by 48–49%, and admissions specific to rotavirus captured by active surveillance fell by 61–70%. The greatest effect was recorded in children age-eligible to be vaccinated, but we noted a decrease in the proportion of children with diarrhoea testing positive for rotavirus in almost every age group.
Interpretation
The number of admissions to hospital for diarrhoea and rotavirus in Rwanda fell substantially after rotavirus vaccine implementation, including among older children age-ineligible for vaccination, suggesting indirect protection through reduced transmission of rotavirus. These data highlight the benefits of routine vaccination against rotavirus in low-income settings.
Funding
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Government of Rwanda.

New England Journal of Medicine
February 11, 2016 Vol. 374 No. 6
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

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Perspective
A World Free of Polio — The Final Steps
Manish Patel, M.D., and Walter Orenstein, M.D.
N Engl J Med 2016; 374:501-503
February 11, 2016
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1514467
Audio Interview
Interview with Dr. Walter Orenstein on the final steps in the global effort to eradicate polio. (8:37) Listen Download

Global polio-eradication efforts have led to a dramatic decrease in polio cases, from an estimated 350,000 cases in 125 countries in 1988 to 72 cases in 2015. As of January 2016, endemic transmission of polio caused by wild polioviruses (WPVs) had been interrupted in all countries except Pakistan and Afghanistan. Indeed, the Global Commission for Certification of the Eradication of Poliomyelitis recently certified that type 2 wild poliovirus, one of three strains responsible for centuries of human paralysis and disfigurement, has been eradicated. Type 2 poliovirus now exists only in laboratories and in trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) in an attenuated form, though in rare circumstances it surfaces in the community, through persistent transmission, in the form of outbreaks of vaccine-derived viruses. Getting to this point has not been easy. Sustaining our wins and traversing the last mile of the eradication journey calls for escalation of global immunization activities on an unprecedented scale.

Oral polio vaccine (OPV) has been the lynchpin of successful control of paralytic polio. However, in very rare instances, it has been associated with cases of paralysis caused by vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) or circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) — the latter when the viruses included in the vaccine have mutated over time, acquiring the neurovirulence and transmissibility of WPV. For this reason, it is of paramount importance to discontinue the use of OPV after polio eradication has been certified. Since the last case of naturally occurring type 2 WPV in 1999, continued use of OPV2 (the type 2 component of tOPV) has paralyzed an estimated 1600 to 3200 people with VAPP and more than 600 people with type 2 cVDPV.1 Because routine use of type 2–containing vaccine is no longer needed, the global community has a moral imperative to discontinue it as soon as programmatically feasible. Because WPV types 1 and 3 have not yet been eradicated, however, the phased withdrawal of OPV antigens will begin with a shift from tOPV (containing types 1, 2, and 3) to bivalent OPV (bOPV, containing types 1 and 3).

Global cessation of OPV2 use poses a low but real risk of outbreaks of cVDPV2 or WPV infections associated with declining immunity to type 2 poliovirus.2 The overarching strategy for reducing this risk is to maximize immunity against type 2 before and after withdrawal of the vaccine and to prepare for an appropriate outbreak response. Doing so requires a comprehensive, multipronged approach (see table Risks and Risk-Mitigation Strategies for Switching from Trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) to Bivalent OPV (bOPV).).

First, it is important to stop current cVDPV2 outbreaks in advance of the switch, through aggressive tOPV vaccination in any place where cVDPV2 is detected. Programs with lower routine coverage will have to boost type 2 immunity through additional tOPV campaigns just before OPV2 withdrawal.2 A high level of immunity, especially OPV2-induced intestinal immunity, will prevent sustained transmission of vaccine viruses, which could lead to generation of new cVDPV2s.

Second, all countries should have access to enough inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to administer at least one dose to all children through the routine immunization program. IPV provides immunity against all three polioviruses without generating any infectious vaccine-associated polioviruses. Introduction of IPV is intended to provide some immunity against type 2 viruses in new birth cohorts to mitigate future outbreaks of type 2 WPV and type 2 cVDPVs, should the viruses be reintroduced.3 IPV, however, may not prevent cVDPV2 emergence, which will be greatest during the first 6 to 12 months after OPV2 withdrawal.

Third, there had to be certified eradication of type 2 WPV, which has been accomplished.

Fourth, all countries must have destroyed type 2 WPV or securely contain it in essential laboratory and vaccine-production facilities by the end of 2015 and must do the same with OPV2 within 3 months after it is withdrawn.

Fifth, a global stockpile of monovalent type 2 OPV should be available to control outbreaks of type 2 polio, should type 2 viruses be reintroduced.

Finally, leaders of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) should finalize a protocol for surveillance of and response to such outbreaks.

Recently, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) reviewed progress on these readiness indicators.1,4 All high-risk countries are on track for introducing IPV. Supply shortages will delay introduction by a few months in some low-risk countries but are unlikely to increase the short-term risk of cVDPV2. SAGE also recommended accelerating implementation of the containment plan. Overall, it determined that the benefits of withdrawing OPV2 outweighed the risks, reaffirming the decision to proceed with the global switch from tOPV to bOPV between April 17 and May 1, 2016. Furthermore, it reiterated that OPV2 withdrawal must be synchronized worldwide. A prolonged, staggered withdrawal would pose a risk of continuous generation of cVDPV2s and potential exportation of these viruses to regions or countries with susceptible children born after the switch. Withdrawal of OPV2 during the seasonally low-transmission month of April further reduces the risk of type 2 polio outbreaks.

Switching from tOPV to bOPV may sound simple, but synchronization requires global coordination on an unprecedented scale. To use bOPV in routine immunization, all countries must either license a bivalent vaccine or accept one that is prequalified by the World Health Organization. Recent trial data and use of bOPV in campaigns since 2009 indicate that it is safe and more immunogenic to types 1 and 3 than is tOPV.5 Multilevel efforts to manage the global supply of OPV have begun, including discontinuation of tOPV production, scale-up of bOPV production, initiation of interactions between procurement agencies or manufacturers and countries, management of countrywide tOPV inventories to ensure that stocks are adequate until the switch and to track collection and destruction afterward, and allocation of funds for procuring bOPV. Fundamentally, countries will strive to avoid having either excess or insufficient quantities of tOPV leading up to the switch and to ensure the availability of bOPV after the switch.

Coordinated communication among global health organizations, countries, manufacturers, and funders is imperative to ensure synchronized OPV2 withdrawal with minimal disruption in vaccination services to children worldwide. Successful synchronization also requires GPEI leaders and countries to monitor the timely completion of preparatory steps both globally and within each country (e.g., managing of tOPV inventories; bOPV licensure, procurement, and shipment; securing of financial resources; establishment of communication; and training of logisticians, health workers, and monitors). Equally, if not more, important, however, will be the monitoring of outcomes of withdrawal of the vaccine in April 2016. Although it is nearly impossible to monitor every vaccination service point — India alone has more than 26,000 — a targeted monitoring strategy for high-risk areas, such as facilities storing large stocks of tOPV, could provide further reassurance of low risk of cVDPV2 reemergence. Countries will need to dispose of residual tOPV stocks using their existing pharmaceutical-waste-disposal procedures to avoid continued use of the discontinued vaccine.

More preparation for the switch is required in the coming months, and for completing polio eradication in the coming years. But collaboration in eradication efforts has reached a high point never before achieved by the immunization community. Getting here has required tireless effort and practical innovation in science, policy, and implementation. Capitalizing on the gains made to date should push overall polio eradication over the finish line and may pave the way for measles eradication and future global health initiatives.

Pediatrics
February 2016, VOLUME 137 / ISSUE 2
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/137/2?current-issue=y

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From the American Academy of Pediatrics
Medical Countermeasures for Children in Public Health Emergencies, Disasters, or Terrorism
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS ADVISORY COUNCIL
Pediatrics Feb 2016, 137 (2) 1-9; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-4273
Abstract
Significant strides have been made over the past 10 to 15 years to develop medical countermeasures (MCMs) to address potential disaster hazards, including chemical, biological, radiologic, and nuclear threats. Significant and effective collaboration between the pediatric health community, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, and federal partners, such as the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and other federal agencies, over the past 5 years has resulted in substantial gains in addressing the needs of children related to disaster preparedness in general and MCMs in particular. Yet, major gaps still remain related to MCMs for children, a population highly vulnerable to the effects of exposure to such threats, because many vaccines and pharmaceuticals approved for use by adults as MCMs do not yet have pediatric formulations, dosing information, or safety information. As a result, the nation’s stockpiles and other caches (designated supply of MCMs) where pharmacotherapeutic and other MCMs are stored are less prepared to address the needs of children compared with those of adults in the event of a disaster. This policy statement provides recommendations to close the remaining gaps for the development and use of MCMs in children during public health emergencies or disasters. The progress made by federal agencies to date to address the needs of children and the shared commitment of collaboration that characterizes the current relationship between the pediatric health community and the federal agencies responsible for MCMs should encourage all child advocates to invest the necessary energy and resources now to complete the process of remedying the remaining significant gaps in preparedness.

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Pediatrics Perspectives
Planning for Research on Children During Public Health Emergencies
Laura J. Faherty, Sonja A. Rasmussen, Nicole Lurie
Pediatrics Feb 2016, 137 (2) 1-4; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-3611
Extract
The recent Ebola epidemic exposed critical knowledge gaps about the disease and its impact on different populations, particularly children, which hindered the public health and medical response. For instance, unanswered questions remain about the natural history of Ebola virus disease in young children and its transmissibility in breast milk. Other emerging infectious diseases, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), remind us that there will always be another pathogen lurking around the corner. Public health emergencies (PHEs) resulting from natural disasters are increasing in ferocity and frequency.1 How can we ensure that we address our current knowledge gaps to better prepare for future disasters?
Awareness of the need to integrate scientific research into PHE response is growing,2 but the discussion of research involving children has been limited. Although several efforts have addressed the unique physical and socio-emotional needs of children in PHEs,3,4 pediatric research during PHEs has been lacking, resulting in significant knowledge gaps for children compared to adults. Conducting research, especially in children, without interfering with the PHE response is challenging. The present article discusses the importance of including children in PHE research and proposes components of a robust infrastructure that need to be in place to facilitate this research.
Barriers to Including Children in PHE Research
Including children in PHE research presents special challenges, including issues with recruitment, informed consent, and enrollment.3,5 Institutional review boards (IRBs) have more stringent requirements for inclusion of children in research than for adults.6 A life course …

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Stakeholder Views of Clinical Trials in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
Pathma D. Joseph, Patrina H.Y. Caldwell, Allison Tong, Camilla S. Hanson, Jonathan C. Craig
Pediatrics Feb 2016, 137 (2) 1-19; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-2800
Abstract
CONTEXT: Clinical trials are necessary to improve the health care of children, but only one-quarter are conducted in the low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) in which 98% of the global burden of disease resides.
OBJECTIVE: To describe stakeholder beliefs and experiences of conducting trials in children in LMICs.
DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases were searched to August 2014.
STUDY SELECTION: Qualitative studies of stakeholder perspectives on conducting clinical trials among children in LMICs.
DATA EXTRACTION: Findingswere analyzed by using thematic synthesis.
RESULTS: Thirty-nine studies involving 3110 participants (children [n = 290], parents or caregivers [n = 1609], community representatives [n = 621], clinical or research team members [n = 376], regulators [n = 18], or sponsors [n = 15]) across 22 countries were included. Five themes were identified: centrality of community engagement (mobilizing community, representatives’ pivotal role, managing expectations, and retaining involvement); cognizance of vulnerability and poverty (therapeutic opportunity and medical mistrust); contending with power differentials (exploitation, stigmatization, and disempowerment); translating research to local context (cultural beliefs, impoverishment constraints, and ethical pluralism); and advocating fair distribution of benefits (health care, sponsor obligation, and collateral community benefits).
LIMITATIONS: Studies not published in English were excluded.
CONCLUSIONS: Conducting trials in children in LMICs is complex due to social disadvantage, economic scarcity, idiosyncratic cultural beliefs, and historical disempowerment, all of which contribute to inequity, mistrust, and fears of exploitation. Effective community engagement in recruiting, building research capacities, and designing trials that are pragmatic, ethical, and relevant to the health care needs of children in LMICs may help to improve the equity and health outcomes of this vulnerable population.

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 13 February 2016)

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Effect of Short-Term Supplementation with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food or Micronutrients for Children after Illness for Prevention of Malnutrition: A Randomised Controlled Trial in Nigeria
Saskia van der Kam, Nuria Salse-Ubach, Stephanie Roll, Todd Swarthout, Sayaka Gayton-Toyoshima, Nma Mohammed Jiya, Akiko Matsumoto, Leslie Shanks
Research Article | published 09 Feb 2016 | PLOS Medicine
10.1371/journal.pmed.1001952

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Effect of Short-Term Supplementation with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food or Micronutrients for Children after Illness for Prevention of Malnutrition: A Randomised Controlled Trial in Uganda
Saskia van der Kam, Stephanie Roll, Todd Swarthout, Grace Edyegu-Otelu, Akiko Matsumoto, Francis Xavier Kasujja, Cristian Casademont, Leslie Shanks, Nuria Salse-Ubach
Research Article | published 09 Feb 2016 | PLOS Medicine
10.1371/journal.pmed.1001951

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
(Accessed 13 February 2016)

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Perspective: Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape functions?
Matthew J. Cohen, Irena F. Creed, Laurie Alexander, Nandita B. Basu, Aram J. K. Calhoun, Christopher Craft, Ellen D’Amico, Edward DeKeyser, Laurie Fowler, Heather E. Golden, James W. Jawitz, Peter Kalla, L. Katherine Kirkman, Charles R. Lane, Megan Lang, Scott G. Leibowitz,
David Bruce Lewis, John Marton, Daniel L. McLaughlin, David M. Mushet, Hadas Raanan-iperwas, Mark C. Rains, Lora Smith, and Susan C. Walls
PNAS 2016 ; published ahead of print February 8, 2016, doi:10.1073/pnas.1512650113
Abstract
Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs), those surrounded by uplands, exchange materials, energy, and organisms with other elements in hydrological and habitat networks, contributing to landscape functions, such as flow generation, nutrient and sediment retention, and biodiversity support. GIWs constitute most of the wetlands in many North American landscapes, provide a disproportionately large fraction of wetland edges where many functions are enhanced, and form complexes with other water bodies to create spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the timing, flow paths, and magnitude of network connectivity. These attributes signal a critical role for GIWs in sustaining a portfolio of landscape functions, but legal protections remain weak despite preferential loss from many landscapes. GIWs lack persistent surface water connections, but this condition does not imply the absence of hydrological, biogeochemical, and biological exchanges with nearby and downstream waters. Although hydrological and biogeochemical connectivity is often episodic or slow (e.g., via groundwater), hydrologic continuity and limited evaporative solute enrichment suggest both flow generation and solute and sediment retention. Similarly, whereas biological connectivity usually requires overland dispersal, numerous organisms, including many rare or threatened species, use both GIWs and downstream waters at different times or life stages, suggesting that GIWs are critical elements of landscape habitat mosaics. Indeed, weaker hydrologic connectivity with downstream waters and constrained biological connectivity with other landscape elements are precisely what enhances some GIW functions and enables others. Based on analysis of wetland geography and synthesis of wetland functions, we argue that sustaining landscape functions requires conserving the entire continuum of wetland connectivity, including GIWs.

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
(Accessed 13 February 2016)

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Social Sciences – Sustainability Science:
Measuring the value of groundwater and other forms of natural capital
Eli P. Fenichel, Joshua K. Abbott, Jude Bayham, Whitney Boone, Erin M. K. Haacker, and Lisa Pfeiffer
PNAS 2016 ; published ahead of print February 8, 2016, doi:10.1073/pnas.1513779113
Significance
Economists have long argued, with recent acceptance from the science and policy community, that natural resources are capital assets. Pricing of natural capital has remained elusive, with the result that its value is often ignored, and expenditures on conservation are treated as costs rather than investments. This neglect stems from a lack of a valuation framework to enable apples to apples comparisons with traditional forms of capital. We develop such an approach and demonstrate it on Kansas’ groundwater stock. Between 1996 and 2005, groundwater withdrawal reduced Kansas’ wealth approximately $110 million per year. Wealth lost through groundwater depletion in Kansas is large, but in a range where offsetting investments may be feasible.
Abstract
Valuing natural capital is fundamental to measuring sustainability. The United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, and other agencies have called for inclusion of the value of natural capital in sustainability metrics, such as inclusive wealth. Much has been written about the importance of natural capital, but consistent, rigorous valuation approaches compatible with the pricing of traditional forms of capital have remained elusive. We present a guiding quantitative framework enabling natural capital valuation that is fully consistent with capital theory, accounts for biophysical and economic feedbacks, and can guide interdisciplinary efforts to measure sustainability. We illustrate this framework with an application to groundwater in the Kansas High Plains Aquifer, a rapidly depleting asset supporting significant food production. We develop a 10-y time series (1996−2005) of natural capital asset prices that accounts for technological, institutional, and physical changes. Kansas lost approximately $110 million per year (2005 US dollars) of capital value through groundwater withdrawal and changes in aquifer management during the decade spanning 1996–2005. This annual loss in wealth is approximately equal to the state’s 2005 budget surplus, and is substantially more than investments in schools over this period. Furthermore, real investment in agricultural capital also declined over this period. Although Kansas’ depletion of water wealth is substantial, it may be tractably managed through careful groundwater management and compensating investments in other natural and traditional assets. Measurement of natural capital value is required to inform management and ongoing investments in natural assets.

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
__________________________________________________
Week ending 6 February 2016

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor &
Founding Managing Director
GE2P2 – Center for Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

pdf version: The Sentinel_ week ending 6 February 2016

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries  posted below on 7-8 February 2016

Zika virus  [to 6 February 2016]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

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WHO statement on the first meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR 2005) Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations
WHO statement
1 February 2016
Based on the advice of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee on Zika virus the Director-General declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 1 February 2016. The Director-General endorsed the Committee’s advice and issued them as Temporary Recommendations under IHR (2005).

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UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 6 February 2016]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

Upholding women’s human rights essential to Zika response – Zeid
GENEVA (5 February 2016) – Upholding women’s human rights is essential if the response to the Zika health emergency is to be effective, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Friday, adding that laws and policies that restrict access to sexual and reproductive health services in contravention of international standards, must be repealed and concrete steps must be taken so that women have the information, support and services they require to exercise their rights to determine whether and when they become pregnant.

“Clearly, managing the spread of Zika is a major challenge to the governments in Latin America,” Zeid said. “However, the advice of some governments to women to delay getting pregnant, ignores the reality that many women and girls simply cannot exercise control over whether or when or under what circumstances they become pregnant, especially in an environment where sexual violence is so common.”

“In Zika-affected countries that have restrictive laws governing women’s reproductive rights, the situation facing women and girls is particularly stark on a number of levels,” the UN Human Rights Chief said. “In situations where sexual violence is rampant, and sexual and reproductive health services are criminalized, or simply unavailable, efforts to halt this crisis will not be enhanced by placing the focus on advising women and girls not to become pregnant. Many of the key issues revolve around men’s failure to uphold the rights of women and girls, and a range of strong measures need to be taken to tackle these underlying problems.”

The World Health Organization has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern amid concerns of a possible association between upsurges in reported cases of Zika virus disease and of microcephaly in Latin America. A causative link between Zika and microcephaly (babies born with abnormally small heads), and Zika and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a neurological condition), is still under investigation.

Amid the continuing spread of the Zika virus, authorities must ensure that their public health response is pursued in conformity with their human rights obligations, in particular relating to health and health-related rights.

“Upholding human rights is essential to an effective public health response and this requires that governments ensure women, men and adolescents have access to comprehensive and affordable quality sexual and reproductive health services and information, without discrimination,” Zeid said, noting that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services include contraception — including emergency contraception — maternal healthcare and safe abortion services to the full extent of the law.

“Health services must be delivered in a way that ensures a woman’s fully informed consent, respects her dignity, guarantees her privacy, and is responsive to her needs and perspectives,” he added….