Latin America
Jul 27, 2020
Over 500,000 children die due to diarrheal diseases each year despite the fact that diarrhea is a preventable and treatable disease.
One way to prevent diarrheal deaths is through treatment with oral rehydration solution (ORS), a simple therapy
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May 14, 2020
New IHME estimate show that countries such as Indonesia and Peru, pictured above, still experience substantial geographic disparities in diarrhea mortality. Source: IHME.
Diarrhea is the second leading infectious child killer in low- and middle
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Jun 06, 2018
The inaugural 2016 VASE Conference saw the debut of the vaccine superhero; a new DefeatDD photo booth will make an appearance next week.
Jun 01
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Apr 12, 2018
Australian virologist Professor Ruth Bishop, left, discovered rotavirus in 1973. Photo source: Murdoch Children's Research Institute website.
Sep 06
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Jan 09, 2018
Nearly two years ago, I announced PATH’s first international Vaccines Against Shigella and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) Conference (more commonly known as the VASE Conference), and I blogged about our high hopes and exciting plans for the
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Nov 17, 2016
Honduras is a mountainous, beautiful country checkered with neatly planted fields of corn and beans, thick plantations of bananas, and swaying swaths of sugar cane. Despite the lush scenery, life for rural Hondurans is often much more complicated
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Feb 04, 2014
Huffington Post, February 2014Micronutrient Initiative's Marion Roche describes why rotavirus vaccine is an essential tool for tackling diarrheal disease through the lens of families in Guatemala.Read the full article
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Jun 20, 2013
RotaFlash, June 2013A new study published in the British Medical Journal provides the first post-licensure data on the real-world effectiveness of Rotarix® (a rotavirus vaccine) in a GAVI-eligible country. Bolivia was the first high-mortality
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Jun 05, 2013
According to UNICEF, diarrhea is a leading cause of death in children under the age of five. It causes more deaths than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. Diseases caused by diarrhea are most often spread through person-to-person contact or
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May 01, 2013
Schools are cosmopolitan meccas for all types of bacteria and viruses. Whether in the United States, Haiti, Malaysia, or Angola, schools are breeding grounds for a dangerous mix of recurring gastrointestinal illness. The sheer amount of
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Apr 30, 2013
Rotaflash, April 2013Following an announcement on April 27, Haiti will become the fifth and final GAVI-eligible country in the Americas region to introduce rotavirus vaccination, with support from the GAVI Alliance. Vaccines offer great promise to
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Mar 06, 2013
RotaFlash, March 2013Mexico’s Ministry of Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have just released data that shows signficant reduction in rates of diarrheal disease across all regions of Mexico after the introduction of the
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Aug 01, 2012
On January 12, 2010, life was forever changed in Haiti. It wasn't only the earthquake damage - the deaths, the destroyed buildings - it was the disaster that ultimately introduced cholera into Haiti. On October 17, 2010, the first cholera death
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Aug 10, 2011
One of the challenges facing peri-urban areas like Cochabamba, Bolivia, is a growing population with little access to basic water and sanitation services. This results in diarrhea and other sickness and sometimes death.
The legal barrier is
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May 17, 2011
New York Times, May 2011The Pan American Health Organization has announced that Haiti has come up with a plan to immunize 90% of its newborns by 2015. The plan includes pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines, among others. The ambitious plan will
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Jan 27, 2011
Haiti was the first country outside of North America I ever traveled to, in January 2001, to complete my Master's research on a filtration/chlorination household water treatment system.
I remember being shocked at the poverty, but not in an
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Jan 19, 2011
Years ago, while working in El Salvador, I learned the Latin American gesture for diarrhea - a quick brushing of one hand, fingers pursed, across the open palm the other, and then a dramatic splaying of the fingers.
More often than not, I saw this
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Dec 15, 2010
To me, a sustainable sanitation service, in very general terms is one where everybody can get access to a toilet and toilet services -- of their choice -- forever.
A lofty goal, for sure, but one that sets in motion very different types of
Blog
Dec 03, 2010
No children should die of diarrhea and, with a coordinated package of proven interventions, they don't have to. Rotavirus vaccines are among the newest tools in the fight against diarrheal disease and the only way to prevent severe infection. Follow
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Feb 01, 2010
CBS News, February 2010 The acute phase of destruction in Haiti is over, but the second phase of the emergency is still taking its toll: respiratory infections, malnutrition, diarrhea due to unsafe water, and a lack of appropriate food for young
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Oct 01, 2009
ONE, October 2009 Dr. Amador, Director of Health Systems and Technology in Nicaragua at PATH, blogs about the incredible strides his country has made in the fight against diarrheal disease, thanks to PATH's partnership to provide the rotavirus
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Sep 01, 2009
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, September 2009The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Living Proof Project seeks to show Americans that U.S. investment in global health is working. This four minute video spotlights the impact of rotavirus vaccine
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