OXFAM [to 9 January 2016]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases

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8 January 2016
More funding is needed to save lives in countries hit by El Nino
An inadequate response to El Nino will put an already overstretched humanitarian system under intense strain and expose tens of millions more people to the extreme risk of hunger, homelessness and disease. Funding is urgently required to prevent millions more women, children and men around the world from going hungry, suffering water shortages, falling ill and seeing their livelihoods collapse.

Partners In Health [to 9 January 2016]
http://www.pih.org/blog

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Jan 05, 2016
Immigration Crisis, Health as a Human Right in Haiti
Dr. Alexandre Widner comments in this essay on the current political and medical crisis unfolding along the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and on how PIH is responding to the situation. R

Save The Children [to 9 January 2016]
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9357111/k.C14B/Press_Releases_2016/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp

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January 7, 2016
Save the Children Calls for an Immediate End to the Siege of Madaya
Fairfield, Conn. — More children will die in the coming days and weeks unless food, medicine, fuel and other vital aid is immediately allowed into the besieged Syrian town of Madaya, Save the Children warns.

Humanitarian workers on the ground report that at least 31 people in the town have died from malnutrition-related causes in the month of December, including three infant children under one year old. Three unborn children have allegedly died as their mothers were severely malnourished and health workers report an increase in cases of Hepatitis A and skin diseases.

Severe food shortages have pushed the price of essentials such as rice, sugar and bulgur wheat to astronomical levels. Yesterday the cost of bulgur reached $280 per kilogram, according to Save the Children partners in Madaya…

Tostan [to 9 January 2016]
http://www.tostan.org/latest-news

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January 5, 2016
Solidarity Still Needed in Guinea for those Affected by Ebola
In December of 2013, a strange disease began to spread in a small village in Guinea, West Africa. It wasn’t until the 21st of March 2014 that this disease was identified as the Ebola virus.

Just last month, two long years after it began, Guinea was finally declared free of Ebola. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the country now enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to make sure that any new cases are identified and dealt with quickly.

While this Ebola-free declaration made by the WHO comes as an immense relief, the work on the ground remains on-going. Late last year a psychosocial and child protection response plan was developed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Promotion of Women and Children in conjunction with UNICEF. The plan, which will continue through April 2016, provides a minimum package of services to address the differing circumstances of children both directly and indirectly impacted by Ebola.

With the support of UNICEF, Tostan has been providing psychosocial support workshops and home monitoring of orphans, setting up hygiene kits and games, introducing cash transfers, and organizing solidarity campaigns on behalf of people affected by Ebola. These collective efforts will impact 153 Ebola orphans, including 72 girls…

The Elders [to 9 January 2016]
http://theelders.org/news-media

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Opinion Kofi Annan 6 January 2016
2016: a year for passionate intensity and positive change
Reflecting on the events of the past year, Kofi Annan calls on our current generation of leaders to show conviction to achieve positive change for in 2016.

Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) [to 9 January 2016]
http://www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org/

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Food insecurity, Ethiopia
Report Synopsis
Date: 2016/01/06
On 5 January 2016 we responded to a funding alert for food insecurity in Ethiopia. Overall there are 10.2 million people in an emergency food security situation caused by drought; there are 7 million people in Belg (short rainy season)-dependent areas and 5.1 million people in need of Belg season seeds.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS), donors have committed/contributed US$560.8 million of humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia since the start of 2015. Agriculture was one of the least funded sectors in Ethiopia in 2015, receiving just 0.7% of total humanitarian funding (US$4.1 million). Approximately US$0.4 million was allocated to the distribution of seeds to vulnerable households (according to project descriptions on UN OCHA’s FTS).

Read our full analysis of the current funding situation.

ODI [to 9 January 2016]
http://www.odi.org/media

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Probing for proof, plausibility, principle and possibility: a new approach to assessing evidence in a systematic evidence review
Journal articles or issues | January 2016 | Anouk S. Rigterink and Mareike Schomerus

This article proposes a new approach to assessing evidence during a systematic evidence review aiming to inform international development policy. Drawing lessons from a number of social science systematic evidence reviews, the article identifies how the method’s limiting perspective on evidence (including the exclusive focus on ‘gold standard’ empirical information) has serious disadvantages for the usability of evidence reviews for policy. This article aims to provide an alternative framework that allows for a less exclusionary, yet policy-practical, way of assessing evidence. We propose four perspectives on evidence, appropriate for different stages in the policy process: principle when setting or prioritising broad policy goals, plausibility when
assessing specific future policies, proof when evaluating past policies and possibility when striving for innovation and allowing exchange of ideas.

Kellogg Foundation [to 9 January 2016]
http://www.wkkf.org/news-and-media#pp=10&p=1&f1=news

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WKKF releases 2015 annual report, focused on racial healing and racial equity
Jan. 5, 2016
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) announced the release of its 2015 Annual Report today. The report, which focuses on racial healing and racial equity, is delivered by virtue of an interactive and stylish website.
The articles, videos and interactive content within this year’s report reflects the long racial equity journey the foundation has been on as well as provides insights and information from experts in the field about the barriers to opportunity for communities of color. The critical importance of racial healing and narrative change is also elevated within the report, as well as the stories of several WKKF grantees that have been working in the racial healing space…

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Swinomish Indian Tribal Community adds first dental therapist to meet dental care needs
Statement by La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO
Jan. 4, 2016

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation [to 9 January 2016]
https://www.moore.org/newsroom/press-releases

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Nurse practitioners less costly than physicians in treating Medicare patients
January 6, 2016
BOZEMAN – With Medicare enrollment and cost concerns growing, a new study finds that patients with a nurse practitioner as a primary care provider are less costly to Medicare than patients with a physician primary care provider. The study—the first to examine national data—contradicts previous research suggesting that both types of providers generate equal costs or that nurse practitioners actually cost Medicare more…
Press Releases

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NQF to develop national standards, measurement for patient decision aids
January 4, 2016
Washington, DC—As people demand a greater say in decisions about their healthcare, a variety of tools called decision aids are increasingly being used to make it easier for patients and their clinicians to discuss treatment options. The National Quality Forum will help make sense of the proliferation of these patient resources, which commonly include pamphlets, videos, or web-based resources, by developing national standards for decision aids and a process for their certification. NQF also will work with a multistakeholder expert panel to define concepts for how to measure decision quality and shared decision-making…
Press Releases

David and Lucile Packard Foundation [to 9 January 2016]
http://www.packard.org/news/

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Opinion
Regulators Should Let Banks Get Back to Small-Dollar Loans
January 07, 2016
Small-Dollar Loans
By Nick Bourke
The payday loan market is past due for reform. Implemented correctly, new regulatory standards will help payday loan borrowers by making these loans safer and more affordable, as well as pave the way for better, lower-cost installment loans from banks…

American Journal of Disaster Medicine
Summer 2015, Volume 10, Number 3
http://pnpcsw.pnpco.com/cadmus/testvol.asp?year=2015&journal=ajdm

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Article
Examining the importance of incorporating emergency preparedness and disaster training core competencies into allied health curricula
Tammy Curtis, PhD, RT(R)(CT)(CHES)
Summer 2015; pages 223-236
Abstract
Preparation for responding to emergency events that does not warrant outside help beyond the local community resources or responding to disaster events that is beyond the capabilities of the local community both require first responders and healthcare professionals to have interdisciplinary skills needed to function as a team for saving lives. To date, there is no core emergency preparedness and disaster planning competencies that have been standardized at all levels across the various allied health curricula disciplines. Objective: To identify if emergency preparedness and disaster training content are currently being taught in allied health program courses, to identify possible gaps within allied health curricula, and to explore the perceptions of allied health college educators for implementing emergency preparedness and disaster training core competencies into their existing curricula, if not already included. Design: A quantitative Internet-based survey was conducted in 2013. Setting: Convenient sample. Participants: Fifty-one allied health college educators completed the survey. Findings: Descriptive statistics indicated that the majority of allied health college instructors do not currently teach emergency preparedness and disaster training core competency content within their current allied health discipline; however, their perceived level of importance for inclusion of the competencies was high. The results of this study supported the need for developing and establishing a basic national set of standardized core emergency preparedness and disaster planning competencies at all levels across various allied health curricula disciplines to ensure victims receive the best patient care and have the best possible chance of survival.

American Journal of Infection Control
January 2016 Volume 44, Issue 1, p1-124, e1-e7
http://www.ajicjournal.org/current

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APIC survey finds U.S. healthcare facilities are more prepared to confront Ebola compared to last year: Staffing and infection control resources remain issues
Published in issue: January 01 2016
Preview
Nine in 10 hospital-based APIC members believe their facilities are better prepared today than a year ago to receive a patient with a highly lethal infectious disease like Ebola, but more than half (55 percent) say their facilities have not provided additional resources to support their infection prevention and control (IPC) programs as a result of the Ebola crisis, according to a recent APIC survey.

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Immunity of nursing students to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in Yozgat, Turkey
Çiğdem Kader, Ayse Erbay, Nazan Kılıç Akça, Muhammet Fevzi Polat, Sevinç Polat
e5–e7
Published online: October 3 2015
Preview
Measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) are vaccine-preventable diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the vaccination status of first-year nursing students in Turkey. The sample used was 180 students and immunoglobulin G antibodies against MMRV viruses were determined quantitatively by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Immunity rates to MMRV were 82.8%, 83.3%, 98.3%, and 100%, respectively. The results of this study showed that all of the students were immune to varicella and 32.8% of the students were not immune to at least 1 of the viruses covered by the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.

American Journal of Public Health
Volume 106, Issue 1 (January 2016)
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/toc/ajph/current

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Increasing the Incidence and Influence of Systematic Reviews on Health Policy and Practice
Iain Chalmers, DSc, and Daniel M. Fox, PhD
Iain Chalmers is a co-founder of the Cochrane Collaboration (www.cochrane.org) and the James Lind Initiative, Oxford, UK. Daniel Fox is president emeritus of the Milbank Memorial Fund, New York, NY.
Abstract
Why do people make practice and policy decisions in health care and public health without reference to relevant research, or only to biased samples of relevant research evidence? This illogical behavior doesn’t serve the interests of health service users or the public, yet it remains usual. One reason is that most reports of research do not help. Even very prestigious journals publish reports of new studies without acknowledging that readers need to know what the new evidence has added to the totality of trustworthy evidence relevant to the questions addressed.1
Waste in the conduct and reporting of research is a scientific, ethical, and economic scandal, especially because half of the potentially relevant research does not even get reported (see, for example, http://www.alltrials.net). Nevertheless, it is important that systematic use is made of those reports of research that are accessible. In this editorial we consider the increased availability of systematic reviews of research, some of their positive effects on policy and practice, and limitations in the current use of systematic reviews. We end by offering suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of systematic reviews.

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The Health of the Newest Americans: How US Public Health Systems Can Support Syrian Refugees
Clea A. McNeely, DrPH, MALyn Morland, MSW, MA
Clea A. McNeely is with the Center for the Study of Youth and Political Conflict and the Department of Public Health, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Lyn Morland is with the Division of Innovation, Policy, and Research, Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY.
ABSTRACT
The statistics are stunning: 1.9 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, 1.7 million in Lebanon, 630 000 in Jordan, 506 000 in the European Union, and 1883 in the United States.1–3 The United States will admit an additional 10 000 Syrian refugees during the next fiscal year, at which point Syrians will constitute approximately 18% of the total refugee population admitted in 2016.4 But this is not a public health emergency in the United States.
The media attention and national concern about Syrian refugees does provide an opportunity, however, to improve our public health system’s capacity to serve all refugees. With commitment and grit, several communities have increased refugees’ access to quality health services that span the full spectrum from preventive screening to management of complex chronic conditions. These promising practices demonstrate the feasibility of providing efficient, accessible and effective health services for even the most linguistically and economically marginalized members of our communities. As Beth Farmer, the director of International Counseling and Community Services in Washington State put it: “If we fix the healthcare system for refugees—make it understandable and easily accessible—we fix it for everyone” (telephone communication, October 2015).

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Sociodemographic Predictors of Vaccination Exemptions on the Basis of Personal Belief in California
American Journal of Public Health: January 2016, Vol. 106, No. 1: 172–177.
Michelle M. Mello, Y. Tony Yang, Paul L. Delamater, Timothy F. Leslie,
Abstract
Objectives. We examined the variability in the percentage of students with personal belief exemptions (PBEs) from mandatory vaccinations in California schools and communities according to income, education, race, and school characteristics.
Methods. We used spatial lag models to analyze 2007–2013 PBE data from the California Department of Public Health. The analyses included school- and regional-level models, and separately examined the percentage of students with exemptions in 2013 and the change in percentages over time.
Results. The percentage of students with PBEs doubled from 2007 to 2013, from 1.54% to 3.06%. Across all models, higher median household income and higher percentage of White race in the population, but not educational attainment, significantly predicted higher percentages of students with PBEs in 2013. Higher income, White population, and private school type significantly predicted greater increases in exemptions from 2007 to 2013, whereas higher educational attainment was associated with smaller increases.
Conclusions. Personal belief exemptions are more common in areas with a higher percentage of White race and higher income.

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
January 2016; 94 (1)
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/current
Successful Global Health Research Partnerships: What Makes Them Work?
Chandy C. John*, George Ayodo and Philippa Musoke
Author Affiliations
Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease and Global Health, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Kenya Medical Research Institute, Center for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Kenya; Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Abstract
There are many successful global health research partnerships, but little information is available about what makes them successful. We asked 14 research colleagues from Uganda, Kenya, and the United States who have extensive global health research experience about what they considered the top three factors that led to or impeded successful international research collaborations. Four key factors were identified: 1) mutual respect and benefit, 2) trust, 3) good communication, and 4) clear partner roles and expectations. Initial and ongoing assessment of these factors in global health research partnerships may prevent misunderstandings and foster a collaborative environment that leads to successful research.

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Burden of Norovirus and Rotavirus in Children After Rotavirus Vaccine Introduction, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Casey L. McAtee*, Rachel Webman, Robert H. Gilman, Carolina Mejia, Caryn Bern, Sonia Apaza,
Susan Espetia, Mónica Pajuelo, Mayuko Saito, Roxanna Challappa, Richard Soria, Jose P. Ribera,
Daniel Lozano and Faustino Torrico
Author Affiliations
Department of Pediatrics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana; Department of Surgery, New York University, New York; Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Asociación Benéfica PRISMA, Lima, Peru; CEADES Salud y Medio Ambiente, Cochabamba, Bolivia; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francico, California; Hospital Albina R. de Patiño, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Abstract
The effectiveness of rotavirus vaccine in the field may set the stage for a changing landscape of diarrheal illness affecting children worldwide. Norovirus and rotavirus are the two major viral enteropathogens of childhood. This study describes the prevalence of norovirus and rotavirus 2 years after widespread rotavirus vaccination in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Stool samples from hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and outpatients aged 5–24 months without AGE were recruited from an urban hospital serving Bolivia’s third largest city. Both viruses were genotyped, and norovirus GII.4 was further sequenced. Norovirus was found much more frequently than rotavirus. Norovirus was detected in 69/201 (34.3%) of specimens from children with AGE and 13/71 (18.3%) of those without diarrhea. Rotavirus was detected in 38/201 (18.9%) of diarrheal specimens and 3/71 (4.2%) of non-diarrheal specimens. Norovirus GII was identified in 97.8% of norovirus-positive samples; GII.4 was the most common genotype (71.4% of typed specimens). Rotavirus G3P[8] was the most prevalent rotavirus genotype (44.0% of typed specimens) and G2P[4] was second most prevalent (16.0% of typed specimens). This community is likely part of a trend toward norovirus predominance over rotavirus in children after widespread vaccination against rotavirus

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 9 January 2016)

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Commentary
Infection prevention and control of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, 2014–2015: key challenges and successes
Catherine Cooper, Dale Fisher, Neil Gupta, Rose MaCauley and Carmem L. Pessoa-Silva
Published on: 5 January 2016
Abstract
Prior to the 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak, infection prevention and control (IPC) activities in Liberian healthcare facilities were basic. There was no national IPC guidance, nor dedicated staff at any level of government or healthcare facility (HCF) to ensure the implementation of best practices. Efforts to improve IPC early in the outbreak were ad hoc and messaging was inconsistent. In September 2014, at the height of the outbreak, the national IPC Task Force was established with a Ministry of Health (MoH) mandate to coordinate IPC response activities. A steering group of the Task Force, including representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), supported MoH leadership in implementing standardized messaging and IPC training for the health workforce. This structure, and the activities implemented under this structure, played a crucial role in the implementation of IPC practices and successful containment of the outbreak. Moving forward, a nationwide culture of IPC needs to be maintained through this governance structure in Liberia’s health system to prevent and respond to future outbreaks.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpregnancychildbirth/content
(Accessed 9 January 2016)

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Research article
Long-term outcomes for women after obstetric fistula repair in Lilongwe, Malawi: a qualitative study
Laura B. Drew, Jeffrey P. Wilkinson, William Nundwe, Margaret Moyo, Ronald Mataya, Mwawi Mwale and Jennifer H. Tang
Published on: 5 January 2016
Abstract
Background
Obstetric fistula affects a woman’s life physically, psychosocially, and economically. Although surgery can repair the physical damage of fistula, the devastating consequences that affect a woman’s quality of life may persist when she reintegrates into her community. This qualitative study assessed long-term outcomes among women who underwent obstetric fistula repair in Malawi. We explored three domains: overall quality of life before and after repair, fertility and pregnancy outcomes after repair, and understanding of fistula.
Methods
In-depth interviews were conducted in Chichewa with 20 women from seven districts across Central Malawi. All women were interviewed 1 to 2 years after surgical repair for obstetric fistula at the Fistula Care Centre in Lilongwe, Malawi. Interviews were independently coded and analyzed using content analysis.
Results
About half of women were married and nine of 20 women reported some degree of urinary incontinence. With the exception of relationship challenges, women’s concerns before and after repair were different. Additionally, repair had resolved many of the concerns women had before repair. However, challenges, both directly and indirectly related to fistula, persisted. Improvements in quality of life at the individual level included feelings of freedom, confidence and personal growth, and improved income-earning ability. Interpersonal quality of life improvements included improved relationships with family and friends, reduced stigma, and increased participation with their communities. Nearly half of women desired future pregnancies, but many were uncertain about their ability to bear children and feared additional pregnancies could cause fistula recurrence. Most women were well informed about fistula development but myths about witchcraft and fear of delivery were present. Nearly all women would recommend fistula repair to other women, and many were advocates in their communities.
Conclusions
Nearly all women believed their quality of life had improved at the individual and interpersonal levels since fistula repair, even among women who continued to have urinary incontinence. Contrary to other studies, women reported they were welcomed back by their communities and had limited challenges when reintegrating. Despite the overall improvements in quality of life, many continued to have relationship problems and were concerned about future fertility. These issues need to be further explored in other studies.

BMJ Open
2016, Volume 6, Issue 1
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/current

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Global health
Systematic review of the literature on viral persistence and sexual transmission from recovered Ebola survivors: evidence and recommendations
Anna Thorson1,2, Pierre Formenty1, Clare Lofthouse1, Nathalie Broutet1
Author Affiliations
1World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland
2Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Published 7 January 2016
Abstract
Objective The main aim of this article is to present a comprehensive, systematic review on evidence of sexual transmission from Ebola survivors and persistence of Ebola virus in body fluids of relevance to sexual transmission, and additionally to review condom effectiveness against sexual transmission of Ebola.
Design We performed a systematic review of viral persistence in body fluids of relevance to sexual transmission of Ebola survivors and evidence of sexual transmission of Ebola, and carried out a targeted review of condom effectiveness.
Results We identified nine published original articles presenting results on persistence of Ebola virus in relevant body fluids, or reporting suspect sexual transmission from Ebola survivors. We also included unpublished reports from the current 2014/2015 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. We found no articles reporting on condom effectiveness, but have included a targeted review on general condom efficacy and effectiveness.
Conclusions We conclude that the risk of sexual transmission from people who have recovered from Ebola cannot be ruled out. We found the longest duration of persistent Ebola RNA in a relevant body fluid from a survivor, to be reported from a man in Sierra Leone who had reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) positive semen 284 days after symptom onset. In line with current WHO recommendations. We recommend that men are offered the possibility to test their semen regularly for presence of Ebola RNA from3 months post-symptom onset. Safe sex practices including sexual abstinence, or else condom use, are recommended by WHO until semen has tested negative twice, or in absence of testing for at least 6 months post-symptom onset. Based on evidence reviewed, we conclude that male and female latex condoms offer some protection against EBOV compared to no condom use. Survivors should be offered access to care and prevention, in order to provide them with possibilities to mitigate any risks that may occur, and efforts should be linked to destigmatising activities.

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Global health
Factors associated with declining under-five mortality rates from 2000 to 2013: an ecological analysis of 46 African countries
Aaron M Kipp1,2, Meridith Blevins1,3, Connie A Haley1,2, Kasonde Mwinga4, Phanuel Habimana4, Bryan E Shepherd1,3, Muktar H Aliyu1,5, Tigest Ketsela4, Sten H Vermund1,6
Author Affiliations
1Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
2Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
3Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
4World Health Organization/Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo
5Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
6Pediatrics Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Published 8 January 2016
Abstract
Objective Inadequate overall progress has been made towards the 4th Millennium Development Goal of reducing under-five mortality rates by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. Progress has been variable across African countries. We examined health, economic and social factors potentially associated with reductions in under-five mortality (U5M) from 2000 to 2013.
Setting Ecological analysis using publicly available data from the 46 nations within the WHO African Region.
Outcome measures We assessed the annual rate of change (ARC) of 70 different factors and their association with the annual rate of reduction (ARR) of U5M rates using robust linear regression models.
Results Most factors improved over the study period for most countries, with the largest increases seen for economic or technological development and external financing factors. The median (IQR) U5M ARR was 3.6% (2.8 to 5.1%). Only 4 of 70 factors demonstrated a strong and significant association with U5M ARRs, adjusting for potential confounders. Higher ARRs were associated with more rapidly increasing coverage of seeking treatment for acute respiratory infection (β=0.22 (ie, a 1% increase in the ARC was associated with a 0.22% increase in ARR); 90% CI 0.09 to 0.35; p=0.01), increasing health expenditure relative to gross domestic product (β=0.26; 95% CI 0.11 to 0.41; p=0.02), increasing fertility rate (β=0.54; 95% CI 0.07 to 1.02; p=0.07) and decreasing maternal mortality ratio (β=−0.47; 95% CI −0.69 to −0.24; p<0.01). The majority of factors showed no association or raised validity concerns due to missing data from a large number of countries.
Conclusions Improvements in sociodemographic, maternal health and governance and financing factors were more likely associated with U5M ARR. These underscore the essential role of contextual factors facilitating child health interventions and services. Surveillance of these factors could help monitor which countries need additional support in reducing U5M.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 94, Number 1, January 2016, 1-76
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/94/1/en/

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Editorials
Health systems strengthening, universal health coverage, health security and resilience
Joseph Kutzin a & Susan P Sparkes a
a. World Health Organization, avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2016;94:2. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.15.165050
Initial text
Global and national initiatives focused on health systems strengthening, universal health coverage, health security, and resilience suffer when these terms are not well understood or believed to be different ways of saying the same thing. Here we aim to facilitate understanding and highlight key policy considerations by identifying critical attributes of each concept and emphasizing the distinction between ends and means in health policy…

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Research
Estimating mortality using data from civil registration: a cross-sectional study in India
Mamta Gupta, Chalapati Rao, PVM Lakshmi, Shankar Prinja & Rajesh Kumar
Abstract
Objective
To analyse the design and operational status of India’s civil registration and vital statistics system and facilitate the system’s development into an accurate and reliable source of mortality data.
Methods
We assessed the national civil registration and vital statistics system’s legal framework, administrative structure and design through document review. We did a cross-sectional study for the year 2013 at national level and in Punjab state to assess the quality of the system’s mortality data through analyses of life tables and investigation of the completeness of death registration and the proportion of deaths assigned ill-defined causes. We interviewed registrars, medical officers and coders in Punjab state to assess their knowledge and practice.
Findings
Although we found the legal framework and system design to be appropriate, data collection was based on complex intersectoral collaborations at state and local level and the collected data were found to be of poor quality. The registration data were inadequate for a robust estimate of mortality at national level. A medically certified cause of death was only recorded for 965 992 (16.8%) of the 5 735 082 deaths registered.
Conclusion
The data recorded by India’s civil registration and vital statistics system in 2011 were incomplete. If improved, the system could be used to reliably estimate mortality. We recommend improving political support and intersectoral coordination, capacity building, computerization and state-level initiatives to ensure that every death is registered and that reliable causes of death are recorded – at least within an adequate sample of registration units within each state.

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Policy & Practice
An integrated national mortality surveillance system for death registration and mortality surveillance, China
Shiwei Liu, Xiaoling Wu, Alan D Lopez, Lijun Wang, Yue Cai, Andrew Page, Peng Yin, Yunning Liu, Yichong Li, Jiangmei Liu, Jinling You & Maigeng Zhou
Abstract
In China, sample-based mortality surveillance systems, such as the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s disease surveillance points system and the Ministry of Health’s vital registration system, have been used for decades to provide nationally representative data on health status for health-care decision-making and performance evaluation. However, neither system provided representative mortality and cause-of-death data at the provincial level to inform regional health service needs and policy priorities. Moreover, the systems overlapped to a considerable extent, thereby entailing a duplication of effort. In 2013, the Chinese Government combined these two systems into an integrated national mortality surveillance system to provide a provincially representative picture of total and cause-specific mortality and to accelerate the development of a comprehensive vital registration and mortality surveillance system for the whole country. This new system increased the surveillance population from 6 to 24% of the Chinese population. The number of surveillance points, each of which covered a district or county, increased from 161 to 605. To ensure representativeness at the provincial level, the 605 surveillance points were selected to cover China’s 31 provinces using an iterative method involving multistage stratification that took into account the sociodemographic characteristics of the population. This paper describes the development and operation of the new national mortality surveillance system, which is expected to yield representative provincial estimates of mortality in China for the first time.

Development in Practice
Volume 26, Issue 1, 2016
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cdip20/current

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Articles
Right to information (RTI) legislation: the role of infomediaries in enhancing citizens’ access to information
DOI:10.1080/09614524.2016.1119248
Kazi Nazrul Fattah
ABSTRACT
Merely creating a legal space by enacting right to information (RTI) legislation is often not enough to ensure citizens’, especially women’s, access to information. Based on a pilot intervention on RTI implementation in Bangladesh, this article explores whether the introduction of information intermediaries, or “infomediaries”, enhances rural citizens’ access to information through using the RTI Act. It was found that due to the assisted access provided by infomediaries, the number of RTI Act users increased significantly in the intervention areas compared to the national average, with five times more women than men being able to use the Act.

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Articles
Assessing the fit of RapidSMS for maternal and new-born health: perspectives of community health workers in rural Rwanda
DOI:10.1080/09614524.2016.1112769
Purity Mwendwa
ABSTRACT
This article examines field results that show the potential for mobile health (mHealth) technologies to support community health workers (CHWs) in delivering basic maternal and new-born services in Rwanda. The fit of RapidSMS, a UNICEF/Ministry of Health (MOH) mHealth technology is examined through focus groups with CHWs. The results highlight the need for more training in the use of RapidSMS, continued upgrading of mobile phones, devising innovative ways of charging mobile phones, and ensuring the availability of ambulances. We suggest that CHW supervision be a two-way process built into RapidSMS utilising real-time communication to enhance effectiveness.

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Articles
The learning organisation: conditions of possibility in a feminist NGO
DOI:10.1080/09614524.2016.1118017
Jacques P. de Wet* & Jonathan Schoots
ABSTRACT
Amidst criticism of the concept of “the learning organisation” there is a perspective which is both critical of, and open to, innovative ways of developing the notion of a learning organisation. This article contributes to this perspective by examining the learning practices of a feminist NGO which operates across Southern Africa. The ways in which this NGO has interpreted the idea of a learning organisation and put it into practice are an example of a bottom-up approach which is informed by humanism. The findings of this qualitative study demonstrate both innovative possibilities for organisational learning and potential pitfalls.

Development Policy Review
January 2016 Volume 34, Issue 1 Pages i–ii, 5–174
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dpr.2016.34.issue-1/issuetoc

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Original Articles
Probing for Proof, Plausibility, Principle and Possibility: A New Approach to Assessing Evidence in a Systematic Evidence Review (pages 5–27)
Anouk S. Rigterink and Mareike Schomerus
Article first published online: 13 DEC 2015 | DOI: 10.1111/dpr.12145
Abstract
This article proposes a new approach to assessing evidence during a systematic evidence review aiming to inform international development policy. Drawing lessons from a number of social science systematic evidence reviews, the article identifies how the method’s limiting perspective on evidence (including the exclusive focus on ‘gold standard’ empirical information) has serious disadvantages for the usability of evidence reviews for policy. This article aims to provide an alternative framework that allows for a less exclusionary, yet policy-practical, way of assessing evidence. We propose four perspectives on evidence, appropriate for different stages in the policy process: principle when setting or prioritising broad policy goals, plausibility when assessing specific future policies, proof when evaluating past policies and possibility when striving for innovation and allowing exchange of ideas.

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100 key research questions for the post-2015 development agenda (pages 55–82)
Johan A. Oldekop, Lorenza B. Fontana, Jean Grugel, Nicole Roughton, Emmanuel A. Adu-Ampong, Gemma K. Bird, Alex Dorgan, Marcia A. Vera Espinoza, Sara Wallin, Daniel Hammett, Esther Agbarakwe, Arun Agrawal, Nurgul Asylbekova, Clarissa Azkoul, Craig Bardsley, Anthony J. Bebbington, Savio Carvalho, Deepta Chopra, Stamatios Christopoulos, Emma Crewe, Marie-Claude Dop, Joern Fischer, Daan Gerretsen, Jonathan Glennie, William Gois, Mtinkheni Gondwe, Lizz A. Harrison, Katja Hujo, Mark Keen, Roberto Laserna, Luca Miggiano, Sarah Mistry, Rosemary J. Morgan, Linda L. Raftree, Duncan Rhind, Thiago Rodrigues, Sonia Roschnik, Flavia Senkubuge, Ian Thornton, Simon Trace, Teresa Ore, René Mauricio Valdés, Bhaskar Vira, Nicola Yeates and William J. Sutherland
Article first published online: 13 DEC 2015 | DOI: 10.1111/dpr.12147
Abstract
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) herald a new phase for international development. This article presents the results of a consultative exercise to collaboratively identify 100 research questions of critical importance for the post-2015 international development agenda. The final shortlist is grouped into nine thematic areas and was selected by 21 representatives of international and non-governmental organisations and consultancies, and 14 academics with diverse disciplinary expertise from an initial pool of 704 questions submitted by 110 organisations based in 34 countries. The shortlist includes questions addressing long-standing problems, new challenges and broader issues related to development policies, practices and institutions. Collectively, these questions are relevant for future development-related research priorities of governmental and non-governmental organisations worldwide and could act as focal points for transdisciplinary research collaborations.

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Big Data for Development: A Review of Promises and Challenges (pages 135–174)
Martin Hilbert
Article first published online: 13 DEC 2015 | DOI: 10.1111/dpr.12142
Abstract
The article uses a conceptual framework to review empirical evidence and some 180 articles related to the opportunities and threats of Big Data Analytics for international development. The advent of Big Data delivers a cost-effective prospect for improved decision-making in critical development areas such as healthcare, economic productivity and security. At the same time, the well-known caveats of the Big Data debate, such as privacy concerns and human resource scarcity, are aggravated in developing countries by long-standing structural shortages in the areas of infrastructure, economic resources and institutions. The result is a new kind of digital divide: a divide in the use of data-based knowledge to inform intelligent decision-making. The article systematically reviews several available policy options in terms of fostering opportunities and minimising risks