Tag: World Health Organization

Blog, Maternal Health, Maternal Health in the US, maternal morbidity, maternal mortality, SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals

World Health Leaders Change Targets to Reach 2030 Maternal Health Development Goal

The COVID pandemic did much to upend global health. Not only were hospitals filled to overcapacity worldwide with patients experiencing severe COVID symptoms, but entire health systems were also brought to a halt. Routine medical procedures and quality care in other areas besides COVID were preempted by the global virus. This has caused global health goals to suffer, notably decreasing preventable maternal deaths.

This month the World Health Organization along with the UNFPA created new goals in order to get back on track to reach Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 –  reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100 000 live births – by 2030. Right now, the estimates are at 211 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Currently, 810 women still die per day due to complications caused by pregnancy and childbirth. While this number is a drastic improvement from a decade ago there is still much to do in order to save more mothers’ lives not only in the United States but worldwide.

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Vaccines, World Health Organization

Biden Agrees to $4 Billion in Funding for Global Equitable Access to COvid Vaccines

Tomorrow at President Biden’s first G-7 meeting as commander-in-chief, an announcement will be made by the White Hourse outlining $4 billion in funding that will provide Covid vaccines to 92 low-and-middle income countries. Thus far, Covid vaccines have been made readily available to rich nations while poorer nations have previously been relegated to months-long delays. Now, with this infusion of money through a multilateral agreement, that wait will be substantially decreased.

Biden will use the G-7 to rally support and additional funding from fellow leaders. $2 billion of the funding will be released right away to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance with the remaining $2 billion depersed over the course of two years with the caveat that other rich countries make good on their pledges. The United States reentry in the global health community especially the World Health Organization is a stanch repudiation of Trump’s withdrawal from the world health’s governing body.

Continue reading “Biden Agrees to $4 Billion in Funding for Global Equitable Access to COvid Vaccines”
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Africa, Blog, child health, featured, Infectious Diseases, Malaria/ Tuberculosis, Volunteering

First Malaria Vaccine Rolls Out in Malawi

It is heartening to see progress in the fight against malaria. Over the past thirty years and with hundreds of millions of dollars invested thus far, the RTS,S malaria vaccine was officially rolled out yesterday in Malawi. In 2017, I wrote about the vaccine trials that began in 2009 and the announcement of the three countries that had been chosen for the vaccine rollout: Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana. In clinical trials, the vaccine was found to prevent approximately 4 in 10 malaria cases, including 3 in 10 cases of life-threatening severe malaria. Now two years later the vaccine is officially in use to curb the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of African children under the age of five. The Malaria Vaccine Implementation Program will continue through 2022.

Continue reading “First Malaria Vaccine Rolls Out in Malawi”

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Africa, antenatal care, Blog, Family Planning, Maternal Health, maternal mortality, Women, World Health Organization

Why Mothers Aren’t Accessing Antenatal Care Early in Their Pregnancies

Anja Smith, Stellenbosch University

South Africa has extremely high maternal mortality levels. This is true when compared with developed countries as well as other developing countries.

According to the World Health Organisation, for every 100,000 live births in the country in 2015, 138 women died due to pregnancy and childbirth complications. In Sweden, fewer than five women die for every 100,000 live births. In Brazil, the estimate is 44 women for every 100,000 live births.

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Africa, Blog, Communicable Disease, Frontline Health Workers, HIV / AIDS, Infectious Diseases, Maternal Health

HIV ‘Test and Treat’ Strategy Can Save Lives

By Sydney Rosen, Boston University

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to take a tremendous toll on human health, with 37 million people infected and 1.2 million deaths worldwide in 2014. In sub-Saharan Africa, where the HIV epidemic has been most devastating, more than 25 million people are HIV-infected, about 70 percent of the global total.

But as of 2014, only about 11 million people infected with the virus in Africa were receiving treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications, which can stop the progression of disease and reduce the risk of HIV transmission.

That leaves 14 million people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa untreated. This is partly because, until recently, most countries have provided ART only for patients who reached a specific threshold in HIV disease progression. And starting ART can be a lengthy and complicated process, leading many patients to drop out of care before they even begin treatment.

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Action Campaigns, Africa, Blog, Communicable Disease, Malaria/ Tuberculosis

Malaria No More Launches #MalariaSucks Campaign

As you might know last Friday marked World Malaria Day, a day to encourage the global health community, the private sector, governments, NGOs, and everyday, ordinary people to keep up the fight to help defeat malaria. Every minute a child dies of malaria somewhere in the world, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, 90% of children who die from malaria live in … Continue reading Malaria No More Launches #MalariaSucks Campaign

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Blog, Children

[Photos in B&W] Historical Look at Child and Newborn Health in the US

There is a long tradition of newborn and child healthcare in the United States and around the world for that matter. See photos below. From 1900 – 1997 the child mortality rate decreased more than 90% in the United States – a laudable national health achievement.  Now there is an accelerated global move to save more newborn lives around the world given the knowledge and interventions … Continue reading [Photos in B&W] Historical Look at Child and Newborn Health in the US

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Blog, Women and Girls

16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence #16Days

Through December 10 USAID is spearheading a global call to action over the course of 16 days to speak out against gender-based violence. You may not know that 1 in 3 women and girls will be abused, beaten or coerced into sex? Or, that abuse of women reaches as high as 70 percent in some countries. Or, that 42 percent of women who have been … Continue reading 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence #16Days

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Africa, Blog, Preterm Birth, Women and Girls

Why We Need World Prematurity Day

One of the world’s greatest tragedies is when babies are born too soon. Every day a mother around the world experiences the heartache of delivering her baby before 37 weeks gestation whether she is walking on foot to a rural health facility in Bangladesh, delivering her baby in a hut in the lush countryside of Kenya, or rushing in a yellow cab to an award-winning … Continue reading Why We Need World Prematurity Day

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Africa, Blog, Communicable Disease, Frontline Health Workers, Malaria/ Tuberculosis

Can $1 Really Save a Life?

Can $1 really save a life? Global malaria eradication NGO, Malaria No More, says yes. With Power of One (Po1), Malaria No More’s new, innovative campaign that takes the power of people’s desire to do good coupled with a low price point to online and mobile philanthropy, Malaria No More is on a mission to close the perpetual gaps between malaria testing and treatment in some of … Continue reading Can $1 Really Save a Life?

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Africa, Asia, Blog, Family Planning

Family Planning Conversations During Women Deliver #WD2013

The second day of the Women Deliver conference was led by robust conversations and discussions about family planning. Wednesday’s events began with the plenary session: Global Progress on Family Planning—Putting Women at the Heart of the Global Health Agenda which was opened by Melinda Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Increased momentum has quickly … Continue reading Family Planning Conversations During Women Deliver #WD2013

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Asia, Blog, Maternal Health, Non-Communicable Disease, Popular Posts, Poverty

The Narrowing Health Gap Between Rich and Poor Countries

The World Health Organization released its annual World Health Statistics report. In the report the WHO looked at all of its global regions to see how countries fared in various global data stats  including maternal and child mortality, life expectancy, and health coverage as examples. “Intensive efforts to achieve the MDGs have clearly improved health for people all over the world,” says Dr Margaret Chan, … Continue reading The Narrowing Health Gap Between Rich and Poor Countries

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Blog

Key Tweets From the Global Newborn Health Conference

Today marks the start of the first ever Global Newborn Health Conference. Thus far conference-goers have heard opening remarks from high level executives at the World Health Organization, Save the Children, UNICEF, MCHIP, USAID, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Below are key tweets from the early morning session as well as those of our own. You can watch the conference from South Africa … Continue reading Key Tweets From the Global Newborn Health Conference

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Blog

[Photos] Celebrating World Health Workers Week

This week from April  8 – 12, 2013 the World Health Organization is celebrating World Health Workers Week. This is a week to honor those who are literally on the frontlines of health care in the developing world every single day. They are the ones who make sure mothers’ babies are attended to directly after birth. They are the ones who provide family planning services … Continue reading [Photos] Celebrating World Health Workers Week

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Blog, Communicable Disease, Malaria/ Tuberculosis

[Photos] An Historical Look at Tuberculosis

Yesterday marked World TB Day. There is still much to be done to eradicate the infectious disease globally. Here in the United States, TB rates remain around 3.4 cases per 100,000 people. And 62% of TB cases in the United States are from foreign-born persons. While tuberculosis was rampant in the early to mid part of the twentieth century in the United States, TB has … Continue reading [Photos] An Historical Look at Tuberculosis

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