Switching to Good Health: Nigeria's Mama Put Turns to LPGAs Use

Ismail Abdulaziz Magdalene Offiong Ukuedojor Yusuf Ummul Idris Attah

September 19, 2021 |

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Abuja

Gas To Health Initiative (GTHI) raises awareness about the dangers of certain cooking methods like kerosene and firewood, due to the air pollution it causes indoors. The organization advocates the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas for cooking and works with food vendors that produce food to make the switch. GTHI works with over 600 vendors, providing a required handling safety workshop and teaching the health and financial benefits of making the switch. Then, it provides the vendors with gas cylinders, industrial single/double burners, and all other equipment needed for safe use.

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Pour Flush Toilets Eradicate Typhoid in Katunguru Village

Fatuma Nalwanga

September 19, 2021 |

The Community Agenda |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Katunguru

Katunguru village reduced Cholera and Typhoid outbreaks by building and transitioning to pour flush toilets rather than pit latrines. Pour flush toilets require just a five-foot pit, so waste water doesn’t mix with drinking water and are inexpensive to maintain. A user pours in water to flush the toilet through an S-shaped pipe. In addition to stopping disease outbreaks, residues from filled pits are used as manure and ash from kitchens are sprinkled inside after each use to prevent odors and dry up waste residues. Pour flush toilets are not constructed with wood, so they also minimize local deforestation.

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Rwanda Strives To Stamp Out Killer Malaria Using Drones

Aimable Twahirwa

September 14, 2021 |

Rwanda Dispatch |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Rwanda, Kigali

A pilot program is using drones to spray anti-Malaria pesticides in high-incidence regions. The spraying drones have a 10-liter on-board tank that holds a biological insecticide, which uses bacteria that impacts larval stages of certain insects, including mosquitoes. The operator flown drone has a battery powered spray pump that releases the spray and the downward thrust of the propellers pushes it to the ground. The fixed-wing drone takes off vertically and flies horizontally for 50 minutes and 80 miles. Estimates show a drastic decline of malaria cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the sprayed areas.

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The hotel for homeless people

Simon Maybin

September 14, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United Kingdom

To limit the spread of COVID-19, the Everyone In initiative offers housing to people experiencing homelessness. In the first few months of the program, the government paid for hotel rooms – which were empty due to the pandemic – for about 15,000 people. Additional services provided include helping people with substance abuse issues, accessing welfare benefits, and finding permanent housing. Some hotel residents expressed a renewed sense of purpose from having stable housing. A new set of workers, like hotel staff, addressing homelessness for the first time also led to innovation.

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South Omaha sprints on vaccines as small-town Nebraska lags

Matthew Hansen

September 03, 2021 |

Flatwater Free Press |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Omaha, Nebraska

Community health workers from One World have gained community trust over the years and now go door-to-door to talk with residents about the COVID-19 vaccine and dispel misinformation. They provide resources in Spanish and carry vaccines in a refrigerated bag so residents can get vaccinated on the spot. The group has invested a lot of money, time, and personnel having intensely personal conversations with people. They also host pop-up clinics in the community and allow at-home vaccination appointments. The areas served by One World has seen more vaccinations than almost anywhere else in Nebraska.

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Opioid Crisis: Northern cities working toward supervised consumption sites

Frank Rupnik

August 31, 2021 |

Sudbury.com |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

Oasis is a supervised drug consumption site in Ottawa that reduces the risk of death from accidental overdose and reduces the spread of infectious diseases. In 2020, operating at reduced capacity because of COVID-19, the site had 18,500 visits with no fatalities reported. The site has five booths and distributes clean needles. After registering anonymously, users can spend up to 30 minutes in a booth with medical staff on site. They also have the option of moving to a post-injection space afterwards, which allows the staff more opportunities to connect with users and connect them to other services.

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From 30 Million Cases to Zero

David Byrne

August 27, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: China

China’s path to officially eliminating malaria began in the 1950s when a scientist in a government-funded program discovered the ancient Chinese herb Wormwood had been used to treat symptoms for centuries and went on to make the world’s top treatment. Effective coordination across many agencies, treating stagnant water, and widespread use of insecticide nets also limited cases. Today China uses the “1-3-7” method where local agencies are told of any likely case within one day, the case is confirmed within three days, and measures are taken to treat the patient and prevent further spread within seven days.

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The Struggle of Ending Open Defecation in Adadama, Cross River State

Udeh Obaziota

August 26, 2021 |

Sparkling 92.3 FM |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Nigeria, Adadama, Cross River

A community-led sanitation approach ended the practice of open defecation, a major cause of water pollution and stomach diseases. The program educated people to change social norms and laws requiring every household to own a toilet and punishing those who defecated in the river with a substantial fine were critical to its effectiveness. The community drove the program, with widespread adoption made easier by the benefits like fewer flies and less stomach illnesses. Low budget toilets, requiring only labor to dig a hole and resources available in the bush, were constructed so that everyone could afford it.

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Sacramento's Black Community Takes Charge Of Its Own Health, Vaccination

Genoa Barrow

August 23, 2021 |

The Observer |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

Community groups and individual doctors ran pop-up vaccine clinics to combat the lack of access to care and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Brown communities. Umoja Health’s pop-up clinics vaccinated up to 80% of residents living in San Francisco’s most vulnerable areas. Del Paso Heights clinic had such a huge demand for vaccines that the waiting list swelled to 4,000 people at one point. The Greater Sacramento Urban League ran free pop-up vaccine clinics while also canvassing neighborhoods to talk with residents about getting vaccinated.

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How Wayanad became first district to vaccinate all adults: Collector Adeela intv

Cris

August 20, 2021 |

The News Minute |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: India, Wayanad, Kerala

Wayanad is the first district in Kerala to have vaccinated the entire adult population with at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Rather than waiting for people to make appointments, officials went door-to-door providing all adults with appointment times. The district’s efforts started early, setting up vaccine infrastructure and assigning people appointment dates by where they live. Rapid Response Teams conducted outreach and education efforts, particularly among tribal populations, and made sure people showed up at their appointment. Getting vaccinated with their neighbors also decreased vaccine hesitancy.

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