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.

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.

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.

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

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.