World Health Assembly charts course for COVID-19 response and global health priorities

World Health Organization

This article was originally published by the World Health Organization.  As health leaders prepare to gather for a virtual session of the resumed 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA), WHO has three messages to share. First, we can beat COVID-19 with science, solutions and solidarity. More than 47 million COVID-19 cases have now been reported to WHO, … Continued

Steroids boost survival of preterm babies in low-resource settings, new study finds

World Health Organization HNN Team

This article was originally published by WHO.  Accurate pregnancy dating and quality care combined with the steroids are key to survival The results of a new clinical trial, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, show that dexamethasone—a glucocorticoid used to treat many conditions, including rheumatic problems and severe COVID-19— can boost survival of … Continued

Marketing of breastmilk substitutes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Elsevier HNN Team

This article was originally published by The Lancet By Christoffer van Tulleken, Charlotte Wright, Amy Brown, David McCoy and Anthony Costello It is of concern that the US$70 billion infant formula industry has been actively exploiting concerns about COVID-19 to increase sales, in violation of the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (the … Continued

One stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds, according to first ever joint UN estimates

World Health Organization HNN Team

This article was originally published by the World Health Organization Almost 2 million babies are stillborn every year – or 1 every 16 seconds – according to the first ever joint stillbirth estimates released by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The vast majority of stillbirths, … Continued

New findings confirm global disruptions in essential health services for women and children from COVID-19

Global Financing Facility HNN Team

This article was originally published by the GFF    Health impacts of lockdowns, economic losses in poor nations require targeted action and vigilance to save lives and protect against a worsening crisis.  September 18, 2020 – Essential health services for women and children in many lower-income countries are being disrupted by COVID-19, according to new findings … Continued

Coronavirus May Increase Premature Births, Studies Suggest

New York Times HNN Team

This article was originally published by the New York Times/Roni Caryn Rabin.  Pregnant women who are infected with the coronavirus and hospitalized are at risk for developing serious complications, and may face an elevated risk for delivering their babies prematurely, according to new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They may also … Continued

Stillbirth rate rises dramatically during pandemic

Nature HNN Team

A slew of studies from around the world has reported a disturbing trend: since the coronavirus pandemic started, there has been a significant rise in the proportion of pregnancies ending in stillbirths, in which babies die in the womb. Researchers say that in some countries, pregnant women have received less care than they need because … Continued

Every woman’s right to a companion of choice during childbirth

HNN Team

WHO strongly recommends supporting women to have a chosen companion during labour and childbirth, including during COVID-19. When a woman has access to trusted emotional, psychological and practical support during labour and childbirth, evidence shows that both her experience of childbirth and her health outcomes can improve. In Companion of choice during labour and childbirth for improved quality of care, … 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

Nepal lockdown halved health facility births and increased stillbirths and newborn deaths

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Nepal HNN Team

This article was originally published by the LSHTM COVID-19 response has resulted in major reductions in health facility births in Nepal and widened inequalities, with significantly increased institutional stillbirth and neonatal mortality, according to a new study in the Lancet Global Health. The research was led Dr Ashish KC and Nepal colleagues with Uppsala University, Sweden, and … Continued