"The U.S. has the worst death rate for women during pregnancy or childbirth of any developed country. … In an interview with Business Insider, Gates acknowledged that the U.S. childbirth mortality rate is 'incredibly disturbing.' She said she planned to weigh in on childbirth health issues in her and her husband's forthcoming annual letter for 2019…" (Shontell, 1/17).
"…Wednesday, Gates revealed the best investment he has ever made in an essay in the Wall Street Journal. It's the $10 billion he's invested, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, into three particular organizations that increase access to vaccines and medicines for people who need them around the world. Gates says investing $10 billion in Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Fund; and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, … has been a rewarding experience because unlike other kinds of investments, they are consistently successful…" (Clifford, 1/17).
Additional coverage of the Gateses' discussion of global health investments and their upcoming annual letter is available from Fortune, GeekWire, USA TODAY, and Xinhua News.