Spain this year will allocate one million euros, or about $1.3 million, for research into the development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine as part of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said on Wednesday, Xinhuanet reports. The money primarily will go to laboratories in Kenya and Uganda. According to Xinhuanet, the fight against HIV/AIDS is Spain's No. 1 international priority, and the funding allocation marks the first time Spain has contributed one million euros to IAVI. The initiative has identified six potential HIV/AIDS vaccines and has begun trials in 11 countries, mostly in developing countries, Xinhuanet reports (Xinhuanet, 6/14).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 31 мая 2011 г.
понедельник, 30 мая 2011 г.
New AIDS Tech Transfers Reinforce Roche Commitment To Strengthen African Manufacturing
Roche has announced the agreement of two new technology transfers with local manufacturing companies in Africa -- Addis Pharmaceutical Factory in Ethiopia and Varichem Pharmaceuticals in Zimbabwe. As part of Roche's Technology Transfer Initiative, these companies will be provided free of charge with the technical expertise and guidance to manufacture generic HIV medicine, based upon the processes to produce saquinavir, Roche's 2nd line[1] HIV medicine. To date, Roche has Technology Transfer agreements with a total of five companies across Africa since its launch in January 2006. Roche has received expressions of interest from a total of 32 manufacturers in 15 eligible countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. Roche is working with these individual applicants to assess production over the coming weeks.
William M. Burns, CEO Division Roche Pharma, stated, "These new agreements highlight the positive contribution that the Technology Transfer Initiative is making to help strengthen and expand local manufacturing capabilities for HIV medicines in Africa. Now entering its second year, the initiative reinforces Roche's commitment to find long-term, sustainable solutions to help increase access to healthcare in the world's poorest countries. With more African manufacturers now looking to scale-up production of essential medicines, the launch of this initiative in 2006 highlights Roche as an innovative leader in supporting sustainable solutions to deliver HIV healthcare where it is needed most."
Roche's dedicated team will work onsite at the manufacturing facilities in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe and from its headquarters in Switzerland to undertake the technology transfers. The companies will be able to produce saquinavir for supply throughout Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in addition to any country within sub-Saharan Africa or defined as Least Developed by the United Nations, encompassing 64% of all people living with HIV/AIDS globally.
Archibald Chimuka, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Varichem Pharmaceuticals, Zimbabwe commented "For us the benefits go beyond the production of saquinavir, it improves our entire technical and quality systems. We are eager to work with Roche on this initiative which helps to meet the needs of our people suffering HIV, who simply otherwise would not have access to these badly needed medications."
About Roche's Technology Transfer Initiative
Announced in January 2006, the Roche Technology Transfer Initiative aims to provide local manufacturers with the technical expertise required to produce generic HIV medicines. Manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa and the Least Developed Countries wishing to produce generic saquinavir for use in these countries will not be required to apply for a voluntary licence, as Roche has committed as part of its global policy not to enforce patents on HIV antiretroviral medicines within these countries. Interested manufacturers should contact the Project Manager, Technology Transfer Initiative at the Roche Kenya office.
Interested local manufacturers in the following countries are invited to contact Roche to discuss the Technology Transfer Initiative: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, Cete d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
About Roche's patent and pricing policy
In addition to its Technology Transfer Initiative, Roche will maintain its current pricing and patent policy. No patents for any of Roche medicines - across all disease areas - will be filed in the world's Least Developed Countries (LDCs), as defined by the UN. Roche will not file patents on new HIV antiretroviral medicines in LDCs or sub-Saharan Africa. Roche will not take action in these countries against the sale or manufacture of generic versions of antretroviral medicines. Generic versions of such HIV medicines can therefore be produced in LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa without the need for a voluntary or compulsory licence. Roche makes its HIV protease inhibitors Invirase and Viracept available at no profit prices for direct supplies from Roche Basel to LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, a market leader in virology and active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system. In 2006 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 33.3 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.7 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 75,000 worldwide and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information about the Roche Group is available on the Internet at roche/.
All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.
Additional information
Roche & HIV/AIDS: roche-hiv/
Access to Roche's medicines: roche/sus_med.htm
Baschi D'rr
Katja Prowald (Head of R&D Communications)
Martina Rup
Claudia Schmit
[1] WHO treatment guidelines for resource limited settings: who.int/3by5/publications/documents/arv_guidelines/en
Contact: Michelle Sykes
Ketchum
View drug information on Invirase; VIRACEPT.
William M. Burns, CEO Division Roche Pharma, stated, "These new agreements highlight the positive contribution that the Technology Transfer Initiative is making to help strengthen and expand local manufacturing capabilities for HIV medicines in Africa. Now entering its second year, the initiative reinforces Roche's commitment to find long-term, sustainable solutions to help increase access to healthcare in the world's poorest countries. With more African manufacturers now looking to scale-up production of essential medicines, the launch of this initiative in 2006 highlights Roche as an innovative leader in supporting sustainable solutions to deliver HIV healthcare where it is needed most."
Roche's dedicated team will work onsite at the manufacturing facilities in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe and from its headquarters in Switzerland to undertake the technology transfers. The companies will be able to produce saquinavir for supply throughout Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in addition to any country within sub-Saharan Africa or defined as Least Developed by the United Nations, encompassing 64% of all people living with HIV/AIDS globally.
Archibald Chimuka, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Varichem Pharmaceuticals, Zimbabwe commented "For us the benefits go beyond the production of saquinavir, it improves our entire technical and quality systems. We are eager to work with Roche on this initiative which helps to meet the needs of our people suffering HIV, who simply otherwise would not have access to these badly needed medications."
About Roche's Technology Transfer Initiative
Announced in January 2006, the Roche Technology Transfer Initiative aims to provide local manufacturers with the technical expertise required to produce generic HIV medicines. Manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa and the Least Developed Countries wishing to produce generic saquinavir for use in these countries will not be required to apply for a voluntary licence, as Roche has committed as part of its global policy not to enforce patents on HIV antiretroviral medicines within these countries. Interested manufacturers should contact the Project Manager, Technology Transfer Initiative at the Roche Kenya office.
Interested local manufacturers in the following countries are invited to contact Roche to discuss the Technology Transfer Initiative: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, Cete d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
About Roche's patent and pricing policy
In addition to its Technology Transfer Initiative, Roche will maintain its current pricing and patent policy. No patents for any of Roche medicines - across all disease areas - will be filed in the world's Least Developed Countries (LDCs), as defined by the UN. Roche will not file patents on new HIV antiretroviral medicines in LDCs or sub-Saharan Africa. Roche will not take action in these countries against the sale or manufacture of generic versions of antretroviral medicines. Generic versions of such HIV medicines can therefore be produced in LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa without the need for a voluntary or compulsory licence. Roche makes its HIV protease inhibitors Invirase and Viracept available at no profit prices for direct supplies from Roche Basel to LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, a market leader in virology and active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system. In 2006 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 33.3 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.7 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 75,000 worldwide and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information about the Roche Group is available on the Internet at roche/.
All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.
Additional information
Roche & HIV/AIDS: roche-hiv/
Access to Roche's medicines: roche/sus_med.htm
Baschi D'rr
Katja Prowald (Head of R&D Communications)
Martina Rup
Claudia Schmit
[1] WHO treatment guidelines for resource limited settings: who.int/3by5/publications/documents/arv_guidelines/en
Contact: Michelle Sykes
Ketchum
View drug information on Invirase; VIRACEPT.
воскресенье, 29 мая 2011 г.
CDC Response To Hurricane Katrina Detailed In Report
CDC's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was hampered by repeated changes in the line of command, which caused confusion, communications breakdowns and duplicative efforts, according to a report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Young, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/16). Earlier this month, CDC said it planned to use the report to analyze the agency's response to the hurricane and make improvements in emergency preparedness (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/7). CDC repeatedly has declined to publicly release the report, which was issued last year by the consulting firm BearingPoint. According to the Journal-Constitution, the 160-page report states that CDC's response to the hurricane was effective at monitoring for diseases, vaccinating evacuees and sending medical supplies. The report found that the agency had operational success in three areas: information technology support staff responded to requests efficiently; field teams obtained necessary equipment quickly; and CDC staff in a joint field office expedited assistance requests from states. However, the report said those successes occurred despite management problems that "worked against the ability to provide an orchestrated, timely and efficient response." According to the report, managerial changes at the agency prior to Katrina "impacted leadership, the chain or lines of command and communications channels, which contributed to the sense of chaos and frustration, both within the (emergency operations center) and for the deployed CDC personnel." The report continues, "The confusion associated with the initial response/reaction to Katrina, the media attention and the desire to 'do something' resulted in some personnel deploying without an assigned mission. Although the desire to provide immediate assistance in the time of a catastrophic incident is understandable, it is better to clarify Mission Assignments prior to deploying resources." A "key recommendation" of the report states that "CDC leadership must agree to follow an established organizational structure within (its emergency operations center) and embrace the corresponding (procedures), lines of authority, communication and information flow processes."
CDC Reaction
CDC Director Julie Gerberding referred all questions about the report to her spokesperson, Tom Skinner. Skinner said the agency considers its response to Katrina "one of our shining moments" but added, "Dr. Gerberding as well as all of the senior leadership who have a role in emergency preparedness and response take this report very seriously and believe there is a lot to learn from the report." In response to the report's finding that CDC does not regularly conduct emergency response exercises, Skinner said that CDC since Katrina has conducted about 18 emergency exercises, put 1,000 employees through emergency response training and put more than 400 through incident-management courses. "CDC is light years ahead of where we once were. Can we do better? Yes. Will we do better? Absolutely, yes," Skinner said (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/16).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
суббота, 28 мая 2011 г.
Injured And Ill Children In Iraq Treated At U.S. Military Hospital
Based on the experience of Air Force personnel at an expeditionary military hospital in Iraq, military hospitals should be prepared with the proper staff, training and equipment to treat injured and noninjured children who require medical care, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Military hospitals are likely to encounter injured children as wars move away from the battlefield and into civilian territories, according to background information in the article. Children sometimes serve as soldiers or are used as human shields. In addition, because war disrupts medical facilities in the affected area, children with other injuries or illnesses may seek medical care at U.S. military hospitals as well. When U.S. and coalition forces entered Iraq in 2003, Iraqi civilian hospitals were already understaffed and lacked the supplies and infrastructure needed to effectively care for citizens. From early in the conflict, medical care was offered to injured civilians in cases of severe injury, and hospital commanders could approve care for children with medical needs that could not be handled by the Iraqi system.
Lt. Col. Christopher P. Coppola, U.S.A.F., M.C., and colleagues at the Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, reported on the children treated at one level III (medical facility in a combat area) hospital in Balad, Iraq, from January 2004 to May 2005. The 332nd Air Force Theater Hospital is approximately 40 miles north of Baghdad and consists of a series of tents with concrete floors, linked by a corridor. The facility has a staff of 420 and can accommodate up to 24 intensive care unit beds and 80 additional beds; up to six surgeries can be performed at once.
"Our primary mission as a level III hospital was to provide evaluation, resuscitation and surgical care to combat-injured troops," the authors write. "However, our facility experienced 'mission creep' because of the presence of injured civilians, including children. Children additionally had dehydration and malnutrition, which contribute to increased mortality. After Jan. 1, 2005, a pediatric surgeon was available and a broader range of non-traumatic conditions were treated in children."
During the time period studied, 85 children with an average age of 8 years (age range one day to 17 years) were evaluated and treated at the hospital, accounting for 5.2 percent of all patients and 18 percent of treated Iraqi civilians. Forty-eight (56 percent) of the children were treated for traumatic injury, including 25 (52 percent) with a fragmentation wound, such as that inflicted by improvised explosive devices, mines or blasts. Of the children with injuries, 18 (38 percent) had wounds in the leg, 11 (23 percent) in the head, eight (17 percent) in the arm, eight in the abdomen and three (6 percent) in the chest. A total of 134 operations were performed on 63 children (74 percent of the total); each of the children had an average of 2.1 procedures. Five children died--two from burns, two from infection and one from complications following a traumatic head injury and transfer to a civilian facility.
The experience illuminates several key points regarding caring for children in a war zone, the authors conclude. Hospitals near battlefields should expect to treat civilians, including children. These children are likely to have fragmentation injuries, which are generally contaminated and likely to become infected, requiring multiple procedures. "Local health resources may be so disrupted that children cannot be safely discharged until they are well enough to survive under the care of their families," they continue. "To provide adequate care for children during war, expeditionary medical hospitals must prepare for them by providing the proper personnel, training and equipment."
(Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:972-976.)
Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
Contact:
Wilford Hall Medical Center public affairs office
JAMA and Archives Journals
Military hospitals are likely to encounter injured children as wars move away from the battlefield and into civilian territories, according to background information in the article. Children sometimes serve as soldiers or are used as human shields. In addition, because war disrupts medical facilities in the affected area, children with other injuries or illnesses may seek medical care at U.S. military hospitals as well. When U.S. and coalition forces entered Iraq in 2003, Iraqi civilian hospitals were already understaffed and lacked the supplies and infrastructure needed to effectively care for citizens. From early in the conflict, medical care was offered to injured civilians in cases of severe injury, and hospital commanders could approve care for children with medical needs that could not be handled by the Iraqi system.
Lt. Col. Christopher P. Coppola, U.S.A.F., M.C., and colleagues at the Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, reported on the children treated at one level III (medical facility in a combat area) hospital in Balad, Iraq, from January 2004 to May 2005. The 332nd Air Force Theater Hospital is approximately 40 miles north of Baghdad and consists of a series of tents with concrete floors, linked by a corridor. The facility has a staff of 420 and can accommodate up to 24 intensive care unit beds and 80 additional beds; up to six surgeries can be performed at once.
"Our primary mission as a level III hospital was to provide evaluation, resuscitation and surgical care to combat-injured troops," the authors write. "However, our facility experienced 'mission creep' because of the presence of injured civilians, including children. Children additionally had dehydration and malnutrition, which contribute to increased mortality. After Jan. 1, 2005, a pediatric surgeon was available and a broader range of non-traumatic conditions were treated in children."
During the time period studied, 85 children with an average age of 8 years (age range one day to 17 years) were evaluated and treated at the hospital, accounting for 5.2 percent of all patients and 18 percent of treated Iraqi civilians. Forty-eight (56 percent) of the children were treated for traumatic injury, including 25 (52 percent) with a fragmentation wound, such as that inflicted by improvised explosive devices, mines or blasts. Of the children with injuries, 18 (38 percent) had wounds in the leg, 11 (23 percent) in the head, eight (17 percent) in the arm, eight in the abdomen and three (6 percent) in the chest. A total of 134 operations were performed on 63 children (74 percent of the total); each of the children had an average of 2.1 procedures. Five children died--two from burns, two from infection and one from complications following a traumatic head injury and transfer to a civilian facility.
The experience illuminates several key points regarding caring for children in a war zone, the authors conclude. Hospitals near battlefields should expect to treat civilians, including children. These children are likely to have fragmentation injuries, which are generally contaminated and likely to become infected, requiring multiple procedures. "Local health resources may be so disrupted that children cannot be safely discharged until they are well enough to survive under the care of their families," they continue. "To provide adequate care for children during war, expeditionary medical hospitals must prepare for them by providing the proper personnel, training and equipment."
(Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:972-976.)
Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
Contact:
Wilford Hall Medical Center public affairs office
JAMA and Archives Journals
пятница, 27 мая 2011 г.
Supporting Crisis Management Operations Via Improved Mapping Of Human Settlements
When a major disaster strikes in remote parts of the world, knowing if the area is populated, and how densely, is crucial for the effective organisation of humanitarian operations. The Global Human Settlements Layer (GHSL), developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), will soon provide this detailed information for the first time on a global scale. The breakthrough is new advanced algorithms, developed by the JRC, that allow automatic analysis of medium resolution data provided by European satellites. The first test results confirm that the combined use of ICT technologies permit fast and precise mapping of built-up areas, anywhere in the world. In addition, the algorithms allow massive datasets to be processed more efficiently and rapidly, making it possible to monitor the changes in human settlements regularly and equally importantly, to collect the same information from heterogeneous satellite data. This can help to reduce risks in areas that experience recurrent disasters and to focus post-disaster humanitarian interventions on the most likely populated places in disaster affected countries and regions.
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre, in collaboration with the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth Observation Ground Segment Department (EOP-G) has produced the first prototype of a new Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) using European radar satellite (ENVISAT) capacity and advanced automatic pattern recognition algorithms.
One of the major problems in disaster-struck areas in less developed countries is the lack of relevant and up to date pre-disaster information that can help to quickly locate and assess the type and extent of damage, especially in populated places. The GHSL will help to focus damage analysis very quickly over populated places, leading to improvements in emergency rescue and humanitarian relief operations.
The GHSL will help to improve the quantification of the building stock which is valuable information both for risk assessment activities and for emergency rescue operations. As the building stock is an indicator of human presence, this critical piece of information on population (often lacking in remote areas) can help the first responder communities to focus their efforts in a particular area.
Human settlements in Africa - successful test of JRC??s algorithms
The first test results produced by the automatic inferential system, designed and developed by the JRC, cover most of the African continent's surface, proving that the combined use of medium resolution imagery and advanced algorithms allow fast and precise mapping of built-up areas anywhere in the world.
The inferential system successfully classified about 4 billion image elements related to 270 scenes pertaining to the ENVISAT ASAR sensor provided by the European Space Agency (ESA). The results confirm notable expected improvements using 75m resolution data processed by means of the JRC's method over already available human settlement data.
These previous data were produced from 500m resolution data of the US MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer instrument aboard the Terra EOS satellite and of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) data at 3 km resolution.
As can be seen in the pictures below, the JRC method allows for a more detailed mapping of the settlements.
During 2011, the rest of the global landmass will be processed by the JRC using available European radar satellite capacity in order to complete the production of the first ever global human settlement layer. Moreover, the GHSL concept has an open and scalable design based on semantic interoperability and consistent multi-scale reasoning. This means that heterogeneous platforms, including existing and planned optical and radar sensors can contribute to refining the overall GHSL picture in a consistent manner.
The added value of geo-spatial information for crisis management in an urban world
Only one hundred years ago, the world's population was less than 2 billion people. Today, the current world population is approaching 7 billion and by 2030 it is expected to reach 10 billion. It is expected that 70% of the world population will be urban by 2050 and that most urban growth will occur in less developed countries. Furthermore, a high proportion of this urban growth is expected to be in cities that are at risk of an increased frequency and intensity of natural and man-made disasters.
The combined use of better spatial resolution satellite data and of an automatic pattern recognition algorithm means that we can now process massive datasets more efficiently and rapidly than ever before. It also allows regular monitoring of the changes in the patterns of human settlement landscape anywhere in the world. These advances also imply that we are able to potentially look at human settlement characteristics and patterns in more detail than previous global analysis attempts.
Source:
Elena Gonzalez Verdesoto
European Commission Joint Research Centre
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre, in collaboration with the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth Observation Ground Segment Department (EOP-G) has produced the first prototype of a new Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) using European radar satellite (ENVISAT) capacity and advanced automatic pattern recognition algorithms.
One of the major problems in disaster-struck areas in less developed countries is the lack of relevant and up to date pre-disaster information that can help to quickly locate and assess the type and extent of damage, especially in populated places. The GHSL will help to focus damage analysis very quickly over populated places, leading to improvements in emergency rescue and humanitarian relief operations.
The GHSL will help to improve the quantification of the building stock which is valuable information both for risk assessment activities and for emergency rescue operations. As the building stock is an indicator of human presence, this critical piece of information on population (often lacking in remote areas) can help the first responder communities to focus their efforts in a particular area.
Human settlements in Africa - successful test of JRC??s algorithms
The first test results produced by the automatic inferential system, designed and developed by the JRC, cover most of the African continent's surface, proving that the combined use of medium resolution imagery and advanced algorithms allow fast and precise mapping of built-up areas anywhere in the world.
The inferential system successfully classified about 4 billion image elements related to 270 scenes pertaining to the ENVISAT ASAR sensor provided by the European Space Agency (ESA). The results confirm notable expected improvements using 75m resolution data processed by means of the JRC's method over already available human settlement data.
These previous data were produced from 500m resolution data of the US MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer instrument aboard the Terra EOS satellite and of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) data at 3 km resolution.
As can be seen in the pictures below, the JRC method allows for a more detailed mapping of the settlements.
During 2011, the rest of the global landmass will be processed by the JRC using available European radar satellite capacity in order to complete the production of the first ever global human settlement layer. Moreover, the GHSL concept has an open and scalable design based on semantic interoperability and consistent multi-scale reasoning. This means that heterogeneous platforms, including existing and planned optical and radar sensors can contribute to refining the overall GHSL picture in a consistent manner.
The added value of geo-spatial information for crisis management in an urban world
Only one hundred years ago, the world's population was less than 2 billion people. Today, the current world population is approaching 7 billion and by 2030 it is expected to reach 10 billion. It is expected that 70% of the world population will be urban by 2050 and that most urban growth will occur in less developed countries. Furthermore, a high proportion of this urban growth is expected to be in cities that are at risk of an increased frequency and intensity of natural and man-made disasters.
The combined use of better spatial resolution satellite data and of an automatic pattern recognition algorithm means that we can now process massive datasets more efficiently and rapidly than ever before. It also allows regular monitoring of the changes in the patterns of human settlement landscape anywhere in the world. These advances also imply that we are able to potentially look at human settlement characteristics and patterns in more detail than previous global analysis attempts.
Source:
Elena Gonzalez Verdesoto
European Commission Joint Research Centre
четверг, 26 мая 2011 г.
Pfizer, PlaNet Finance Partner To Study Options For Expanding Access To Healthcare In China
Pfizer Inc and PlaNet Finance announced that they will team up to conduct an in-depth research project on the healthcare needs of the working poor in China. The study will examine the availability and existing sources of medicines, patient purchasing patterns, and the level of access to medical services. The study ultimately aims to help both organizations identify models that may enhance and expand access to medicines and healthcare services for the working poor in China.
The Chinese Ministry of Health recently released the results of its 4th National Health Survey, an extensive document covering healthcare patterns across the country. The Pfizer and PlaNet Finance collaboration is designed to solicit additional information from low-income populations in China to complement existing and planned government efforts to improve healthcare.
Pfizer's mission in China is to meet the diverse medical needs of the country's population through a broad portfolio of innovative medicines and partnerships with local healthcare providers, academics, and government in order to support the rapid development of the country's healthcare system.
"Pfizer's partnership with PlaNet Finance is aligned with the strategy to expand our geographic reach across China. I am extremely confident that this partnership will also achieve the broader aim of identifying unique and workable solutions for the diverse medical needs of patients in Emerging Markets," stated Jean-Michel Halfon, President & General Manager of Pfizer's Emerging Markets Business Unit. "This is another step forward under our Global Access program, which is unique in that we are taking a broad, holistic approach to understanding the various barriers to healthcare access, so that we can implement solutions that are effective and sustainable."
For over ten years, and in over 60 countries, PlaNet Finance has been active in development and financing in the microfinance and microinsurance sectors. "Healthcare plays a major role in the fight against poverty. PlaNet Finance understands this challenge and has developed specific programs which link microfinance to healthcare - leveraging existing microfinance institution (MFI) infrastructure to implement awareness and prevention campaigns for malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. PlaNet Finance has also developed sustainable life and health insurance solutions for low-income populations through its subsidiary PlaNet Guarantee dedicated to microinsurance," explained PlaNet Finance President Jacques Attali. "We are very pleased to team up with Pfizer; this partnership will enhance our work in meaningful and lasting ways to reach out to such a vital part of Chinese society to determine their healthcare needs."
This collaboration with an international non-profit organization, expert in microfinance and microinsurance, marks another milestone for Pfizer in its goal to increase access to medicines for more patients in the developing world. The company reiterated its position to adopt strategies that are commercially viable and socially responsible.
Pfizer and PlaNet Finance look forward to sharing the results of this research with the Chinese government, in order to maximize its impact and reach throughout the country.
About Pfizer
Pfizer Inc., founded in 1849, is dedicated to better health and greater access to healthcare for people and their valued animals. Every day, colleagues in more than 150 countries work to discover, develop, manufacture and deliver quality, safe and effective prescription medicines to patients.
Pfizer began its business operations in China in the 1980s and is now one of the largest multinational pharmaceutical enterprises in the country, with a presence in over 100 cities nationwide. In 2008, Pfizer announced plans to expand its business in China and opened a new manufacturing facility in Dalian in China's Northeast Liaoning province in February 2009. Pfizer has been present in Dalian since 1989.
About PlaNet Finance
A world leader in microfinance, PlaNet Finance is an international non-profit organization with the mission to alleviate poverty through the development of microfinance and microinsurance. PlaNet Finance, based in Paris, has been active in developing the microfinance and microinsurance sectors for more than ten years and has an international network of 40 offices and programs running in more than 60 countries. PlaNet Finance has supported 1,500 microfinance institutions.
PlaNet Finance has operated in China since February 2003 and has contributed significantly to improving the lives of nearly 100,000 people through technical assistance to microfinance institutions in China, the 2007 launch of Nanchong MicroCred, a pilot microfinance institution in Sichuan and subsidiary of China Limited MicroCred, and through support of Harbin Bank in its downscaling programs.
PlaNet Finance China is based in Beijing and works with local partners in the Chinese microfinance industry.
Pfizer
pfizer
The Chinese Ministry of Health recently released the results of its 4th National Health Survey, an extensive document covering healthcare patterns across the country. The Pfizer and PlaNet Finance collaboration is designed to solicit additional information from low-income populations in China to complement existing and planned government efforts to improve healthcare.
Pfizer's mission in China is to meet the diverse medical needs of the country's population through a broad portfolio of innovative medicines and partnerships with local healthcare providers, academics, and government in order to support the rapid development of the country's healthcare system.
"Pfizer's partnership with PlaNet Finance is aligned with the strategy to expand our geographic reach across China. I am extremely confident that this partnership will also achieve the broader aim of identifying unique and workable solutions for the diverse medical needs of patients in Emerging Markets," stated Jean-Michel Halfon, President & General Manager of Pfizer's Emerging Markets Business Unit. "This is another step forward under our Global Access program, which is unique in that we are taking a broad, holistic approach to understanding the various barriers to healthcare access, so that we can implement solutions that are effective and sustainable."
For over ten years, and in over 60 countries, PlaNet Finance has been active in development and financing in the microfinance and microinsurance sectors. "Healthcare plays a major role in the fight against poverty. PlaNet Finance understands this challenge and has developed specific programs which link microfinance to healthcare - leveraging existing microfinance institution (MFI) infrastructure to implement awareness and prevention campaigns for malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. PlaNet Finance has also developed sustainable life and health insurance solutions for low-income populations through its subsidiary PlaNet Guarantee dedicated to microinsurance," explained PlaNet Finance President Jacques Attali. "We are very pleased to team up with Pfizer; this partnership will enhance our work in meaningful and lasting ways to reach out to such a vital part of Chinese society to determine their healthcare needs."
This collaboration with an international non-profit organization, expert in microfinance and microinsurance, marks another milestone for Pfizer in its goal to increase access to medicines for more patients in the developing world. The company reiterated its position to adopt strategies that are commercially viable and socially responsible.
Pfizer and PlaNet Finance look forward to sharing the results of this research with the Chinese government, in order to maximize its impact and reach throughout the country.
About Pfizer
Pfizer Inc., founded in 1849, is dedicated to better health and greater access to healthcare for people and their valued animals. Every day, colleagues in more than 150 countries work to discover, develop, manufacture and deliver quality, safe and effective prescription medicines to patients.
Pfizer began its business operations in China in the 1980s and is now one of the largest multinational pharmaceutical enterprises in the country, with a presence in over 100 cities nationwide. In 2008, Pfizer announced plans to expand its business in China and opened a new manufacturing facility in Dalian in China's Northeast Liaoning province in February 2009. Pfizer has been present in Dalian since 1989.
About PlaNet Finance
A world leader in microfinance, PlaNet Finance is an international non-profit organization with the mission to alleviate poverty through the development of microfinance and microinsurance. PlaNet Finance, based in Paris, has been active in developing the microfinance and microinsurance sectors for more than ten years and has an international network of 40 offices and programs running in more than 60 countries. PlaNet Finance has supported 1,500 microfinance institutions.
PlaNet Finance has operated in China since February 2003 and has contributed significantly to improving the lives of nearly 100,000 people through technical assistance to microfinance institutions in China, the 2007 launch of Nanchong MicroCred, a pilot microfinance institution in Sichuan and subsidiary of China Limited MicroCred, and through support of Harbin Bank in its downscaling programs.
PlaNet Finance China is based in Beijing and works with local partners in the Chinese microfinance industry.
Pfizer
pfizer
среда, 25 мая 2011 г.
UNICEF Calls On Governments, Donors And The Private Sector To End Child Labour
UNICEF is calling for renewed urgency to tackle the world worst forms of child labour on the 11th World Day against Child Labour with the theme "Go for the Goal. Eliminate Child Labour".
UNICEF estimates that 150 million children 5-14 years old worldwide are engaged in child labour, which is both a cause and a consequence of poverty, and compromises children's education and safety".
"We know that progress against MDG's in Education, poverty, gender and HIV/Aids are being systematically undermined by Child Labour and that no single policy will unilaterally end child labour," said Dr. Susan Bissell, Chief of Child Protection for UNICEF. "Evidence has shown that an effective, coherent response to child labour requires a mix of decent work employment measures, child sensitive social protection systems and the extension of basic services to the most vulnerable".
Overall figures tend indeed to show that child labour is diminishing worldwide but earlier limited gains in Sub-Saharan Africa have now gone into reverse and the most recent data indicates that the current incidence of 1 child in every 4 involved in child labour-the highest in the world-has worsened. This compares to 1 child in every 8 in Asia Pacific and 1 child in every 10 in Latin America and the Caribbean. The number of children combining work and school has escalated in some regions too by as much as 300 per cent.
But even these figures can be misleading, as migrant children, orphans, trafficked children and, above all girls, are too often frequently missing from current data sets and surveys which rely upon static household data. We must developed new data collection systems to ensure that these invisible children become visible and are systematically addressed.
At the recent global conference against the Worst Forms of Child labour which took place in The Hague, UNICEF committed itself to focus on developing new data methodologies to capture the invisible work of girls to ensure their visibility to the world.
Such visibility is key, since recent evidence suggests that the food, fuel and economic crises that have shaken the global order have had irreversible impacts upon children's lives. Child labour - a key household buffer in some countries against economic shocks - has led to more children being propelled from school into labour force earlier and in more hazardous areas than would normally occur."
While studies show that education for girls is among the best investment a country can make for its development, girls are the first ones to be taken out of school to work for the family in times of hardships. Keeping girls in school has been shown to raise family income, reduce child and maternal mortality and result in lower child marriage and fertility rates.
UNICEF calls upon governments and donors to increase investment in accessible and quality education, and to support the establishment of social protection measures that cover all children. UNICEF also calls upon the private sector to use its potential as agents of social change to ensure that children's rights are protected in their supply chains.
Source
UNICEF
UNICEF estimates that 150 million children 5-14 years old worldwide are engaged in child labour, which is both a cause and a consequence of poverty, and compromises children's education and safety".
"We know that progress against MDG's in Education, poverty, gender and HIV/Aids are being systematically undermined by Child Labour and that no single policy will unilaterally end child labour," said Dr. Susan Bissell, Chief of Child Protection for UNICEF. "Evidence has shown that an effective, coherent response to child labour requires a mix of decent work employment measures, child sensitive social protection systems and the extension of basic services to the most vulnerable".
Overall figures tend indeed to show that child labour is diminishing worldwide but earlier limited gains in Sub-Saharan Africa have now gone into reverse and the most recent data indicates that the current incidence of 1 child in every 4 involved in child labour-the highest in the world-has worsened. This compares to 1 child in every 8 in Asia Pacific and 1 child in every 10 in Latin America and the Caribbean. The number of children combining work and school has escalated in some regions too by as much as 300 per cent.
But even these figures can be misleading, as migrant children, orphans, trafficked children and, above all girls, are too often frequently missing from current data sets and surveys which rely upon static household data. We must developed new data collection systems to ensure that these invisible children become visible and are systematically addressed.
At the recent global conference against the Worst Forms of Child labour which took place in The Hague, UNICEF committed itself to focus on developing new data methodologies to capture the invisible work of girls to ensure their visibility to the world.
Such visibility is key, since recent evidence suggests that the food, fuel and economic crises that have shaken the global order have had irreversible impacts upon children's lives. Child labour - a key household buffer in some countries against economic shocks - has led to more children being propelled from school into labour force earlier and in more hazardous areas than would normally occur."
While studies show that education for girls is among the best investment a country can make for its development, girls are the first ones to be taken out of school to work for the family in times of hardships. Keeping girls in school has been shown to raise family income, reduce child and maternal mortality and result in lower child marriage and fertility rates.
UNICEF calls upon governments and donors to increase investment in accessible and quality education, and to support the establishment of social protection measures that cover all children. UNICEF also calls upon the private sector to use its potential as agents of social change to ensure that children's rights are protected in their supply chains.
Source
UNICEF
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