Author Archives: Alanna Shaikh 
Why Cholera in Haiti, Why Now?
Haiti is currently facing its first cholera outbreak in a hundred years. It’s not a surprise, exactly. It was something public health experts have been afraid of since the earthquake. But after nine months, we were starting to hope maybe it wouldn’t happen.
Water Conflict
So far, we haven’t seen a international water war. We’ve been able to solve water conflicts through economic and diplomatic solutions. I hope - I really hope – that we can keep that up. But as water gets scarcer, the fights are going to get worse.
NTDs Getting a Little Less Neglected
Inside the World Health Organization’s first ever report on so-called “Neglected Tropical Diseases.” The good news, the bad news, and what it all means.
The Powerful Pull of Motherhood
Robert Evans won the Nobel prize today for his work in developing in-vitro fertilization. It’s expensive, time-consuming, and it doesn’t always work. On the other end of the technology spectrum, in both Afghanistan and Niger, a pregnant woman stands a 1 in 55 chance of dying as a result.
The Water We Eat
The Millennium Development Goals can’t cover everything. It’s not so much a flaw in the goals as an unfortunate fact of life. One thing they don’t cover is irrigation water. In about ten years, we’re going to regret that.
The Top Three Things We’re Not Doing To Save Mothers’ Lives
Maternal health gets a lot of attention. It’s been marked as a priority by donors ranging from the UK Government to the Gates Foundation, and it’s been accepted as one of the areas of global health we actually know how to address.
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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