Hispaniola Cancer Removal Project

In the year 2020 alone, there were over 1,460 deaths from breast cancer in the Dominican Republic, which totaled up to 2.14% of total deaths relating to diseases for that year (World Health Rankings). The Dominican Republic has the 14th highest breast cancer death rate in the world and breast cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer related deaths there (World Health Rankings). Women in the Dominican Republic are not able to afford proper treatment as 23.9% of all individuals in the Dominican Republic are impoverished (World Bank). Further, Dr. Mangiameli is part of an excursion group that aims to treat those impacted the most in the Dominican Republic. In an interview, he gave rise to the issue of there being, what he called “an absence of a medical system”, and pictured how normal preventative, identification, and treatment methods seen in higher income countries like the US, including mammogram screenings, mastectomies, and radiation therapy are virtually nonexistent in the Dominican Republic. ... read more

CVAC Blog

Sexualized violence is a global health crisis that affects people all across the world and disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. According to the World Health Organization, 30% of women across the world have experienced sexualized violence (WHO, 2021). In coordination with the Binghamton University Center for Civic Engagement and Global Health Impact Project, our group, Alexi Berges, Ben Kashipour, Michal Sherman, and Priya Pindiprolu, created a community engagement project centered around sexual assault prevention and education. Our motivation throughout this community engagement project was to alleviate the burden that survivors of sexualized violence face by aiding in their subsequent medical costs, such as: Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing, rape test kits, emergency contraceptives, and pregnancy testing. ... read more

POVAX

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven the need for cooperation between nations for global health issues, but current plans, such as COVAX do not go far enough. COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) is an important pillar to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which is a collaborative effort towards the development, production, and access of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines worldwide (WHO, 2021b) ... read more

The Hepatitis Campaign

Hepatitis is a disease that causes inflammation of the liver and can often lead to scarring or in more severe cases, liver cancer. Hepatitis is one of the most common diseases in the world, and comes in many different strains including autoimmune, alcoholic, type A, type B, type C, type D, and type E. All strains of Hepatitis cause liver disease, but the severity varies significantly depending on how it was contracted as well as which strain was contracted. Hepatitis is a disease that is often asymptomatic, meaning that it can be harder to catch immediately without regular doctor check-ups. ... read more

Medical Innovations: Combatting the Growing Problem of Drug Resistance

In recent years, the medical community has been met with a new challenge: drug resistance. Drug resistant organisms “are difficult to treat, requiring costly and sometimes toxic alternatives” (CDC, 2018). This development means that previously simple to treat diseases such as malaria or tuberculosis are requiring increasingly innovative and aggressive methods to be cured. ... read more

The Ebola Campaign

Ebola’s full name is Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). It is a severe illness that often causes fatalities and primarily affects humans and primates. The virus is thought to have originated in some species of wild animal (fruit bats) before being spread to the human population for the first time in Central Africa in 1976. Once in humans, Ebola can be spread through bodily fluids. One of the largest outbreaks of EVD occurred from 2014-2016, which resulted in high fatalities among the Central African population. ... read more

Hepatitis C

Although Hepatitis C has become less of a concern in first world countries, less financially stable ones still face the challenges of Hep C. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 170 million people, qualifying it as a pandemic to some experts (Lauer et al., 2001). There are some severe symptoms associated with the virus including easy bruising/bleeding, fatigue, poor appetite and sometimes death. But how can we fight to eradicate the virus completely? ... read more

The Global Burden of HIV/ AIDs

HIV/AIDS has proven to be a growing epidemic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 33.2 million people had been diagnosed as HIV positive in 20075. While this epidemic has had profound implications worldwide, various regions are impacted disproportionately greater than others. ... read more

How Distributive Discrepancies Drive the AIDS Pandemic

HIV/AIDS is a global health issue that has seen differential health outcomes in various regions of the world relative to the accessibility of proper healthcare. The pressing matter becomes clear upon examination of the global distribution of essential HIV medications. While developed countries now have relatively little issue ensuring that such resources are distributed where they are needed, many developing countries lack the financial resources to incentivize for-profit pharmaceutical companies to provide these medications. ... read more

When Profit Becomes the Problem

Pharmaceutical industries have a prerogative to make profit. Ideally, to do so, pharmaceutical organizations have to have a low cost of production (that is, research and development) in comparison to the costs of the product (that is, the drugs). In addition, regulatory standards for drug production must be met without increasing costs. In developing countries of the world, accountability to regulatory standards is problematic. ... read more

High Level Panel on Access to Medicines: What is it and what does it recommend?

Lack of access to medicines affects persons like Oumar, a young man in Mali suffering from Lymphatic filariasis. Oumar started experiencing the swelling in his feet at a very young age. The uncomfortable and painful disease prevented him from attending school and made him the brunt of jokes. Oumar’s condition is just one of many cases around the world in which we see abject poverty and the prevalence of disease. ... read more

The Future of the Zika Virus

In 2015, the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil alarmed the global health proponents due to its dangerous consequences on developing fetuses in the mother’s womb. The virus, which is carried by a certain species of mosquitoes, is transmitted to humans via mosquito bites; [1] This means greater exposure during warmer seasons when the species is most active. Consequently, the relatively simple transmittance of the virus makes it a great threat as a pandemic disease. ... read more

Why we need more Impact Evaluations

The work of intervention, particularly in relation to public health, is focused on communicating with a localized body of people, identifying their needs and striving to establish better conditions. Developmental in nature, these public policy initiatives are aimed at providing the necessary tools for at-risk communities. In terms of global health—raising individuals from impoverished conditions, alleviating the prevalence of fatal diseases such as HIV/AID, Malaria, and TB, and taking measures to prevent the incidence of new cases—programs are generally centered around providing aid through education, nutrition, and access to essential medicines. ... read more

How We Can Fight TB in the 21st Century - Reevaluating DOTS

When the WHO released its Global Tb Report 2015 in October 2016, health experts and organizations alike were horrified by the numbers presented. Stated in the report, “ TB deaths jumped to 1.8 million in 2015 from 1.5 million in 2014, with 41% of people estimated to have fallen sick with the disease being left undiagnosed and untreated” (WHO). ... read more

Global Health Responsibility and Irresponsiblity

Pharmaceutical companies are businesses. With this fact in mind it is fair to admit that they are entities that must maintain a bottom line and a level of profitability to continue providing the services they make possible. Following this logic one can understand the argument that is raised in their defense when the question of how their patents and the way they exploit them restrict access to medicine in poor countries is brought up. ... read more

Do Pharmaceutical Companies have an Obligation to Aid Poor People Suffering from Malaria

The widespread issue of malaria in developing countries is not a topic your average American citizen likes to discuss over lunch. This pressing matter is one that we like to sweep under the rug, along with others such as HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, etc. However, pharmaceutical companies cannot ignore the statistics any longer. Every day, thousands of people in developing nations are losing their lives in combat against the enemy: malaria. 3.4 billion people live in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 106 developing countries. ... read more

The Justification for Compulsory Licenses

The third article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. These rights are assigned upon birth and so it should then hold that this right is to be protected by the government. However, countless individuals in less developed countries are denied these rights. Instead of being granted the right to life, they are dying from diseases due to poor health care and the inability to access essential medicines. Members of affluent nations must consider how we can help the global poor in advancing their access to medicine. ... read more

Interview with Team Members of the Global Health Impact Project

A couple months back, Heawon Kim, a student of Nicole Hassoun's Global Health course, conducted an interview on Professor Hassoun regarding the Global Health Impact Project. In order to provide further insight into the project, I have interview two more team members. ...read more

Makers of Genetic Drugs Challenge the FDA

A New York Times article from March 27 discusses a proposed plan that would require pharmaceutical companies that make generic drugs to update their labels anytime potential health risks are discovered so as to warn consumers. This creates an environment where generic drug companies will legally be held liable for failing to do so and where drug companies will be held responsible for the drugs they create, as well as responsible for warning consumers about their side-effects. ... read more

Interview with Founder of Global Health Impact Project, Nicole Hassoun

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Professor and founder of the Global Health Impact Project: Nicole Hassoun. Hassoun is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Binghamton University, SUNY. Professor Hassoun has launched the Global Health Impact, which tries to inflict positive change in global health by considering how essential medicines for TB, HIV/Aids, and malaria are affecting global health. Hassoun’s vision to provide access to medicines has grown in both scope and membership since its inception in 2007. She now leads a team comprised of advisory board members, collaborators, and even a student research team. ... read more

The Future of the Global Health Initiative

The Global Health Impact is a newly founded initiative aiming to “open the door to positive change by considering how essential medicines for TB, HIV/AIDS, and malaria are affecting global health” (Global Health Impact). This project was created in order to rate and evaluate different drugs, companies, and diseases in order to gain access to essential medicines in poor and developing countries and improve the future of global health, overall. This project, was founded by Professor Nicole Hassoun, a Philosophy professor. Last weekend, Hassoun held a global health conference discussing the project and like issues at Binghamton University. Those present at the conference, spoke about issues of marketing, labeling, and other global health. ... read more

Introducing the Student-Run Global Health Impact Project Forum

Welcome to the first, student-run Global Health Impact (GHI) Project forum. The Global Health Impact Project is an initiative to evaluate and compare medicines’ impact on global health. The GHI Project seeks out a world where people everywhere have access to the necessary lifesaving drugs they need to fight diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. ... read more

Noma Art Group

As we actively emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, poor and low-income Americans are experiencing worsening mental health due to the intensifying of social failures like food, housing, and job insecurity, and growing domestic and social violence. In 2020, the international non-governmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch reported that Covid in the US “put a spotlight on economic inequalities and a fragile social safety net that leaves vulnerable communities to bear the economic brunt of the crisis…”. ... read more

Be The Match Executive Summary

Every three minutes, a person is diagnosed with a deadly blood cancer, such as myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma. Medical professionals can treat these blood cancers with peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) and bone marrow transplants, saving the patient’s life. Unfortunately, seventy percent of blood cancer patients do not have a PBSC or bone marrow match within their own family, making it challenging for these individuals to get the care that they need to survive (BeTheMatch.org, 2022). Making matters even worse, statistics show that patients with more diverse backgrounds are less likely to find a match. ... read more

Vaccine Passports

As the COVID-19 virus begins being curbed through mass vaccination campaigns, a glaring controversy has come to light: vaccine passports. A vaccine passport is essentially a form of identification that some countries will adopt, indicating a person has been vaccinated against the Coronavirus. Some countries, such as Israel, have already implemented their own vaccine passport policies. In Israel's case, it is the “green pass” that allows vaccinated persons to travel to Greece and Cyprus. China and Thailand have expressed desire to implement their own form of vaccine passports as well (Felter, 2021). However, the idea of vaccination passports has become controversial, specifically in the United States. ... read more

Antiretroviral therapy treatment for HIV in Africa

Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) is defined by UNAIDS as a mixture of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs that help reduce the risk of transmission of HIV by 96% (4) as well as stops the progression of the disease. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), ART also reduces the risk of HIV infected individuals being further infected with Tuberculosis (2). Various types of ARV drugs act in different stages in the HIV cycle. A combination of ARV drugs as treatment for HIV/AIDS is known as Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART). ... read more

The Promise of COVAX and The Dangers of Vaccine Nationalism

COVAX, an organization that is being co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organization, is seeking to convince richer countries to invest in their program by citing that they are more likely to gain access to the correct COVID-19 vaccine candidates through their involvement. One of the co-leading organizations behind COVAX, Gavi, hopes that despite the fact that richer countries are independently investing with manufacturers, they will also choose to be a part of COVAX. ... read more

Coronavirus: A developing frontier for the research and implementation of equitable health resources

The sudden onset of COVID-19, an RNA virus with acute respiratory symptoms, and its successive escalation has established a new frontier that demonstrates the lack of an equitable division of healthcare resources. The inequality in detection and treatment for the coronavirus within the United States has furthered the need for an ethical and dynamic model of treatment efficacy and equality apparent [1]. ... read more

Trachoma: the Blinding Disease

Trachoma, a contagious disease caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. The disease works by attacking the inner eyelids, drawing eyelashes inward and scratching the cornea with each blink of an eye. In the United States and for a majority of the developed world, trachoma was eradicated in the 20th century. However, around 80 million people worldwide are currently affected, and in endemic regions, 60-90% of young children suffer from active infections. The disease is spread through direct contact, and is caused by lack of clean water, inadequate sanitation facilities, and overly-populated regions. In developing countries, trachoma is a conspicuous symptom of poverty. ... read more

Why Should We Research Malaria?

Stemming from Plasmodium parasites that are spread to humans through the bites of female mosquitoes, also known as ‘malaria vectors’, 3.2 billion people are at risk of contracting malaria worldwide. (1) Due to its ability to thrive and flourish in both tropical and subtropical areas of the world, most cases of malaria are found in places throughout sub-Saharan Africa. ... read more

What is the Impact of Global Health Funding on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)?

The Global Health Impact (GHI) organization works to raise stakeholders’ (pharmaceutical and biotech industries, non-profits, international organizations, etc.) awareness about the need for increased research and funding. Certain kinds of infectious diseases, known as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), have very minimal research and development efforts catered to them due to the impoverished state of those commonly affected by these diseases. At GHI, we are expanding our models to analyze steps that could be taken to reduce the disregard of NTDs. ... read more

Tuberculosis: The Modern Disease

For many people, the word “tuberculosis” rings up thoughts of the past. The days of coughing and fever have been long gone, thanks to the advent of modern medicine; something so curable could not possibly remain a problem. And yet, this happens to be a major misconception in developed nations. Tuberculosis is among the top ten causes of death across the globe—about 2 million people die annually due to the disease, 95% of whom live in low and middle income countries. ... read more

The Need to Focus on HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness

Tuesday, February 14th, may be known to many in the world as Valentine’s Day, but a lesser known fact is that it is also Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Free testing is available throughout the U.S., and although it seems that our country may be overcoming the epidemic, there are other regions in the world that are still struggling to gain control over the sexually transmitted disease. ... read more

Thailand’s Success can be Emulated

Recently Thailand made headlines in the global health world as the first Asian country to eliminate mother-to baby HIV transmission. Today’s Thailand s a far cry from 1990’s; health experts from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation in 2003 named HIV/AIDS the the country’s greatest health risk. The organisation concluded HIV/AIDs responsible for 4.4 percent of all deaths in the country, a large percentage for a disease the Thai government assured was ‘controlled’... ... read more

Is Free Trade Vigilantism?

As a democratic society, we in the US have adopted the steps of the democratic process to change the laws and positions our government holds on a multitude of issues. Whether a population accepts or rejects its government’s position on a particular issue, the fact is usually determined through a fair voting and transparent legislative process. However, issues arise when our legal democratic system fails us: Are members of a population obligated to follow that process or at least made to wait, the often slow progress time associated with it, and put whatever concern they have on the backburner? ... read more

Generic Production

Our ability to manufacture drugs is a scientific breakthrough that has made it possible for humanity to flourish and evolve by reducing the threat sickness can impose on our lives significantly. However, millions around the world are not afforded the opportunity to access these life saving drugs due to a myriad of factors that come into play. One of these factors is the role drug patenting has come to play within the way these drugs are researched, produced and ultimately marketed and because of the nature of business and the high profitability of life saving drugs they are most often directed towards those who are more likely to be able to pay for what has, if one reads the numbers, effectively become a luxury. ... read more

The Threat of Ebola

While news on the Ebola epidemic in Africa has waned in America because there are no longer any real threats here in terms of the epidemic spreading (and, unfortunately, we live in an environment where others are primarily concerned with their own well-being and those of people nearby), the issue of the Ebola virus is still a very pressing one. ... read more

The South African Burden

As of 2013, there were an estimated 25 million people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.[1] This tops off as the largest population of people living with HIV in any country in the world. In 2013, 1.1 million sub Saharan African deaths were AIDS-related causes. ... read more

How the Global Health Index Can Aid Access to Medicines for the Global Poor Today

It is not unknown that the highest rate of deaths occurs in some of the poorest nations on earth. According to statistics, “about a third of all deaths, 18 million per year, or 50,000 every day, are poverty related.”[i] Moreover, “every year 9 million people are diagnosed with tuberculosis, every day more than 13,400 people are infected with HIV, and every 30 seconds malaria kills a child. ... read more

Are the Pharmaceutical Companies Product Patents Hurting those in Developing Nations?

In this blog post, I’d like to focus our attention on the TRIPS agreement, the agreement administered by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Intellectual property rights. The TRIPS agreement protects product patents for up to twenty years. Aside from all the relief the TRIPS agreement provides to pharmaceutical companies, it is oftentimes the reason why drugs and medicines are so costly. ... read more

Global Health Impact Project: Drug Efficacy

The Global Health Impact project aims to alleviate the global burden of disease in developing countries. The GHI has four indexes’, which measure pharmaceutical companies and other organizations based on their impact on global health to increase access to essential medicines. The country index measures the disease burden in each country by examining the efficacy of a drug used to cure the infected population. The GHI has a team of researchers, which systematically collect efficacy data on HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases (NTD). ... read more

All About the Global Health Conference

The Global Health Conference was held on the 17th and 18th of April in 2015 at Binghamton University. Over the two-day conference, starting with a formal discussion on Friday, and a more intimate workshop on Saturday, there were several panels featuring prominent members of global health studies. One of these panels on the first day of the conference was the Physician Panel, which included Tariq N. Gill, Claire Beetlestone, and Douglas Kerr. ... read more