Further substantiating the global relevance of Europe’s recent economic woes, IMF director Christine Lagarde, in a recent CNN interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, succinctly characterized the situation in Europe as “everyone’s problem.”

While I completely agree with her assessment and wouldn’t argue the potentially devastating global effects of a Eurozone disaster, what I’m taking issue with is the lack of attention and urgency toward other potentially disastrous situations that I would also characterize as “everyone’s problem.” These include, but unfortunately are not limited to: the impending civil war in newly-independent South Sudan, the rocky transition to democracy in Egypt, the ongoing fighting in Libya, and the continued violence perpetrated by Somalian militants.

And that’s just Africa. I’d be remiss not to mention the violent repression in Syria, homophobic legislation in Russia, and tensions mounting daily between Israel and Iran over Iran’s nuclear program. These problems in faraway places (from an American perspective, that is) are also everyone’s problems, yet are being handled with markedly less global urgency than the Eurozone crisis.

As reprehensible as this dynamic is, however, it’s easy to see how it got this way: we pay attention to those areas where we think our national interests lie.

But what about our human interests? Unfortunately, those don’t acknowledge the imaginary lines we’ve drawn all over the globe; they tend to be urgent and everywhere. And if we don’t start tending to those, too, then achievements in pursuit of our national interests will do little to compensate for our moral deficiencies acquired in ignoring everyone’s ‘other’ problems.

Well fortunately, I have the answer: in 1991 when the Somali government collapsed and the world effectively did nothing. Although numerous subsequent efforts have been made to form a new government and restore order in the country, these efforts have largely failed and 20 years later, many Somalis still live in a state of chaos and uncertainty, to put it lightly. What’s even more disturbing about this troubled reality is that major Western powers, namely the United States, with vast military resources at their disposal have provided extensive military and humanitarian aid and produced tangible, (hopefully) sustainable results in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but little lasting progress has been made in Somalia. This doesn’t suggest that Somalia is a hopeless cause, but rather that our foreign policy has been governed entirely by politics and corporate interest (see Haliburton).

Unfortunately Somalis have suffered for 20 years as a result of this deliberate neglect. Fortunately the United States and its allies have a chance to make it right. With the AU’s recent announcement of a new effort to fight the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, the US has an opportunity to increase its involvement in the fight for peace and stability in Somalia by providing military resources and even assistance to this international effort without having to be any more involved than is politically feasible.

While this kind of action won’t pressure the US to amend its foreign policy to a force for good rather than a force for re-election, it will at least offer a chance for lasting stability in a desperate situation. Perhaps once our leaders are more concerned with people than the electorate, when in the world this negligence becomes acceptable will be in the past, for good.

Anti-HIV Gel May Take Years to Hit Market

Is 39% reduction enough? The dust has barely settled after the announcement of the first positive results from a microbicide trial, but scientists and policy makers are already asking themselves, ‘What’s next?’ “It’s very early, we still need to analyze all the data – and the study collected a lot of very good data – and understand it better before we get to the point of developing a product,” Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), said at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna. More:

• Hunting for a ‘Cure” for HIV
• A gel that puts HIV prevention in women’s hands
• Anti-HIV gel a “step forward” for HIV research

A Radical New AIDS Treatment Strategy

UNAIDS has launched a “simpler, more cost-effective approach to HIV treatment” The approach, dubbed “Treatment 2.0″, aims to drastically scale up testing and treatment using current best practices and future innovations in antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and diagnostics. UNAIDS estimates that successful implementation of Treatment 2.0 could avert 10 million deaths by 2025, and reduce new infections by one-third.

African Leaders Seek Solution to Maternal and Infant Mortality

At the 15th African Union (AU) Summit in Uganda leaders and health experts will meet to reassess key health goals. In 2000, African governments agreed to reduce by two-thirds the number of mothers and children who die annually from pregnancy-related complications and preventable childhood illnesses. Ten years later, little has been achieved on that noble commitment, as statistics show an African woman’s risk of dying in child birth is still one in 11 compared to a 1 in 7,300 risk among women in developed countries.

The Buck Stops with Hospital CEOs

In South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal Province, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo told the heads of the seven major hospitals that they will be held accountable for failing systems at their institutions. “If we want to turn around the tide of health outcomes that are terrible in this country, then you have to look at KwaZulu-Natal,” said Dhlomo. “We have the highest rates of TB, HIV and infant mortality and a large population.”

More than five million people receiving HIV treatment

WHO estimates that 1.2 million more people received HIV treatment in 2009 than in 2008. In addition HIV-related mortality can be reduced by 20% in the next five years if guidelines for early treatment are put into action.

New Mosquito’s Buzz Worse than its Bite

A malaria-proof mosquito has finally been developed and Kenya is expected to use it to eradicate the disease in seven years. Researchers at the University of Arizona, US, say they have made the perfect insect. The Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, which starts a national data collection exercise on malaria indicators Saturday morning, says it will use a combination of tools, including bed nets, education, new innovations and medicines to meet the 2017 targets.

Vaccine Trialists Sue US Drugs Firm for Billions

Victims of the 1996 Pfizer meningitis trovan vaccine test which caused over 200 deaths and several others permanent disability have again sued the drugs manufacturing giant for a whopping sum of $384 billion.

You, too, Can Help Fight Niger’s Famine

In poverty-stricken Niger, it comes as no surprise that drought is pushing the most vulnerable people to the brink of hunger. Right? But then you hear a statistic like this one, with the power to shock even the most cynical: right now, fully half of the country’s 13.4 million inhabitants are facing famine.

More: Aid Caravan to the East

Dire Humanitarian Situation Continues to Grip Somalia

Withdrawn aid due to Al-Shabab’s bombings in Kampala have left the Somali people with even less international assistance. It is vital to ensure adequate funding to assist the 3.2 million people – or more than 40 per cent of the population – who rely on international aid, a senior United Nations aid official stressed this week.

Other news:

• How to prevent HIV? Researchers say, try treating it
• When search engines deal in fake drugs

Rwanda’s Public Health Care Option

With so much debate and controversy over providing adequate health care, one African country is setting an example for both “developed” and “developing” health care systems.

Doctors Without Borders utilizes World Cup to raise HIV awareness

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is working hard to bring greater attention to the serious cut in funding for HIV/AIDS. The US, especially, is taking heat for its decision to reduce the amount of funding. More:

• South African activists added their voices to the protest
• FIFA World Cup HIV campaign

UNICEF marks Day of the African Child with Somalia

The often unseen side of conflict is the toll it takes on health care systems. UNICEF has done well to raise more awareness for the greater need for investment in health care systems in the war-torn country of Somalia.

Zambia to be more Transparent with Health Donors

In a promising move, the Zambian President Banda told donors that more effort would be put into putting greater transparency and financial management in the Ministry of Health.

World Bank missed the boat on Tuberculosis

Thirteen years of funding a program tasked with advocacy and controlling tuberculosis has lacked serious evaluation and focus. The Change.org Global Health Blog offers greater analysis in how the World Bank has failed in the fight against Tuberculosis.

These are just some of the key highlights from the end of this past week. Follow on twitter: @scoutbanana to get up to date articles related to Health in Africa.