Meet Angela Day – GHO Program Manager

March 10, 2020 Kayti Baur Leave a Comment

By: Kayti Baur, MSc Candidate in Community Health and Epidemiology

The Global Health Office has a new team member – Angela Day! Angela is taking over as our Program Manager for our Education Programs and will be working to strengthen initiatives around global health education.

Angela has a breadth of knowledge and expertise in global and environmental health. Having completed her Masters in International Development here at Dalhousie, she is currently a PhD Candidate in the University of Toronto’s Department of Geography, where she specializes in environment and health. Her research has a distinct focus on health equity, and this is a lens Angela is able to bring from her academic work.

This is not Angela’s first time working in the Global Health Office – several years ago she worked on the first iteration of our online pre-departure program before leaving Halifax for her studies at the University of Toronto. While studying in Toronto she also worked with Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and since being back in Halifax, has been a part-time faculty member at Saint Mary’s University.

Angela sees her role at the GHO as bringing a strong theoretical lens and interdisciplinary pedagogical approach to our education programs. Our education programs currently include a number of initiatives, such as international electives and placements for students across the Faculties of Medicine and Health, and online learning. Angela manages the current programs and aims to increase our offerings and supports for trainings, to round out our educational offerings in this area.

Angela says some of her goals here are to convene an active advisory committee for Global Health Education to strengthen education programs and international partnerships, as well as updating online education opportunities and pre departure trainings. She is excited about the diversity of activities that happen through the GHO since her previous tenure here, and is interested in learning more about our PLANS and indigenous health initiatives under the framework of global health education. Finally, Angela is excited about working with students and exploring innovative ways of teaching and learning – both in person and online – to address global health inequities.

Welcome back Angela!

The Health Association of African Canadians – Student Organization (HAAC-SO)

April 27, 2016 Maria Wilson Leave a Comment

Founders of HAAC-SO, from left to right: Akila Whiley, Michelle Patrick, Leah Jones.

The Health Association of African Canadians – Student Organization (HAAC-SO) was formed by Michelle Patrick, Akila Whiley and Leah Jones in the summer of 2015. Patrick is the Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians (PLANS) coordinator at Dalhousie, while Whiley and Jones are both students at Dalhousie Medical School. Throughout the 2015-2016 academic year, this group has been involved in raising awareness of African Canadian health issues. We recently interviewed Jones and Whiley to learn more about HAAC-SO.

Who are the members of HAAC-SO exec?

Kristine Yarney – Secretary (Pharmacy)

Celeste Williams – Faculty of Dentistry Rep (Dentistry)

Cinera States – Faculty of Medicine Rep (Medicine)

Tiffany Richards – Member at Large (Nutrition)

Korede Akindoju – Faculty of Health Professions Rep (Physiotherapy)

Leah Jones – Co-Chair (Medicine)

Akila Whiley – Co-Chair (Medicine)

Michelle Patrick – Liaison to Health Association of African Canadians (Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians)

What are the goals of HAAC-SO?

The Health Association of African Canadians – Student Organization (HAAC-SO) is a sub group of the Health Association of African Canadians (HAAC), which addresses African Canadian health issues and the systemic inequities affecting health. The goal of the student society is to bring students together from Dalhousie University, and beyond, to create a community of learning centered on Black health issues, career development and community engagement.

What events has HAAC-SO been involved with during the 2015-2016 academic year?

Since the start of the school year, HAAC-SO has been involved in a variety of events of awareness events, both at Dalhousie University and in the community. Some of these are listed below:

September 2015 – HAAC-SO Kickoff Social, Dalhousie Society and Volunteer Expo (recruiting new members)

October 2015 – Living Library (contributed a human “book” to educate attendees on ANS Health)

November 2015 – Pathways to Education (participated in a Health Education and Nutrition workshop with local youth)

January 2016 – Poverty Inc. screening and discussion at Dalhousie Medical School

February 2016 – Elephant in the Room speaker series, Talk About Health

March 2016 – Screening of Black Mother Daughter at Dalhousie Medical school featuring spoken word from Verena Rizg and Monique Thomas

April 2016 – End of year potluck

In your experiences with HAAC-SO, how have partnerships helped you to achieve your goals?

Throughout the year we have made many partnerships; from the Global Health Office, Human Rights Equity and Harassment Prevention Office and many local activists. This has made it possible to host successful events, by event promotion through their networks and financial support. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to form these valuable partnerships as we are a new organization just getting off the ground!

Over the course of one year, HAAC-SO has managed to make a significant impact on Dalhousie campus. The Global Health Office can’t wait to see what this hard-working group has planned for next year!

World Tuberculosis Day Part III – Treatment & Drug Resistance

March 8, 2016 Maria Wilson Leave a Comment

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared March 24, 2016 as World Tuberculosis (TB) Day [1]. Over the month of March, the Global Health Office will be publishing a series of blog posts about TB in hopes of raising awareness of its worldwide impact. WHO’s “End TB Strategy” has a goal of ending the TB epidemic by 2030, by targeting poverty, improving testing and treatment, ending stigma and discrimination, and driving research and innovation. Put simply, TB is not yet a disease of the past, but if we unite and focus our efforts, we can make TB history.

Last week we talked about diagnosing TB, and the importance of determining an appropriate treatment course along with that diagnosis. But how is TB treated, and why is drug resistance an issue with TB in particular?

Although those with latent TB infection do not present symptoms, and cannot spread TB bacteria to others, treatment can still be provided to stop them from developing TB disease. This step is important in eliminating and controlling TB around the world, but should only be initiated once the possibility of TB disease has been excluded. In the United States, four treatment regimens are approved, using combinations of isoniazid, rifampicin and rifapentine. Treatment for latent TB can last anywhere from 3 months to 9 months, necessitating between 12 and 270 doses (minimum) of anti-TB drugs [2].

Treating those with active TB disease is a much more pressing matter, as they have the potential to spread the disease to others. Treatment regimens for active TB disease can last between 6 and 30 months depending on resistance, a process which burdens patients and treatment providers alike [3]. With a treatment course this long, some patients inevitably fail to complete the full regimen, for many reasons including finances, social pressures and inadequate access to proper treatment. To provide a glimpse at the financial burden of TB, each case in Canada cost the healthcare system $47,290 [4]. This can lead to acquired drug resistance, which can then be passed on to others when the infected person, coughs, sneezes or spits, releasing TB bacteria into the air [5].

There are two types of drug-resistant TB: multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). MDR-TB bacteria does not respond to (at least) the two most widely used and powerful first line TB drugs: isoniazid and rifampicin [6]. XDR-TB involves resistance to isoniazid and rifampicin, in addition to resistance to any of the fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin, etc.), and to at least one of three injectable second-line drugs (amikacin, capreomycin or kanamycin) [7]. Both MDR-TB and XDR-TB take longer than regular TB to treat (at least 18 months) and have lower treatment success rates. Furthermore, patients often experience more harsh side effects from treatment, leading to increased hospitalization [8]. In order to maximize the potential for positive treatment outcomes, it is important that further tests are undertaken after initial diagnosis to determine whether bacteria is drug-resistant, and provide appropriate treatment [7].

According to the WHO Global TB Report, in 2014 an estimated 3.3% of new TB cases and 20% of previously treated cases had MDR-TB. More than half of these cases occur in India, China and the Russian Federation. Additionally, an estimated 190,000 people died of MDR-TB in 2014. As of 2015, XDR-TB had been reported in 105 countries. The map below shows the number of patients in these countries with laboratory-confirmed XDR-TB who started treatment in 2014 [9].

Map of the world, showing the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of XDR-TB receiving treatment by country, 2014. (Source: World Health Organization).

In response to treatment non-adherence, and to combat the spread of drug-resistant TB, the directly observed therapy, short-course (DOTS) strategy was developed by WHO in 1994. Health workers meet with patients regularly to help with treatment, adherence, and to provide support and education. This strategy also advocates for increased allocation of domestic and international funding and resources to combat TB [10]. Tuberculosis is also highlighted in two recent worldwide strategies, the WHO End TB Strategy, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will be discussed in our next post.

Current Topics in Global Health: Zika Virus (Part I)

February 24, 2016 Maria Wilson Leave a Comment

The Aedes mosquito.

The most prominent global health issue in the media in 2016 (so far) has, without a doubt, been Zika virus. On February 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) labeled Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern [1]. This has led to increased media coverage, particularly around the potential link between Zika virus and microcephaly. You may be wondering: what is Zika virus, where did it come from, how is it transmitted, and should you be concerned? Fortunately for you, we answer these questions, and many more, in this blog post!

Zika virus was first identified in rhesus monkeys through a sylvatic yellow fever monitoring network in Uganda in 1947. The first cases in humans were discovered in 1952, in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania [2]. Zika virus is vector-borne, meaning that an infected living organism transmits the infectious disease between animals and humans, usually through its bite. The Aedes mosquito is the vector in the case of Zika, the same mosquito that spreads chikungunya, malaria and yellow fever [3]. Other forms of transmission include from mother to child, through sexual contact and through blood transfusion [4]. Approximately 1 in 5 people who are infected with Zika through these channels go on to become ill. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The time from exposure to experiencing symptoms (the incubation period) is not yet known; however, the CDC estimates that it is likely to be a few days to a week [5]. These symptoms are acute, common to many other illnesses, and rarely severe, meaning that many people who have Zika may not realize they have been infected.

Zika virus has been around for more than 60 years, so why are we suddenly so concerned in 2016? There have been outbreaks in the past in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, but Zika virus gained international attention in the media due to events in Brazil in the second half of 2015. The ministry of health in Brazil first reported that Zika was circulating within the country on May 15 2015. Seven months later on December 24, the country declared a state of emergency due to a dramatic increase in cases of microcephaly (abnormal smallness of the head which can lead to neurological defects) in newborn babies. There were 150 cases recorded in all of 2014 in Brazil, compared to 2700 cases recorded from January to October 2015. Between October 2015 and January 20 2016, there were an additional 3893 cases of suspected microcephaly reported [6]. Brazil has also reported an increased number of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in the same time period. GBS is a rare illness in which a person’s own immune system damages the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness, and sometimes, paralysis [7]. A total of eight countries/territories (Brazil, French Polynesia, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Martinique, Honduras and Suriname) have reported a temporal association between the emergence of Zika virus and microcephaly and/or GBS [8]. Although a causal association between Zika and these neurological disorders has not yet been proven, a growing body of both clinical and epidemiological data suggest this is the case. Further studies are currently underway in order to confirm (or refute) the link [9].

Stay tuned for Part II, which will examine risk factors, further implications, prevention and control measures and myths around Zika virus.

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By: Kayti Baur, MSc Candidate in Community Health and Epidemiology