PAY ATTENTION TO RIGHTS IN HEALTH CARE DELIVERING says Dr Chris van Tulleken
Dr Chris van Tulleken, Patron of the medical aid agency Merlin,Honorary Lecturer at UCL, Registrar in Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine at University College Hospital, and a co-presenter of the Channel 4 series ‘Medicine Men Go Wild', has called for a more equitable rights-based approach to delivering aid for public health in developing countries. 
Kintampo Health Research Centre Wins Prestigious Award
The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) has received the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in recognition of the centre’s contribution in the ongoing effort to develop a vaccine against malaria and its work to better medical care in Ghana. The award was first announced in May this year. The Principal Investigators, Dr. Seth Owusu-Agyei, also Director of KHRC, and Dr. Kwaku Poku Asante received the award at a colourful ceremony in Oviedo, Spain recently
Kintampo Health Research Centre and three other African institutions jointly won the award. The three others are The Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), in Mozambique, directed by Dr Pedro Alonso; The Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre (IHRDC),
AMMREN Gambia organises training programme for members
The African Media and Malaria Research Network, AMMREN Gambia Chapter, has organized a one day sensitization workshop for 23 journalists on the role of journalist on malaria prevention and HIV/AIDS at the Tango Hall in Fajara Gambia.
In a paper on the role of the media in malaria prevention and HIV/AIDS Madam Ndey Tapha Sosseh President of the Gambia Press union asked journalists to be more responsible in their work and to always cross-check their facts before publicising or broadcasting any health story in the media She urged journalists to disseminate the research done by scientists to the communities. Mrs Sosseh stated that the role of the media is central in the dissemination of health information noting that AMMREN members should always engage the Medical Research Council (MRC), National Malaria Control Program, CIAM and the National Aids Secretarial (NAS) to adequately informed the public on Malaria and HIV/AIDS. She commended AMMREN Secretariat in Ghana and INDEPTH Network and the Malaria Clinical Alliance (MCTA) for their efforts towards the activities of the AMMREN Gambia Chapter since it formation in November 2007.
New technologies gearing up to meet rising demand for vital malaria drugs
Efforts are being stepped up to develop three emerging technologies that have the potential to significantly improve supplies of drugs to combat malaria under a project known as The Artemisinin Enterprise (AE). The three technologies are expected to; increase the supply of high quality artemisinin to meet projected needs; lower the cost of artemisinin production with sustainable technologies; remove volatility in artemisinin prices by improving the reliability of and diversifying artemisinin supply and develop novel synthetic artemisinin like compounds. The initiative is seen as timely in the wake of renewed efforts to eradicate malaria, a disease which kills up to one million people every year, most of them young children and to meet the ever increasing global demand for antimalarials expected to increase dramatically over the next four years.
Strengthening Research for Health, Development and Equity
By James Addy, Bamako
About 1,000 health researchers, ministers, policy-makers and scientists have attended a three-day Global Ministers Forum on Research for health in the Malian capital.
The forum was under the theme “Strengthening Research for Health, Development and Equity”. Issues discussed included, Causes of health inequities, Climate change and health, Food for health, Global trends: scenario planning, Non-communicable diseases, Pandemics and infectious diseases.
Malaria Drugs Rare in Villages
By: Anthony Bugembe - New Vision (Kampala)
ANTI-MALARIA drugs are expensive and not widely available in the rural areas of Uganda, particularly outside of government health facilities,
a new report says.
Malaria Vaccine Trial to Start Next Year
By ;Tamar Kahn - Business Day (Johannesburg)
Cape Town
Scientists hoped to start final tests on the world's most advanced malaria vaccine early next year, they said yesterday.
The trial is expected to involve more than 16000 babies at 11 sites in seven African countries, and will be one of the biggest conducted in Africa.
Politicians asked to make malaria a campaign issue
Voices for Malaria-Free Future Ghana, a malaria advocate group, on Monday asked politicians, especially presidential candidates, to make malaria a campaign issue in the 2008 general elections.
INDEPTH Network Marks 10th Anniversary
By: Rebecca Kwei (AMMREN-Ghana) - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The Deputy Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Tanzania, Dr. Aisha Omar Kigoda, has called on African governments to use available evidence from research and information systems in the hub of policy development and implementation.
She said evidence-based policy approach helps in making better informed decisions about policies, programmes and strategies. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 8th INDEPTH Network Annual General and Scientific Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on the theme “Indepth @ 10: From Knowledge Generation to Improved Health Policy and Practice”, Dr. Kigoda noted that despite enormous advances in information technology, Africa with many emerging economies, remain starved of vital health and equity information..
