Recent news
March 2011
Science and technology should be leveraged to improve women’s health worldwide, opinion piece says
March 8, 2011 -- “Today, women's health is very much a global issue. There are over 3.4 billion women worldwide and in most regions of the world, women outnumber men. Yet, a number of factors including poverty, discrimination, and violence undermine women's health,” former US Assistant Surgeon General Susan Blumenthal writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece to mark International Women’s Day. She adds, “In many developing nations, women are experiencing the double jeopardy of both chronic and infectious diseases.”
“While problems cross borders—so do solutions,” Blumenthal writes, adding, “We are the first generation that has the science, technology, and now let's stir in the commitment and political will—to eradicate preventable disease. That means our work cannot stop at the United States' borders for humanitarian, economic, and national security reasons. SARS crippled China and Toronto's economies because people were afraid to travel there. Millions of orphans overseas whose mothers have died of AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis are an invitation to political instability. Caring for millions of women with HIV/AIDS, tobacco and obesity related diseases, and Alzheimer's bankrupts nations of the human resources and the funds needed to build healthy communities, economies, and countries.”
“We can't solve public health problems alone,” Blumenthal writes, concluding, “That's why the perspectives of public health, medicine, science, and technology must be integrated into a new paradigm to address the opportunities and challenges ahead. The good news is that the government and private sector have been mobilized and are working together in partnerships, leveraging skills and resources, to improve prevention, research, and service delivery programs for women in our country and globally. If we remain vigilant, the results of these efforts should brighten the health futures for women—and men—in the 21st century.” See the link below for more information.
