Aga Khan Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.akdn.org/pr.asp

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Press Releases
Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into the Development Planning Process in Afghanistan
13 April 2016 – With the aim of promoting disaster resilience in the development and rehabilitation of Afghanistan, Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) in Afghanistan and the Afghan government organised a conference on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) into the Development Planning Process.

Clinton Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press-releases-and-statements

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Press Release
Clinton Foundation Celebrates Global Youth Service Day with a Lego Brick Drive and a Day of Action
April 13, 2016
Every year, the Clinton Foundation celebrates Global Youth Service Day with a special service learning program and service opportunity, “Day of Action,” for Arkansas high school juniors and seniors.

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Press Release
More than 900 New Student Commitments to Action Announced at Ninth Annual CGI University Meeting
April 2, 2016
President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton conclude Clinton Global Initiative University 2016 at UC Berkeley, engaging more than 1,200 student leaders on Education, Poverty Alleviation, Peace and Human Rights, Public Health, and Environment and Climate Change

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/news

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Our News
Keeping Alcohol in Focus to Reduce Youth Substance Use
By Alexa Eggleston, April 12, 2016
…Our Substance Use Prevention Strategic Initiative is helping to develop knowledge related to screening and early intervention for young people by testing various approaches designed to inform training, delivery, and evaluation of youth-related substance use prevention and early intervention activities. Observations from a round of recent interviews with our grantees indicate the Strategic Initiative is helping address three broad areas of need:
:: Awareness: Building expertise in preventing youth substance use among a broad range of youth-serving organizations, many of whom did not have prior work in the area
:: Adaptation: Modifying the traditional SBIRT approach for non-primary care settings so they can develop a fit that can be sustained as part of routine practice
:: Access: Linking young people to community-based services such as job training, mentoring, or mental health programs as part of the intervention and referral process…

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Press Release
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Awards More Than $20 Million in Grants in the First Quarter of 2016
(LOS ANGELES) April 5, 2016– The board of directors of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation announced today that it approved $20.56 million in grants during the first quarter of 2016, including a $5.44 million grant to the UCLA WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) for the creation of an initiative that will train the next generation of world leaders and thinkers, and a $2.5 million grant to City of Hope to launch a cancer prevention initiative that will target poor diet and obesity as key risk factors for disease.

Kellogg Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.wkkf.org/news-and-media#pp=10&p=1&f1=news

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April 14, 2016
Statement on Battle Creek becoming a ‘Welcoming City’
La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) applauds the City of Battle Creek for becoming the 13th city or county to join the statewide “Welcoming Michigan” campaign.
Welcoming Michigan is coordinated by the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, a WKKF grantee, and partners with local governments and community leaders to build immigrant-friendly communities, promoting mutual respect and cooperation among foreign-born and U.S.-born Americans. Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Detroit have also joined this campaign.
From the legacy of Sojourner Truth and the Underground Railroad to the recent growth of the city’s Burmese community, Battle Creek has a rich history of welcoming people looking for opportunity in the face of oppression and persecution. The Kellogg Foundation is proud of its hometown for continuing this strong tradition to become the latest Welcoming Michigan city, where equity to employment, education and resources is provided for all children to thrive…
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April 4, 2016
Grantee Jesuit Social Research Institute releases new report measuring states’ progress on social justice
WKKF grantee Jesuit Social Research Institute recently released a new report on social justice indicators: issues like poverty, racial disparities and immigrant exclusion, in each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C.

The report, “JustSouth INDEX 2016,” identifies where inequity is concentrated and examines the historic, structural and systemic factors that have – and continue to – contribute to inequity in certain communities and states.

Michigan ranked highest of all four of the Kellogg Foundation’s priority places, coming in at 30th. Other priority places included New Mexico, which ranked 46th; Mississippi came in at 50th; followed by Louisiana, which trailed at 51st.

The report provides valuable information for advocates, philanthropists, community leaders and policymakers to better understand the social justice challenges in their communities so that we can all move forward and focus on addressing critical barriers and increasing equity.

Learn more about the findings by viewing the full report.

MacArthur Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.macfound.org/

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Press release
20 Diverse Communities Receive MacArthur Support to Reduce Jail Populations, Improve Local Systems, and Model Reforms for the Nation
Published April 12, 2016
MacArthur today announced nearly $25 million in support for ambitious plans to create fairer, more effective local justice systems across the country. The Foundation is awarding 11 jurisdictions grants between $1.5M and $3.5M over two years to reduce their jail populations and address racial and ethnic disparities in their justice systems. An additional nine jurisdictions will be given $150,000 grants to continue their reform work and to participate in a growing, collaborative network of cities, counties, and states driving local justice reform.

The grants are part of the Safety and Justice Challenge, a national initiative supported by the Foundation with an initial $75 million to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. The Challenge is establishing a network of jurisdictions to model and inspire effective local criminal justice reforms across the country. Last May, MacArthur chose 20 jurisdictions for initial grants and expert counsel to develop plans for reform after a highly competitive selection process that drew applications from nearly 200 jurisdictions in 45 states and territories. All 20 of these Safety and Justice Challenge Network jurisdictions will be eligible for further funding. Depending on continued commitment and significant progress, sites receiving implementation awards will be eligible for additional funding after the initial two years. The remaining jurisdictions are encouraged to sustain their momentum for reform and will be considered for implementation support in 2017.
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Publication
A Mid-term Evaluation of The Conservation & Sustainable Development Program
Published April 5, 2016
Total Awarded: $83m
Total Grants: 221
Duration: 2011 – 2016
Geographic Focus: Andes, Greater Mekong, Great Lakes of East and Central Africa
[Excerpt]
…In addition, the evaluation produced the following lessons:
:: Sustained engagement and flexibility are key to impact. The program’s long-term commitment to the priority land and seascapes, including strong, enduring relationships with grantees that emphasize shared long-term program goals over projects have facilitated results.
:: Striking the right balance between traditional and innovative approaches to conservation is a process that requires experimentation and course corrections.
:: Donor partnerships and coordinated grantmaking around common objectives can enhance collective impact. Working in a donor collaborative helped us to establish a common, and sometimes more sophisticated, understanding of the threats and opportunities in a region.
:: A universal theory of change is most useful for developing and communicating a grantmaking strategy; it is less helpful to guide grantmaking in a given problem and geographic context. The product of a global theory of change may be too broad, and too simplistic, to usefully guide regional grantmaking, where opportunities, threats, and players shift quickly.
:: When investing in science, good planning will determine the conservation payoff. Scientific analysis and communication are valuable, but insufficient means to ensure effective environmental conservation.
:: Defining an appropriate grantmaking niche is critical to success.

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
https://www.moore.org/news

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April 14, 2016
How forest certificates can impact environmental conservation in Brazil
With support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Woods Hole Research Center recently co-authored a research article that analyses the potential opportunities and challenges surrounding payments for ecosystem services that are embedded in the new Forest Code. The research shows that while the forest certificates market has great potential for environmental conservation, it must be implemented with great care, in connection with other key programs.
Read the full research article in PLoS ONE here.

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April 14, 2016
Study examines seasonal carbon and water balances in the Cerrado environment of Brazil
With support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, grantees at the Woods Hole Research Center published a study that examines past, present and future influences of land cover and land use. The study focuses on seasonal carbon and water balances of the Cerrado environment.

The study ultimately showed that historical landscape conversions reduce biomass by about 50% and evapotranspiration (ET) by about 25%.

Read the study abstract online here.

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April 13, 2016
Revolutionizing research communication through a new academic publishing platform
The way that researchers communicate their work has not changed significantly in the last few centuries; academic publishing still relies on journal articles and has not kept up with technological advances, new analytical tools, or the globalization of research. To help address this discrepancy, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has granted Collaborative Knowledge Foundation, or CKF, $1.3M to develop a new open source, modular platform for scholarly knowledge production and academic publishing.

Open Society Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/issues/media-information

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April 8, 2016
Voices
The Investigative Journalism Collaboration That Produced the Panama Papers
by Maria Teresa Ronderos, Algirdas Lipstas23
The bombshell reports detailing how offshore companies enable financial secrecy were made possible by a global effort of hundreds of journalists working in tandem.
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April 6, 2016
Voices
The Message of the Panama Papers
by Julie McCarthy
The massive data leak reveals how vast amounts of wealth are secretly moved around the world. Now, political leaders must close the loopholes that allow this to happen.

Pew Charitable Trusts [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases

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Press Release
Pew Applauds Kansas Leaders for Comprehensive Juvenile Justice Reform
April 11, 2016 Public Safety Performance Project
WASHINGTON—Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed into law today comprehensive juvenile justice legislation that will increase public safety, improve outcomes for young offenders, protect public safety, and reduce costs for taxpayers. The legislation, Senate Bill 367, is expected to reduce the number of youth sent to out-of-home facilities by more than half and save $72 million over the next five years.

“Senate Bill 367 represents an important step forward for juvenile justice in Kansas,” said Adam Gelb, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ public safety performance project. “By letting facts drive the discussion, Kansas policymakers have crafted a new direction for the system that will maximize the state’s return on investment—for youth, for their families, and for public safety.”…

Rockefeller Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/newsroom

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April 13, 2016
Musical’s Cast and The Rockefeller Foundation Welcome 1300 Students to First-Ever Exclusive Student Matinee of HAMILTON on Broadway
:: Partnership with HAMILTON, The Rockefeller Foundation, NYC Department of Education and Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Provides 20,000 Students Tickets to See Musical
:: Student representatives from 12 New York City high schools will perform songs, rap, poetry, scenes and monologues, created as part of HAMILTON curriculum.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/newsroom/news-releases.html

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Wed Apr 06 08:30:00 EDT 2016
Mood Challenge for ResearchKit Calls for Proposals
The Challenge, a New Venture Fund program funded by RWJF and powered by Luminary Labs, will award $500,000 to further our understanding of mood and how it relates to daily life.

Wellcome Trust [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2016/index.htm

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6 April 2016
Pharma industry leader Bill Burns joins Wellcome Trust Board of Governors
Pharmaceutical industry expert William (Bill) Burns this week joins the Board of Governors of the Wellcome Trust.

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6 April 2016
Kevin Moses, Director of Science, to leave the Wellcome Trust
Kevin Moses, Director of Science, will be leaving the Wellcome Trust in August later this year. He is returning to the United States to become a partner of The Column Group, a venture capital firm building on novel scientific ideas from the academic sector and early stage companies. His new role will take him closer to family based in the US.

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 16 April 2016)

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Research article
Effect of pay for performance to improve quality of maternal and child care in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review
Pay for Performance (P4P) mechanisms to health facilities and providers are currently being tested in several low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) to improve maternal and child health (MCH).
Ashis Das, Saji S. Gopalan and Daniel Chandramohan
BMC Public Health 2016 16:321
Published on: 14 April 2016

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Research article
Projected economic evaluation of the national implementation of a hypothetical HIV vaccination program among adolescents in South Africa, 2012
Nishila Moodley, Glenda Gray and Melanie Bertram
BMC Public Health 2016 16:330
Published on: 14 April 2016
Abstract
Background
Adolescents in South Africa are at high risk of acquiring HIV. The HIV vaccination of adolescents could reduce HIV incidence and mortality. The potential impact and cost-effectiveness of a national school-based HIV vaccination program among adolescents was determined.
Method
The national HIV disease and cost burden was compared with (intervention) and without HIV vaccination (comparator) given to school-going adolescents using a semi-Markov model. Life table analysis was conducted to determine the impact of the intervention on life expectancy. Model inputs included measures of disease and cost burden and hypothetical assumptions of vaccine characteristics. The base-case HIV vaccine modelled cost at US$ 12 per dose; vaccine efficacy of 50 %; duration of protection of 10 years achieved at a coverage rate of 60 % and required annual boosters. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were calculated using life years gained (LYG) serving as the outcome measure. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on the vaccine characteristics to assess parameter uncertainty.
Results
The HIV vaccination model yielded an ICER of US$ 5 per LYG (95 % CI ZAR 2.77–11.61) compared with the comparator, which is considerably less than the national willingness-to-pay threshold of cost-effectiveness. This translated to an 11 % increase in per capita costs from US$ 80 to US$ 89. National implementation of this intervention could potentially result in an estimated cumulative gain of 23.6 million years of life (95 % CI 8.48–34.3 million years) among adolescents age 10–19 years that were vaccinated. The 10 year absolute risk reduction projected by vaccine implementation was 0.42 % for HIV incidence and 0.41 % for HIV mortality, with an increase in life expectancy noted across all age groups. The ICER was sensitive to the vaccine efficacy, coverage and vaccine pricing in the sensitivity analysis.
Conclusions
A national HIV vaccination program would be cost-effective and would avert new HIV infections and decrease the mortality and morbidity associated with HIV disease. Decision makers would have to discern how these findings, derived from local data and reflective of the South African epidemic, can be integrated into the national long term health planning should a HIV vaccine become available.

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Research article
Measles susceptibility in young Thai men suggests need for young adult measles vaccination: a cross sectional study
Siriphan Gonwong, Thippawan Chuenchitra, Patchariya Khantapura, Dilara Islam and Carl J. Mason
BMC Public Health 2016 16:309
Published on: 11 April 2016
Abstract
Background
Measles remains a major public health concern in Thailand despite the introduction of vaccination since 1984. Similar to other countries, Thailand has experienced numerous measles outbreaks including adult communities such as university student dormitories, prisons, refugee camps, and military recruit camps. These outbreaks raise questions on the seroprotective antibody level in Thai adults.
Methods
To better understand measles susceptibility in young Thai adults, a retrospective measles seroprevalence study on repository serum specimens obtained with informed consent from young Thai men entering the Royal Thai Army (RTA) during 2007–2008 was conducted. A total of 7760 stratified randomized samples were chosen by residence province. Measles IgG titer was measured using a commercial IgG quantitative ELISA kit following the manufacturer’s instructions. An antibody level ≥ 250 International Units per Liter (IU/L) was interpreted as seropositive.
Results
The overall measles seroprevalence was 78.5 % (95 % Confidence Interval: 77.6–79.4 %) with geometric mean titer of 738 IU/L (95 % Confidence Interval: 716–760 IU/L). The measles seroprevalence by province ranged from 59.6 % to 93.1 %. A trend of decreasing seroprevalence in the younger cohorts despite increasing immunization coverage was found. Lower seroprevalence than vaccination coverage was observed in the youngest age group.
Conclusions
To achieve long term measles control and elimination, an integrated two doses vaccination strategy has been implemented in children in Thailand. This nationwide measles seroprevalence study in young adult RTA recruits found a measles seroprevalence lower than WHO’s recommendation for measles outbreak prevention and elimination. These results raise concerns for measles control in Thailand. Supplementary immunization in young adults is essential especially in high-risk and densely populated communities to establish herd immunity for outbreak prevention and elimination.

British Medical Journal
16 April 2016 (vol 352, issue 8053)
http://www.bmj.com/content/353/8053

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Research Update
Clinical features and neuroimaging (CT and MRI) findings in presumed Zika virus related congenital infection and microcephaly: retrospective case series study
BMJ 2016; 353 :i1901 (Published 13 April 2016)
Maria de Fatima Vasco Aragao, neuroradiologist and professor of radiology1, Vanessa van der Linden, paediatric neurologist2, Alessandra Mertens Brainer-Lima, neuroradiologist and professor of radiology3, Regina Ramos Coeli, paediatric infectologist and professor4, Maria Angela Rocha, infectologist4, Paula Sobral da Silva, paediatric neurologist4, Maria Durce Costa Gomes de Carvalho, paediatric neurologist4, Ana van der Linden, paediatric neurologist5, Arthur Cesario de Holanda, medical student6, Marcelo Moraes Valenca, neurosurgeon and full professor of neurology and neurosurgery7
Abstract
Objective
To report radiological findings observed in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the first cases of congenital infection and microcephaly presumably associated with the Zika virus in the current Brazilian epidemic.
Design
Retrospective study with a case series.
Setting
Association for Assistance of Disabled Children (AACD), Pernambuco state, Brazil.
Participants
23 children with a diagnosis of congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus during the Brazilian microcephaly epidemic.
Main outcome measures
Types of abnormalities and the radiological pattern of lesions identified on CT and MRI brain scans.
Results
Six of the 23 children tested positive for IgM antibodies to Zika virus in cerebrospinal fluid. The other 17 children met the protocol criteria for congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus, even without being tested for IgM antibodies to the virus—the test was not yet available on a routine basis. Of the 23 children, 15 underwent CT, seven underwent both CT and MRI, and one underwent MRI. Of the 22 children who underwent CT, all had calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter, 21 (95%) had malformations of cortical development, 20 (91%) had a decreased brain volume, 19 (86%) had ventriculomegaly, and 11 (50%) had hypoplasia of the cerebellum or brainstem. Of the eight children who underwent MRI, all had calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter, malformations of cortical development occurring predominantly in the frontal lobes, and ventriculomegaly. Seven of the eight (88%) children had enlarged cisterna magna, seven (88%) delayed myelination, and six each (75%) a moderate to severe decrease in brain volume, simplified gyral pattern, and abnormalities of the corpus callosum (38% hypogenesis and 38% hypoplasia). Malformations were symmetrical in 75% of the cases.
Conclusion
Severe cerebral damage was found on imaging in most of the children in this case series with congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus. The features most commonly found were brain calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter associated with malformations of cortical development, often with a simplified gyral pattern and predominance of pachygyria or polymicrogyria in the frontal lobes. Additional findings were enlarged cisterna magna, abnormalities of corpus callosum (hypoplasia or hypogenesis), ventriculomegaly, delayed myelination, and hypoplasia of the cerebellum and the brainstem.

International Health
Volume 8 Issue 2 March 2016
http://inthealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/current

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REVIEWS
Editor’s choice: Cardiac rehabilitation in low- and middle-income countries: a review on cost and cost-effectiveness
Int. Health (2016) 8 (2): 77-82 doi:10.1093/inthealth/ihv047
Neil B. Oldridge, Maureen T. Pakosh, and Randal J. Thomas
Abstract

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Experiences from the field: maternal, reproductive and child health data collection in humanitarian and emergency situations
Fiona M. Dickinson*, Thidar Pyone and Nynke van den Broek
Author Affiliations
Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
*Corresponding author: Tel: +44 0151 705 3314; Email: fiona.dickinson@lstmed.ac.uk
Received December 12, 2014.
Revision received May 21, 2015.
Accepted May 22, 2015.
Abstract
Background Humanitarian emergencies can disproportionately affect women of reproductive age, and children. Good data on reproductive maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) are vital to plan and deliver programmes to address RMNCH needs. There is currently a lack of information regarding the availability, use and applicability of data collection tools.
Methods Key informant interviews (KII) were conducted with participants with experience of data collection in humanitarian settings, identified from relevant publications. Data were analysed using the thematic framework approach.
Results All participants reported challenges, especially in the acute phase of an emergency and when there is insufficient security. Four common themes were identified: the importance of a mixed methods approach, language both with regard to development of data collection tools and data collection, the need to modify existing tools and build local capacity for data collection. Qualitative data collection was noted to be time consuming but considered to be important to understand the local context. Both those who have experienced trauma (including sexual violence) and data collectors require debriefing after documenting these experiences.
Conclusions There were numerous challenges associated with data collection assessing the health status of, and services available, to women and children in humanitarian settings, and researchers should be well prepared.

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Spillover effect of HIV-specific foreign aid on immunization services in Nigeria
Charles C. Chima* and Luisa Franzini
Author Affiliations
Division of Management, Policy and Community Health, The University of Texas School of Public Health, 1200 Pressler Street, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
*Corresponding author: Present address: Healthcare Transformation Initiatives, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1200 Binz Street Houston TX 77004, USA; Tel: +1 832-231-4955; E-mail: chimacharles@gmail.com
Received December 13, 2014.
Revision received April 20, 2015.
Accepted April 20, 2015.
Abstract
Background
Health aid to Nigeria increased tremendously in the last decade and a significant portion of the funds were earmarked for HIV-associated programs. Studies on the impact of HIV-specific aid on the delivery of non-HIV health services in sub-Saharan Africa have yielded mixed results. This study assessed if there is a spillover effect of HIV-specific aid on childhood vaccinations in Nigeria.
Methods
Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of aid disbursements in a previous year on the receipt of vaccines at the individual level in a given year. Estimations were done for approximately 11 700 children using data from demographic and health surveys conducted in Nigeria in 2003 and 2008.
Results
US$1 increase in HIV aid per capita was associated with a decrease in the probability of receipt of vaccines by 8–31%: polio first dose decreased by 8%; polio final dose by 9%; diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) first dose by 11%; DPT final dose by 19%; measles by 31%; final doses of polio and DPT plus measles vaccine by 8%.
Conclusions
HIV-specific aid had a negative spillover effect on immunization services in Nigeria over the study period. Donors may need to rethink their funding strategies in favour of more horizontal approaches.

JAMA
April 12, 2016, Vol 315, No. 14
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx

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Viewpoint
Neglected Dimensions of Global Security: The Global Health Risk Framework Commission
Lawrence O. Gostin, JD; Carmen C. Mundaca-Shah, MD, DrPH; Patrick W. Kelley, MD, DrPH

This Viewpoint discusses the Global Health Risk Framework Commission’s strategy to safeguard human and economic security from pandemic threats.

The world has experienced global health crises ranging from novel influenzas (H5N1 and H1N1) and coronaviruses (SARS and MERS) to the Ebola and Zika viruses. In each case, governments and international organizations seemed unable to react quickly and decisively. Health crises have unmasked critical vulnerabilities—weak health systems, failures of leadership, and political overreaction and underreaction. The Global Health Risk Framework Commission, for which the National Academy of Medicine served as the secretariat, recently set out a comprehensive strategy to safeguard human and economic security from pandemic threats (eTable in the Supplement).1

Journal of Global Ethics
Volume 12, Issue 1, 2016
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjge20/.U2V-Elf4L0l#.VAJEj2N4WF8

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Articles
Exploitative, irresistible, and coercive offers: why research participants should be paid well or not at all
Sara Belfrage
pages 69-86
DOI:10.1080/17449626.2016.1150318
ABSTRACT
This paper begins with the assumption that it is morally problematic when people in need are offered money in exchange for research participation if the amount offered is unfair. Such offers are called ‘coercive’, and the degree of coerciveness is determined by the offer’s potential to cause exploitation and its irresistibility. Depending on what view we take on the possibility to compensate for the sacrifices made by research participants, a wish to avoid ‘coercive offers’ leads to policy recommendations concerning payment for participation. For sacrifices considered compensable, we ought to offer either no payment or payment at a level deemed fair, while for sacrifices deemed incompensable, we always ought to offer no payment because as compensation appears and increases, so too does coercion. This article provides a model for thinking of the way in which degrees of exploitativeness, irresistibility, and coerciveness interact with the size of the reward for compensable and incompensable cases. The conclusions are of particular relevance in contexts where potential research participants are poor or in other ways lack reasonably good options, as is often the case when international pharmaceutical companies or researchers based in the Global North place clinical trials in the Global South.

The Lancet
Apr 16, 2016 Volume 387 Number 10028 p1591-1692
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

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Comment
Yellow fever vaccine supply: a possible solution
Thomas P Monath, Jack P Woodall, Duane J Gubler, Thomas M Yuill, John S Mackenzie, Reinaldo M Martins, Paul Reiter, David L Heymann
Summary
The global threat of the emerging epidemic of yellow fever in Angola1 is underscored by the recent spread of similar Aedes aegypti mosquito-borne viruses including dengue, chikungunya, and now Zika. Since their emergence in the 1950s, dengue virus infection has been reported from more than 128 countries, the chikungunya virus has been reported from over 60 countries,2,3 while yellow fever, first identified as a viral infection in 1900, has been reported from more than 57 countries and is on the move once again.

The Milbank Quarterly
A Multidisciplinary Journal of Population Health and Health Policy
March 2016 Volume 94, Issue 1 Pages 1–223
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-0009.2016.94.issue-1/issuetoc

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Op-Ed
Global Health Security After Ebola: Four Global Commissions (pages 34–38)
LAWRENCE O. GOSTIN
Article first published online: 14 MAR 2016 | DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.12176

PLoS Currents: Outbreaks
http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/
(Accessed 16 April 2016)

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Research Article
Clinical and Epidemiological Characterization of Laboratory-Confirmed Autochthonous Cases of Zika Virus Disease in Mexico
April 15, 2016 ·
Introduction: Since 2014, authoctonous circulation of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas was detected (Easter Island, Chile). In May 2015, Brazil confirmed authoctonous ¬¬transmission and in October of that year Colombia reported their first cases. Now more than 52 countries have reported cases, including Mexico. To deal with this contingency in Mexico, several surveillance systems, in addition to systems for vector-borne diseases were strengthened with the participation of all health institutions. Also, the Ministry of Health defined an Action Plan against ZIKV for the whole country.
Methods: We analyzed 93 authoctonous cases of ZIKV disease identified by Epidemiological Surveillance System for Zika Virus in Mexico. All authoctonous cases confirmed by laboratory since November 25, 2015 to February 19, 2016 were included. A description of clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 93 cases of ZIKV disease are presenting and, we describe the Action Plan against this public health emergency.
Results: The distribution of cases by sex was 61 men and 32 women; mean age was 35 years old (S.D. 15, range 6-90). The main clinical features in the 93 cases were fever (96.6%), rash (93.3%), non-purulent conjunctivitis (88.8%), headache (85.4%), and myalgia (84.3%). No deaths were reported.
Conclusion: The ZIKV epidemic poses new challenges to public health systems. The information provided for basic, clinical, and epidemiological research, in addition to the data derived from epidemiological surveillance is essential. However, there are still many unanswered questions regarding mechanisms of transmission, complications, and impact of this virus.