Failure to register newborns leaves millions ‘invisible’ warns UN Children’s Fund

UN News India, Ethiopia, Zambia, Chad, Nepal, Bangladesh HNN Team

This article was originally posted on UN News   UNICEF reports that the births of one in four children under-five, or some 166 million children globally, have never been officially recorded. Too many children are “slipping through the cracks,” said Henrietta Fore, the agency’s Executive Director: “A child not registered at birth is invisible – nonexistent … Continued

Could adding folic acid to salt curb Ethiopia’s sky-high rate of spinal cord deformities?

ScienceMag Ethiopia HNN Team

This article was originally posted on ScienceMag By Meredith Wadman Tony Magana, chief of neurosurgery at Mekelle University School of Medicine in Ethiopia’s Tigray province, confronts his country’s high prevalence of neural tube defects nearly every day. His team operates on more than 400 babies annually to repair these severe, often lethal birth malformations, in … Continued

Maternal, newborn health improves in rural Ethiopia but inequities still exist

Addis Standard Ethiopia HNN Team

This story was originally published by the Addis Standard. Community-based health programs in parts of rural Ethiopia, Nigeria, and India were successful in improving health care for mothers and newborns, but inequities still exist, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). “Our findings have both an optimistic and a pessimistic interpretation, … Continued

Maternal and newborn health improves in rural Nigeria, Ethiopia and India but inequities still exist

Eurekalert Nigeria, Ethiopia, India HNN Team

This article was originally published by EurekAlert referring to the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) Community-based health programs in parts of rural Nigeria, Ethiopia and India were successful in improving health care for mothers and newborns, but inequities still exist, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). “Our findings have both … Continued

Newborn baby deaths in Africa targeted in $68M initiative

Eurekalert Kenya, Tanzania, United Republic of, Malawi, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda HNN Team

This story was originally published by EurekAlert citing Rice University. Hundreds of thousands of babies could be saved through a major global health initiative launched here today to improve newborn hospital care throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Almost half of childhood deaths occur in the first four weeks of life, and newborns in sub-Saharan Africa are nearly … Continued

Why is it difficult to interview young fathers about fatherhood, and why is it important that we keep trying?

Young Lives Peru, Ethiopia, Zambia, India HNN Team

This article was originally published by Young Lives Many researchers hesitate to share difficulties experienced in fieldwork in case the credibility of field teams or of the research findings is called into question. I believe that sharing our experiences will contribute to better research, and therefore benefit all those involved and invested in the research. … Continued

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

Global Citizen Ethiopia, Haiti, Philippines, Liberia HNN Team

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 Team

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

Nine countries commit to halve maternal and newborn deaths in health facilities

WHO Bangladesh, India, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, Nigeria

New WHO and UNICEF-supported network to improve care for mothers and babies On February 14 of 2017, 9 countries – Bangladesh, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda – committed to halving preventable deaths of pregnant women and newborns in their health facilities within the next 5 years. Through a new Network … Continued

Midwives Are Essential to Global Health

United States of America, Brazil, India, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Indonesia HNN Team

By Jerker Liljestrand, Senior Program Officer of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Midwives have supported women during childbirth since ancient Egyptian times, and today, in many parts of the world, they are providing a unique set of lifesaving services for mothers and babies. Midwives are trained with a … Continued