AMAZING collaboration between military, USAID, and not-for-profit

Wow! I recently heard a speech by Dr. William H. Foege, a world renowned epidemiologist who was key to the campaign that basically has eradicated smallpox (of course, with the exception of in Afghanistan and a few other war-torn areas), among other incredibly notable achievements. In his speech, Dr. Foege claimed that there would be an anti-malarial vaccine produced within the next 2-3 years, which is astonishing news from a very credible source.

This morning's news brings the announcement that the military, USAID and a not-for-profit called IDRI are collaborating to produce an anti-malarial vaccine. It's an incredible story, and if the effort is successful, the world will be changed. Here's the press release URL: http://m.prnewswire.com/news-releases/idri-usaid-strike-new-collaboration-for-malaria-vaccine-development-127868588.html.

I'm (slowly) writing a piece about the military's role in global health, and this kind of activity illustrates the real contributions that the U.S. government, writ large, can make. I hope it is successful!

Louie Palu photos and essay

Photographer Louie Palau has a compelling piece on the Virginia Quarterly Review called "Total War" here at this URL:http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2010/spring/palu-total-war/, or click on this blog title. A Canadian doc tries to save an Afghan with a gut wound. His photos are evocative and powerful. I'd like to upload one to capture your attention, but I'm sure they are copyrighted.

Navy Corpsmen try to save an Afghan girl

I came across some compelling journalism from Afghanistan (where else?) by a young guy named Elliott D. Woods in the Virginia Quarterly Review. There's a particularly germane piece on how some Corpsmen tried to save a little Afghan girl who was blown up by an IED. It's called "Our Deepest Sympathy." Worth looking over, truly, as are the rest of his stories from "Assignment Afghanistan" at this URL: http://www.assignmentafghanistan.org or click on the title of this post.