Gavi [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.gavialliance.org/library/news/press-releases/

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11 February 2016
Japan commits US$ 18.5 million to support immunisation in Ebola-affected region
Pledge from G7 President will help revitalise immunisation services and strengthen health systems.

TOKYO, 10 February 2016 – The Government of Japan has committed US$ 18.5 million to help Gavi restore immunisation services in Ebola-affected countries. The contribution, which is for 2016 and is Japan’s largest to Gavi to date, will also support the strengthening of health systems in 13 countries, including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where thousands of children missed out on routine vaccinations during the Ebola outbreak.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Seiji Kihara, made the announcement ahead of a meeting in Tokyo last Thursday with new Gavi Board Chair Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Japan’s commitment means that all members of the G7, which will be chaired this year by Japan, have now made pledges to Gavi to support childhood immunisation for the 2016 to 2020 period.

Japan’s contribution will help Gavi support work to trace children who missed out on immunisation in the Ebola-hit countries and ensure they are reached through catch-up programmes. The new funding will also help strengthen health systems in the Ebola-affected West Africa region, including purchasing new cold chain equipment to ensure vaccines are stored at the correct temperatures…

Global Fund [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
11 February 2016
Global Fund Congratulates India on Launch of Malaria Elimination Framework
NEW DELHI – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria praised India’s leadership and vision for launching an ambitious national framework to eliminate malaria by 2030, and called the country’s significant progress against the disease an example in global health.

With the support of many partners, India has seen a dramatic decline in malaria rates and malaria deaths. Through combined interventions that include rapid diagnostic tests, artemisinin-based combination therapy, long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying, India is projected to achieve a fall in case incidence of 50-75 percent between 2000 and 2015.

“India is showing others that with commitment, partnership and innovative strategies we can eliminate malaria,” Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund, said during the presentation of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination in India 2016-2030 and the Operational Guidelines for Malaria Elimination in India. “This framework is a hugely important step that gets us closer towards that goal.”

J.P. Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare of India, stressed his country’s engagement to eliminate the disease. “I can only assure you that the Government of India fully stands committed to the malaria elimination program, with the support of all stakeholders,” said Nadda.

During a two-day meeting that brought together the Government of India, WHO, academics and the Indian and global public health sector, partners discussed strategies and implementation of the framework, innovation and research, health system strengthening, and shared experiences for malaria elimination.

Under the framework, India aims to eliminate malaria (zero indigenous cases) throughout the entire country by 2030, and maintain malaria-free status in areas where malaria transmission has been interrupted and prevent re-introduction of malaria. Elimination will be undertaken in a phased manner, with states with low incidence rates first, followed by the high-incidence ones.
The framework is in line with the Asia Pacific Leaders’ Malaria Alliance Malaria Elimination Roadmap for 2030…

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09 February 2016
U.S. Demonstrates Strong Commitment to Global Health
GENEVA – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria expressed deep appreciation for President Barack Obama’s request for US$1.35 billion for the Global Fund in his 2017 budget proposal, calling it a demonstration of great commitment to global health.

“We are privileged to call the United States our partner in efforts to end HIV, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics,” said Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “The U.S. has shown extremely strong leadership and continues to rally support from countries and partners worldwide to reach our common goals.”

The United States is the largest supporter of the Global Fund, contributing nearly one-third of overall funding, and connecting it to other U.S.-led efforts on global health. Ground-breaking work by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) includes the launch of DREAMS, an ambitious partnership to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women in 10 African countries. The Global Fund also works closely with the President’s Malaria Initiative and with USAID on tuberculosis, to leverage and expand joint efforts…

CHS Alliance [to 13 February 2016]
http://chsalliance.org/news-events/news

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11/02/2016
Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) launches in Bangla
The Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) has been launched in Bangla at a seminar in Dhaka, after its development during a year-long participatory process that included field testing. CHS Alliance Executive Director, Judith Greenwood joined the panel discussion on Accountability and Quality Management in Humanitarian Actions: Bangladesh Perspective.

10/02/2016
Save the date: Protection from Sexual Exploitation & Abuse (PSEA) conference 2016, Bangkok
We are pleased to announce that the CHS Alliance will organise a conference on PSEA on 5 September 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand, focusing on good practices in investigations of allegation of SEA by aid workers.

08/02/2016
CHS Guidance Notes and Indicators now available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish
Following the launch of the CHS Guidance Notes and Indicators in English and French, this document is now available in Arabic and Spanish.

Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org/

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Report Synopsis
Uganda – influx of refugees from South Sudan
Date: 2016/02/09
On 8 February 2016 we responded to a funding alert in response to the influx of South Sudanese refugees into Uganda.

Since the outbreak of hostilities at the end of 2013, the number of South Sudanese refugees in Uganda has steadily increased, reaching an estimated 170,000 by the end of 2015. However, there has been a sharp rise in the number of new refugees in January 2016: according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 9,519 South Sudanese refugees arrived between 1 and 24 January 2016.

According to the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA)’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS), donors have not yet committed/contributed any funding in 2016 for the South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP). Outside of the appeal, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), Denmark and Sweden have committed/contributed US$5.8 million to Uganda.

Read our full analysis of the current funding situation.

The Sphere Project [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.sphereproject.org/news/

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12 February 2016 | Sphere Project
What applying humanitarian principles and standards looks like in real life
From dilemmas in applying humanitarian principles at field level to organisational obstacles that hinder collective accountability and governmental reluctance to abide by humanitarian standards, a range of concrete challenges were candidly discussed during a side event to the latest Sphere Board meeting.

ODI [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.odi.org/media

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Research Reports
Journeys to Europe: the role of policy in migrant decision-making
Research reports and studies | February 2016 | Jessica Hagen-Zanker and Richard Mallett
New research on journeys migrants take and the capacity of national migration policies to influence peoples’ decisions.

Banking on resilience: building capacities through financial services inclusion
Briefing papers,Research reports and studies | February 2016 | Anna Haworth, Camille Frandon-Martinez, Virginie Fayolle and Emily Wilkinson
Financial inclusion has the potential to help vulnerable groups in developing countries become more resilient to climate extremes and global warming.

Who is being left behind in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America?
Research reports and studies | February 2016 | Alainna Lynch, Tom Berliner, Chiara Mariotti, Tanvi Bhatkal and Laura Rodriguez Takeuchi
These papers set out the first step towards implementing the ‘leave no one behind’ agenda: identifying marginalised communities

MacArthur Foundation [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.macfound.org/

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Publication
Plan Proposed to Stabilize Illinois Finances
Published February 11, 2016
The Civic Federation, a MacArthur grantee, has proposed a comprehensive three-year plan to address Illinois’ ongoing financial crisis with spending limits and revenue enhancements. More than seven months into the current fiscal year, Illinois continues to operate without a budget, and the Federation stresses that if current revenue and expenditure policies continue, the state will aggregate a backlog of debt reaching $25.9 billion by the end of FY2019.

Publication
Voluntary Consensus Standards Can Establish Efficient and Safe Nuclear Operations
Published February 9, 2016
The increase of climate change and energy security concerns are resulting in countries looking to nuclear power for electricity needs, according to a study by the Stimson Center, a recipient of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. With an increase in nuclear demand, security measures need to be incorporated into new builds to reduce the chances and consequences of nuclear incidents. The report outlines a plan to implement nuclear security and safety into international agreements, and recommends that a business case for nuclear security be facilitated by policymakers and governments. Stimson’s report suggests that voluntary consensus standards should be established with stakeholders to ensure efficient nuclear.

Publication
Peace Agreement Success Depends on Inclusion of Natural Resources
Published February 9, 2016
A study by Forest Trends, recipient of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, suggests that the failure of peace agreements is largely due to the lack of natural resource management. The report finds that resources such as oil, gas, timber and diamonds have become a significant factor in armed conflicts and can lead to the eradication of peace agreements. To avoid natural resources fueling further conflict, they must not be viewed solely as a commodity or winnings from war, the study finds. Resources are vitally important to local livelihoods, and carry high cultural, social, and ecosystem value that peace agreements must recognize.

David and Lucile Packard Foundation [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.packard.org/news/

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February 11, 2016
Remembering Robin Chandler Duke, a Champion for Women’s Rights
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation remembers the extraordinary life of Robin Chandler Duke, former Trustee of the Foundation who passed away on February 6 at the age of 92. Robin served on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 1989 through 2000. Until the end of her life, she campaigned for women’s reproductive rights and was a tireless advocate for improving access to contraception, family planning, education, and health care in the United States and abroad…

Packard Foundation and Caring for Colorado Establish New Partnership in Pueblo
February 10, 2016
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Caring for Colorado Foundation are pleased to announce that they have entered into an exciting new partnership to continue and strengthen the Packard Foundation’s community grantmaking in Pueblo, Colorado…

Quality Innovation Challenge Finalists
February 9, 2016
At the 2016 International Conference on Family Planning, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation hosted its second Quality Innovation Challenge – a global call for creative ideas to improve quality in sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescents and youth.

Packard Foundation Joins Blue Meridian Partners
February 8, 2016
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is joining the Blue Meridian Partners, a collaborative-funding model with a goal of investing at least $1 billion in high-performance nonprofits that are poised to have truly national impact…

Pew Charitable Trusts [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases
Press Release
Pew: Laws Governing Mobile Payments Leave Room for Error
Analysis conducted on mobile payments points to legal gaps, ambiguities, and overlap
February 10, 2016 – Consumer Banking
WASHINGTON—The Pew Charitable Trusts released an issue brief today describing the uncoordinated and uncertain regulatory environment surrounding the use of mobile devices to make payments. The brief highlights the significant risks to consumers at each stage of the mobile payments process—contracting for services, using mobile devices to make payments, and tracking transactions after making payments.

The brief, “Mobile Payments: Regulatory Gaps, Ambiguities, and Overlap Summary Report,” summarizes the findings of a white paper commissioned by Pew and authored by Mark E. Budnitz, professor emeritus at the Georgia State University College of Law.

Issue Brief: Mobile Payments – Regulatory gaps, ambiguities, and overlap

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [to 13 February 2016]
http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/newsroom/news-releases.html

Tue Feb 09 10:07:00 EST 2016
RWJF Names Donald F. Schwarz, MD, MPH, MBA as Vice President, Program
Donald F. Schwarz has been named vice president, Program. In this role, Schwarz will help guide the Foundation’s strategies and work closely with colleagues, external partners and community leaders to build a Culture of Health in America.

BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 13 February 2016)

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Research article
Inequalities in utilization of maternal and child health services in Ethiopia: the role of primary health care
Solomon Tessema Memirie, Stéphane Verguet, Ole F. Norheim, Carol Levin and Kjell Arne Johansson
BMC Health Services Research 2016 16:51
Published on: 12 February 2016
Abstract
Background
Health systems aim to narrow inequality in access to health care across socioeconomic groups and area of residency. However, in low-income countries, studies are lacking that systematically monitor and evaluate health programs with regard to their effect on specific inequalities. We aimed to measure changes in inequality in access to maternal and child health (MCH) interventions and the effect of Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities expansion on the inequality in access to care in Ethiopia.
Methods
The Demographic and Health Survey datasets from Ethiopia (2005 and 2011) were used. We calculated changes in utilization of MCH interventions and child morbidity. Concentration and horizontal inequity indices were estimated. Decomposition analysis was used to calculate the contribution of each determinant to the concentration index.
Results
Between 2005 and 2011, improvements in aggregate coverage have been observed for MCH interventions in Ethiopia. Wealth-related inequality has remained persistently high in all surveys. Socioeconomic factors were the main predictors of differences in maternal and child health services utilization and child health outcome. Utilization of primary care facilities for selected maternal and child health interventions have shown marked pro-poor improvement over the period 2005–2011.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that expansion of PHC facilities in Ethiopia might have an important role in narrowing the urban-rural and rich-poor gaps in health service utilization for selected MCH intervention.

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 13 February 2016)

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Research article
Measuring the potential of individual airports for pandemic spread over the world airline network
Glenn Lawyer
BMC Infectious Diseases 2016 16:70
Published on: 9 February 2016
Abstract
Background
Massive growth in human mobility has dramatically increased the risk and rate of pandemic spread. Macro-level descriptors of the topology of the World Airline Network (WAN) explains middle and late stage dynamics of pandemic spread mediated by this network, but necessarily regard early stage variation as stochastic. We propose that much of this early stage variation can be explained by appropriately characterizing the local network topology surrounding an outbreak’s debut location.
Methods
Based on a model of the WAN derived from public data, we measure for each airport the expected force of infection (AEF) which a pandemic originating at that airport would generate, assuming an epidemic process which transmits from airport to airport via scheduled commercial flights. We observe, for a subset of world airports, the minimum transmission rate at which a disease becomes pandemically competent at each airport. We also observe, for a larger subset, the time until a pandemically competent outbreak achieves pandemic status given its debut location. Observations are generated using a highly sophisticated metapopulation reaction-diffusion simulator under a disease model known to well replicate the 2009 influenza pandemic. The robustness of the AEF measure to model misspecification is examined by degrading the underlying model WAN.
Results
AEF powerfully explains pandemic risk, showing correlation of 0.90 to the transmission level needed to give a disease pandemic competence, and correlation of 0.85 to the delay until an outbreak becomes a pandemic. The AEF is robust to model misspecification. For 97 % of airports, removing 15 % of airports from the model changes their AEF metric by less than 1 %.
Conclusions
Appropriately summarizing the size, shape, and diversity of an airport’s local neighborhood in the WAN accurately explains much of the macro-level stochasticity in pandemic outcomes.

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 13 February 2016)

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Debate
Ebola vaccine development plan: ethics, concerns and proposed measures
Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan, Aminu Yakubu, Bridget Haire and Kristin Peterson
Published on: 8 February 2016
Abstract
Background
The global interest in developing therapies for Ebola infection management and its prevention is laudable. However the plan to conduct an emergency immunization program specifically for healthcare workers using experimental vaccines raises some ethical concerns. This paper shares perspectives on these concerns and suggests how some of them may best be addressed.
Discussion
The recruitment of healthcare workers for Ebola vaccine research has challenges. It could result in coercion of initially dissenting healthcare workers to assist in the management of EVD infected persons due to mistaken beliefs that the vaccine offers protection. It could also affect equity and justice. For example, where people who are not skilled health care professionals but who provide care to patients infected with Ebola (such as in home care settings) are not prioritized for vaccination. The possibility of study participants contracting Ebola infection despite the use of experimental vaccine, and the standard of care they would receive, needs to be addressed clearly, transparently and formalized as part of the ethics review process. Future access to study products in view of current status of the TRIPS agreement needs to be addressed. Finally, broad stakeholder engagement at local, regional and international levels needs to be promoted using available communication channels to engage local, regional and international support. These same concerns are applicable for current and future epidemics.
Summary
Successful Ebola vaccine development research requires concerted efforts at public dialogue to address misconceptions, equity and justice in participant selection, and honest discussions about risks, benefits and future access. Public dialogue about Ebola vaccine research plans is crucial and should be conducted by trusted locals and negotiated between communities, researchers and ethics committees in research study sites.

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.