News
Scientists from seven African countries train to use next-gen river blindness diagnostic tool
Participants at training session at Smith’s campus in Northampton, Massachusetts. Photo courtesy of Steven Williams. A new tool and protocol for testing for onchocerciasis (oncho, …

Why Give to The Task Force? Q&A with Chief External Relations Officer Lynn Heinisch and Board Member Jim Jackson
As the end-of-year charitable giving season begins, we speak with Task Force Chief External Relations Officer Lynn Heinisch and board member Jim Jackson, Chief Marketing

“In polio, the team spirit inspires me everyday”: Polio Expert Dr. Fabien Diomande on Winning the Battle
After two decades working in global health and fighting dozens of polio outbreaks across Africa in countries like Cameroon, Madagascar, and Ethiopia, Dr. Fabien Diomande

What Does World Polio Day Mean During A Vaccine-Preventable Pandemic?
By Andi Kezh, Task Force Intern Born in India in 1992, Grace Rossow didn’t receive the polio vaccine as a baby and contracted polio before she was a

Videos: Task Force, NGO and Pharmaceutical Partners Fighting Blindness Celebrate World Sight Day
World Sight Day, celebrated annually on the second Thursday of October, brings global awareness to vision impairment and blindness. According to the World Health Organization,

Bayer Pharmaceuticals Named Annual Citizen Awards Finalist for Role in Task Force Initiative
By Christa Bugg, Task Force Intern The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation selected The Task Force’s MedSurplus Alliance’s (MSA) private sector partner Bayer U.S. LLC

Cutting-edge Science: Developing the First-ever Polio Protection for People with Immunodeficiency
For most people, protection against polio comes from a vaccine, but a select group of people are not protected by the vaccine. People with certain

Blog: Tanzanian Youth Activists Leverage Social Media to End NTDs
By Noah Louis-Ferdinand, Task Force Intern As a young person who advocates for health in the U.S., I have always found my efforts to be

Videos: Why I Am a Field Epidemiologist
Field epidemiologists are the backbone of a country’s defense against public health threats like COVID-19, Ebola, and other disease outbreaks. When an outbreak occurs, field

Q&A on the Pandemic Frontlines: Insights on the First World Field Epidemiology Day
To honor field epidemiologists who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic all around the world, September 7 marked the first World Field Epidemiology Day. The Task

Podcast: Disinformation and the COVID-19 Vaccine
Disinformation – false information intended to mislead – is a common challenge for public health campaigns and has hampered COVID-19 efforts from the start. Whether

Protecting Mental Health in High-Stress Roles: Q&A with Compassion Experts David Addiss and Jolie Wills
New spikes in cases of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant have put additional stress on health workers, with some leaving in the middle of

It’s Time to Prepare for the Next Pandemic
With more than 4 million known deaths, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how underprepared many health systems are to protect people. While it is difficult
Header photo caption: A drug distributor travels long distances to a remote village in Cameroon to get medicines for onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis to marginalized societies most in need.