Kenya’s first human milk bank finally ready to save babies’ lives

Daily Nation Kenya, South Africa, Brazil HNN Admin

Had Alice Onyango given birth at another time, things would have been different. She would have had to express milk from her aching engorged breasts – the milk that her preterm baby had no energy to suckle – and pour it down the drain. But the mother of three gave birth last week at Pumwani … Continued

Most Pregnancies Last 9 Months. Why Is the Deadliness of Childbirth Still Taking Us by Surprise?

Global Citizen Ethiopia, Haiti, Philippines, Liberia HNN Admin

Vaccines help to dramatically reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. Article by Anuradha Gupta, Deputy CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Measles, cholera, and diphtheria can kill quickly and without any warning. Yet with childbirth we get nine months’ notice, and it still kills more people every year than these three diseases combined. It’s not just … Continued

Pneumonia: how the world’s biggest killer of children became a neglected disease

Telegraph UK Ethiopia, Nepal HNN Admin

When two-year old Sienna Wilson suddenly developed a fever in the middle of the night the first thing her parents, Kate and David, suspected was malaria. When the doctor arrived in the morning he agreed. He began treating her accordingly. Hours later, unconscious and in a critical condition, Sienna was airlifted to a private hospital … Continued

WHO publishes new estimates on congenital syphilis

World Health Organization HNN Admin

Global decrease but cases remain high, causing 200 000 stillbirths and newborn deaths every year 27 February 2019: New estimates published today show that there were more than half a million (around 661,000) total cases of congenital syphilis in 2016, resulting in over 200,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Syphilis is one of the most common … Continued

EarlySense Selected by Save the Children for an Evaluation of Neonatal Health Monitoring Technologies in Africa

NBC 2 Kenya HNN Admin

WOBURN, Massachusetts, Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — EarlySense, the market leader in contact-free continuous monitoring solutions across the care continuum, announced today that it has been selected for a pilot project with Save the Children, an international nonprofit that works in 120 countries. This work is supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda … Continued

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

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

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

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