A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth: UN agencies

WHO News HNN Team

This news release is from WHO. New data show major setbacks for maternal health in many parts of the world, highlighting stark disparities in healthcare access Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, according to the latest estimates released in a report by United Nations agencies today. This report, Trends in maternal mortality, … Continued

A child or youth died once every 4.4 seconds in 2021 – UN report (WHO)

WHO News HNN Team

This news release is taken from WHO. Another 1.9 million babies were tragically stillborn during the same period, according to a separate UN report. NEW YORK/GENEVA/WASHINGTON D.C., 10 January 2023 – An estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between 5–24 years lost their lives in 2021, … Continued

Latest child mortality estimates reveal world remains off track to meeting Sustainable Development Goals (WHO)

WHO News HNN Team

This article was originally published by the World Health Organization.  New report by the UN IGME reveals an urgent need to invest in strengthening data systems to track newborn and child health and mortality in low- and middle-income countries, two thirds of which have had no reliable mortality data in the past three years. The world remains … Continued

“We used to perceive maternal-perinatal death audits as self-incrimination”

Makerere University Centre of Excellence for Maternal Newborn and Child Uganda HNN Team

As recent as early this year, a mere mention of a maternal or perinatal audit before midwives and nurses in the eastern Uganda district of Kibuku would send shivers down their spine. “We even used to perceive audits as incriminating by reporting ourselves. But from the MPDSR training we now know the importance of conducting … Continued

Doctors rush to Indian town where children have been dying

ABC News India HNN Team

This article was originally published by ABC News NEW DELHI — India’s health ministry on Friday rushed a team of pediatricians and other medical experts to a western Indian town where more than 100 children have reportedly died in a government-run hospital in the past month. India’s Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the experts will … Continued

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

All mothers and newborns must get equitable health care

Hindustan Times India HNN Team

  Health care is not simply about treating disease. It is about promoting a complete state of physical, mental, and social well being. This requires a comprehensive approach, spanning a continuum of care from pregnancy and childhood, to adolescence, and finally adulthood. Nowhere is this more important than for the health of girls and women, … Continued

Exploring ways to reduce child deaths in low-income countries

EurekAlert; Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) Mozambique HNN Team

In Mozambique, the probability of dying in the first month after hospital discharge is high, particularly for babies under three months of age, shows a study led by the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by “la Caixa” Foundation, in collaboration with the Manhiça Health Research Center (CISM). The study also shows … Continued

‘I’ve Lost My Baby, My Home And My Life’: The perils of being pregnant in war-torn Yemen

ELLE UK Yemen HNN Team

Um Walid is lying in a hospital bed in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. The blanket keeping her warm is a deep red; the room is cast in a warm pinky-purple hue. She is sick, and struggling to search for the words to describe the loss of her unborn child just 21 days ago. ‘I … Continued

The miracle of a mother’s touch

The Daily Star Bangladesh HNN Team

When Shanta became pregnant for the second time, her family was elated. Two years back, the 18-year-old mother gave birth to her first child and luckily, there wasn’t any pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, despite her being underage. So, the couple from Narsingdi was looking forward to welcome the new addition to their family. Shanta was … Continued