Health Equity: 03/23/11

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

[EQ] Remembering Philip Musgrove - Health Affairs journal Deputy Editor

Remembering Philip Musgrove Health Affairs journal Deputy Editor

Health Affairs Journal

Health Affairs’ executive editor, Don Metz, added, “Phil’s passing is a terrible loss to his family, the journal, and the health policy community. Phil had deep knowledge of many subjects, but what I’ll remember most is his generous nature and his deep commitment to improving the lives of others through his work as an economist and editor.”

March 22nd, 2011 Health Affairs’ Blog by Chris Fleming

"…..Words can't express our shock and grief at the loss of Phil," said Health Affairs editor-in-chief Susan Dentzer. "His expertise in the economics of global health and development was profound. He was a generous and caring colleague, who always had a moment to help anyone on our team grapple with any economic or statistical issue. We were all the beneficiaries of his talents, wisdom, and friendship, and will miss him utterly………..."

Press release March 22, 2011: http://bit.ly/hM7nht

* * * *
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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PAHO/WHO Website: http://new.paho.org/equity/

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Thank you.

[EQ] Global Atlas of Trachoma

Global Atlas of Trachoma

An open-access resource on the geographical distribution of trachoma

The Trachoma Atlas was created by several partners, including the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the International Trachoma Initiative and the Carter Center, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Data came from ministries of health and academic research in various countries.

Website: http://bit.ly/eqaJXx

“….Trachoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. About 41 million people, mostly women and children, have active trachoma and need treatment. An estimated 8.2 million people have an advanced stage of the disease…

….Trachoma-endemic countries have established national trachoma control programs and are working toward the Global Elimination of Blinding Trachoma by 2020 (GET2020). International partners support these efforts.

Updated and publicly accessible country maps of the geographic distribution of trachoma will further this goal by providing information to sustain implementation efforts and prompt political will for action….”

The data trachoma atlas include:
•prevalence estimates of active trachoma and trichiasis from population-based prevalence surveys (PBPS)
•maps of district level data from PBPS and trachoma rapid assessment (TRA).

The country maps are expected to be used as:
• an information resource for all partners to highlight where additional surveys are needed and the current distribution of trachoma
• an advocacy tool to prompt political will and further support for implementation efforts
• a source of data for use in operational research……………”

PAHO/WHO Website: http://new.paho.org/equity/

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[EQ] Economic Impact of Dengue Illness in the Americas

Economic Impact of Dengue Illness in the Americas

Donald S. Shepard*, Laurent Coudeville, Yara A. Halasa, Betzana Zambrano, AND Gustavo H. Dayan

Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts; Sanofi Pasteur, Lyon, France; Sanofi Pasteur, Swiftwater, Pennsylvania

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 84(2), 2011, pp. 200-207 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0503; The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Abstract.: http://bit.ly/gYVJE6

“……The growing burden of dengue in endemic countries and outbreaks in previously unaffected countries stress the need to assess the economic impact of this disease. This paper synthesizes existing studies to calculate the economic burden of dengue illness in the Americas from a societal perspective. Major data sources include national case reporting data from 2000 to 2007, prospective cost of illness studies, and analyses quantifying underreporting in national routine surveillance systems.

Dengue illness in the Americas was estimated to cost $2.1 billion per year on average (in 2010 US dollars), with a range of $1–4 billion in sensitivity analyses and substantial year to year variation. The results highlight the substantial economic burden from dengue in the Americas. The burden for dengue exceeds that from other viral illnesses, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) or rotavirus. Because this study does not include some components (e.g., vector control), it may still underestimate total economic consequences of dengue.

Health Economics of Dengue:
A Systematic Literature Review and Expert Panel's Assessment

Mark E. Beatty, Philippe Beutels, Martin I. Meltzer, Donald S. Shepard, Joachim Hombach, Raymond Hutubessy, Damien Dessis, Laurent Coudeville, Benoit Dervaux, Ole Wichmann, Harold S. Margolis, AND Joel N. Kuritsky

Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Centre for Health Economics Research and Modeling Infectious Diseases, Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Heller School, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts; Initiative for Vaccine Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Wavre, Belgium; Sanofi Pasteur, Lyon, France; Université Catholique de Lille, Lille, France

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 84(3), 2011, pp. 473-488 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0521;The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Abstract.: http://bit.ly/h5BZZ8

“……Dengue vaccines are currently in development and policymakers need appropriate economic studies to determine their potential financial and public health impact. We searched five databases (PubMed, EMBASE, LILAC, EconLit, and WHOLIS) to identify health economics studies of dengue. Forty-three manuscripts were identified that provided primary data: 32 report economic burden of dengue and nine are comparative economic analyses assessing various interventions. The remaining two were a willingness-to-pay study and a policymaker survey.

An expert panel reviewed the existing dengue economic literature and recommended future research to fill information gaps.
Although dengue is an important vector-borne disease, the economic literature is relatively sparse and results have often been conflicting because of use of inconsistent assumptions. Health economic research specific to dengue is urgently needed to ensure informed decision making on the various options for controlling and preventing this disease. …”

PAHO/WHO Website: http://new.paho.org/equity/

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