Friday, June 26, 2009

Obama appoints Mehret Mandefro as a White House Fellow

PRESIDENT OBAMA APPOINTS 2009-2010 CLASS OF WHITE HOUSE FELLOWS

WASHINGTON, DC – The White House announced today the appointment of 15 outstanding men and women to serve as White House Fellows. The 2009-2010 class of White House Fellows represents a diverse cross-section of professions including medicine, business, media, education, non-profit and state government, as well as two branches of the U.S. military. The 2009-2010 class of Fellows and their biographies are included below.

"We are thrilled that these exceptional men and women will be joining us here in Washington for the next year," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "The program not only allows for a variety of perspectives to come together, offering expertise and experience to benefit the administration’s efforts, but these Fellows in turn carry what they’ve learned to their own communities to benefit Americans far beyond the walls of the White House."

The White House Fellows Program was created in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson to give promising American leaders "first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government, and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs." This unique position in our nation’s government encourages active citizenship and service to the nation. The Fellows also take part in an education program designed to broaden their knowledge of leadership, policy formulation, military operations, and current affairs. Community service is another important component of the program, and Fellows participate in service projects throughout the year in the Washington, DC area. Since 1964, over 600 outstanding American men and women have participated in the White House Fellows program, each chosen because of their extraordinary leadership ability and service to others.

Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of remarkable professional achievement early in one’s career, evidence of leadership potential, a proven commitment to public service, and the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute successfully at the highest levels of the Federal government. Throughout its history, the program has fostered leaders in many fields including Admiral Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, U.S. Representative Joe Barton, writer Doris Kearns Goodwin, former Travelocity CEO Michelle Peluso, former CNN Chairman and CEO Tom Johnson, former Univision President Luis Nogales, and U.S. Court of Appeals Judges M. Margaret McKeown and Deanell Tacha.

Additional information about the White House Fellows program is available here: www.whitehouse.gov/fellows.

2009-2010 Class of White House Fellows

Mehret Mandefro, 32. Hometown: Alexandria, VA. Mehret Mandefro is a primary care physician and HIV prevention researcher. She most recently was a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania and a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. Her research addresses the intersection of violence prevention and HIV prevention and the application of digital media in translating research. She completed a Primary Care internal medicine residency at Montefiore Hospital where she founded a nonprofit called TruthAIDS that is focused on health literacy efforts among vulnerable populations. Mehret is the managing editor for www.truthaids.org and conducts workshops on HIV prevention, health disparities, and the public health uses of media nationally and internationally as part of TruthAIDS’ outreach efforts. Her ethnographic work about HIV positive women's lives in the South Bronx and Ethiopia is the subject of a full-feature documentary film entitled All of Us, which premiered on Showtime Networks for World AIDS Day and is used nationwide by community-based organizations and universities as an educational tool. Mehret received a BA cum laude in Anthropology and a Medical Doctorate from Harvard University, and a Masters of Science in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as a Fulbright Scholar.
Read Full story at:
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/10181

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Ethiopia Health Ministry says H1N1 flu virus not detected in any other person

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The Ministry of Health said H1N1 flu virus has not been detected in any other person so far except the two Ethiopian students, who were treated last Saturday.

The Ministry said the government has made the necessary preparation to control the virus.

Ministry’s public relations directorate director Ahmed Emano urged the public not be shocked by baseless rumors concerning the virus. He also proved to be false the hearsay information saying vaccination is being given in the city to prevent the virus

Ahmed said the virus was detected in two of three students who came here from the USA last Saturday .The students returned home after receiving treatment.

So far, the cause of the virus has not been yet known.

The director urged the public to follow attentively update information about the disease.

More than 80 countries are now reporting cases of human infection with H1N1 flu and 163 deaths. Cases of the flu are also reported in Africa in Egypt, Morocco and South Africa, according to WHO.

The symptoms of this new H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this new H1N1 virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

The ministry urged the public to provide information to St. Paulos Hospital through phone line 011 2 75 01 25 when they observe symptoms of the virus.

- ENA

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

University to open Dermatology, STD department

University of Gondar, one of state owned universities, has announced that it has opened the first department for Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD).


Department head Dr. Kasahun Dessalegn told ENA that the department established this month will begin training in the coming two years.


The department has finalized designing of curriculum and it will train experts in nurse, and health officer level.


The department will contribute a lot to address skin problems which is problem for about 80 percent of the population.


Dr. Kasahun said the number of dermatology specialists in the country is not more than over 50 and this indicates acute shortage of processionals in the field.


Until the department goes operational, a team consisting of dermatology specialist has already established to give service in Gondar Hospital.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Minelik Hospital Gets Optical Production Unit

Addis Abeba — Minelik II Hospital, one of the country's long serving hospitals on Friday inaugurated an optical production unit in its compound in an effort to deliver better services to eye patients.

The unit is the result of partnership between Vision Aid Overseas (VAO) and Donald and Atchison's (D&A) company to produce 40 eye glasses to produce on a daily basis and to dispense with low cost.

The eye service unit has cost workshop with the capital of 75 thousand USD.

Previously the hospital was not having spectacle production unit.

According to Tezera Kifle, Executive Director of Minelik II hospital, having the opportunity to establish optical work-shop within the hospital, is instrumental in helping the needy people and diversify the service.

"Formerly the hospital prescribes people to buy from other optical centers, that waste extra money time and also the hospital lost its income," Tezera said during the inaugural at the hospital.

The production unit aimed to help those groups of people who suffered from low vision and visual impairment, to offer correct their problems with eye glasses.

Visual impairment due to refractive error is one of the main causes of low vision and blindness particularly in Ethiopia and the world at large.

The optical workshop will operate by three employees, trained in the profession.

Since April , the optical workshop has dispensed 119 pairs of spectacles to patients.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Ethiopia confirms first cases of H1N1

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia has confirmed its first cases of H1N1 flu virus, Health Minister Tewedros Adhanhom said on Friday.

It was the second country after South Africa to report the deadly flu.

"Since swine flu was declared in Mexico, Ethiopia has been free of the disease. But today we can confirm two cases," he said.

Both were teenage girls who arrived back in the country on Saturday for a break from their U.S. high school, he said.

"We have enough drugs to treat 100,000 people should it break out," Tewedros said.

(Reporting by Barry Malone, writing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

SMART Aid helps Ethiopia halve malaria deaths in two years

As ONE continues to advocate for SMART Aid, we’ll be bringing you examples on the ONE Blog of how effective development assistance, when implemented correctly, can save lives:

More than 50 million people in Ethiopia live in areas at risk of malaria. At the turn of the decade, the disease was killing more than 29,000 children a year. In 2005, the Ethiopian government unveiled an ambitious strategy, with donor support, to deliver two mosquito nets to every family at risk. By January 2008, 20.5 million bed nets had been delivered and a third of at-risk children were sleeping in safety (up from two per cent in 2005). Within three years of the start of the program, cases of malaria, and death rates, had been halved. This success was also thanks to delivery of effective malaria treatment, which can cost as little as US$2 per dose. Ethiopia is working to expand access to primary health services, particularly through the training of two health extension workers per village. Thirty thousand young women have been mobilized to transfer health skills to communities, a vital initiative in a country where health services often fail to reach those in isolated rural areas. The training of these health workers, and the provision of disease test kits and drugs, is paid for by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

-Nora Coghlan

Monday, June 8, 2009

Country's First Private Health Sector Exhibition Held Here

Addis Abeba — Some 200 representatives of private health clinics, hospitals, medical supply companies and financial institutions participated on the first ever private health sector exhibition.

The exhibition provided a unique opportunity for the private health sector to meet and share information in support of the growth of a high quality, affordable private health sector responsive to the needs of the people, USAID said in press statement Friday.

The exhibition under the theme of Strengthening and Growing Private Practices in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS is sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Banking on Health Project which is funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the agency said.

The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia and the Medical Association of Physicians in Private Practice, will support the development of the private health sector, and Ethiopia's partnership with the private health sector to improve safety, affordability and access to critical public health services, USAID said.

Dr. Yibeltal Assefa, Director of Health Services Ministry of Health, and USAID/Ethiopia Acting Deputy Director Gerald A. Cashion delivered remarks at the opening of the exhibition at Bole Rock Hotel.

In his remarks, Dr. Cashion said, "USAID is proud to sponsor this exhibition that will enable private medical clinic and hospital owners to obtain essential information, contacts, and inputs to help them sustain and improve their businesses." A variety of commercial representatives and exhibitors participated in the Private Health Sector Exhibition including: medical equipment suppliers, pharmaceutical suppliers and distributors, insurance companies, professional associations, medical schools, literature and book suppliers, a nod banks interested in lending to private health providers. The exhibition also has panel presentations and paper presentations by health providers, healthcare management experts, banks, and government representatives.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital starts construction of college of midwives

Addis Ababa - The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has launched construction of college of Midwives named The Hamlin College of Midwives.

Minister of Health Dr. Tewodros Adhanom and also Dr.Catherin Hamlin, founder of the hospital, inaugurated a temporary training center built to give service till finalization of construction of the college.

The school started training with only 12 students in the first intake. The college will graduate B.sc midwives in a three year direct entry program and will take 20 students for each year, the hospital told ENA in a statement.

Dr. Tewodros awarded a medal and certificate to Dr. Hamlin for her tremendous half a century service in Ethiopia.

The hospital, established by Dr. Catherine and her husband Reginald Hamlin 50 years ago, has been constructing five fistula treatment centers in Bahir Dar, Mekelle, Yirgalem, Harar and Mettu.

The Addis Ababa Fistula hospital has already treated more than 35,000 mothers suffering from an injury resulting from long unrelieved obstructed labor during child birth, the statement said

- ENA

Monday, June 1, 2009

Ground breaking ceremony to be held for “Tirunesh Beijing” Hospital construction

ENA - A corner stone is to be laid for the construction of a modern referral hospital in the metropolis named after the renowned Olympic gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba at a cost of 97 million birr, the Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Gu Xiaojie said.

While delivering a speech at the inauguration of the Gottera Interchange here on Sunday the ambassador announced that the corner stone would be laid for the construction of the hospital within the coming week.

The ambassador said the construction of the hospital is a manifestation of the level of relation between Ethiopia and China.

The hospital would be constructed in Akaki Sub-City where Akaki Health Station situated.

According to the sub-city health office, the hospital would serve over 300,000 people upon going fully operational after 18 months.

The name of the hospital would be “Tirunesh Beijing” to commemorate the shinning victory of the athlete at Beijing Olympics.

A 23-year-old Tirunesh Dibaba clinched double gold medal in 10,000 m and 5000 meter in Beijing, became the first woman ever to achieve the Olympic 5000/10,000m double.