June 2015

Credit: USAID

MA4Health Summit

The U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, countries and partners came together last week in Washington, DC, at the World Bank for a successful high-level summit, Measurement and Accountability for Results in Health. More than 600 participants came to examine and advance a common agenda for health measurement as the global health community moves into the post-2015 sustainable development era. Dozens of global health leaders from governments, multilaterals, academia, research institutions, and civil society endorsed The Roadmap for Health Measurement and Accountability [PDF, 2.0MB] and a 5-Point Call to Action [PDF, 201KB]. The Roadmap and 5-Point Call outline a shared strategic approach and priority actions that countries and development partners can use to put effective health monitoring plans in place to strengthen health information systems. The summit organizers announced a consultative process to develop a new Global Health Data Collaborative to guide this agenda moving forward.

• View the MA4Health Website.
• Read more about the MA4Health Summit Program.

Credit: WHO/Rochkind

Xpert Diagnostic Test Shown to Increase TB & DR-TB Case Notification in India

India has the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in the world, accounting for 26 percent of all global infections. A USAID-funded project is helping turn the tide against‎ TB in India by accelerating the diagnosis and treatment of patients with TB and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB). Promising results from a new study show an almost 40 percent increase in TB and DR-TB case notification in public health facilities in India, using a high-sensitivity diagnostic test known as Xpert MTB/RIF. USAID is a leading partner in the global implementation of the Xpert diagnostic test, which has the potential to save lives by significantly improving TB treatment around the world, especially in places with high rates of drug resistance.‬

• Learn More about the Xpert Diagnostic study in India.

Credit: USAID Central Asia

Central Asian Republic Exposure Photo Essay: World TB Day 2015

The USAID Central Asia Mission celebrated World TB Day in March 2015 and organized a series of events to raise TB awareness throughout the region.

• Discover the USAID Central Asia Mission's photo essay.

Credit: Amy Cotter/USAID

USAID’s 50 Years of Family Planning Event

In 50 years of assistance, USAID has focused on enabling women and couples to make informed, voluntary decisions about whether to have children and, for those who would like children, when and how many to have. In that time, use of modern contraception by married women of reproductive age in the developing world (excluding China) has risen from less than 10 percent in 1965 to 46 percent today. Tune in to a live webcast as the current director of USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health and five former directors discuss USAID’s history in family planning and future directions on Friday, June 26, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon in Washington, DC. This conversation, held at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, will highlight how the program fits into the Obama administration’s goal to end preventable child and maternal deaths and contributes to the global Family Planning 2020 movement.

• Watch the webcast.

Photo sources for top banner left to right: James Pursey/EGPAF, Marcy Erskine/IFRC, Jameel Ahmad/JSI/PAIMAN.