«Chokwe, sud del Mozambico, 1990. Attraversiamo il Limpopo su una precaria barchetta, poi si pone... more «Chokwe, sud del Mozambico, 1990. Attraversiamo il Limpopo su una precaria barchetta, poi si pone il problema dei due chilometri su strada non sminata. Ma Mondlane ha un asso nella manica: un vecchio bulldozer, scassato ma funzionante. Con mozambicana cortesia, ci fa accomodare nella benna, la solleva ben alta e parte sobbalzando. Dal Lago sembrava Enrico il Navigatore rivolto verso l’oceano: una mano aggrappata a un dente della benna, l’altra a riparare la vista dal sole e a cacciare le mosche. I suoi occhi ridevano. Era felice».
Questo libro racconta la vita del Professor Anacleto Dal Lago nella sua dimensione umana e professionale, con il sorriso e una punta di ironia. Approfondendo gli snodi essenziali e rievocando memorie familiari e genuine, questo viaggio ricostruisce un’avventura che è insieme personale e corale.
This paper presents an update of last year analysis of COVID in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). The numb... more This paper presents an update of last year analysis of COVID in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). The number of confirmed cases and deaths has dramatically increased, partially driven by the expanded diagnostic capacity, but it is an unknown undercount of people infected: we are blind with respect to the real size of the pandemic. The aggregate numbers mask a substantial heterogeneity: South Africa accounts for almost half of the cases in the region; Ethiopia, the second top country in the ranking, follows from afar, with only 6% of reported cases. There are signs that the third wave of COVID, driven by the more transmissible Delta variant, is easing off.The concerns that the pandemic would have affected more severely the most vulnerable populations (refugees and internally displaced persons) have not been confirmed: there is no evidence of hospitals overwhelmed nor of high mortality in humanitarian settings, a pattern that has not found an explanation.As of now, only 1% of African has been ...
Around the world, about 2,400 million people, in about 100 countries and territories, are still a... more Around the world, about 2,400 million people, in about 100 countries and territories, are still at risk of contracting malaria. Between 300 and 500 million of them get the disease each year and between 1.1 and 2.7 million die from it. In Uganda, malaria is the first cause of morbidity and mortality. It accounts for 29%-50% of all out-patients consultations, 30% of inpatients admissions and 9%-14% of inpatient deaths. Up to 23% of deaths in children under five years of age are due to malaria. The Uganda Minister of Health recently announced the intention of using DDT for Indoor Residual Spraying to decrease malaria morbidity and mortality. This spurred a heated debate. The available scientific evidence, accumulated over the years, strongly suggests that DDT, when properly used, is harmless to human beings. The attempt to control malaria, without DDT, is futile. This paper advocates an evidence based approach, free from preconceived ideas. Politicians should help to inform and sensiti...
Migration is an old phenomenon in human history. It takes place for various reasons, which have b... more Migration is an old phenomenon in human history. It takes place for various reasons, which have been roughly grouped into "push" and "pull" factors. Migrants have always faced harsh conditions either in transit or on arrival, from the environment and the citizens of their destinations. Of recent, migration has increased due to globalization, which has increased the access of people in sending countries to "pull" factors through the media. However, more recently, stiff regulations have been put in place by the receiving countries to curb immigration, partly as part of the global "war on terror"", but partly as a political measure to contain intolerance of foreigners in their societies. In a special way, international migration of skilled labour has come under increased scrutiny over the recent years. It has been argued that for the sending/losing countries, it leads to a brain drain and depletes national resources spent on training. It als...
Maurizio Murru, Corrado Bruno, John Odaga, Ahairwe Denis, Akulu Ernesta, Bavcar Alessandro, Bonan... more Maurizio Murru, Corrado Bruno, John Odaga, Ahairwe Denis, Akulu Ernesta, Bavcar Alessandro, Bonane Emmanuel, Kirunda David, Mwesezi Henry, Nagujja Angela, Ndindayino Kalire. 1. Senior Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, Uganda Martyrs University; 2. Director, St. Mary’s Lacor Hospital, 3. Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, Uganda Martyrs University; 4 Students of the Master of Science in Health Services Management. Department of Health Sciences, Uganda Martyrs University.
This paper analyzes the complex interrelation between poverty and AIDS. Poverty, in its many and ... more This paper analyzes the complex interrelation between poverty and AIDS. Poverty, in its many and diverse aspects and with its many and diverse consequences, creates a fertile breeding ground for the expansion of HIV/AIDS. In turn, HIV/AIDS, for its mode of transmission and its epidemiological features, badly affects the livelihood of its victims, their families, their entire communities and countries. Sub Saharan Africa bears the brunt of the epidemic. With about 10% of the world population, it has about 66.5 % of the world seropositive cases. In three Southern African countries the HIV prevalence in the adult population reaches or exceeds the level of 30 %. Recent WHO estimates put life expectancy in Sub Saharan Africa at about 47 years and that, without AIDS, it would be at about 62 years. The development achievements of the last decades risk being lost and the future of the continent is at risk. But numbers, alone, don’t tell the whole story. They don’t talk of millions of orphan...
One of the oldest independent countries in the world, Ethiopia has remained a poor country due to... more One of the oldest independent countries in the world, Ethiopia has remained a poor country due to repeated invasions by different phases of colonialism and cultural influence, with some successfully staved off but others succumbed to. Its own expansionist ambitions and colonial tendencies have brought it to war with her neighbours. A combination of war, poor management of the state, natural calamities, imbalanced international trade etc has left the country with poor indicators of health funding, health system performance, health status and gross inequality in resource distribution. At the end of 2004, only 36.5% of infants were fully immunised by 1 year, attendance of one visit of Ante Natal Care (ANC) services was 40.8%, assisted deliveries were 9.45%, Tetanus Toxoid immunization coverage for pregnant women was 31.9% and out-patient visits were 0.36 per person per year. There was one hospital bed per 5,300 people and yet the average Bed Occupancy Rate was 28.2%. Only 6% of the del...
One of the oldest independent countries in the world, Ethiopia has remained a poor country due to... more One of the oldest independent countries in the world, Ethiopia has remained a poor country due to repeated invasions by different phases of colonialism and cultural influence, with some successfully staved off but others succumbed to. Its own expansionist ambitions and colonial tendencies have brought it to war with her neighbours. A combination of war, poor management of the state, natural calamities, imbalanced international trade etc has left the country with poor indicators of health funding, health system performance, health status and gross inequality in resource distribution. At the end of 2004, only 36.5% of infants were fully immunised by 1 year, attendance of one visit of Ante Natal Care (ANC) services was 40.8%, assisted deliveries were 9.45%, Tetanus Toxoid immunization coverage for pregnant women was 31.9% and out-patient visits were 0.36 per person per year. There was one hospital bed per 5,300 people and yet the average Bed Occupancy Rate was 28.2%. Only 6% of the del...
The year 2004 marks the 20th anniversary of the worst industrial disaster in human history. Some ... more The year 2004 marks the 20th anniversary of the worst industrial disaster in human history. Some 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate leaked from a tank at the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) chemical pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. The toxic cloud killed more than 20,000 people. Today about 150,000 are still chronically ill and hundreds of thousands of others suffer socially and psychologically. UCC accepted some moral responsibility for the disaster but rejected any legal responsibilities. In 2001 it was absorbed by Dow Chemical, which now states that it has nothing to do with what happened 20 years ago in Bhopal. The local Madhya Pradesh government and the Indian federal government have also let down the disaster victims. The financial compensation paid by UCC in 1989 has yet to be completely paid out to the claimants. The pesticide plant still exists and, in its current dilapidated state, poses an ongoing threat to surrounding communities. The Bhopal disaster, still unresolved after...
Migration is an old phenomenon in human history. It takes place for various reasons, which have b... more Migration is an old phenomenon in human history. It takes place for various reasons, which have been roughly grouped into "push" and "pull" factors. Migrants have always faced harsh conditions either in transit or on arrival, from the environment and the citizens of their destinations. Of recent, migration has increased due to globalization, which has increased the access of people in sending countries to "pull" factors through the media. However, more recently, stiff regulations have been put in place by the receiving countries to curb immigration, partly as part of the global "war on terror"", but partly as a political measure to contain intolerance of foreigners in their societies. In a special way, international migration of skilled labour has come under increased scrutiny over the recent years. It has been argued that for the sending/losing countries, it leads to a brain drain and depletes national resources spent on training. It als...
Whereas 22 developed countries have pledged to contribute a paltry 0.7% of their GDP in form of O... more Whereas 22 developed countries have pledged to contribute a paltry 0.7% of their GDP in form of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries, after 40 years of the commitment, only five countries have come close to that target. This paper argues that even then, the assistance is provided inefficiently since most of it is spent as unsolicited expensive Technical Assistance or repatriated in form of input purchase conditionalities. The paper also argues that ODA figures are artificially inflated by donors including forgiven debts as new assistance. It traces the recent history of development assistance from the Marshall Plan to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. It singles out aid conditionalities as "master-student arrogance". It also criticises endless postponement of deadlines for achieving human development goals as tantamount to goal-shifting. Finally, it concludes that external aid cannot deliver a country from poverty, since the amounts commi...
Around the world, about 2,400 million people, in about 100 countries and territories, are still a... more Around the world, about 2,400 million people, in about 100 countries and territories, are still at risk of contracting malaria. Between 300 and 500 million of them get the disease each year and between 1.1 and 2.7 million die from it. In Uganda, malaria is the first cause of morbidity and mortality. It accounts for 29%-50% of all out-patients consultations, 30% of inpatients admissions and 9%-14% of inpatient deaths. Up to 23% of deaths in children under five years of age are due to malaria. The Uganda Minister of Health recently announced the intention of using DDT for Indoor Residual Spraying to decrease malaria morbidity and mortality. This spurred a heated debate. The available scientific evidence, accumulated over the years, strongly suggests that DDT, when properly used, is harmless to human beings. The attempt to control malaria, without DDT, is futile. This paper advocates an evidence based approach, free from preconceived ideas. Politicians should help to inform and sensiti...
«Chokwe, sud del Mozambico, 1990. Attraversiamo il Limpopo su una precaria barchetta, poi si pone... more «Chokwe, sud del Mozambico, 1990. Attraversiamo il Limpopo su una precaria barchetta, poi si pone il problema dei due chilometri su strada non sminata. Ma Mondlane ha un asso nella manica: un vecchio bulldozer, scassato ma funzionante. Con mozambicana cortesia, ci fa accomodare nella benna, la solleva ben alta e parte sobbalzando. Dal Lago sembrava Enrico il Navigatore rivolto verso l’oceano: una mano aggrappata a un dente della benna, l’altra a riparare la vista dal sole e a cacciare le mosche. I suoi occhi ridevano. Era felice».
Questo libro racconta la vita del Professor Anacleto Dal Lago nella sua dimensione umana e professionale, con il sorriso e una punta di ironia. Approfondendo gli snodi essenziali e rievocando memorie familiari e genuine, questo viaggio ricostruisce un’avventura che è insieme personale e corale.
This paper presents an update of last year analysis of COVID in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). The numb... more This paper presents an update of last year analysis of COVID in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). The number of confirmed cases and deaths has dramatically increased, partially driven by the expanded diagnostic capacity, but it is an unknown undercount of people infected: we are blind with respect to the real size of the pandemic. The aggregate numbers mask a substantial heterogeneity: South Africa accounts for almost half of the cases in the region; Ethiopia, the second top country in the ranking, follows from afar, with only 6% of reported cases. There are signs that the third wave of COVID, driven by the more transmissible Delta variant, is easing off.The concerns that the pandemic would have affected more severely the most vulnerable populations (refugees and internally displaced persons) have not been confirmed: there is no evidence of hospitals overwhelmed nor of high mortality in humanitarian settings, a pattern that has not found an explanation.As of now, only 1% of African has been ...
Around the world, about 2,400 million people, in about 100 countries and territories, are still a... more Around the world, about 2,400 million people, in about 100 countries and territories, are still at risk of contracting malaria. Between 300 and 500 million of them get the disease each year and between 1.1 and 2.7 million die from it. In Uganda, malaria is the first cause of morbidity and mortality. It accounts for 29%-50% of all out-patients consultations, 30% of inpatients admissions and 9%-14% of inpatient deaths. Up to 23% of deaths in children under five years of age are due to malaria. The Uganda Minister of Health recently announced the intention of using DDT for Indoor Residual Spraying to decrease malaria morbidity and mortality. This spurred a heated debate. The available scientific evidence, accumulated over the years, strongly suggests that DDT, when properly used, is harmless to human beings. The attempt to control malaria, without DDT, is futile. This paper advocates an evidence based approach, free from preconceived ideas. Politicians should help to inform and sensiti...
Migration is an old phenomenon in human history. It takes place for various reasons, which have b... more Migration is an old phenomenon in human history. It takes place for various reasons, which have been roughly grouped into "push" and "pull" factors. Migrants have always faced harsh conditions either in transit or on arrival, from the environment and the citizens of their destinations. Of recent, migration has increased due to globalization, which has increased the access of people in sending countries to "pull" factors through the media. However, more recently, stiff regulations have been put in place by the receiving countries to curb immigration, partly as part of the global "war on terror"", but partly as a political measure to contain intolerance of foreigners in their societies. In a special way, international migration of skilled labour has come under increased scrutiny over the recent years. It has been argued that for the sending/losing countries, it leads to a brain drain and depletes national resources spent on training. It als...
Maurizio Murru, Corrado Bruno, John Odaga, Ahairwe Denis, Akulu Ernesta, Bavcar Alessandro, Bonan... more Maurizio Murru, Corrado Bruno, John Odaga, Ahairwe Denis, Akulu Ernesta, Bavcar Alessandro, Bonane Emmanuel, Kirunda David, Mwesezi Henry, Nagujja Angela, Ndindayino Kalire. 1. Senior Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, Uganda Martyrs University; 2. Director, St. Mary’s Lacor Hospital, 3. Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, Uganda Martyrs University; 4 Students of the Master of Science in Health Services Management. Department of Health Sciences, Uganda Martyrs University.
This paper analyzes the complex interrelation between poverty and AIDS. Poverty, in its many and ... more This paper analyzes the complex interrelation between poverty and AIDS. Poverty, in its many and diverse aspects and with its many and diverse consequences, creates a fertile breeding ground for the expansion of HIV/AIDS. In turn, HIV/AIDS, for its mode of transmission and its epidemiological features, badly affects the livelihood of its victims, their families, their entire communities and countries. Sub Saharan Africa bears the brunt of the epidemic. With about 10% of the world population, it has about 66.5 % of the world seropositive cases. In three Southern African countries the HIV prevalence in the adult population reaches or exceeds the level of 30 %. Recent WHO estimates put life expectancy in Sub Saharan Africa at about 47 years and that, without AIDS, it would be at about 62 years. The development achievements of the last decades risk being lost and the future of the continent is at risk. But numbers, alone, don’t tell the whole story. They don’t talk of millions of orphan...
One of the oldest independent countries in the world, Ethiopia has remained a poor country due to... more One of the oldest independent countries in the world, Ethiopia has remained a poor country due to repeated invasions by different phases of colonialism and cultural influence, with some successfully staved off but others succumbed to. Its own expansionist ambitions and colonial tendencies have brought it to war with her neighbours. A combination of war, poor management of the state, natural calamities, imbalanced international trade etc has left the country with poor indicators of health funding, health system performance, health status and gross inequality in resource distribution. At the end of 2004, only 36.5% of infants were fully immunised by 1 year, attendance of one visit of Ante Natal Care (ANC) services was 40.8%, assisted deliveries were 9.45%, Tetanus Toxoid immunization coverage for pregnant women was 31.9% and out-patient visits were 0.36 per person per year. There was one hospital bed per 5,300 people and yet the average Bed Occupancy Rate was 28.2%. Only 6% of the del...
One of the oldest independent countries in the world, Ethiopia has remained a poor country due to... more One of the oldest independent countries in the world, Ethiopia has remained a poor country due to repeated invasions by different phases of colonialism and cultural influence, with some successfully staved off but others succumbed to. Its own expansionist ambitions and colonial tendencies have brought it to war with her neighbours. A combination of war, poor management of the state, natural calamities, imbalanced international trade etc has left the country with poor indicators of health funding, health system performance, health status and gross inequality in resource distribution. At the end of 2004, only 36.5% of infants were fully immunised by 1 year, attendance of one visit of Ante Natal Care (ANC) services was 40.8%, assisted deliveries were 9.45%, Tetanus Toxoid immunization coverage for pregnant women was 31.9% and out-patient visits were 0.36 per person per year. There was one hospital bed per 5,300 people and yet the average Bed Occupancy Rate was 28.2%. Only 6% of the del...
The year 2004 marks the 20th anniversary of the worst industrial disaster in human history. Some ... more The year 2004 marks the 20th anniversary of the worst industrial disaster in human history. Some 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate leaked from a tank at the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) chemical pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. The toxic cloud killed more than 20,000 people. Today about 150,000 are still chronically ill and hundreds of thousands of others suffer socially and psychologically. UCC accepted some moral responsibility for the disaster but rejected any legal responsibilities. In 2001 it was absorbed by Dow Chemical, which now states that it has nothing to do with what happened 20 years ago in Bhopal. The local Madhya Pradesh government and the Indian federal government have also let down the disaster victims. The financial compensation paid by UCC in 1989 has yet to be completely paid out to the claimants. The pesticide plant still exists and, in its current dilapidated state, poses an ongoing threat to surrounding communities. The Bhopal disaster, still unresolved after...
Migration is an old phenomenon in human history. It takes place for various reasons, which have b... more Migration is an old phenomenon in human history. It takes place for various reasons, which have been roughly grouped into "push" and "pull" factors. Migrants have always faced harsh conditions either in transit or on arrival, from the environment and the citizens of their destinations. Of recent, migration has increased due to globalization, which has increased the access of people in sending countries to "pull" factors through the media. However, more recently, stiff regulations have been put in place by the receiving countries to curb immigration, partly as part of the global "war on terror"", but partly as a political measure to contain intolerance of foreigners in their societies. In a special way, international migration of skilled labour has come under increased scrutiny over the recent years. It has been argued that for the sending/losing countries, it leads to a brain drain and depletes national resources spent on training. It als...
Whereas 22 developed countries have pledged to contribute a paltry 0.7% of their GDP in form of O... more Whereas 22 developed countries have pledged to contribute a paltry 0.7% of their GDP in form of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries, after 40 years of the commitment, only five countries have come close to that target. This paper argues that even then, the assistance is provided inefficiently since most of it is spent as unsolicited expensive Technical Assistance or repatriated in form of input purchase conditionalities. The paper also argues that ODA figures are artificially inflated by donors including forgiven debts as new assistance. It traces the recent history of development assistance from the Marshall Plan to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. It singles out aid conditionalities as "master-student arrogance". It also criticises endless postponement of deadlines for achieving human development goals as tantamount to goal-shifting. Finally, it concludes that external aid cannot deliver a country from poverty, since the amounts commi...
Around the world, about 2,400 million people, in about 100 countries and territories, are still a... more Around the world, about 2,400 million people, in about 100 countries and territories, are still at risk of contracting malaria. Between 300 and 500 million of them get the disease each year and between 1.1 and 2.7 million die from it. In Uganda, malaria is the first cause of morbidity and mortality. It accounts for 29%-50% of all out-patients consultations, 30% of inpatients admissions and 9%-14% of inpatient deaths. Up to 23% of deaths in children under five years of age are due to malaria. The Uganda Minister of Health recently announced the intention of using DDT for Indoor Residual Spraying to decrease malaria morbidity and mortality. This spurred a heated debate. The available scientific evidence, accumulated over the years, strongly suggests that DDT, when properly used, is harmless to human beings. The attempt to control malaria, without DDT, is futile. This paper advocates an evidence based approach, free from preconceived ideas. Politicians should help to inform and sensiti...
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Books by Maurizio Murru
Questo libro racconta la vita del Professor Anacleto Dal Lago nella sua dimensione umana e professionale, con il sorriso e una punta di ironia. Approfondendo gli snodi essenziali e rievocando memorie familiari e genuine, questo viaggio ricostruisce un’avventura che è insieme personale e corale.
Papers by Maurizio Murru
Questo libro racconta la vita del Professor Anacleto Dal Lago nella sua dimensione umana e professionale, con il sorriso e una punta di ironia. Approfondendo gli snodi essenziali e rievocando memorie familiari e genuine, questo viaggio ricostruisce un’avventura che è insieme personale e corale.