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"Populations we serve are often notoriously difficult to reach. They have limited funds, restricted communications and often minimal contact with outside groups. Of course, if none of these restrictions existed, there would be little need for our work."

 

 

 

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December 2019: WiRED Wraps up its 22nd Year, Prepares for 2020


 

WiRED International’s staff, volunteers and board celebrate the end of our 22nd year of providing free community health education in low-resource regions of the world. WiRED’s hundreds of training programs in our Health Learning Center prepare people in a wide variety of topics such as mother and child health, infectious and non-communicable diseases, diabetes control, HIV/AIDS and more. Read more »

 

 

December 2019: Holiday Greetings from WiRED

All of us at WiRED International would like to wish happy holidays to the many people who have become part of our family since we began our work 22 years ago: doctors and nurses, community health workers and people in low-resource areas who have used our training materials to advance their knowledge of medicine and community health. Read more »

 

 

December 2019: Stay Healthy This Holiday Season

The holiday season is here — but so are the germs that bring colds, coughs and flu.

 

Staying healthy begins with the basics: sticking to a balanced diet, drinking lots of clean water, washing hands often, practicing good hygiene, avoiding tobacco and getting enough rest. WiRED International emphasizes the importance of these basics and more in hundreds of our health learning modules, but especially in our Adult Nutrition Module, Handwashing Module and Tobacco Cessation Modules. Read more »

 

 

December 2019: Global Climate and Health Summit Convenes in Madrid

On December 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Climate and Health Alliance assembled a one-day Global Climate and Health Summit in Madrid. The goal was to highlight the urgent need to take action and to strengthen collaboration across health organizations and stakeholders. Read more »

 

 

December 2019: Malnutrition is a World Health Crisis

To most of us, the holiday season brings plenty of good food — and too often too much of it. While obesity is growing all over the world, millions of people, especially children, in low-resource areas suffer from hunger all year round. Read more »

 

 

December 2019: December 1 is World AIDS Day

The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is “Communities make the difference.” The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that communities of people living with HIV and community health workers play a key role in the fight against HIV/AIDS, which is on WHO’s list of the 10 threats to global health. Read more »

 

 

November 2019: Happy Thanksgiving from WiRED International

WiRED International’s board and volunteers wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. This is an American holiday, begun nearly 400 years ago, when immigrants and indigenous people joined in a harvest celebration. Since then, each November, we have embraced the spirit of sharing. While we give thanks for the blessings in our lives, we also remember the people in need who live in our own communities and around the world. Read more »

 

 

November 2019: Healthy Practices Benefit Pregnant Women

An expectant mother’s health determines the health of her baby. In low-resource areas of the world, women receive too little information and scant professional attention about healthy practices during their pregnancies. Read more »

 

 

November 2019: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health
Why Are We Making Matters Worse?

This time last year, I wrote an editorial describing the wildfires burning north of San Francisco, where many WiRED volunteers and board members live. Because of air pollution, we were holed up in our homes, able to venture outside only for chores and obligations we could not avoid. This year the fires have returned, and so has the air pollution, although the air isn’t as foul as it was last year. This year’s new disaster-related feature was the preemptive electricity outages, where power companies plunged 2.7 million people into darkness. Of course, neither the pollution nor the blackouts approach the horrors of the

fires themselves and the losses to people who suffered through those infernos. Ultimately, the fires directly and indirectly, through air pollution and power outages, impact human health, and that’s where we at WiRED take particular notice. Read more »

 

 

November 2019: Air Pollution and Climate Change

The World Health Organization (WHO) placed air pollution and climate change at the top of its list of ten threats to global health in 2019 — even ahead of such concerns as noncommunicable diseases and Ebola. Read more »

 

 

November 2019: WiRED-Armenia’s Programs Continue to Grow

Last month the WiRED–Armenia team conducted a training in Yerevan, Armenia, for members joining the program and establishing new health centers in their respective communities throughout the country. Read more »

 

 

November 2019: November is National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month — a time to learn about diabetes.

 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 422 million adults have diabetes, and 1.6 million deaths are directly related to diabetes every year. WiRED International offers 17 health learning modules on the disease in its Diabetes Series. This series describes type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes and the various complications and consequences of the illness on the body. Read more »

 

 

October 2019: Healthy Environment and Healthy Animals = Healthy People

Disasters such as fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and violent storms can cause great harm. These kinds of events underline the importance of a One Health perspective — the critical link among humans, animals and the environment that we all share. Read more »

 

 

October 2019: WiRED Salutes Dr. Ara Nahabedian

Thanks to its dedicated translators, WiRED International now offers 19 health education modules in the Armenian language on topics of pressing concern in Armenia such as diabetes, dental hygiene and quitting tobacco. Dozens more modules are in the works or planned for the near future, many related to WiRED’s large community health worker training project. Read more »

 

 

October 2019: Climate Change and Our Young People

The New York Times recently ran a piece called “One Thing You Can Do: Talk to Your Children about Climate Change.” The article encouraged parents not only to talk to their children but to get them involved in solutions to the dangers of climate change.

 

I grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, in a family where dialogue between generations was encouraged from infancy. I was a senior in high school when the first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970. My school cancelled all classes. Instead, we spent the day in workshops, “teach-ins,” designed to raise awareness about the need to protect our environment. Read more »

 

 

October 2019: WiRED Marks Global Handwashing Day on October 15

What is the first line of defense against almost all infectious diseases? Yes, that’s right — handwashing. Handwashing is key to the prevention of everything from the common cold to Ebola.

 

Handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs (bacteria, parasites and viruses) to avoid getting sick and to prevent the spread of germs to other people. Read more »

 

 

October 2019: The 2019-2020 Flu Season is Here

Are you ready for flu season? The best way to prevent flu is by getting vaccinated each year.

 

Influenza or flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by several viruses. Flu resembles the common cold because it infects the same organs (nose, throat, lungs) and has similar symptoms. It can cause mild to severe illness and even death. High-risk groups, which are especially vulnerable to complications from the flu, are children younger than two years, adults 65 and older, pregnant women or people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, lung disease and heart disease. Read more »

 

 

October 2019: WiRED Celebrates 22nd Anniversary

In 1997, WiRED International formed around the idea of improving the health of people living in the world’s most underserved communities. To enable us to pursue that ambitious goal, we embraced emerging technologies that would make it possible for us to teach people about good health. Although it wasn’t until years later that we adopted the catchphrase, we always subscribed to the belief that “community health begins with knowledge.” Read more »

 

 

September 2019: WiRED Team Travels to Kenya

WiRED is nearing completion of an extensive curriculum to train community health workers (CHWs) in low-resource regions around the world. Kisumu is one of four test sites where a group of 15 people will undergo a rigorous training program lasting three weeks. During a recent trip, WiRED’s team made provisions for the test. They settled on a location, worked out hardware and logistics matters, interviewed trainers and completed other arrangements for the program, which will begin early in 2020. Researchers at Claremont Graduate University will carefully examine all aspects of the program during the three-week test. After any necessary revisions, WiRED will distribute the training program globally. Read more »

 

 

September 2019: WiRED Salutes George Orlale

In 2003 a 22-year-old George Orlale started work as a security guard at Kisumu Urban Apostolate Programmes (KUAP) Pandipieri Center in Kisumu, Kenya. Today he is a proud college graduate on the road to his master’s degree in data management. Mr. Orlale works as an information technology (IT) expert at Pandipieri, where WiRED operates a Health Learning Center. Read more »

 

 

September 2019: Global Climate Strike

“Our house is on fire — let’s act like it. We demand climate justice for everyone.” So say the world’s youth as they stage a week-long Global Climate Strike event September 20–27 to demand an end to the age of fossil fuels. Read more »

 

 

September 2019: Women in Underserved Communities Face Risks during
Pregnancy and Childbirth

Women in low-resource areas are particularly vulnerable to complications during pregnancy and to postpartum hemorrhage. Timely and appropriate management can prevent suffering and loss, yet high-risk communities lack the appropriate knowledge and skilled medical personnel.

 

WiRED International created our Mother and Child Health Series of 24 health learning modules so that women, their families and community health workers can prepare for a healthy pregnancy, delivery and the early years of their child. Several modules address what can go wrong: two of them are pregnancy complications and postpartum hemorrhage. Read more »

 

 

September 2019: WHO Declares Investing in Nutrition Will Save Lives

Proper nutrition from infancy throughout adulthood is key not only to survival but to lifelong health and well-being.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) just released a report calling for health services to make nutrition a top priority, stating that doing so could save 3.7 million lives by 2025. Read more »

 

 

September 2019: WiRED Completes Module on First Aid Topics

Ideally, doctors and nurses belong on the scene in any medical emergency. However, in underserved areas of the world, the burden of care more often falls on community health workers (CHWs) who, if trained properly, can save lives and prevent further injury.

 

WiRED International is completing a series of First Aid Modules designed to train CHWs on administering urgent and immediate lifesaving measures that can be performed on injured people by nonmedical professionals when medical personnel are not immediately available. Read more »

 

 

September 2019: September is Sepsis Awareness Month

Any infection can lead to sepsis — a life-threatening emergency — yet few people know what it is.

 

Sepsis is a complication of infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. The condition constitutes a global healthcare problem, and despite advances in modern medicine such as vaccines, antibiotics and intensive care, it is the primary cause of death from infection, especially in underserved countries. Read more »

 

 

August 2019: Chronic Diseases Are Preventable

Chronic diseases impact the way we live our lives every day. Many people do not believe that chronic diseases — such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and many cancers — can be prevented. Read more »

 

 

August 2019: Ten Frequently Asked Questions about WiRED’s Health Learning Modules

1. What are Health Learning Modules?

 

They are interactive learning courses that teach people without medical backgrounds about health and medical issues. These evidence-based and peer-reviewed modules are used for group presentations and for individual study. Read more »

 

 

August 2019: Climate Change Imperils World’s Food Supply

On August 8 the United Nations released an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report by 107 experts from 52 countries, which warns that the world’s food supply is at risk due to “unprecedented” climate change, combined with the exploitation of land and water resources. Read more »

 

 

August 2019: WiRED Completes Module on Teaching Health

The World Health Organization states that a strong health force is needed to deliver primary health care to people living in low-resource areas of the world. The current critical shortfall of doctors and nurses can be filled by community health workers (CHWs) — when they are properly trained.

 

WiRED’s CHW curriculum includes training in basic health issues, prevention techniques, taking vital signs, first aid and other health-related skills. Further, it includes WHO-recommended topics such as health surveillance and communication competencies. Read more »

 

 

July 2019: WiRED Announces New Board Chair

The WiRED International Governing Board has elected Charlotte Keegan Ferretti, R.N., Ed.D., as its new board chair, effective August 1, 2019. She replaces Anthony Hodge, who, though retiring from the helm, will stay on the board.

 

Mr. Hodge said, “I enjoyed greatly my tenure as chair working with Director Gary Selnow and the other board members, who are an amazing group of bright, brainy and energetic individuals who have made WiRED a success for 22 years. I am happy to pass the baton on to Charlotte, who will do a great job for WiRED in the years to come.” Read more »

 

 

July 2019: Dengue Fever Strikes Honduras

An eruption of dengue fever has reached epidemic proportions in Honduras. Health officials there have declared the crisis a national emergency.

 

According to CNN, hospitals in La Paz are so overwhelmed that patients are spilling over into corridors and even a nearby chapel, while planned operations have been postponed. The Honduran Ministry of Health reports that of the 32 public hospitals in the country, 26 have been completely overwhelmed. Children constitute the majority of the 50+ deaths reported so far. Read more »

 

 

July 2019: Mark Kelleher Joins WiRED’s Board of Directors

WiRED International is pleased to announce Mark D. Kelleher’s election to its board of directors.

 

Mr. Kelleher said, “I’m delighted to join the WiRED International board, and honored to be asked. Through colleagues [at San Francisco State University (SF State)] who are already involved, I’ve been inspired to learn about the really distinctive ways that the organization’s volunteers and supporters substantively improve the lives of so many around the globe. I’m excited to contribute however needed!” Read more »

 

 

July 2019: WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak in the Congo a Global Emergency

On July 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared that the year-old Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is now a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” WHO has already identified Ebola as one of the 10 threats to global health in 2019. Read more »

 

 

July 2019: WiRED's Health Education Modules Enable Community Health Worker to Stay Current in Her Profession

Lency Mmbone is a 24-year-old community health worker (CHW) who lives and works in Obunga, one of the poorest areas of Kisumu in western Kenya.

 

In a testimonial sent to WiRED International, Ms. Mmbone said, “I want to thank WiRED for providing free health information materials to the vulnerable settlement of Obunga Slum.” Read more »

 

 

July 2019: Update on Armenia

WiRED International is pleased to announce the receipt of a memorandum of understanding from the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of Health. Read more »

 

 

 

July 2019: Summer is Here

It is July. To most people in the northern hemisphere, summer means vacations, extra hours of light in the evening, swimming and other outdoor joys.

 

Unfortunately, summer also brings mosquitoes. Rising global temperatures, due to greenhouse gas emissions and wetter conditions, allow mosquitoes to multiply and to spread diseases faster than ever into new environments. Mosquito-borne diseases include malaria, dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Taking precautions is the key to prevention. Read all about mosquitoes and learn how to avoid them by clicking on to WiRED International’s Mosquito webpage. Read more »

 

 

June 2019: WiRED Deepens Partnership with Caritas in Armenia

WiRED International and Armenian Caritas recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work jointly to host health training programs throughout underserved communities in Armenia. Read more »

 

 

June 2019: WiRED Announces Update of HealthMAP

In March 2018 WiRED International launched its Health Module Access Program (HealthMAP). This innovative technology opened up access to WiRED’s materials for millions more people in the world’s most distant communities, many with limited or no online access. A year later WiRED now unveils a newly refreshed and more user-friendly HealthMAP. Read more »

 

 

June 2019: Update on Dengue


 

Dengue fever threatens nearly half of the world’s population, but it will likely get much worse. The New York Times reports on a recent study that forecasts that climate change is about to boost the risk of the disease to considerably larger swaths of the population. Read more »

 

 

June 2019: WiRED Expands Work in Armenia

This June the WiRED International team completed a busy and productive work agenda in Armenia in order to provide continued support for community health concerns in that country.

 

WiRED’s mission in Armenia is to foster a strong and effective program which will provide communities in this post-Soviet state with accurate, dependable and effective health education, administrative support and training outreach. Read more »

 

 

June 2019: The Value of Volunteerism

Volunteering is a selfless act that helps not only people in need but also yourself.

 

In high school, students are encouraged to volunteer for causes and organizations they feel passionate about. For many of these students, volunteering may seem like a resume builder, useful when applying to universities and obtaining a job. However, there are benefits we may not see, including some that relate to the Buddhist belief in the eightfold path of “right thought.” Read more »

 

 

June 2019: Scientific Research Targets Possible Strep Vaccine

Although rheumatic heart disease or RHD is completely preventable, it affects 33 million people globally, two-thirds of them children in the world’s most underserved countries.

 

For years researchers worldwide have been searching for a vaccine against Group A Streptococcus or strep, a sore throat which left untreated can lead to rheumatic fever, heart disease and premature death. Read more »

 

 

May 2019: WiRED Marks World No Tobacco Day

Smoking tobacco affects every organ in the human body and causes or contributes to many chronic and fatal illnesses such as cancer, stroke and heart disease.

 

Every year, on May 31, the World Health Organization and its global partners celebrate World No Tobacco Day. This year the focus is on tobacco and lung health. The campaign will increase awareness of the role that tobacco plays in people’s lung health from cancer to chronic respiratory disease. Read more »

 

 

May 2019: WHO Holds 72nd Annual World Health Assembly

The 72nd session of the World Health Assembly (WHA72) took place this week in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference’s main function is to determine the policies of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHA72’s 2019 theme is “Universal Health Coverage: Leaving No One Behind.” Read more »

 

 

May 2019: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention:
Training for Teachers

Good health starts with knowledge applied in our homes, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods and communities. What are good health practices, and how can we promote them?

 

WiRED International now offers a module on health promotion and disease prevention, written especially as a guide for community health workers (CHWs). The training provides a structure for CHWs to use in their roles as community educators. CHWs learn about modifiable risk behaviors, health programs, interventions and how to implement healthy practices at the individual, family and community levels. Read more »

 

 

May 2019: Why Schools Need to Offer Health Training

WiRED International’s goal is to help educate communities on health issues relevant to their daily lives. WiRED’s 400+ health learning modules can be essential assets to a student’s education in middle and high school. Read more »

 

 

May 2019: Update on Measles Outbreaks

Ever since Dr. Edward Jenner invented a vaccine for smallpox in 1796, vaccination against numerous viruses has saved countless lives. Measles ought to be a disease for the history books — instead, measles is spreading rapidly all over the world. So rapidly in fact, that this month the World Health Organization reports an alarming 300% increase in the number of measles cases worldwide compared with the first three months of 2018. Read more »

 

 

April 2019: WiRED Launches Module on Understanding Noncommunicable Diseases


 

WiRED International just released a module on understanding noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), written especially as a guide for community health workers (CHWs).

 

What are NCDs? These are chronic diseases that do not pass from person to person, tend to be of long duration and result from a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioral factors. Read more »

 

 

April 2019: Health Observances in the Month of April

As regular readers know, WiRED’s writers keep watch for official health observances to elevate key issues that promote healthy living and disease awareness. As a health education organization, it is our calling to stimulate health consciousness and promote practices of disease prevention. Read more »

 

 

April 2019: Earth Day

In the past year, WiRED International has posted a half-dozen Web stories about the environment and climate change. We raise the subject in editorials, descriptions of our programs and in articles submitted by contributing writers.

 

A good friend wrote recently telling me that he likes WiRED’s work on community health education, but he thinks our pieces on climate change and the environment are off the mark. In his polite and thoughtful way, he said, stay in your lane — which is health education. Read more »

 

 

April 2019: Risper Adhiambo, a Holder of WiRED's Mother and Child Certificate,
Trains Women in Her Community

Risper Adhiambo recently earned WiRED International’s Faye Cohen Certificate for Mother and Child Health (M&CH). Ms. Adhiambo lives in Kisumu, located in Western Kenya, near Lake Victoria, about 70 miles from the Ugandan border. Read more »

 

 

April 2019: WiRED Releases Module on Promoting Mental Health and Wellness

Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Mental health affects how we think, feel and act, as well as how we relate to others and make choices. Read more »

 

 

April 2019: WiRED Notes National Public Health Week

The American Public Health Association (APHA) created National Public Health Week to promote important public health ideas, contributions and issues.

 

This year, APHA will focus on six public health topics: (1) healthy communities, (2) violence prevention, (3) rural health, (4) technology and public health, (5) climate change, and (6) global health. Four of these themes touch on WiRED International’s mission to bring free health learning education to underserved communities worldwide. Read more »

 

 

March 2019: Ebola Outbreak in the Congo Tops 1,000 Cases

The Ebola crisis continues to worsen in the Democratic Republic of Congo amidst attacks on health treatment centers from armed insurgents and from frightened citizens who distrust outside aid. Read more »

 

 

March 2019: WiRED Releases Updated Module on Water Treatment

We read often about countries in low-resource regions facing a life-threatening shortage of clean drinking water. People die of dehydration, contract water-borne diseases and suffer from an extreme version of what nearly all of us have experienced at one time or another: thirst. Read more »

 

 

March 2019: WiRED International Marks Two Health Observance Days in March

The end of March marks two health observance days: World Oral Health Day on March 20 and World Tuberculosis Day on March 24. Read more »

 

 

March 2019: WiRED Launches Module on Understanding Communicable Diseases

West Africa was wholly unprepared for the Ebola outbreak in 2014. To help prevent such infections and other health problems, WiRED International is developing a Community Health Worker (CHW) Training Program to prepare low-resource communities BEFORE a disease epidemic can strike.

 

As part of this program, WiRED now offers a two-part module for CHWs on how to understand communicable diseases, to be followed soon by the release of a module on understanding noncommunicable diseases. Read more »

 

 

March 2019: A Climate Change Perspective ... from Generation Z

My name is Olivia Spirito. I am presently a senior in high school, and I am a volunteer at WiRED. I believe that climate change is putting my generation and future generations at risk. Weather-related threats such as floods, hurricanes, droughts and forest fires will cause environments to become inhospitable. The lives of people

who survived the recent forest fires in California (November 2018), the destructive Alabama tornado (March 2019) and the current raging flood in Afghanistan have been drastically changed forever. It is my hope that I and my future family will have a chance to live comfortably without the fear of uncontrollable factors like these catastrophic events.

 

Read more »

 

 

March 2019: WiRED Releases Autoimmune Diseases Module

No one knows exactly what triggers autoimmune diseases, but they occur when there are problems with the immune system’s reactions in the body.

 

The immune system forms a network of cells and tissues that protect the body from viruses, bacteria and infection. But sometimes, instead of defending the body from harm, the system produces autoantibodies which mistakenly attack healthy body cells, and which can lead to autoimmune diseases. These illnesses are difficult to diagnose and often are chronic and incurable. Read more »

 

 

March 2019: WiRED Marks Publication of Journal Article on Disease Prevention

Emergency medical treatment in health crises and natural disasters makes headlines. Disease prevention and health promotion often go unnoticed in the media and so largely go ignored by the public.

 

The Medical Journal of Southern California Clinicians recently published an article entitled “The Quiet Work of Disease Prevention,” co-written by WiRED International Director Gary Selnow, Ph.D., and WiRED Board member William Crano, Ph.D. Read more »

 

 

March 2019: Marine Mammal Illness Possibly Related to Environmental Conditions

I am an employee and volunteer with The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. As the marine mammal hospital with the world’s largest number of patients, the Center advances global ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research and education.

 

The One Health concept — that the health of animals, humans and the environment are interconnected — was dramatically demonstrated to me this past fall. At that time, the Center admitted the greatest number of sea lions with leptospirosis in its 44-year history. Leptospirosis is a life-threatening, zoonotic disease caused by the Leptospira bacteria. It infects a wide spectrum of life forms, including rodents, cats, dogs, sea lions — and humans. Read more »

 

 

February 2019: Noncommunicable Diseases:
#2 on WHO’s Global Threat List

The World Health Organization (WHO) named noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) near the top of its list of ten threats to global health in 2019 — second only to air pollution and climate change.

 

Read more »

 

 

 

February 2019: Two Kenyans with WiRED Certificates Promote Health
in Their Communities

Thadeus Oduor Okello and Martha Mwikali are two community health workers (CHWs) serving vulnerable populations in Kisumu, located in Western Kenya, near Lake Victoria, about 70 miles from the Ugandan border.

 

Recently they both earned WiRED International’s Gold Certificate while at the KUAP Pandipieri clinic in Kisumu and wrote testimonials about their experiences with WiRED. Read more »

 

 

February 2019: WiRED Observes American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month, and the National Institutes of Health is promoting this year’s slogan, “Our Hearts.” This theme encourages people to make a pact with friends and family to take care of their hearts and their cardiovascular health. Read more »

 

 

February 2019: WiRED Releases Essential Diagnostic Tools Module

Diagnostic tools help identify what ails patients and what keeps them healthy.

 

WiRED International now offers an Essential Diagnostic Tools Module, based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. The module will be useful to people working in clinics in low-resource regions — especially to community health workers (CHWs) taking WiRED’s upcoming CHW training program. Read more »

 

 

February 2019: WiRED Marks World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day occurs on February 4th of each year. This year’s theme is: “I AM one person AND I WILL help create a future without cancer.” The goal is to promote personal responsibility to prevent cancer by taking care of your health. Read more »

 

 

February 2019: Measles Outbreak — A State of Emergency — in Northwestern U.S. Underlines Importance of Vaccinating Children

A measles outbreak this week in Oregon quickly spread to Washington State where the governor there declared a state of emergency due to the rising number of cases of measles, almost all in children. Read more »

 

 

January 2019: WHO Names Top Ten Threats to Global Health

On January 21, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a list of ten threats impacting global health, which WHO and its partners will focus on in 2019.

 

Read more »

 

 

 

January 2019: WiRED Launches New Module: Introduction to Labor and Delivery

Giving birth can be stressful as well as joyful. Knowing what to expect can help make the experience of having a baby a calmer, happier and safer experience.

 

WiRED’s module on labor and delivery serves as an introduction to the topic by giving guidelines to pregnant women. It covers false labor, signs and stages of labor and presents an overview of pain management techniques, cesarean delivery and more. Read more »

 

 

January 2019: Sidestepping Climate Change to Promote Environmental Policy

Life on the planet is remarkably interconnected; humans, animals, we might even add plants, interact in delicate, mutually dependent associations. Presiding over all living things are the air and water — the environment that sustains us. WiRED International’s focus on health education has increasingly promoted the unifying perspective known as One Health — the intersection of human, animal and environmental health. During the coming year, we will examine how environmental conditions are changing the profile of diseases that affect people and animals throughout the underserved regions where we work. To start the series, we look at policies that make a powerful and direct impact on the environment, now teetering on the edge of a disaster. We are less concerned about politics than people, but, given current trends, we cannot discuss one without discussing the other. The political decisions that impact human health are great, and the time to change them is short. Read more »

 

 

January 2019: Update on Resurgence of Ebola

The Ebola virus returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 2018. Today the World Health Organization (WHO) and the DR Congo’s Ministry of Health continue to combat Ebola — despite violent disturbances and the killing of civilians carried out by rebelling militiamen.

 

Read more »

 

January 2019: Interview with Bernice Born

WiRED International staff writer Olivia Spirito talked with Bernice Born about volunteering for WiRED. Bernice serves as WiRED’s longtime website editor and applies her eagle eye to polishing the organization’s web stories. Read more »

 

 

December 2018: CDC Offers Tips for a Healthy New Year

The holiday season is over, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges us to follow these tips to get the New Year off to a healthy start. WiRED International suggests taking steps now to keep yourself and your loved ones active and healthy in the New Year. Read more »

 

 

December 2018: Holiday Greetings from WiRED

All of us at WiRED International would like to wish happy holidays to the many people who have become part of our family since we began our work 21 years ago: doctors and nurses, community health workers and people in low-resource areas who have used our training materials to improve their knowledge of medicine and community health. Read more »

 

 

December 2018: WiRED Wraps up its 21st Year, Prepares for 2019

WiRED International chalked up a number of accomplishments during a busy and productive 2018 in our mission to advance global health education.

 

WiRED launched its breakthrough Health Module Access Program (HealthMAP), opening up access to its materials for millions more people. HealthMAP can now deliver free health education training material to underserved communities in the world’s most distant locations, many of which have no Internet connection. Read more »

 

 

December 2018: WiRED Welcomes Your Year-End Support

Because WiRED International is volunteer-driven, approximately 95% of all donations we receive go directly to our programs. As 2018 comes to a close, we ask that you consider a gift to WiRED International as part of your year-end philanthropy. We pledge to use your money wisely, honestly and efficiently as we go forward with our work in low-resource regions of the world. Read more »

 

 

 

December 2018: WiRED Releases Module on Healthy Practices during Pregnancy

Pregnant women can get overwhelmed by all the do’s and don’ts of how to have a healthy pregnancy.

 

WiRED International offers a health learning module on healthy practices during pregnancy that takes the mother through all the stages of pregnancy and describes preconception health, what factors help or endanger a woman or her unborn child, prenatal care for mother and baby, diet and calorie needs, vitamins and minerals, appropriate weight gain and appropriate exercise. Read more »

 

 

December 2018: The Secret to Better Health: Wash Your Hands!

What is a principal line of defense against many infectious diseases? Yes, that’s right — handwashing — the key to the prevention of the common cold, the flu and many more infections.

 

Handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs (bacteria, parasites and viruses) to avoid getting sick and to prevent the spread of germs to other people. Read more »

 

 

December 2018: WiRED Releases Health Learning Module on Diarrhea in Children

Diarrhea kills 2,195 children every day — more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.

 

WiRED International’s Diarrhea in Children Module describes the condition in children, its causes, symptoms, complications, treatment and prevention; dangers and risks of dying; chronic diarrhea; and the importance of dietary therapy beginning with breastfeeding. Read more »

 

 

December 2018: WiRED Marks World AIDS Day

December 1 is World AIDS Day, this year commemorating the observance’s 30th anniversary.

 

This year’s theme is “Know Your Status.” Today, only three in four people living with HIV know their status — that they are HIV positive — according to a UNAIDS report.

 

Read more »

 

 

November 2018: WiRED Observes National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month — a time to spread the word about diabetes.

 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 422 million adults have diabetes, and 1.6 million deaths are directly related to diabetes every year. WiRED International offers 17 modules on the disease in its Diabetes Series. This series describes type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes and the various complications and consequences of the illness on the body. Read more »

 

 

On #GivingTuesday, November 27: We invite you to join us in global health education

Here's a great opportunity to support health education in low-resource regions.

 

This is WiRED’s 21st year of providing community health education to underserved populations around the world. We deliver more than 400 health topics that people can study online or download to their laptops and tablets, and we never charge a cent for any of our training material. Read more »

 

 

November 2018: Climate Change, Pollution and Health

Many of WiRED’s board members, staff and volunteers live in California, and, as I write this essay, we are holed up in our homes, able to venture outside only for chores and obligations we cannot avoid. When I worked in Iraq and stayed in safe-houses, it was sometimes the same. Dangers outside kept us inside. In Iraq, the dangers came from gunfire. In California these days, it’s toxic air, the result of wildfires consuming large swaths of land in the north and in the south of the state. Read more »

 

 

November 2018: WiRED Develops Custom Electronic Medical Record Software for Kenya

WiRED International is pleased to announce the launch of an electronic medical record (EMR) system at the KUAP-Pandipieri Clinic in Kisumu, Kenya.

 

EMRs, which are rare in low-resource environments, replace paper records that are cumbersome, vulnerable to loss, and difficult to maintain. Moreover, electronic records allow instant access to a patient’s medical history, improving a clinician’s capacity to provide proper treatment. Read more »

 

 

November 2018: Veterans Day

On this Veterans Day WiRED International would like to recognize members of our board who served their country in uniform and now donate volunteer time to help our organization as we provide health information to underserved regions around the world. Their efforts contribute significantly to WiRED’s health diplomacy programs and, therefore, to the American image abroad, at a particularly important time. Read more »

 

 

November 2018: WiRED Releases Module on Dehydration

Dehydration can be life threating if severe and untreated.

 

WiRED International’s module on dehydration and oral rehydration therapy covers the prevention and causes of dehydration, its symptoms, complications, treatment, administration of oral rehydration solution and treatment in the hospital. Read more »

 

 

November 2018: WiRED Marks One Health Day

November 3, 2018, is One Health Day. One Health Day reminds us of the critical link among humans, animals and the environment we all share. It further reminds us that to address the health of human populations, we must also address the health of animals and of the planet that hosts all living things. Read more »

 

 

October 2018: WiRED Mourns the Loss of Lewis D. Eigen

WiRED International’s board of directors and volunteers are deeply saddened by the death of Lewis D. Eigen, Ed.D., on October 28, 2018, at age 82. He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by three generations of his family. Dr. Eigen was a business leader, educator, public servant, humanitarian and WiRED Board member. Read more »

 

 

October 2018: The 2018-2019 Flu Season is Here

Are you ready for flu season? The best way to prevent flu is by getting vaccinated each year.

 

Influenza or flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by several viruses. Flu resembles the common cold because it infects the same organs (nose, throat, lungs) and has similar symptoms. It can cause mild to severe illness and even death. High-risk groups, which are especially vulnerable to complications from the flu, are children younger than two years, adults 65 and older, pregnant women or people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, lung disease and heart disease. Read more »

 

 

October 2018: WiRED Notes National Dental Hygiene Month

Halloween is right around the corner — and so are the scary effects of sugar. The American Dental Association states that certain trick or treat sweet treats such as sticky, hard or sour candies cause the most harmful dental issues. Sugar from candy that stays on teeth for too long produces plaque, creates cavities and leads to gum disease. To raise awareness of proper dental hygiene, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association named October National Dental Hygiene Month. Read more »

 

 

October 2018: WiRED Creates Module on Diarrhea in Adults

Diarrhea is a common problem most people face one or two times a year. It is also a global killer. Of deaths brought about by diarrhea, children are most likely to be affected, in part because of their size, but adults, too, die in large numbers from the condition. Read more »

 

 

October 2018: WiRED Marks Global Handwashing Day on October 15

What is the first line of defense against almost all infectious diseases? Yes, that’s right — handwashing. Handwashing is key to the prevention of everything from the common cold to Ebola. Read more »

 

 

October 2018: WiRED Fits Kenyans with Free Glasses

This September in Kisumu, Kenya, WiRED International distributed 300 pairs of reading glasses to middle-aged and older people who had deteriorating eyesight and no money to pay for glasses. Read more »

 

 

October 2018: Making Charitable Gifts from IRA Accounts Gives Tax Advantage

Did you know that if you are over age 70½ years you can reduce your taxes by making a gift directly from your IRA to WiRED International? You can lower your income and taxes for this year while helping WiRED receive 100% of the distribution amount. Read more »

 

 

October 2018: WiRED Awards First-Ever Mother and Child Certificates in Kenya

This September in Kisumu, Kenya, WiRED International graduated its inaugural class of recipients of the Faye Cohen Certificate for Mother and Child Health (M&CH).

 

Read more »

 

 

September 2018: WiRED International Observes World Heart Day

On September 29 the World Heart Federation is sponsoring World Heart Day, created to call attention to cardiovascular health and to inspire people to adopt heart-healthy behaviors. The recommendations spotlighted are designed to reduce the threats of cardiovascular disease, one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Read more »

 

 

September 2018: WiRED Salutes Volunteer Ann Mangold

In the 1980s the clothing company Hanes launched an ad campaign featuring commercials with the now iconic Inspector 12. The idea was that no Hanes product could be released to the public without being scrutinized by tough Inspector 12. WiRED International boasts its own Inspector 12 for its Health Learning Modules: volunteer Ann Mangold. Read more »

 

 

September 2018: WiRED Presentation Teaches Teenagers in Armenia about Nutrition

WiRED International-Armenia trainer Anush Kharabaghtsyan recently taught a group of young people ages 13 to 17 about nutrition using WiRED’s Adult Nutrition Module.

 

WiRED’s module provides an introduction to nutrition that gives practical advice on maintaining a healthy diet. Read more »

 

 

September 2018: Family Planning Vital to Global Community Health

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said, “Every woman should have the right to decide whether, when and with whom she has a baby.” Yet, worldwide, an estimated 214 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for modern contraception. Read more »

 

 

September 2018: WiRED Offers Learning Modules on Sepsis — a Serious Global
Health Issue

Sepsis is more common than heart attacks and claims more lives than cancer; yet, even in the most developed countries, many people have never heard of it. WiRED International offers both a Sepsis Module and a Maternal Sepsis Module in its Health Learning Center in order to educate health workers and general audiences about this dangerous and relatively unknown health concern. Read more »

 

 

September 2018: WiRED International Marks World Suicide Prevention Day

Awareness of mental health is on the rise these past few years. Suicide Prevention Day, established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), is promoted each year on September 10. This year’s theme is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide.” Read more »

 

 

September 2018: WiRED International Mourns the Loss of Sheldon S. Cohen,
IRS Commissioner and WiRED Board Member


 

WiRED International’s board of directors and its volunteers are deeply saddened by the death of the Honorable Sheldon S. Cohen, Esq., on September 4, 2018, at age 91.

 

Mr. Cohen, a tax lawyer and certified public accountant, served as Internal Revenue Service commissioner from January 1965 to January 1969. He was appointed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read more »

 

 

September 2018: WiRED Releases Health Learning Module on Vision

Since healthy eyes are essential to a healthy body, WiRED International now offers a health learning module on vision.

 

Read more »

 

 

August 2018: WiRED Board Member Dr. Richard Carmona Featured in AARP Magazine

The August/September issue of AARP The Magazine published a piece from Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States, and board member of WiRED International.

 

In the article Dr. Carmona pays tribute to his grandmother. He says, “As a kid growing up in Harlem with Abuelita, I learned everything I would later need to lead the U.S. Public Health Service. I was the oldest of her grandchildren, and Abuelita probably taught me more about community service than anybody.” Read more »

 

 

August 2018: WiRED Creates Huntington’s Disease Module in Memory of
Ronald Thomas MacDonald

WiRED International now offers a health learning module on Huntington’s disease.

 

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited progressive brain disease that causes cells to die in various parts of the brain. HD affects a person’s functional abilities and usually results in cognitive, psychiatric and movement disorders. Read more »

 

 

August 2018: Global Resolution Spotlights Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease

RHD

This spring the World Health Organization (WHO) unanimously adopted a global resolution calling for action to prevent rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Read more »

 

 

August 2018: Report from Haiti

Yen-Len Tang, M.D., a pediatrician with the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, recently returned from Haiti, where he regularly provides volunteer medical care in the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer
in Deschapelles. Read more »

 

 

August 2018: WiRED Releases Lyme Disease Module

Climate change, which brings warmer temperatures to higher latitudes and elevations, may be one of the causes of an increase in the tick population, which in turn, has brought about an increase in cases of Lyme disease. No matter the cause, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded a soaring increase in the tick population between 2004 and 2016. Read more »

 

 

August 2018: WiRED Completes Ambitious Mother and Child Health Series

WiRED International is proud to announce the release of its 24-part Mother and Child Health Series.

 

WiRED has created a uniquely comprehensive training program, two years in the making, to assist families, caregivers, community health workers and others by offering information related to the following four areas: Before Pregnancy, Pregnant Now, Labor and Delivery, and Parenting. Read more »

 

 

 

August 2018: Why We Developed the Mother and Child Health Series

I worked my way through college many years ago as a disc jockey. Listeners would often phone the station with requests for a favorite song; I recall how satisfying it was to find the tune and play it for them on the air. It wasn’t very satisfying, though, to search the music archives and come up empty-handed. Read more »

 

 

July 2018: Did You Miss WiRED’s HealthMAP Launch?

An earlier article this year announced the release of WiRED International’s breakthrough Health Module Access Program (HealthMAP). Now WiRED can deliver free health education training material to underserved communities in the world’s most remote locations, many of which have limited or no online access. Read more »

 

 

 

July 2018: WiRED Marks World Hepatitis Day

Each year on July 28, we acknowledge World Hepatitis Day. One in 12 people worldwide lives with either chronic hepatitis B or C. Read more »

 

 

July 2018: WiRED Mourns the Loss of Elmarie Wendel, WiRED Honorary Board Member

WiRED International’s board and volunteers are deeply saddened by the death
of actress Elmarie Wendel on July 21, 2018, at age 89. Read more »

 

 

July 2018: WiRED Launches Childhood Obesity Module

Obesity is a global crisis, now on the rise in low-income countries, and together with overweight, is linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight. And yet obesity is completely preventable, especially if people develop healthy habits in childhood. Read more »

 

 

July 2018: WiRED Honors Contributions to Health Training in Armenia

Armenia

Today, poverty, scarce healthcare resources and the lack of reliable medical information are creating a healthcare crisis for the people of Armenia, and WiRED International is responding to their needs. Read more »

 

 

 

July 2018: To Protect, Promote and Support Breast-feeding

When it comes to global health issues, we at WiRED International welcome rational debate, believing that outcomes of informed discussions guide clinicians and patients toward more healthy practices. And so we were disheartened when we learned that the American government sought to kill a UN resolution that, based on good science, urged governments to “protect, promote and support breast-feeding.” Read more »

 

 

July 2018: WiRED Releases Nursing Mother’s Nutrition and Child Nutrition Modules

Proper sustenance is vital for all living things. WiRED International just launched two modules on nutrition into its Health Learning Center: Nursing Mother’s Nutrition and Child Nutrition. Both modules are part of the Becoming a Parent section in WiRED’s soon-to-be-completed 24-part Mother and Child Health Series. Read more »

 

 

July 2018: WiRED Notes Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen Is Global Calamity

According to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, “Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. As the conflict enters its fourth year, more than 22 million people — three-quarters of the population — need humanitarian aid and protection.” Read more »

 

 

June 2018: NIH Studies Explore Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interactions

Do animals have the power to benefit human health?

 

For the past 10 years the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded an ongoing range of studies focused on humans’ relationships with animals. NIH reports that “Scientists are looking at what the potential physical and mental health benefits are for humans from different animals — from fish to guinea pigs to dogs and cats.” Read more »

 

 

June 2018: WiRED Launches Infant Feeding Module

Sufficient nutrition during infancy is essential not only for survival but for lifelong health and well-being. WiRED International just released a module on infant feeding into its Health Learning Center.

 

Read more »

 

 

June 2018: People Centered Internet Article Features
WiRED International

People Centered Internet (PCI) recently published an online article about WiRED International. WiRED board member Sameer Verma, Ph.D., works with PCI, and he and Allison Kozicharow, WiRED’s web editor-in-chief and board member, collaborated on the story. It describes WiRED from its beginnings in Croatia in 1997 to its position today as a global organization delivering free health information programs to underserved communities worldwide. Read more »

 

 

 

May 2018: WiRED International Marks World No Tobacco Day

Tobacco kills more than 7 million people each year; yet tobacco use is the most preventable cause of death. Read more »

 

 

May 2018: WiRED Observes National Stroke Month

May is National Stroke Month. Every year 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke, yet stroke is both preventable and treatable. Read more »

 

 

May 2018: WiRED Launches Maternal Sepsis Module


 

Sepsis is a common and dangerous infection in pregnant women and a leading cause of maternal death, killing around 35,000 women and one million newborn babies every year.

 

Read more »

 

May 2018: Infections from Ticks and Mosquitoes Are Multiplying Rapidly

Spring is here. The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing — and the insects are spreading infections at an alarming pace.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that infectious diseases from mosquito, tick and flea bites more than tripled in the United States from 2004 to 2016. Read more »

 

 

May 2018: Ebola Resurfaces in West Africa

Ebola is back. The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing for the worst as it continues to respond to the Ebola outbreak declared by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 8. Read more »

 

 

May 2018: WiRED Releases Infant Health Module

Being healthy at birth is crucial to a healthy life. Yet, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that during the first 28 days of life, a child is at highest risk of dying. Moreover, this risk is more than six times higher in Africa than it is in Europe. Read more »

 

 

April 2018: Veterinarians Play Key Role in the Concept of “One Health”

Veterinarians work to protect the health of animals. They know that keeping animals and pets healthy also protects the health of people and the environment. Read more »

 

 

April 2018: WiRED Marks World Immunization Week, April 24–30, 2018

The World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates World Immunization Week with the theme, “Protected Together, Vaccines Work,” to encourage people to make efforts to increase immunization coverage for the greater good. Read more »

 

 

April 2018: WiRED Mourns the Loss of Faye F. Cohen

WiRED International’s board and volunteers are deeply saddened by the death of Faye F. Cohen on April 10, 2018.

 

A local and national political activist and community organizer, Mrs. Cohen was married to WiRED board member Sheldon S. Cohen, Esq., for 67 years. All their lives, the Cohens have responded without hesitation to those in want by simply asking, “What do you need?” Together the Cohens energized WiRED for nearly 20 years in many ways from hosting annual Board meetings at their home to supporting WiRED projects in underserved communities around the world. Read more »

 

 

April 2018: Earth Day is Every Day

Threats to the health of our planet — such as climate change, pollution, deforestation and species extinction — make this Earth Day, Sunday, April 22, a vital time to reflect and to act to protect our world. Read more »

 

 

 

April 2018: Earth Day Editorial

We at WiRED International observe Earth Day this year with heightened concern. As WiRED’s health education work focuses increasingly on the One Health perspective — the interaction among human, animal and environmental health — we become ever more watchful of policies that impact air, land and water, because they, in turn, affect human health. Read more »

 

 

April 2018: Cancer on the Rise in Underserved Countries


 

Cancer can strike anyone, but today 70% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries without adequate medical and economic resources. So far the global health community does not offer a focused action plan to combat cancer as it does for infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Read more »

 

 

April 2018: WiRED Notes Dramatic Upsurge in Antibiotic Use Leading to Increased Risk of Deadly Infections

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics lead to antibiotic resistance (AR). WiRED International cautions that without urgent attention and action, many modern medicines could become obsolete, turning even common infections into deadly threats. Read more »

 

 

April 2018: WiRED Marks World Health Day

WiRED International observes the 70th anniversary of World Health Day on April 7, the day on which the World Health Organization urges everyone to learn about and support accessible universal health care. Read more »

 

 

March 2018: WiRED Launches Breakthrough Health Module Access Program (HealthMAP)

Opening up access to its materials for millions more people, WiRED International just took a major technological leap forward. Its innovative Health Module Access Program (HealthMAP) can now deliver free health education training material to underserved communities in the world’s most distant locations, many of which exist offline. Read more »

 

 

March 2018: Springtime Tips for Good Health

The media are awash with pointers about how to live a healthy life: eat well, exercise, don’t smoke, watch how much alcohol you drink. A recitation of heath tips becomes a mantra that we know so well . . . and tend to ignore. But if these pointers help you feel better, look better and avoid some diseases, maybe it’s worth giving a few of them a try. Read more »

 

 

March 2018: WiRED Observes World Water Day and World TB Day

Mark your calendars for two important health observances this week. Thursday, March 22, is World Water Day, and Saturday, March 24, is World TB (tuberculosis) Day.

 

Read more »

 

 

March 2018: WiRED Releases Four-Part Module on Birth Defects

Birth defects affect millions of families worldwide every year. About one in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect caused by genetics or by maternal exposure to environmental agents. Read more »

 

 

March 2018: Brazilian Cities in Danger of Yellow Fever Epidemic

Brazilian health workers are racing to vaccinate urban populations against the yellow fever virus in order to prevent a pandemic in its largest cities. In previous years, yellow fever has been confined to forest areas of the Amazon basin; if it spreads into city slums, the consequences to public health could be catastrophic. Read more »

 

 

March 2018: Hillary Fiona Owuor Learns about Health at WiRED Center in Kenya

Hillary Fiona Owuor values WiRED’s health training program. This young woman studies WiRED’s health education modules at the Kisumu Urban Apostolate Programmes (KUAP) Pandipieri Center in Kisumu, an underserved region in Western Kenya. Read more »

 

 

February 2018: WiRED International Observes American Heart Month

February is not just about Valentine’s Day, but is American Heart Month! Dedicate yourself this year to a healthy happy lifestyle that you can share with your loved ones all the months of the year. Read more »

 

 

February 2018: WiRED Launches Introduction to Pregnant Now

Pregnancy can be exciting, but it also can be stressful for a mother-to-be and her loved ones. WiRED International’s latest health education module introduces key health issues related to pregnancy.

 

Read more »

 

 

February 2018: Get Free Health Information from WiRED

Climate change, yellow fever in Brazil, this year’s severe influenza season, a newly released module on postpartum depression — these are all topics of recent stories posted on WiRED International’s website. Read more »

 

 

February 2018: WiRED Marks Publication of Article on One Health in Medical Journal

The Medical Journal of Southern California Clinicians (MJSCC) recently published an article titled, “The Importance of a One Health Perspective in a Changing Environment.”

 

The MJSCC article is co-authored by WiRED International Director Gary Selnow, Ph.D.; Western University professor and WiRED board member, Miriam Othman, M.D., M.P.H.; and Western University professor, Malika Kachani, Ph.D., D.V.M. The authors cover the history of human and animal health, the logic of One Health thinking, zoonotic diseases and the role of healthcare professionals in the One Health program. Read more »

 

 

February 2018: Brazil Launches World’s Largest Vaccination Campaign to Stem Rise of Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a potentially deadly viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes, and endemic in tropical areas of Africa and Central and South America. Read more »

 

 

February 2018: Howler Monkeys Erroneously Blamed for Yellow Fever Outbreak in Brazil

Misinformed people in Brazil are shooting and beating howler monkeys out of fear of yellow fever transmission, according to a CNN report. But it is mosquitoes alone that transmit the virus to both monkeys and humans. Read more »

 

 

January 2018: Climate Change to Worsen in 2018

The ill effects of climate change are not about to disappear anytime soon.

 

In fact, our period now is the warmest in the history of modern civilization, according to the Climate Science Special Report released in November 2017 by 13 U.S. federal agencies. The report goes on to state that the last few years have also seen record-breaking, climate-related weather extremes, and that it is very likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the warming observed since the mid-20th century. Read more »

 

 

 

January 2018: Climate Change

Nearly 200 countries conclude that climate change is real and growing worse and accordingly have entered an agreement to do something about it. They recognize the dangers and the damage and believe the empirical evidence that human activities, specifically the burning of carbon-based fuels, are a major cause of a changing climate. Only one country has rejected the global pact: the United States. We at WiRED are greatly concerned that our leaders have rejected the science and have fashioned sweeping policies, oblivious of the compelling evidence that lays bare the causes, the immediate impact and the ultimate trajectory of climate forces. We are baffled by their wrong-headed thinking. It takes no scientific expertise to witness the rising seas, the growing violence of storms, the extremes of temperature and precipitation, all predicted by reputable climate models. Read more »

 

 

January 2018: WiRED Warns 2018 Influenza Season Could Be Severe

Flu season is here and already claiming victims.

 

A flu vaccine, which offers the only protection, is still the first defense. In addition, WiRED International urges everyone to read through its Flu Module for general audiences and practice what you learn from its important information. Even if you get the illness, you will be better off if you are flu-savvy — as some flu-stricken members of WiRED’s staff have found. Read more »

 

 

January 2018: WiRED Launches Health Education Module on Postpartum Depression

Nearly 15% of new mothers suffer from postpartum depression. WiRED International just released a Postpartum Depression Module — part of WiRED’s 24-part Mother and Child Health Series. Read more »

 

 

January 2018: WiRED Mourns the Loss of Board Member Dr. Philip Pumerantz

WiRED International’s board and volunteers are deeply saddened by the death of Philip Pumerantz, Ph.D., on December 26, 2017. Dr. Pumerantz, who served on WiRED’s Honorary Board of Directors, was a leader in health education. He was the founding president and president emeritus of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) and Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) in Ponoma, California. Read more »

 

 

January 2018: Cholera Outbreaks Underline the Importance of Health Training

In the past few years, cholera outbreaks have occurred in Haiti and Yemen and now in Zambia. Why does a disease that has been treated and controlled successfully since the 1800s continue to plague populations around the world? Read more »

 

 

January 2018: WiRED Releases Introduction to Parenting Health Education Training

What is good parenting? There is more than one “right” way to parent, but keeping your child healthy and safe is at the top of the list. Read more »

 

 

January 2018: CDC Offers Tips for a Healthy New Year

The holiday season is over, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges us to follow these tips to get the New Year off to a healthy start. WiRED International suggests taking steps now to keep yourself and your loved ones active and healthy in the New Year. Read more »

 

 

December 2017: WiRED International Wraps Up Its 20th Year, Prepares to Begin
a Third Decade

The WiRED International team celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and chalked up a number of accomplishments it made to advance the life-saving health education — which it provides at no charge to people in underserved communities around the world. Read more »

 

 

December 2017: Holiday Greetings from WiRED International

All of us at WiRED International would like to wish happy holidays to the many people who have become part of our family since we began our work 20 years ago: doctors and nurses, community health workers, and people in low-resource areas who have used our training materials to improve their knowledge of medicine and community health. Read more »

 

 

December 2017: WiRED International Welcomes Your Support

As 2017 comes to a close, we ask that you consider a donation to WiRED International as part of your year-end philanthropy. Because we are volunteer-driven, approximately 95% of your donation will go directly to our programs. We pledge to use your money wisely, honestly and efficiently as we go forward with our work in low-resource regions of the world. Read more »

 

 

 

December 2017: WiRED International Launches 20th Anniversary Video

WiRED International is excited to announce the release of its 20th anniversary video.

 

Watch as WiRED’s mission and history come to life in this six-minute video made possible through the efforts of WiRED board member Virgil Scudder. Read more »

 

 

December 2017: WiRED Launches ​"Introduction to Before Pregnancy"​
Health Education Tr​aining

All parents-to-be want to have a healthy child. A healthy baby is the result of a process that begins long before a woman becomes pregnant.

 

WiRED’s "Introduction to Before Pregnancy" Module explains what women can do to make sure pregnancies are planned and healthy — although the course also covers unexpected pregnancy. WiRED’s training covers the development of a reproductive life plan, birth control and family planning, and how a woman’s health conditions, risk factors, diet and medicines can affect her unborn child. WiRED will soon release three more modules covering other issues under the general topic of Before Pregnancy. Read more »

 

 

 

WiRED’s Work in Armenia

The Armenian countryside is breathtakingly beautiful. The lush, green fields in the mountainous northeast are deeply creased and laced with rutted paths etched by livestock over the centuries. The land in Armenia, and its history, stretching back to the Bronze Age, are tightly bound. When visiting here, it’s tempting to visualize shepherds during ancient times, tending sheep on the sides of these hills. The Armenian story thus tells about its great beauty, and its rich and complicated history. Sadly, it also must include its long-standing conflict with its neighbor to the east, Azerbaijan. Fighting, which started a century ago over Nagorno-Karabakh, has of late picked up steam. Although hostilities occur mostly in the southeastern portion of Armenia, where, last year, more than 200 people on both sides were killed, tensions remain high along the entire border. Read more »

 

 

 

November 2017: WiRED International Observes World AIDS Day

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that around 36.7 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. December 1 is World AIDS day, and the slogan this year is “Everybody Counts.” This rallying cry is launching the campaign to provide every person with access to safe, affordable and effective HIV/AIDS care. This care includes proper diagnosis and medications to help better treat people living with HIV and AIDS. Read more »

 

 

On #GivingTuesday, November 28: We invite you to​ join us in global health education

Here's a great opportunity to support health education in low-resource regions.

 

This is WiRED’s 20th year of providing community health education to under-served populations around the world. We deliver more than 400 health topics that people can study online or download to their laptops and tablets, and we never charge a cent for anything we offer. Read more »

 

 

November 2017: Soccer Balls Encourage Young Men in Kenya to Learn about Health

For all the obvious reasons, the toughest audience to attract to health education is young men. They don’t see themselves ever getting sick, they don’t think ahead, and they don’t like the idea of sitting in a health training session for an hour or two. WiRED’s programs draw a wide spectrum of people from the community . . . but not many young men. Read more »

 

 

November 2017: Happy Thanksgiving from WiRED International

WiRED International’s board and volunteers wish you a happy and travel-safe Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but one that immigrants, starting with the Pilgrims, have embraced and enriched with their own cultures throughout our history. While we give thanks for all the blessings in our lives, we also remember those people in need living in underserved communities around the world. Thanksgiving is a time when we all can take a moment to reflect and plan on how we can export our time and talents globally to spread WiRED’s message of healthy communities. To everyone who has made our programs possible, and to everyone who has used them to improve their own health and the health of their communities, we at WiRED send you our sincere thanks.

 

 

November 2017: WiRED Observes National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month, and November 14 is World Diabetes day. This year’s theme focuses on “Women and Diabetes — Our Right to a Healthy Future.” More than 200 million women worldwide have diabetes, and many of them live in low-resource countries without access to education, diagnosis, treatment and care. In addition one in seven births is affected by gestational diabetes (diabetes that occurs during pregnancy). Read more »

 

 

November 2017: Smile Back at WIRED this Holiday Season and Beyond

After the Thanksgiving holiday is over, Black Friday and Cyber Monday arrive. This bargain shopping weekend, not only can you buy products for incredible prices but you can also help support WIRED International. How is this possible? Will this cost extra money? Is this difficult to do? Read more »

 

 

 

November 2017: Veterans Day

All of us at WiRED International would like to tip our hats to America’s veterans today. Nine of WiRED’s board members are veterans. Their military service helped safeguard the country, and now their work as volunteers to improve community health around the world is an example of health diplomacy. That’s another way to safeguard the country. Read more »

 

 

 

November 2017: WiRED International Premieres Brochure

WiRED has been providing health education for 20 years, and this seems like a good time to offer a concise description of our history, our mission and our plans for what lies ahead. Read more »

 

 

 

 

November 2017: WiRED Marks One Health Day

November 3 is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) One Health Day.

 

One Health recognizes that human health is connected to the health of animals and the health of the environment. The goal of One Health is to encourage the collaborative efforts of experts, such as disease detectives, laboratory workers, physicians and veterinarians, working across multiple disciplines to improve the health of people and animals, including pets, livestock and wildlife. Read more »

 

 

October 2017: WiRED Honors Sister Bernadette Nealon and Ms. Lillian Dajoh
with Award for Longtime Service

WiRED International presented Sr. Bernadette Nealon and Lillian Dajoh with the Health Education Champion Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Community Health Education Program for their work among critically underserved populations in Kisumu, Kenya. Read more »

 

 

October 2017: WiRED Launches Leptospirosis Module in Response to Rise of Cases in
Puerto Rico

What is leptospirosis and why is it emerging in Puerto Rico?

 

Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonosis, a disease that affects both humans and animals. Humans become infected through direct contact with the urine of infected animals or with a urine-contaminated environment. Leptospirosis often spreads after floods when drinking water becomes polluted or open wounds are infected. Without treatment, leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death. Read more »

 

 

October 2017: Dr. Richard Carmona Gives Keynote Speech on WiRED’s 20th Anniversary

WiRED International celebrated its 20th year of operation last week at a reception at San Francisco State University. At the event, WiRED Board member Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States, delivered a powerful and motivating keynote speech that framed the importance of health education in establishing bonds and uniting people throughout the world. He offered WiRED as a prominent example of an organization working in health diplomacy. Read more »

 

 

October 2017: Learn About Gestational Diabetes in WiRED’s New Module

One in 20 pregnant women develops gestational diabetes, most commonly between 24-28 weeks. This type of diabetes typically goes away after the mother gives birth; however, type 2 diabetes can still develop in the mother’s and child’s future. Without prevention and treatment, gestational diabetes can affect the unborn child, who could develop macrosomia, hypoglycemia and jaundice and even have a higher chance of dying before or shortly after birth. Read more »

 

 

Nicaragua

It’s a custom in many countries for religious leaders to bless new facilities, such as new offices, schools and community programs. In Nicaragua, a predominantly Catholic country, a priest will generally perform the ritual, which involves a prayer and maybe a brief homily before a gathering of well-wishers. And so, while WiRED remains firmly nonsectarian, ensuring its neutrality in all countries, we typically follow local customs when launching a new health education program. Read more »

 

 

 

October 2017: Flu Season’s Arrival Means It’s Time to Get Vaccinated

Flu season is here. WiRED International urges everyone to get vaccinated.

 

Influenza or flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by several viruses. Flu resembles the common cold because it infects the same organs (nose, throat, lungs) and has similar symptoms. However, the flu can develop additional symptoms and become much more severe than most common colds. Read more »

 

 

September 2017: WiRED-Armenia Televises Training Program on Diabetes

WiRED International is pleased to announce that WiRED-Armenia conducted its first ever televised health training session in Gavar, Armenia. Read more »

 

 

September 2017: WiRED Congratulates Certificate Program Graduates in Festive Ceremony in Kenya

Double the number, multiply the benefit for community health! This year WiRED International celebrated a 130-member class that graduated from its Certificate Program in Kenya — double the number of graduates from last year. In contrast, WiRED graduated just 17 people when the organization ran its first Certificate Program in 2012 at the Faye F. and Sheldon S. Cohen Community Health Information Center in Pandipieri and the Obunga Community Health Information Center, both in Kisumu, Kenya. Read more »

 

 

September 2017: WiRED Launches Sepsis Module During Sepsis Awareness Month

September is Sepsis Awareness Month. Sepsis is a complication of infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. The condition constitutes a global healthcare problem and is the primary cause of death from infection, especially in underserved countries, despite advances in modern medicine such as vaccines, antibiotics and intensive care. Read more »

 

 

WiRED's Work in Iraq: Part #3

WiRED provided medical and health education programs in Iraq from spring 2003 to late 2009. As the two prior stories in this history series describe, we worked initially from the relative safety of the Green Zone, then from Baghdad hotels and safe houses while providing Iraqi hospitals and universities throughout the country with equipment and training software. Having few financial resources, we traveled without security details, instead remaining inconspicuous, beneath the radar of insurgents. We rode in battered cars whose windows were broken and taped; the tape obscured our identity. We had close calls, as did anyone who traveled in Iraq during the mid-2000s, witnessing the violence firsthand. We lost friends who suffered vicious and deliberate attacks because of who they were and what they were doing to help the Iraqi people. Read more »

 

 

 

September 2017: Hurricane Harvey Aftermath Runs Risk of Waterborne Disease Outbreak

Cholera in Yemen today … and in Texas tomorrow?

 

The catastrophic flooding in Texas from Hurricane Harvey has caused death, destruction and displacement. The storm’s aftershock has produced contaminated and stagnant water and poor sanitation, conditions ideally suited to the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid fever — all caused by pathogenic microbes. As communities in Texas and Louisiana deal with the ravages of Harvey, a public health crisis threat is all too real. Read more »

 

 

August 2017: WiRED International Applauds CDC’s One Health

"The birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees and the moon up above and a thing called" … One Health?

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) One Health program states that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the health of the environment. Read more »

 

 

August 2017: WiRED International Releases Improved Typhoid Fever Module

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that every year 21 million cases of typhoid fever are diagnosed, and 222,000 deaths are caused by typhoid fever. Read more »

 

 

August 2017: WiRED International Marks World Mosquito Day

What is the deadliest of all animal families in the world?

 

It isn’t the great white shark, or the massive grizzly bear or the ferocious lion. It’s the tiny mosquito. Read more »

 

 

August 2017: WiRED Launches Dysentery Module

WiRED International announces the release of a Dysentery Module as part of its Community Preparedness for Infectious Disease Outbreaks project. The Dysentery Module joins more than 400 interactive training modules in WiRED’s Health Learning Center.

 

Read more »

 

 

August 2017: August is National Coffee Month

Coffee. Love it or hate it? Is it good or bad for your health?

 

August is National Coffee Month, and the good news is that drinking coffee in moderation may actually lead to living longer — according to a growing body of evidence. Read more »

 

 

August 2017: WiRED Launches Project on Community Preparedness
for Infectious Disease Outbreaks
This unique interactive project is WiRED’s largest ever release of training material.

Two years ago, WiRED’s team of medical writers and computer experts began an adventurous project to train communities how to prepare for the onset of an infectious disease outbreak. Thousands of communities around the world face the threat of serious diseases without suitable preparation or even basic information. Leaders and ordinary community members very often don’t know how to prepare for and manage the outbreak, and that can lead to dire consequences. This project delivers training courses that can help prepare communities and save lives. Read more »

 

 

WiRED's Work in Iraq: Part #2

Before leaving Iraq after my first visit, I frantically searched computer shops in Baghdad to find hardware for the MIC we would install at the largest hospital complex in the country. I found a good lead in Talal, an Iraqi businessman who saved his computers from the violence of war by securing them in a barn outside of town. He said he would bring a dozen computers to Baghdad when I returned. Read more »

 

 

 

July 2017: WiRED Brings New Round of Health Training to Medical Students and Nurses
in Nicaragua

WiRED International expanded its work with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, Leon, by training medical students both onsite and in the field this July, providing equipment and updating the WiRED Health Learning Center modules. The trip strengthened WIRED’s community health outreach through its valued partnership with the university, professors and students. This marked the 15th year that WiRED has been providing medical and health education in Nicaragua. Read more »

 

 

July 2017: WiRED Features Bridge Between Its Websites

Have you noticed the new banner on the home page of WiRED International’s website? Now you can connect to WiRED’s Health Learning Center website with one easy-to-find link. Just click on the banner text reading “Access WiRED’s Health Learning Center Modules … here.” Or, for an even faster connection to your topic of choice, click on the first letter of the illness you would like to review. Read more »

 

 

July 2017: WHO Elects Dr. Ghebreyesus as its New Director-General

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ph.D., took office this July as Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). He succeeds Margaret Chan, M.D., WHO’s director since 2007. Read more »

 

 

 

The Beginning of WiRED's Work in Iraq

May 2003, soon after the U.S. invasion of Iraq — Some people are blessed and can sleep through anything. As luck would have it, I’m not one of them. It was 1:30 in the morning, my first night in Iraq. I was staring at the ceiling, listening to the howling sandstorm pounding the side of the building, which happened to be one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces. Along with the sound of wind and the grating of sand against the windows, I could hear the snoring of 20 men in our makeshift dorm — two rows of steel-frame cots — set up for advance teams. With the arrival of troops in Baghdad in the spring of 2003, the United States and other coalition member countries sent people to help with infrastructure, security, administration and the other services needed to stabilize Iraq. Read more »

 

 

 

June 2017: WiRED International Launches Pregnancy Induced Hypertension Module

Most women have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies, but sometimes complications arise. Although many pregnant women with hypertension do not experience serious problems, the condition can be dangerous for both the mother and the fetus. Read more »

 

 

June 2017: Pets Make Humans Healthier

Is life healthier with a pet? Animals are doing more every day to improve human health and well-being.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that pets can lower our blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, can banish feelings of loneliness, and can increase our opportunities for exercise, outdoor activities and socialization. Read more »

 

 

June 2017: WiRED International Releases 20th Anniversary Timeline

WiRED International invites you to explore a timeline in celebration of its 20th year of operation. Visit WiRED's history from its beginning in the former Yugoslavia to its global reach today and enjoy the accompanying photos. In addition WiRED encourages you to go to its 20th Anniversary page and read the detailed stories of its history. This series shows how WiRED has evolved over the years in response to the changing needs and challenges that low-resource populations face. WiRED's mission remains constant: To bring vital medical and health education, free of charge, to underserved communities around the world. Read more »

 

 

June 2017: Cholera Epidemic in Yemen Reaches Crisis Level

Yemen is in the grip of an unprecedented cholera epidemic that is killing one person nearly every hour, according to a recent ABC news report. UNICEF stated this week that the cholera outbreak has now reached more than 124,000 cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that almost half of these cases are among the nation’s most vulnerable populations — children. Read more »

 

 

WiRED’s Medical and Health Education Work in Kenya — From the Leading Medical School to Remote Villages

Early in 2003 WiRED International launched a Medical Information Center (MIC) in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Nairobi. U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Johnnie Carson, gave the keynote speech during which he discussed the power of information. I’ll get to that in a minute, but first I would like to tell a brief story about an incident that took place during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Read more »

 

 

 

June 2017: Sneak Peek at WiRED’s Upcoming Infectious Disease Program

WiRED International plans to launch its Infectious Disease Program in early July. The program’s purpose is to prepare communities to respond to infectious diseases such as Zika, Ebola, malaria, cholera and more than 40 others that plague populations across the planet. The program, which is unique and distinct from other health training efforts, will allow users to create a customized curriculum depending on their roles in a community and the diseases that may be threatening that community. Read more »

 

 

 

June 2017: The Paris Climate Agreement

The announcement that the United States is pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement is unsettling and distressing, but it cannot be defeating for people who see climate change as real. The World Health Organization recently wrote that “nearly a quarter of all deaths worldwide are linked to environmental issues. That’s 12.6 million deaths every year.” The science on this matter is abundantly clear. The deaths come from the spread of disease, reduction in food supplies and starvation, from floods and droughts and increasingly from the rise of sea level that will consume the shores of countries on every continent.

 

Read more »

 

 

 

May 2017: WiRED International Observes World No Tobacco Day

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. This year the World Health Organization’s theme is “Tobacco — a threat to development.” The campaign underlines the danger that the tobacco industry poses to the sustainable development of all countries, including the health and economic well-being of their citizens. Read more »

 

 

May 2017: WiRED International Advises Health Precautions for Summer Travel

Summer is here. You are planning a vacation abroad. Do you have the information you need in order to travel safely? Today you can travel almost anywhere in the world, but so can infectious diseases. It has never been more important to get informed before you go. Read more »

 

 

May 2017: World Health Organization Urges Action to Improve Adolescent Health

More than 3,000 adolescents die every day, totaling 1.2 million deaths a year, from largely preventable causes, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Read more »

 

 

May 2017: WiRED Board Member, Dr. David S. Alberts, Retires from the University of Arizona Cancer Center

WiRED International honors David S. Alberts, M.D., upon his retirement. Dr. Alberts is a Regents Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, Nutritional Science and Public Health at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Director Emeritus of the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC), which he helped found in 1976. Read more »

 

 

May 2017: Join WiRED International in Two Observances This Week

Where would global health care be without nurses? May 6–12 is National Nurses Week, which the American Nurses Association has designated as the “Year of the Healthy Nurse.” WiRED International offers many medical and health modules written especially for nurses in its Health Learning Center, such as an extensive training course in the Echocardiographic Diagnosis of Rheumatic Heart Disease.

 

Read more »

 

 

May 2017: WiRED International Training Programs Inspire Kenyan Aaron Masiga

Aaron Masiga works as a nurse’s aide at a government health center in Kisumu, Kenya. When he was a teenager, he first learned about WiRED International when staff from a WiRED center visited his school. Afterwards Aaron decided to go see the WiRED facility for himself. Read more »

 

 

WiRED Launches Its Community Health Information Centers in Kenya

In the late 1990s, HIV/AIDS continued to frighten and mystify. It lashed out at populations around the world, but it hit communities in Africa especially hard. Entire villages were wiped out; in many places, only the very young and the very old survived, with the middle carved out by a disease most people could not understand. This cruel and seemingly indiscriminate illness rendered its victims frail ghosts of their former selves, symbols of an evil in towns throughout the African continent. While in the United States and Western Europe, AIDS was initially known as a gay disease,1 in Africa, the devastation to both men and women alike suggested to many that some other curse was at work. Read more »

 

 

April 2017: WiRED Launches Labor and Delivery Module

WiRED International just released a training module on women’s labor and delivery as part of its upcoming Health Learning Center series on maternal and child health. Read more »

 

 

April 2017: Earth Day 365 Days a Year

On April 22, millions of people all over the world celebrated the twin events of Earth Day and March for Science Day, to be followed on April 29 by the Climate Change March. WiRED International believes that the health of our planet depends on research-based science and accessible community medical and health education. Read more »

 

 

 

April 2017: Our Stand on Science

At WiRED International, we believe in science. All of our medical and health education modules are grounded in evidence-based science. Our recommendations for vaccinations, disease prevention, diagnostics and treatments are rooted firmly in science. Science offers a reliable and trusted means of inquiry, accumulating knowledge from one generation to the next, from one region to another, from one discipline to other disciplines. Science, a structured method of inquiry, abides by a rigorous set of procedures and offers a framework for viewing the world. Read more »

 

 

April 2017: WiRED Releases Vector-borne Diseases Module

WiRED International announces the launch of a training module on vector-borne diseases in its Health Learning Center. The module is part of WiRED’s Infectious Disease Series, which will be released in full this year. Read more »

 

 

April 2017: WiRED-Armenia Translators at Work

Thanks to its dedicated translators, WiRED International’s Health Learning Center now offers 15 health education modules in the Armenian language on topics of pressing concern in Armenia such as diabetes, dental hygiene and quitting smoking. Read more »

 

 

April 2017: WiRED International Unveils Its 20th Anniversary Web Page

2017 marks WiRED International’s 20th year of providing medical and health education to low-resource regions all over the world. WiRED has created a web page which will offer a series of stories charting its history through the years from Vukovar, Croatia, to its global operation today. The web page also features stories from WiRED’s archives to put names and faces to its journey, and it posts quotations from people whom it has touched. Read more »

 

 

WiRED International's Video Visit Program

We left the International Organization for Migration (IOM) offices in Pristina, Kosovo, early on a summer morning in 2000, allowing plenty of time to reach the Skopje airport in Macedonia, 54 miles away. It was Sunday, so traffic was light. Five hours should be enough time to navigate our van over the badly damaged roads, breeze through the border crossing and cruise on up to the airport, where the crowds would be minimal. And so, four of us — the driver and I, a nurse and a five-year-old boy — rolled out of town and on our way. Except for the nurse and the boy, we were strangers to each other. Read more »

 

 

March 2017: Yellow Fever Outbreak in Brazil Draws Concern From U.S. Health Officials

A yellow fever outbreak in Brazil could spread to the U.S., according to a recent article in The Washington Post. Health officials fear the fast moving virus could increase as rapidly as the Zika virus — both transmitted by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito. Read more »

 

 

March 2017: 1.7 Million Deaths Annually of Children under Five Are Linked to the Environment Says World Health Organization

Two new reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) determined that every year Earth’s polluted environment accounts for 26% of deaths of children under five. Read more »

 

 

March 2017: New Study Finds the Likelihood of Birth Defects from Zika Infection Has Increased Alarmingly

A March 2017 study reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that American women affected by the Zika virus were 20 times more likely to give birth to babies with severe birth defects than U.S. mothers who contracted Zika two years ago. This startling uptick demonstrates more clearly than ever the link between Zika and birth defects and proves that the virus continues to take novel and troubling turns. Read more »

 

 

WiRED Turns Its Focus to Medical and Health Education after Work in Kosovo

In 1999, not long after the end of NATO’s aerial bombing of Serbia, the U.S. State Department asked me to join a team that the Department had assembled to build a network of seven Internet Access Centers (IAC) across Kosovo. The State Department had been tracking WiRED’s Internet programs elsewhere in the Balkans, and it recognized that WiRED International knew the region, knew the technology involved and knew what training programs were necessary to prepare administrators to manage local centers. Read more »

 

 

March 2017: WiRED International Launches Foodborne Diseases Module

Every year billions of people experience a foodborne disease (FBD) without ever knowing that their illness was caused by food.
WiRED International now offers a Foodborne Diseases Module, which describes FBDs, identifies their causes and tells how to avoid contracting them. Read more »

 

 

February 2017: WiRED Salutes Award Recipient Dr. William Crano

By unanimous vote, the Western Psychological Association (WPA) recently granted its 2017 Social Responsibility Award to William Crano, Ph.D., a member of WiRED’s Advisory Board. This WPA award “is given to an individual in recognition of substantial and influential work that facilitates peace, freedom, social justice and/or protection of this planet’s natural environment.” Read more »

 

 

February 2017: WHO Issues 10 Ways to Improve the Quality of Care for
Mothers and Babies

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that each year 303,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth; there are 2.6 million stillbirths, and 2.7 million babies die within 28 days of being born. Read more »

 

 

February 2017: Kenyan Teen Merceline Achieng Learns about Health from
WiRED International

Merceline Achieng is a teenage girl who lives in Kisumu, Kenya, and attends St. Theresa’s Girls Secondary School. She recently joined the Kisumu Urban Apostolate Programme in Pandipieri, where she studies training modules at WiRED’s Health Learning Center. While she has focused her study on HIV/AIDS, she has access to more than 350 other health topics available without cost to all members of the community. Read more »

 

 

February 2017: WiRED International Launches Airborne Diseases Module

WiRED International is pleased to offer a health learning module on airborne diseases, as part of WiRED’s upcoming Infectious Disease series. WiRED’s Airborne Disease Module defines airborne diseases, identifies their causes and tells how to avoid contracting them. Read more »

 

 

February 2017: WiRED International Observes American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, where about one in four people die from heart disease. Read more »

 

 

January 2017: WiRED International Warns: Strep Throat Can Lead to
Rheumatic Heart Disease

Winter brings seasonal increases in strep throat, a bacterial infection which can lead to rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and even death. Although RHD is completely preventable, it affects 15.6 million people worldwide, two-thirds of them children in low-resource countries. Read more »

 

 

January 2017: WIRED International Stresses the Importance of Vaccinations

Vaccines are on the front pages of the news. An Ebola vaccine proved to be 100% effective in a recent medical trial. The search for a Zika vaccine is narrowing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds the public it is not too late in the season to get a flu shot. This month the World Health Organization (WHO) is inoculating more than 4 million children in Nigeria against measles.

 

Read more »

 

 

WiRED International's Beginning

Two computer technicians and I rode in a small van headed down a dark rutted road in far eastern Croatia. We had worked a long day in the war-damaged school in Vukovar, a town disfigured and dispirited by conflict sitting on the edge of the Danube River. We were exhausted, hungry and drained of emotion, eager to reach the next town, 30 miles away, to get a sandwich and a few hours of sleep before returning to our work at the school. There were no hotels in Vukovar; they were long gone. Read more »

 

 

January 2017: Climate Change and Human Health

Climate change shapes the social and environmental determinants of health, which are clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter. Developing countries especially are ill-equipped to prepare for and respond to the consequences of climate change. Read more »

 

 

January 2017: WiRED International Observes Cervical Health Awareness Month

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. The World Health Organization reports that an estimated one million-plus women worldwide are currently living with cervical cancer. The majority of women affected live in low- and middle-income countries, where they know little about prevention and have no access to treatment or care. Read more »

 

 

January 2017: Study Says Pets Help Manage Mental Health

According to HealthDay, a new study finds that people with mental health issues rank their pets as their number one support — above family, friends and hobbies. Cats, birds, dogs and other animals help individuals manage their mental health issues by calming them, providing them with distractions and helping them in moments of crisis. Read more »

 

 

January 2017: WiRED International’s 20th Anniversary — New Issues on Our Radar

WiRED International started operations in 1997 by providing Internet connections in war-ravaged towns throughout the former Yugoslavia. We now begin our 20th year and plan to use this Web space to review our past two decades of work and to look ahead at our expanding range of programs that provide health education in low-resource regions. Read more »

 

 

 

All of us at WiRED International would like to offer our friends best wishes for a healthy and enjoyable 2017. With your input and support, we look forward to growing our community training programs and adding new features that improve the health of people in low resource regions. Thank you for joining us in this work, as we enter our 20th year of providing free medical and health training and information around the world. Read more »

 


WiRED Certificate Recipients in Kisumu, Kenya

 

 

December 2016: Ebola Vaccine Proves 100% Effective in Guinea Trial

A medical trial led by the World Health Organization (WHO) has resulted in an effective Ebola vaccine. In the trial the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine protected all 5,837 recipients in Guinea who received it; whereas 23 people who did not take the vaccine contracted Ebola. The vaccine is now awaiting approval for wider use. Read more »

 

 

 

 

 

December 2016: WiRED International Wraps up its 19th Year, Prepares for the 20th

The WiRED International team chalked up a number of accomplishments in 2016 to advance global health education, as we prepared for the organization’s 20th anniversary. WiRED provided new and updated modules on some of the planet’s most threatening illnesses. WiRED prepared several new collections of modules to package complete training courses for medical professionals and general audiences. WiRED developed a portable field health record system to allow doctors and first responders, working entirely off the grid, to maintain electronic health records for patients anywhere in the world. The system requires no Internet, phone system or power — other than the sun for solar charging. WiRED supported the efforts of many people in low-resource regions, expanding the availability of cost-free health education. WiRED did a lot more, too, as we describe in this story. Read more »

 

 

December 2016: Kenyan Teen Learns about Health from WiRED International

Daniel Odhiambo Ogolollo is a 16-year-old Kenyan whose favorite game is soccer and whose dream is to be an accountant. Since 2013 he has been visiting the KUAP-Pandipieri Community Health Education Center in Kisumu,
a city on the edge of Lake Victoria in northwest Kenya. Along with thousands of people in and around Kisumu who visit the center — a resource provided without cost — Daniel learns about health issues from WiRED International’s health education modules.

 

Read more »

 

 

December 2016: WiRED International Observes National Influenza Vaccination Week

National Influenza Vaccination Week spotlights the importance of influenza (flu) vaccination. The flu can cause severe illness or death and can strike people at any age. Upwards of a half-million people die each year from the flu, and residents in underserved areas of the world are particularly vulnerable. Read more »

 

 

December 2016: WiRED-Armenia Combines Health Education with Health Screening

WiRED-Armenia recently organized a series of presentations in Sisyan, Armenia, where it presented training sessions on a variety of topics—including diabetes, dental hygiene and quitting smoking—and, in the same session, provided on-the-spot screening for high blood pressure and diabetes. WiRED-Armenia plans to offer similar presentations and screening sessions which will cover other WiRED health educational modules. Read more »

 

 

December 2016: WiRED International Observes World AIDS Day

December 1 is World AIDS Day. This year the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new guidelines for self-testing. Despite real progress in stopping the AIDS epidemic, “Millions of people with HIV are still missing out on life-saving treatment, which can also prevent HIV transmission to others,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO’s Director-General. Read more »

 

 

On #GivingTuesday, November 29: We invite you to​ join us in global health education

This year, WiRED International celebrated its 19th anniversary of bringing life-saving medical and health information at no charge to people in underserved communities around the world. Read more »

 

 

November 2016: Happy Thanksgiving from WiRED International

This holiday WiRED International wishes to express our gratitude to our tireless volunteers and partners in the U.S. and abroad. Your support helps us create, distribute and deliver WiRED’s health training programs to populations with minimal health care and no other sources of health education. Read more »

 

 

WiRED International Warns: Polio Still Lingers

The history of poliomyelitis, or polio, proves the life-saving value of vaccination. Throughout the first half of the 20th century polio paralyzed hundreds of thousands of people, mostly children. Today polio has been 99% eradicated, but that last 1% remains a challenge. Read more »

 

 

November 2016: Sixty-Two Kenyans Graduate from WiRED International’s
Certificate Program

WiRED International’s Certificate Program continues to attract community members in Kisumu, Kenya. Recently, 62 people earned certificates for completing modules from WiRED’s Health Learning Center of more than 380 topics. Among the more popular modules are HIV/AIDS Basic Information and Treatment, Malaria, Malaria for Health Workers, Family Planning, STIs and Asthma.

 

Read more »

 

 

October 2016: WiRED International Updates Heart Diseases Module

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the world’s number one killer, causes the deaths of 17.5 million people each year. In response, WiRED International updated its Heart Diseases Module, a comprehensive educational course for general audiences. Read more »

 

 

 

October 2016: Facebook Response to John Oduor Wanjir’s Story

Recent WiRED International stories about John Oduor Wanjir and his project using WiRED training materials in Kenya prisons have generated an enormous response of comments on WiRED’s Facebook page, with more than a quarter-million reaches. What follows is a sampling of the comments and best wishes offered by people who have been touched by reading about John’s good work. Read more »

 

 

 

Editor’s Note: WiRED International has been tracking the work of John Oduor Wanjir for a number of years and recently learned about his extraordinary efforts to provide prisoners with critical health information, using our modules. His tenacity, courage and wisdom are inspiring, and so we wanted to share these stirring pieces with our readers. The following two stories offer a biographical sketch of John, in his own words, and an account of his work in Kenyan prisons. We value and applaud John and his work and we hope his efforts inspire you, our readers.

 

October 2016: John Oduor Wanjir Uses WiRED Programs to Teach Prisoners in Kenya

In 2002 a Kenyan named John Oduor Wanjir attended a WiRED International training in Mombasa, where WiRED International Director Dr. Gary Selnow taught a small group of young people basic computer and Internet skills. From that beginning, John now uses WiRED health education programs to teach men in two Kenyan prisons about health. Read more »

 

October 2016: John Oduor Wanjir’s Story

“I, John Oduor, come from a vulnerable background and live with a disability. [John has a nonfunctioning arm.] I saw my mother die from a disease I did not know and understand when I was 14. I later learned that she had cancer of the esophagus. This caused me lots of psychological problems and pain. Read more »

 

 

October 2016: John Oduor Wanjir Uses WiRED Programs to Teach Prisoners in Kenya

In 2002 a Kenyan named John Oduor Wanjir attended a WiRED International training in Mombasa, where WiRED International Director Dr. Gary Selnow taught a small group of young people basic computer and Internet skills. From that beginning, John now uses WiRED health education programs to teach men in two Kenyan prisons about health. Read more »

 

 

October 2016: Flu Season Is Here

It is time to get vaccinated for the 2016-2017 flu season. Influenza is a contagious respiratory disease, which is easily spread, and which causes severe illness and death in high-risk populations, especially in medically underserved communities. Read more »

 

 

 

October 2016: WiRED International Releases Cholera Module as Cases Rise in Haiti
after Hurricane

In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, outbreaks of cholera have added to the rising death toll in Haiti, where people need crucial health information to combat the potential for a widespread cholera epidemic. Read more »

 

 

October 2016: WiRED International Launches Three-Part Introduction to Cancer Module

The World Health Organization estimates that the number of annual cancer cases will rise from 14 million in 2012 to 22 million within the next two decades. More than 60% of the world’s total new annual cases occur in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. Read more »

 

 

September 2016: Friends of WiRED Send Donations to Children in Kisumu, Kenya

Over the years people have sustained WiRED by giving time, talent and money. This September WiRED Director Gary Selnow, Ph.D., traveled to Kenya with a 50-pound duffel full of clothes and toys. All these items were generously donated by WiRED’s supporters, volunteers and board members — Friends of WiRED — in response to Dr. Selnow’s request. Read more »

 

 

September 2016: Global Alarm Increases over Antibiotic Resistance to Superbugs

Antibiotics are failing. World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan, M.D., said in a September address to the United Nations, “Antimicrobial resistance is a global crisis — a slow-motion tsunami. The situation is bad and getting worse. The misuse of antimicrobials, including their underuse and overuse, is causing these fragile medicines to fail. The emergence of bacterial resistance is outpacing the world’s capacity for antibiotic discovery.” Read more »

 

 

September 2016: WiRED International Releases Rheumatic Heart Disease Module in Arabic for Teacher Training

WiRED International now offers an Arabic translation of its Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) module, which was developed to train teachers to recognize the disease. WiRED is pleased to present this translation in response to the requests of doctors in Egypt, where RHD remains a concern. Read more »

 

 

September 2016: WiRED International Salutes Alice Olwino

Alice Olwino is a nurse who works at the KUAP Pandipieri Center in Kisumu, one of the poorest and most underserved areas of Kenya. She has used WiRED International Health Learning Center modules to train local people on mother and child issues and other topics. In August Ms. Olwino was awarded Best Nurse of Kisumu County. Read more »

 

 

 

September 2016: WiRED Releases Module on Cancer of the Pancreas

The pancreas is a gland only six inches long, but its functions are vital to the human body. It produces fluids and hormones that help the body digest and use the energy that comes from food. Pancreatic cancer is the 12th most common type of cancer, but it is the fourth cause of cancer death in the United States. Read more »

 

 

September 2016: WiRED International Launches Module on Nutrition for Adults

Good nutrition ensures a healthy body and protects it from disease. WiRED International just released a Nutrition for Adults module. WiRED will soon update its modules on Nutrition during Pregnancy and on Nutrition for Children, and it will add modules on Nutrition for Nursing Mothers and for Infant Feeding. Read more »

 

 

August 2016: WiRED International Interview with Juan Victor Florez Zamora, M.D.

While in Peru for a recent trip, WiRED International Director Gary Selnow (GS), Ph.D., interviewed Juan Victor Florez Zamora (JZ), M.D. Dr. Zamora, who served as a clinician on a medical mission with WiRED’s partner, Project Amazonas, spoke with Dr. Selnow on a boat traveling on a tributary of the Amazon River. Read more »

 

 

August 2016: Update on Malaria

In 1961 Venezuela was the first country in the world to be labelled malaria free by the World Health Organization. Now malaria is back and at levels not seen in 75 years. A recent New York Times article reports that among Venezuela’s woes of a failing economy, a collapsing medical system and political unrest, the South American country faces a serious rise in a virulent form of malaria. Read more »

 

 

August 2016: Mosquitoes

In response to the global rise in mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika and malaria, WiRED International has created a mosquito Webpage that brings together facts, statistics and practical approaches to dealing with mosquitoes in order to minimize the likelihood of being bitten and to employ remedies after a bite. Read more »

 

 

August 2016: Children in Armenia Learn about Dental Hygiene from Dental Student and WiRED International

This August Ms. Susanna Stepanyan, a student of the dentistry faculty of the Yerevan State Medical University, Armenia, gave a presentation on dental hygiene at the summer camp of the “Astghavard” Centre for Health Education. Read more »

 

 

August 2016: Keeping Pets Healthy

WiRED International applauds animal lovers and pet owners everywhere, and we join our readers in looking out for the good health and safety of our four-legged friends Read more »

 

 

August 2016: WiRED International Launches Electronic Medical Record System in Peruvian Amazon

In an isolated area of the Peruvian Amazon, WiRED International just inaugurated what it believes to be the first electronic medical record (EMR) system that is completely portable and can be operated in out-of-the-way clinical settings. Read more »

 

 

August 2016: New Warnings about Zika

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to deliver travel alerts about the Zika virus amid concerns over blood supply safety and new reports of Zika spreading into Florida. Read more »

 

 

August 2016: WiRED International Observes National Immunization Awareness Month

August is National Immunization Awareness Month — a reminder to make sure that everyone is up to date on inoculations. Read more »

 

 

 

July 2016: Study Finds 9 Out of 10 Strokes Could Be Prevented

A recent HealthDay article reports that a study of 27,000 people from around the world found that the majority of strokes are preventable. Further, the report cited the top 10 risk factors for strokes. Read more »

 

 

July 2016: WiRED International Recognizes World Hepatitis Day

July 28 is World Hepatitis Day. According to a recent study, viral hepatitis is now a leading cause of death worldwide, killing as many people annually as malaria, tuberculosis or HIV/AIDS. Read more »

 

 

 

July 2016: Keeping an Eye on Dengue Fever

The Zika virus headlines the news today, but dengue fever is viewed by many as a greater threat to the global population. The overall incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades with half of the world's population now at risk. Read more »

 

 

July 2016: WiRED International Launches Rheumatic Heart Disease Animation in Spanish

WiRED International is pleased to announce the translation into Spanish of its rheumatic heart disease (RHD) animation video. A Portuguese version will be available soon. Awareness about RHD educates people about this completely preventable disease that currently affects at least 15.6 million victims. Read more »

 

 

July 2016: WiRED International Launches Yellow Fever Module amid Outbreak in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for an emergency-driven campaign to vaccinate people in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda in response to yellow fever outbreaks in Africa. Read more »

 

 

July 2016: Consequences of Zika Grow as Virus Spreads

The Zika virus continues to produce an ever-increasing number of unwelcome surprises for the global health community. A recent Scientific American article cites possible links between Zika and a new set of birth defects. In addition to having microcephaly and other severe brain conditions, babies born to women infected with Zika may also develop joint pain, vision impairment, seizures, trouble feeding and persistent crying — which, alarmingly, may not manifest in children until months or even years later. Read more »

 

 

June 2016: WiRED Team Reports from Armenia

This June WiRED International Director Gary Selnow, Ph.D., and WiRED Armenia Director Sebouh Baghdoyan spent a busy week visiting facilities and attending meetings in Armenia. Read more »

 

 

June 2016: Young Kenyan Studies Health and Prevention at WiRED Center

Twenty-three-year-old Ochieng Wilbertforce lives in Obunga, one of the world’s poorest slums in the northwest part of Kisumu, Kenya. One day a friend told him about WiRED International’s Community Health Information Center in Kisumu. Feeling curious, he visited the Center and began his education in health. Read more »

 

 

June 2016: WiRED Updates Zika Module for Health Care Providers

The Zika virus is no longer a phenomenon found just in America’s Southern Hemisphere. On June 15 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 234 pregnant women in the continental United States have been infected with the Zika virus. Read more »

 

 

June 2016: WiRED International Observes World Blood Donor Day

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated June 14 as World Blood Donor Day. This year’s theme is “Blood connects us all.” The campaign presents video stories of those whose lives have been saved through blood donation and seeks to encourage blood donation, especially from young people who have never given blood. Read more »

 

 

June 2016: WiRED International Launches Update of Rheumatic Heart Disease
Modules for Teachers

According to the World Heart Federation, rheumatic heart disease (RHD) currently affects an estimated 15.6 million people, causing more than 233,000 deaths each year. RHD often begins with a strep throat which, when treated, can completely stop this preventable disease. Read more »

 

 

June 2016: Erin Baker and Sameer Verma Join Wired International’s Governing Board

WiRED International is pleased to welcome Erin Baker, Ph.D., and Sameer Verma, Ph.D., to its Governing Board. Read more »

 

 

 

June 2016: Recent Report Warns That Superbugs Are Gaining on Antibiotics

A recent Washington Post article cited a report stating that, for the first time, researchers have found a person carrying bacteria which is resistant to antibiotics of last resort. This is an alarming development that a top U.S. public health official says could mean “the end of the road” for antibiotics. Read more »

 

 

May 2016: WiRED International Observes World No Tobacco Day

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. The World Health Organization began this global observance in 1987 to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and to encourage governments to adopt effective policies to reduce tobacco use. Read more »

 

 

 

 

May 2016: WiRED Releases Update of Rheumatic Heart Disease Module for Students

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the most common heart disease in children and young adults in developing countries. WiRED has updated its RHD module for students to describe this serious but completely preventable disease. Read more »

 

 

May 2016: Asthma, Allergies and Clean Air

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month and Clean Air Month, reminding us that we’re entering the season where many people become vulnerable to environmental conditions. Read more »

 

 

May 2016: May is Hepatitis Awareness Month

When recently asked about hepatitis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesperson Jonathan Mermin, M.D., said: “Why are so many Americans dying of this preventable, curable disease?” Dr. Mermin speculated that many deaths could be avoided with simple testing for and treatment of hepatitis. An excellent starting point is to learn about the disease from WiRED’s Hepatitis module. Read more »

 

 

May 2016: WiRED International Observes National High Blood Pressure Month and American Stroke Awareness Month

Do you know the range for healthy blood pressure? Do you know the signs of stroke? The month of May is a good time to refresh your knowledge about these conditions, because this is National High Blood Pressure Month and American Stroke Awareness Month. Read more »

 

 

 

May 2016: WiRED Receives Charitable Donation from VMware

WiRED International’s board and volunteers wish to thank the VMware Foundation for its recent generous donation in honor of an employee (who wishes to remain anonymous) who has been with the company for many years. WiRED plans to spend the funds on its “Mothers’ and Children’s Health” program. Read more »

 

 

May 2016: Summer and the Threat of Zika

Summer is almost here. The season promises sun, fun — and alarmingly this year, the Zika virus. Read more »

 

 

 

April 2016: WiRED International Releases Sexually Transmitted Illnesses Module — Part 2

Sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs) are on the rise for the first time since 2006. Each year an estimated 357 million new infections occur. The good news is that all STIs are preventable. Read more »

 

 

April 2016: WiRED International Marks World Immunization Week April 24-30, 2016

During World Immunization Week the World Health Organization urges people around the world to take action to “Close the Immunization Gap.” Read more »

 

 

 

 

April 2016: WiRED International Observes World Malaria Day

About 3.2 billion people — almost half the world’s population — are at risk of malaria. For World Malaria Day 2016 the World Health Organization (WHO) chose the theme “End malaria for good.” Over the next 15 years WHO’s goal is to reduce, by 90 percent, the rate of new malaria cases and deaths, eliminate malaria in at least 35 countries and prevent malaria from reemerging in countries that are now malaria-free. Read more »

 

 

April 2016: WiRED International Observes Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

On April 24 WiRED International joins with colleagues and friends in Armenia to remember victims of the Armenian Genocide. WiRED’s volunteers around the world reach out to our partners in WiRED International – Armenia Centers on this solemn occasion. Read more »

 

 

April 2016: WiRED International Celebrates Earth Day 2016

This year Earth Day is Friday, April 22.

 

On the first Earth Day in 1970, people celebrated clean air, land and water. Forty-six years later, the planet’s survival is at risk. Climate change threatens and impacts our health, our environment and our economy. Read more »

 

 

April 2016: WiRED International Releases Module on Healthy Practices during Pregnancy

Every pregnancy should result in a healthy baby. The best way to help ensure this is for a woman to stay healthy before and during pregnancy. Read more »

 

 

April 2016: WiRED International Salutes Kenya Clinician Brian Obonyo

Brian Obonyo is a registered clinical officer who works for the KUAP-Pandipieri program center in Kisumu, Kenya. Brian and his colleagues seek to improve the health of some of the poorest and most underserved people of the world. Read more »

 

April 2016: Pets Impact Human Health

Seven-year-old Luke Nuttall has type 1 diabetes. His parents were sound asleep when Luke’s diabetic alert dog Jedi woke them up in the middle of the night. The boy’s blood sugar had fallen dangerously low, but Jedi’s vigilance prompted Luke’s parents to take life-saving action. Read more »

 

 

April 2016: World Health Day 2016 Targets Diabetes, as Cases Increase at an Alarming Rate Worldwide

World Health Day falls on April 7, the birthday of the World Health Organization (WHO), which targets an area of global health concern each year. For 2016 their topic is diabetes, with the theme of “Beat Diabetes.” Read more »

 

 

April 2016: WiRED International Interviews Michael Constantine

Award-winning actor Michael Constantine’s film and TV career spans more than 60 years. Identified most recently as the Windex-spraying family patriarch Gus Portokalos in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding movies, WiRED International knows him best as a member of its Honorary Board of Directors. Read more »

 

 

 

March 2016: Potential Health Ramifications of Zika Virus Increase as Recent Research Raises New Alarms

Scientists continue to discover further neurological consequences of the Zika virus — adding to the growing global fears over the connection between Zika and birth defects, such as microcephaly, and adult diseases such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. Read more »

 

 

March 2016: Personal Hygiene Modules from WiRED International

It's always a good time to remind our children and ourselves about the importance of good personal hygiene. WiRED's staff would like to offer these two modules for general guidance. Read more »

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 2016: WiRED International Observes World Tuberculosis Day

"Unite to end TB" is the theme of 2016’s World Tuberculosis Day. On March 24 in 1882 Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes TB. The disease ranks alongside HIV/AIDS as the world’s top infectious disease killer. Read more »

 

 

March 2016: Zika Update

Missed the live Zika update by the World Health Organization? Click here to listen to the webcast.

 

 

 

 

March 2016: WiRED International Modules Stress the Importance of Environmental Impacts on Health

Environmental health hazards hit underserved populations hardest, especially children under age five and adults between 50 and 75 years old. Read more »

 

 

 

 

March 2016: Global Alarm Grows over Zika Virus as Health Officials Fear Devastating Harm during Pregnancy

World health officials warn that consequences for pregnant women who contract the Zika virus are proving to be far worse than first suspected.

 

Before Zika, "there has never been a mosquito-borne virus that could cause serious birth defects on such a large scale," said Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a conference call with reporters on March 9th. Read more »

 

 

March 2016: WiRED International Observes Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. Learning the facts about this preventable cancer could save your life. Read more »

 

 

 

March 2016: WiRED International Releases
Sexually Transmitted Infections Module — Part 1

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than one million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide; that amounts to an estimated 357 million new infections of the most common types of STIs. Read more »

 

 

February 2016: Dengue Express

Zika, understandably, has received a lot of public attention during the past two months, and WiRED has been in the lead on Zika education by way of its training modules. Another illness, dengue fever, which is borne by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito, is also plaguing populations around the world. The World Health Organization estimates dengue fever infects 390 million people each year. Read more »

 

 

February 2016: WiRED International Center in Kenya Connects Homeless Teenager to Health Education

Ramsey Sagini Peter is a 15-year-old Kenyan whose determination to educate himself led him to WiRED International’s Community Health Information Center in Kisumu, Kenya. Read more »

 

 

February 2016: WiRED International Updates Module on Hepatitis

WiRED International now offers a revised module on hepatitis, a disease that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and that most commonly triggers cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. Read more »

 

 

 

February 2016: WiRED International Observes American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month. This Valentine’s Day give the gift of heart health to family and friends by committing to a healthy lifestyle and by learning how to keep your heart healthy. Read more »

 

 

February 2016: World Health Organization Issues New Travel Advisory on Zika Virus

The World Health Organization (WHO) has just released fresh travel recommendations for pregnant women to countries affected by the Zika virus. The WHO guidelines caution travelers to stay alert about the latest news about Zika and to take steps to protect themselves against mosquito bites during their trip. The WHO warnings appear amid evidence that the illness can also be transmitted sexually and not just through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Read more »

 

 

February 2016: WiRED International Launches Health Module on Obstetric Fistula

WiRED International just released an Obstetric Fistula module on this preventable and treatable condition suffered by an estimated two million women living in underserved areas of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Read more »

 

 

 

 

February 2016: WiRED International Remains Vigilant on Rheumatic Heart Disease

One of the preventable illnesses that WiRED has focused on during the past few years is rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a chronic heart condition that starts with strep throat. According to the World Heart Federation, RHD kills more than 250,000 people every year and affects at least 15.6 million. Read more »

 

 

February 2016: WiRED International Recognizes World Cancer Day

February 4 is World Cancer Day. This year’s theme is, “We can. I can.” Read more »

 

 

February 2016: World Health Organization Declares Zika Virus a Global Health Emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the mosquito-borne Zika virus crisis to its highest alert level today. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, M.D., made the announcement amid growing concern that Zika causes birth defects such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Read more »

 

 

January 2016: WiRED International Releases Zika Module for Community Health Workers as Zika Crisis Grows

Wired International now offers its third Zika module, Zika for community health workers (CHWs). This rapid response module informs CHWs about Zika virus infections and discusses diagnosis, treatment, prevention measures and travel advisories. Read more »

 

 

January 2016: WiRED International Releases Family Planning Module

Family planning matters, and lately the issue is related to current news stories about the Zika virus. Because of a possible link between the Zika virus and birth abnormalities, the Associated Press reports that Latin American governments including Brazil and Colombia are asking women to avoid pregnancy, and Salvadoran authorities have advised women not to get pregnant until 2018. Read more »

 

 

January 2016: WiRED International Recognizes Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

No woman should die of cervical cancer. If caught early, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treated cancers. Read more »

 

 

 

January 2016: Zika update: CDC advises pregnant women to postpone travel to 14 countries and territories in the Western Hemisphere

The Zika virus that has been linked to a dramatic rise of infants born with severe and irreversible nerve damage and a small head (microcephaly) in Brazil has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on January 15 to advise pregnant women to postpone travel to the following countries: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Read more »

 

 

January 2016: Make Vaccination a Priority in the New Year

Are you and your loved ones up to date on vaccinations? WiRED International wants to make sure that everyone in your family is vaccinated against infectious disease. Read more »

 

 

 

 

 

January 2016: Update on Chagas Disease

Chagas disease made the news recently when a New York Times article revealed a plan by Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli to charge from $60,000 to $100,000 for a course of benznidazole to treat Chagas disease, up from the current price of $5 to $100 for a two-month course of the drug. Read more »

 

 

January 2016: WiRED Releases Updated Module on Dengue Fever

The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 400 million dengue infections occur each year globally. Read more »

 

 

 

 

January 2016: WiRED International’s 2016 Preview

WiRED International’s volunteers, board and staff look forward to a busy and productive 2016. Our plans include the addition of several dozen new modules to the Health Learning Center and updates which will reflect new research and thinking about topics already in the library. We look forward to expanding our partnerships with medical schools, clinics and nongovernmental organizations around the world as we continue to grow the Center for the Development and Distribution of Health Education Programs. WiRED is the only source of cost-free, interactive health training programs for grassroots communities, and our professionally developed material is being used increasingly by organizations and institutions that promote good health through community education. Read more »

 

 

January 2016: Alarm Grows over Link between Zika Virus and Microcephaly

Women in Brazil are being warned to avoid mosquitoes and to postpone pregnancy as cases of microcephaly in newborns edge up to 2,800, according to a recent New York Times story. Read more »

 

 

December 2015: WiRED Launches Health Education Module on Child Growth and Development

There are around two billion children in the world. To safeguard their future, they need to experience healthy physical, socio-economical and cognitive development in order to grow and thrive. Read more »

 

 

 

December 2015: Holiday Greetings from WiRED

WiRED International would like to wish all the joys of the season to our team of volunteer physicians, medical editors, imagers and technicians along with a host of other volunteer medical experts who develop our health modules. We wish all the best of the season to the many people who have donated to our cause, enabling us to provide cost-free health education programs to people in low-resource regions. Read more »

 

 

December 2015: WiRED Releases Zika Rapid Response Module as Cases Multiply and Suspicions Grow about Related Birth Defects

An emerging mosquito-borne illness called Zika is spreading through South America, Africa, the Pacific Islands and elsewhere. In reaction to recent outbreaks, WiRED International just launched a rapid response module on the disease. Read more »

 

 

December 2015: Year in Review

WiRED International completed a fruitful and vibrant agenda in 2015 as it marked its 18th anniversary.

 

WiRED’s volunteers, staff and board of directors are proud of a very productive 2015. During the year, WiRED generated its largest number of new and updated health training modules, reached more people around the globe than ever before, and with its partners, ventured into new and challenging environments where low-resource populations have accessed its material in their first-ever exposure to prevention and health care information. Read more »

 

 

December 2015: WiRED Announces Request for Proposal under Initiative in Honor of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens

In October 2015 WiRED International launched a community health education initiative honoring the late Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. (See earlier story.) Now WiRED is issuing a request for proposal (RFP) to offer organizations and institutions working in low-resource regions the opportunity to join in a project in honor of the late ambassador, who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people in underserved countries. Read more »

 

 

December 2015: WiRED Welcomes Elizabeth A. Touma to the Governing Board

WiRED International is pleased to announce that Elizabeth A. Touma (Bess) has become its most recent Governing Board member. Read more »

 

 

 

December 2015: December 1 is World AIDS Day

Today United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for world action in the fight against acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. He said, “To break the epidemic and prevent it from rebounding, we must act on all fronts. We need to more than double the number of people on life-changing treatment to reach all 37 million of those living with HIV.” Read more »

 

 

November 2015: WiRED Updates Urinary Tract Infection Module

WiRED International just updated its module on urinary tract infections as part of its general collection of health education modules and its Women’s Health Series. Read more »

 

 

November 2015: WiRED Marks World Antibiotic Awareness Week

Antibiotics save millions of lives each year around the world, but the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals present challenges to fighting infectious diseases. Read more »

 

 

 

November 2015: WiRED’s Gestational Diabetes Training in Armenia

A group of pregnant women and mothers in the mountain village of Karmirghuygh, Armenia, recently participated in a health education training session during which presenters used the WiRED International Gestational Diabetes (GD) module. Read more »

 

 

November 2015: WiRED Releases Health Education Module on Anemia

Anemia affects an estimated 1.62 billion people or nearly one quarter of the world’s population. The highest instance of anemia occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Anemia often accompanies other conditions, such as malnutrition and malaria. Pets as well as people can suffer from anemia. Read more »

 

 

November 2015: Diet and Exercise Key Players in Diabetes Management

Globally 371 million people have diabetes, about half undiagnosed. As the diabetes epidemic rises rapidly in low and middle income countries, so do the costs of medicine and treatment. Read more »

 

 

October 2015: WiRED International Applauds Dr. David Alberts

WiRED is proud to spotlight the recent publication of Fundamentals of Cancer Prevention, edited by WiRED Honorary Board member David S. Alberts, M.D., and Lisa M. Hess, Ph.D. Read more »

 

 

 

 

October 2015: WiRED International Celebrates 18th Anniversary

WiRED International hosted a reception at Scala’s Bistro in San Francisco, California, this October to mark another year of providing medical and health information programs to underserved communities around the world. Eighty-five people attended the event and talked about WiRED’s programs and mission with WiRED Board members and volunteers, many from the Bay Area. Read more »

 

 

October 2015: WiRED Announces Program Initiative in Honor of Ambassador Chris Stevens

WiRED International announces the launch of the Community Health Education Initiative in Honor of the late U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

 

Board Chair Anthony Hodge and the ambassador’s sister, Anne Marguerite Stevens, M.D., Ph.D., unveiled the initiative during a recent WiRED reception in San Francisco, California. WiRED has established a special fund to underwrite this program, which began with generous contributions from Mr. Hodge and Dr. Stevens. Read more »

 

 

October 2015: October 15 is Global Handwashing Day!

What is the first line of defense against almost all infectious diseases? Yes, that’s right — handwashing. Handwashing is key to the prevention of everything from the common cold to Ebola. Read more »

 

 

October 2015: Vaccination Key as Flu Season Begins Worldwide

Flu season typically occurs between October and May. Have you gotten your flu shot yet? “Get vaccinated,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden, M.D., said. “That's the best way to protect yourself, your family and your community against flu.” Read more »

 

 

 

October 2015: Cases of MERS and Chikungunya Continue to Rise Rapidly Worldwide

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report upticks in global cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Read more »

 

 

Sept 2015: WiRED and the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation honor Mesothelioma Awareness Day, September 26, 2015, by launching their partnership

WiRED International recently has forged a partnership with the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation to develop educational modules on mesothelioma, a deadly cancer affecting the lungs, the peritoneal space, the heart, and/or the testicles, primarily caused by exposure to asbestos. Read more »

 

 

Sept 2015: Translators without Borders Salutes WiRED

Translators without Borders just wrote an article on WiRED! Check it out here!

 

 

Sept 2015: Berkeley Student Applies WiRED Programs to Community Outreach in South Africa

When Berkeley graduate student Thabani Nyoni went to Capetown, South Africa, to do a summer research project, he took WiRED International’s health education modules with him. Thabani, who first heard about WiRED at Berkeley, said he was “keen to be a part of this great health education program.” Read more »

 

 

Sept 2015: WiRED Salutes Magdalyne Odhiso Onglinjo

Magdalyne Odhiso Onglinjo has done her homework, and it has paid off for her — and for her community. Because of all she has learned about health, she has earned a platinum certificate from WiRED International’s Certificate Program. She has taken 47 WiRED health education courses and has passed all the tests with a grade of 80% or higher. Read more »

 

 

Sept 2015: Study Urges Lower Blood Pressure Guidelines

Intensive blood pressure management may save lives, according to a federal clinical trial that was ended early in order to rush the findings to doctors and the general public. Read more »

 

 

Sept 2015: WiRED Completes Latest Mission to Nicaragua

WiRED International announces the successful delivery of its most current Learning Center medical and health information to a leading medical school, and to hospitals and community organizations in the towns of La Trinidad, El Sauce, El Tololar and León. With this accomplishment WiRED now can run additional education programs and train-the-trainer sessions in these underserved places in Nicaragua. Read more »

 

 

Sept 2015: WiRED Animation Video Increases Visibility of Rheumatic Heart Disease

WiRED is pleased to announce the release of a rheumatic heart disease (RHD) animation video. In the space of a few minutes, our video describes RHD and explains why it is so serious, why it prevails in underserved communities, and why we need to address it. Read more »

 

 

August 2015: WHO Presents First Global Report on Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is now a major threat to public health, according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections. Read more »

 

 

August 2015: WiRED Brings Medical and Health Information to Nicaragua

This week WiRED International will return to Nicaragua after nearly a year to provide projectors, laptops and our Community Health Education Library to a leading medical school, hospitals and community organizations. WiRED’s goal is to bring current health information to medical professionals and community health workers in order to educate patients and families to take part in their own health care. Read more »

 

 

August 2015: August 19 Is World Humanitarian Day

WiRED International joins organizations and people all over the world in celebrating World Humanitarian Day. The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) named August 19 World Humanitarian Day to mark the anniversary of the bombing of their headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2003. This same explosion also damaged WiRED’s Medical Information Center at the Spinal Cord Hospital in Baghdad. Read more »

 

 

August 2015: Spotlight: NCDs - Cancer

Cancer is frightening. Almost everyone has been touched by it in some way, and the number of new cases is expected to rise by 70% in the next 20 years. In fact, cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Annually, lung, liver, stomach, colorectal, breast and esophageal cancers kill more than eight million people globally. Read more »

 

 

August 2015: WiRED Rolls Out Anatomy Express Modules

How much do you know about human anatomy? A knowledge of anatomy is central to understanding illnesses and how to prevent them. WiRED International just launched a three-part series on anatomy. Read more »

 

 

July 2015: WiRED Salutes the St. Kizito Choir Pandipieri

"He who sings prays twice," St. Augustine is believed to have said. The St. Kizito Choir Pandipieri, Kenya, brings this saying to life every time they sing. Read more »

 

 

July 2015: Doctors in Haiti Embrace WiRED Learning Center Modules

WiRED International’s medical and health information was not available in Haiti — until now. This past spring WiRED International’s Board Chair Anthony Hodge and Director Gary Selnow, Ph.D., met Yen-Len Tang, M.D., a California-based physician, who was about to leave on a volunteer medical mission to Haiti. Read more »

 

 

July 2015: WiRED Releases Asthma Express Module

Learning about asthma just got easy: WiRED International now offers an Express module on asthma. Some 235 million people, or one in 12, currently suffer from asthma. Read more »

 

 

 

July 2015: WiRED Releases TB Module amid Disease's Growing Resistance to Treatment Drugs

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified tuberculosis (TB) as an emerging global threat. The importance of monitoring and treating the disease cannot be overstated, especially because TB can morph into serious drug-resistant varieties. Read more »

 

 

July 2015: WiRED Module Teaches Armenian Children about Dental Health

Armenian children at the Orran NGO (nongovernmental organization) celebrated World Oral Health Day by learning about dental hygiene. Health learning events, employing WiRED’s training modules, have been sponsored by WiRED Armenia, our close partners on many critical community education projects. Read more »

 

 

July 2015: WiRED Delivers Programs to Remote Communities in Amazon in a New Way

WiRED International can now distribute vital medical and health information to isolated underserved areas of the world without relying on the Internet or the power grid. We did this on our recent trip to Peru when we successfully tested new hardware configurations on remote stretches of the Peruvian Amazon. This new portable bundle, called Pack ’n Go, includes solar panels, a lithium-ion battery, a compact projector and a laptop loaded with our programs — all fitting easily in a backpack. Read more »

 

 

June 2015: People @ WiRED: WiRED Salutes Denis Onyango

Denis Onyango is a staff member at the WiRED International medical and health education center in Obunga, Kenya. What follows is an excerpt from Mr. Oyango’s report to WiRED. Read more »

 

 

June 2015: Type 2 Diabetes Increasing at Alarming Speed in Low-Income Countries

The dramatic rise of Type 2 diabetes among the world’s poorest people is linked to a rise in obesity, according to a new study conducted by the British medical journal The Lancet. Read more »

 

 

June 2015: WiRED Returns to the Peruvian Amazon for the Sixth Time since 2011

This week a WiRED International team is traveling to South America to bring medical and health information to underserved and remote communities in the Peruvian Amazon. This mission is to deliver the education and tools that will enable populations in the Amazon to improve the health of their communities. Read more »

 

 

June 2015: Recent MERS Outbreak Causes Global Scare

Latest figures report 10 people in South Korea have died from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS, and the nation reported 122 confirmed cases and placed more than 3,800 persons in quarantine. Read more »

 

 

June 2015: WIRED Completes Module Express Series

WiRED International now offers 16 new or revised “Express” health learning modules in both English and Spanish. WiRED created the Express modules for grassroots audiences who need quick and concise introductions to a topic. Read more »

 

 

June 2015: WiRED Wants Your Suggestions!

If you’re not finding a module on a health topic you need at the WiRED International Learning Center, please review our collection of health training modules and let us know if there are areas or specific topics you would like us to cover in the future. Read more »

 

 

May 2015: WIRED Releases Module on Menopause

A healthy menopause is key to a woman’s well-being as she ages. To that end WiRED International now offers a module on menopause as part of our women’s health series. Read more »

 

 

May 2015: WiRED Urges HIV Education as HIV Cases Rise

A recent New York Times article reported a severe outbreak of HIV and hepatitis due to a surge in injected heroin use in U.S. states including Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia. Read more »

 

 

May 2015: May is National Stroke Awareness Month

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. Do you know the signs of a person having a stroke? And if so, would you know what to do? Read more »

 

 

 

 

May 2015: WiRED International Applauds Steve Wonder Okello

There is something wonderful about Steve Wonder Okello. Steve said, “I was born in Obunga, one of the biggest slums in Kisumu, Kenya, where opportunity does not come to you, but you must go after it.” For the past five years Steve has been a client support staffer at the WiRED International Center in Obunga. Read more »

 

 

May 2015: WiRED Module Express on Track to Arrive This Summer

WiRED International will soon present a new twist on our health education program: the Module Express series. WiRED developed the new Express series particularly for use in the most isolated areas of the world. We will be taking this series on our next major trip — to the Peruvian Amazon. Read more »

 

 

May 2015: Spotlight: NCDs — Diabetes

More people die each year from diabetes than from breast cancer and AIDS combined. Diabetes is a serious, potentially deadly disease with a worldwide presence that now amounts to a public health crisis. Read more »

 

 

April 2015: WiRED Announces Release of Official Organization Video

How do you describe WiRED International in five minutes or less? Now WiRED offers a video that can do just that. The video was developed to demonstrate how a small volunteer-driven organization can bring free medical information and education to people in remote and troubled areas of the world. Read more »

 

 

April 2015: WiRED Releases Module on Menstruation

Understanding her menstrual cycle is an important part of a woman’s overall health. For many young girls, feelings of fear, shame and confusion are associated with this natural, healthy biological occurrence. Read more »

 

 

April 2015: WiRED RHD Module for Students Now Available in Four Languages

Although rheumatic heart disease or RHD is completely preventable, it affects millions of people worldwide, two-thirds of them children in low-resource countries. In response to a global need for information, WiRED International just released its RHD module for students in French and Spanish—expanding on our existing versions in English and Portuguese. Read more »

 

 

April 2015: WiRED’s Latest Release Is Module on Dehydration

Dehydration leads to 1.5 million deaths each year — mostly in young children from developing countries. The tragedy is that with simple treatment these lives could have been saved. WiRED International now offers an educational course on dehydration in our Learning Center. Read more »

 

 

April 2015: Makeover Complete for WiRED’s Learning Center

WiRED’s Health Education Learning Portal has a new look! In addition to redesigning our main website, WiRED also renovated the website for our Learning Center. Now WiRED offers a clearer and more simplified approach to accessing its more than 350 medical and health education modules. Read more »

 

 

April 2015: National Public Health Week Is April 6–12, 2015

National Public Health Week is here! To get the ball rolling, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation declaring National Public Health Week and acknowledging the value of public health workers to our country every day. Read more »

 

 

March 2015: WiRED International Education Program Helps Kenyan Man Beat Alcohol Abuse

A man we’ll call George lives in Kisumu, a poverty-stricken area in western Kenya. Now age 30, he developed a drinking problem when just a teenager. His alcohol abuse led to unemployment and unprotected sex with prostitutes. He even drank so much he set his grandfather’s house on fire. Read more »

 

 

March 2015: WiRED International Releases New Module in HIV/AIDS Series: Nutrition for HIV+ People

The link between nutrition and health is well known. Good nutrition is especially crucial to people with infections. To that end, WiRED just expanded its medical and health education modules on HIV/AIDS by creating one on nutrition. Read more »

 

 

March 2015: WiRED’s Dental Hygiene Modules Impact Armenian Children

For Armenians living in villages such as Karchaxbyur, access to information on dental health can be a challenge. After Davit Davtyan's parents saw WiRED's module on dental health, they were alerted to a peculiar condition of Davit’s teeth and took him to a dentist. Read more »

 

 

March 2015: Spotlight: NCDs — Hypertension

How can a disease be a “silent killer” with no symptoms, no apparent illness, until it causes damage to our bodies? How can a disease be so dangerous that doctors recommend screening for it by age 3? Read more »

 

 

March 2015: WiRED Echo Module Series Now Available in Portuguese

WiRED International now offers a complete module series on the echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Portuguese. These training modules will be used primarily in Brazil, where RHD is a serious health risk. Read more »

 

 

March 2015: Kevin Mark—Proud Recipient of WiRED’s Bronze Certificate

Fifteen-year-old Kevin Mark has a remarkable story. He comes from Obunga, an impoverished community near Lake Victoria in western Kenya. Many residents there cope with serious housing issues, from leaky roofs to poor insulation. Read more »

 

 

March 2015: Spotlight: NCDs — Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer every day from chronic diseases of the airways and other structures of the lung. Chronic respiratory diseases (ranging from infections like bronchitis and pneumonia to conditions like asthma and COPD) caused more than 4 million deaths in 2012. Read more »

 

 

February 2015: WiRED International Receives Grant to Expand Ebola Education Program

Ebola has all but vanished from the news—but not from West Africa. In fact, a situation report from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows a recent uptick in the number of Ebola cases. Now is the time to prepare communities and to establish systems that can be activated if the virus should spread. Read more »

 

 

February 2015: Spotlight: NCDs — Cardiovascular Disease

Nothing kills more people each year than cardiovascular diseases. The World Health Organization reports that an estimated 7.4 million people died from some form of coronary heart disease in 2012. Read more »

 

 

February 2015: Chikungunya Disease Module Now Available

WiRED International just posted a module on chikungunya disease to our Community Health Education e-library. Read more »

 

 

February 2015: WiRED International Launches Measles Module Amid Disease Outbreak in U.S.

Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected. Read more »

 

 

January 2015: WiRED International Fights Noncommunicable Diseases
with Education

What is the biggest health challenge on the globe today? It is clearly the threat of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) according to Shanthi Mendis, M.D., the World Health Organization’s coordinator for chronic diseases prevention and management. Read more »

 

January 2015: WiRED International Prepares Module on Chikungunya Virus

Ever heard of the Chikungunya virus? Most people haven't, yet more than a million people in the Western Hemisphere have caught it. Read more »

 

 

January 2015: Erin Burgoon Joins the WiRED International Advisory Board

WiRED International is pleased to name Erin Burgoon, Ph.D., as our newest Advisory Board member. Read more »

 

 

 

January 2015: CDC Warns 2015 Flu Season Could Be Severe

Influenza (the flu) causes around 40,000 deaths a year, not to mention suffering from illness and loss of work. Read more »

 

 

 

December 2014: New Year’s Update on Ebola from WiRED International

The New York Times reported on December 29 that, in 2014, Ebola abated a bit in West Africa, then came roaring back. Read more »

 

 

December 2014: WiRED International 2014 Year-End Review

The past year marked WiRED International’s completion of a three-year effort to develop a comprehensive health training program that offers expertly written, peer-reviewed training material free of charge for everyone. Read more »

 

 

December 2014: WiRED International’s Certificate Program Awards 49 People—Including Eight at the Highest Level

WiRED International’s Certificate Program continues to attract community members in Kisumu. Read more »

 

 

December 2014: WiRED International Welcomes Dr. Anne Stevens to Governing Board

WiRED International is pleased to announce that Anne Marguerite Stevens, M.D., Ph.D. recently joined our Governing Board. Read more »

 

 

December 2014: WiRED International Expands Ebola Education in Africa

WiRED International, now in its 12th year of operation in Africa, provided Ebola training during various events and presentations throughout Kenya. Read more »

 

 

November 2014: WiRED Completes Ebola Module for Health Care Workers (HCWs)

Health care workers (HCWs) play a critical role in the international community’s efforts to stop the spread, and prevent the recurrence, of Ebola and other devastating epidemics. Read more »

 

 

November 2014: WiRED International Focuses on Risk of Influenza as Flu Season Begins Worldwide

Even as attention remains on Ebola, WiRED International emphasizes also the prevention of another threat—influenza, both abroad and in the U.S. Read more »

 

 

October 2014: WiRED International Announces the Release of a New Training Program on Ebola

WiRED International has expanded our training program on Ebola with the addition of a module designed for students and their families. Read more »

 

 

September 2014: WiRED Launches Prevention Education Program on Ebola in East Africa

Preparing people—helping them understand prevention—can be key in combating any epidemic. WiRED International and our partners pledge to stay ahead of the curve by training people in unaffected areas of Africa in advance of any Ebola intrusion. Read more »

 

 

September 2014: WiRED Completes Upgrades to Community Health Outreach Program

WiRED International announces the culmination of a three-year effort to develop a comprehensive training program that offers expertly written, peer-reviewed training material free of charge for all people in underserved regions. Read more »

 

 

August 2014: WiRED Updates Ebola Training Program in Wake of Growing Epidemic

Reports from West Africa are not good. "[The Ebola contagion is] even worse than we'd feared," Tom Frieden, M.D., director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told multiple sources while on a fact-finding trip to West Africa this week. Read more »

 

 

August 2014: The World Health Organization Calls Ebola an International Public Health Emergency-WiRED Continues to Fight the Epidemic with Education

According to The New York Times, the World Health Organization has not only declared the Ebola epidemic in West Africa to be an international health emergency but demanded an extraordinary response. Read more »

 

 

July 2014: WiRED CHE Center Continues to Draw Kenyans in Need

WiRED International's Community Health Education (CHE) Center in Kisumu, western Kenya, attracts both medical students and members of underserved communities to programs that improve people’s health outcomes. Read more »

 

 

June 2014: WiRED to Unveil E-Library Filling Station

WiRED International will soon launch a “filling station,” a vital tool for expanding the global reach of our Community Health Education (CHE) e-library to communities off the grid. Read more »

 

 

May 2014: WiRED’s Echo Training in Rheumatic Heart
Disease Goes to the Field

Nurses and health workers can now apply knowledge and techniques learned from a series of training modules on the echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Read more »

 

 

April 2014: WiRED CHE Center Flourishes in Kenya

WiRED International opened its Community Health Education (CHE) Center in Kisumu, western Kenya, 12 years ago. Today the facility functions as the recently dedicated Faye F. and Sheldon S. Cohen Center. Read more »

 

 

April 2014: E-library Provides Health Education Tools for the IMAGE Project in Tanzania

The IMAGE Project just introduced WiRED International’s Community Health Education (CHE) e-library to a number of impoverished and remote villages in Tanzania. Read more »

 

 

March 2014: WiRED Returns to Armenia to Establish Community Health Education Centers

Building on last year’s exploratory trip, WiRED International revisited Armenia in order to open several community health education centers (CHEs) and scout out more locations for future activities. Read more »

 

 

March 2014: WiRED Expands and Updates W-HELP e-Library

WiRED International’s Health Education Learning Portal (W-HELP e-library) continues to grow in new and exciting ways. Our e-library allows physicians and nurses, patients, community health workers and others in underserved regions to address the prevention and treatment of both infectious and non-communicable diseases. Read more »

 

 

February 2014: WiRED Team, in Partnership with Project
Amazonas, Installs Two Community Health Education Facilities
in Peruvian Amazon

WiRED International returned from a 12-day trip to establish two Community Health Education (CHE) centers in Peru—one in Iquitos and one in Pevas. Read more »

 

 

February 2014: WiRED Returns to Peruvian Amazon to Launch Two Community Health Education Facilities

WiRED International begins 2014 with a return to the remote Amazon headwaters of eastern Peru, where we will set up Community Health Education (CHE) facilities in the towns of Iquitos and Pevas. Read more »

 

 

January 2014: WiRED International Previews 2014

WiRED began 2014 with an exciting lineup of programs designed to advance our health training activities worldwide. Our medical writers, editors and outside consultants will continue expanding and updating WiRED’s extensive Community Health Information (CHI) e-library. Translators, meanwhile, will continue converting modules into languages including Spanish, Arabic, Armenian and Mandarin. Read more »

 

 

December 2013: WiRED International 2013 Year-End Review

2013 marked a breakthrough year for WiRED. We launched our Health Education Learning Portal (W-HELP website) to introduce our expanded Community Health Information (CHI) e-library. We extended our presence in countries including Peru and Kenya and added Armenia to our list of countries served. Read more »

 

 

December 2013: WiRED International Releases Severe
Malnutrition Module

Children with acute malnutrition are among the most vulnerable people in the world. In creating our newest module, WiRED responded to that general knowledge but most immediately to the growing specter of malnutrition in Syria. Read more >

 

 

November 2013: WiRED International Translates Polio Module into Armenian to Combat Threat of Disease

Recently when polio made a tragic global comeback, Wired International responded by adding a healthcare training module on polio to its Community Health Information e-library. After translating its polio module into Arabic in reaction to the polio outbreak in Syria, WiRED now offers its module in Armenian. Read more >

 

 

October 2013: WiRED International Translates Polio Module into Arabic in Response to Recent Outbreak in Syria

The New York Times recently reported on an outbreak of polio in the eastern province of Syria. With this finding, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other health agencies quickly put together an aggressive vaccination program. Read more >

 

 

September 2013: WiRED International Expands Programs in Kenya

2013 marks the 12-year anniversary of WiRED International’s work in Kenya, where we have established Community Health Information (CHI) Centers in Pandipieri and Obunga, both located in Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria. Read more >

 

 

August 2013: WiRED International Debuts Polio Module As Polio Makes a Comeback in Five Countries

As polio resurfaces in five countries, including Kenya, the fight for the worldwide eradication of this highly infectious and potentially deadly disease is suffering a setback. Read more >

 

 

August 2013: Rheumatic Heart Disease Project in Kenya Tests WiRED Training Program

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the most common heart disease in children and young adults in developing countries, including Kenya. As a preventable disease, its occurrence may be significantly reduced by educating the community on preventive measures. Read more >

 

 

July 2013: WiRED International Chooses Site for Community Health Information Facility in Remote Region of Amazon

WiRED International completed a third trip to Peru—this time to a different, more remote part of the Amazon headwaters, 2,000 miles from the Atlantic ocean—to evaluate the region’s need for medical training and information. Read more >

 

 

June 2013: WiRED International Advances Community Health Program in Armenia

In our first venture into Southwestern Asia, WiRED, in coordination with Armenia Caritas, has just initiated plans for a country-wide health education program in Armenia. Launch of this project will involve six key towns in this history-rich country, once a part of the former Soviet Union. Read more >

 

 

May 2013: WiRED International Launches Health Education Learning Portal

This e-library of medical and health information modules empowers physicians and nurses, patients, community health workers and ordinary people to address the prevention and treatment of both infectious and non-communicable disease. Read more >

 

 

March 2013: WiRED International Begins Community Health Information Program in Armenia

Armenia has survived earthquakes, war and genocide. Today, poverty and the lack of reliable medical information are creating a healthcare crisis for the people of this Eurasian country. Read more >

 

 

January 2013: WiRED International Receives Grant from
Medtronic Foundation

WiRED International has received a significant two-year grant from the Medtronic Foundation as seed money to launch the Center for the Development and Distribution of NCD (Non-Communicable Disease) Education Programs. Read more >

 

 

 

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