Monthly Archives: February 2012

toilets: the importance of ownership (also, really, the iPad of commodes?)

there are some cool ideas about local maintenance and ownership in the reported community-led total sanitation. we shouldn’t be too hasty to overlook the ‘conceptual ownership’ aspect, though. It’s really important that there is responsibility delegated for taking care of a toilet or latrine. i have encountered plenty of toilets – and lines for toiletsContinue reading “toilets: the importance of ownership (also, really, the iPad of commodes?)”

If it doesn’t kill them, it makes them stronger (II)

Yes, adding antibiotics to animal feed can spur the development of super-bugs. “It’s like watching the birth of a superbug,”  says Lance Price of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, in Flagstaff, Arizona. “Initially we could always trace it back to livestock exposure,” Price says. “But now we are starting to see cases of resistant strainsContinue reading “If it doesn’t kill them, it makes them stronger (II)”

Rethinking the use of the word ‘simple’ in global health solutions

Karen had a nice post this week about how we talk about ‘simple’ solutions to global health problems, here. There are at least four reasons that we might apply the word simple when we are talking about global health solution concepts: 1. The concept is relatively obvious because it relates to basic aspects of life,Continue reading “Rethinking the use of the word ‘simple’ in global health solutions”

Quick insurance thoughts (mandates and exemptions)

“The core problem is that inserting employers between health insurers and individuals created an unnecessary tension between the provision of certain goods and the consciences and preferences of employers.” More in response to 13 Feb’s The Daily Show. Bottom line: de-coupling insurance from employment would likely be a positive step. Why the individual mandate was deemedContinue reading “Quick insurance thoughts (mandates and exemptions)”

you’re not helping: seriously, CIA, we have enough problems convincing people to get vaccines, polio and otherwise

“At the behest of CIA officials, Afridi reportedly launched a fake polio vaccination campaign in Abbottabad last year, using it as a front to gather DNA samples from people thought to be relatives of the elusive Osama Bin Laden. This elaborate scheme would later contribute to the frenetic manhunt for and subsequent assassination of theContinue reading “you’re not helping: seriously, CIA, we have enough problems convincing people to get vaccines, polio and otherwise”

Fake drugs for all!

“Most Americans don’t question the integrity of the drugs they rely on. They view drug counterfeiting, if they are aware of it at all, as a problem for developing countries. But the latest incident, which follows the appearance of other fake drugs in the U.S.—including counterfeits of the weight-loss treatment Alli and the influenza treatmentContinue reading “Fake drugs for all!”

Development effects of piracy in Somalia (as studied by day & night satellite images)

Can I come up with a reason to study the health impacts of piracy? Ideas welcome! “Piracy has created employment and considerable multiplier effects in the Puntland economy, even if a significant proportion of the proceeds is invested in foreign goods or channelled to foreign financiers. The distribution of ransoms follows traditional patterns in Somalia, involving considerable redistribution andContinue reading “Development effects of piracy in Somalia (as studied by day & night satellite images)”