Malawi: Time for Action to Ensure All Hospitals, Everywhere Have Water

WaterAid Malawi HNN Admin

During countless visits to maternity wards without safe water, what I hear time and time again are stories of trepidation – women who fear the very worst outcome for them and their newborn. Vitumbiko, 25, had heard stories about women dying during childbirth at her local health centre. She didn’t tell anyone how worried she … Continued

This doctor built a portable machine to save newborn babies from dying of jaundice across rural India

YourStory India HNN Admin

The first article on our #StartupBharat series shines the spotlight on innovations from Tier II and III cities and towns across India. This week, we feature Dr Kiran Kanthi of Lifetron Innov Equipments. The startup, incubated at Sandbox Startups in Hubli, Karnataka, has built a portable, affordable solution to treat jaundice in newborns. It has … Continued

A new lease of life: How Bempu’s innovative wristband is saving thousands of babies

The Economic Times India HNN Admin

India may have crossed many milestones on its way to arresting infant mortality rates, but there is still a long way to go. While the reasons may be many and varied, neonatal hypothermia is known to affect about one-third of children in India. “Children born with low birth weight – those under 2.5 kg – … Continued

WHO-recommended newborn care cuts life-threatening infections by two thirds: study

XinhuaNet Vietnam HNN Admin

MANILA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — Hospitals can now reduce life-threatening infections in newborns by over two thirds and admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by one third by implementing Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC), a newborn care recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). A study in Vietnam by the WHO published in … Continued

Newborns’ lives at risk in Nakuru as TB jab gets scarce

Standard Media Kenya HNN Admin

Newborns are at risk of contracting Tuberculosis (TB) due to lack of vaccines. The county has been facing a shortage of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccines for the past one month. Private hospitals have not been spared because the vaccines are supplied by the national government, through the National Vaccination Programme (NVP). “Newborn babies are at … Continued

In Nigeria, Faith in Health Care is Saving Lives

Nigeria HNN Admin

In Nigeria, MCSP is improving maternal and child health by removing the obstacles that threaten access to high-quality services. At 321 facilities across two states, we’re helping providers – in training or already working – to prevent needless deaths by translating new and improved knowledge & skills into practice. A close ally in this fight … Continued

‘We have a shower for pain relief’: can Haiti’s young midwives save a new generation?

The Guardian Haiti HNN Admin

Sylvie Delice was born on a hot, slow March afternoon in a clinic in Marigot, a coastal town in south Haiti. The labour was seven hours; her mother, Natalie, 24, a seamstress, was stoic throughout, helped by two midwives in pale pink scrubs. Sylvie arrived strong and healthy, and was named after her mother’s cousin. … Continued

WHO lays out recommendations to save newborns

The Week HNN Admin

According to a recent report released by WHO titled Survive and thrive: transforming care for every small and sick newborn, it is crucial for the world to transform care for every newborn baby, in order to achieve the global target of health for all. Reducing neonatal mortality to 12 per 1,000 live births and under-five … Continued

‘Miracle’ six-day-old baby survives Ebola

BBC News Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, South Sudan HNN Admin

A baby girl who was diagnosed with Ebola when she was only six days old has survived, health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have confirmed. Baby Benedicte’s mother was infected with Ebola and died during childbirth. Benedicte showed symptoms only days later and it has taken five weeks of round-the-clock treatment to … Continued

Ebola in Congo now infecting newborn babies, UN says

Associated Press Congo HNN Admin

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says a worrying number of the newest Ebola cases amid Congo’s ongoing outbreak are in patients not usually known to catch the disease: babies. In an update published this week, the U.N. health agency reported 36 new confirmed cases of Ebola, including seven in newborn babies and infants … Continued