Top of the Morning: Pakistan Prepares for Bloody Elections

Top stories from DAWNS Digest

Pakistanis Go to the Polls in Bloody Election Season

There have been dozens of terrorist attacks, assassinations, and other forms of violence, killing hundreds of people in the lead up to tomorrows parliamentary elections. “Pakistanis head to the polls to vote on a new government Saturday, marking the first handover from one civilian government to another in the country’s history. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is seen as the likely winner in the parliament elections. He has apparently been able to capitalize on failures of the outgoing coalition government to tackle the power crisis, economic challenges and the Taliban insurgency.” (Voice of America http://bit.ly/13kntxJ)

Pharma Companies Sharply Cut HPV Vaccine Costs for Developing World

Excellent news in the fight against cervical cancer. “The lower prices — $4.50 for Merck’s Gardasil vaccine and $4.60 for GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix — were negotiated through the Gavi Alliance, which was created in 1999 with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to deliver more vaccines to the world’s poor. The low price will initially apply to a few million doses for demonstration projects in Kenya, Ghana, Laos, Madagascar and elsewhere, but Dr. Seth Berkley, the alliance’s chief executive officer, said he hoped that by 2020, 30 million girls in 40 countries would get the vaccine at that price or less.” (NYTimes  http://nyti.ms/13km8Hk)