A rigorous assessment of drug and vaccine development for neglected diseases that shows some improvement over the last decade but still major gaps has been published in the Lancet today. Only 4% of the new therapeutic products registered between 2000-11 were for 11% of the global disease burden, and only 4 new chemical entities that can lead to truly new products were approved. 

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A call for action in 4 areas was put out at the World Health Summit in Berlin, held 20-22 October. The 1000 decision makers and representatives of health-related fields from more than 80 countries were there to address pressing issues of medicine and health care systems. The M8 Alliance released a joint statement on what was needed in research and innovation; education and leadership; evidence to policy; and global health for development. 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Many of the ills of the modern world -- starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves, droughts, war and disease -- are likely to worsen as the world warms from man-made climate change, a leaked draft of an international scientific report forecasts.

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SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

In its sixth annual Climate Change Vulnerability Index, risk consultancy firm Maplecroft revealed the countries most likely to suffer from the effects of warming climates by 2025. Please click here to read more.

Many may be struggling to a clear understanding of the real meaning of "resilience". According to this article, the term really expanded in this post 9/11, tsunami and hurricane katrina era to acquire new meanings. This article contains detailed description about how the term "resilience" becomes widely used to describe how people, communities, nations strive to minimize impact of natural and manmade desasters. Click here to read the article.

On July 2013, the International Monetary Fund leased the poverty reduction strategy (2013-2015) for Guinea. The document is divided into three chapter. The first chapter presents the most recent socio-economic situation, the second, the strategic framework for the alleviation of poverty and the third, the framework for implementation of the strategy. The document elaborated extensivelly among other topics, on health and human security, eduction, as well as climate change. Please click here to read more.

Cholera is usually due to inadequate sanitation and water treatment systems. Tropical countries like Guinea and Sierra Leone are known to have very poor sanitation system which condition creates a breeding ground for diseases like cholera. According to The New York Times, from February to August of year 2012, cholera killed 392 while infecting more than 25,000 in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Please click here to read more.

Organizations such as Terre des homme make tremendous efforts to improve sanitation and promote health in Conakry. On January of last year, Terre des hommes launched a project to improve the conditions of hygiene in seven health centres in Conakry. The organization is hoping that the intervention will greatly improve the quality of the healthcare given to 262,000 mothers and children. Click here to read more.

This report provides a brief assessment of Conakry sanitation status. It shares information about water sources and supply systems, sanitation access, sewage system and treatment, and sanitation in low-income areas. It further describes agencies within the administration in charge of sanitation, as well as outside donors efforts to improve sanitation in Conakry. Please click here to read more.