‘Catastrophic’ healthcare costs put mothers and newborns at risk

UN News HNN Team

This article was originally featured in the UN News here. In a new report highlighting how few of the world’s poorest pregnant women have a doctor, nurse or midwife at their side when they need them most, the UN Children’s Fund said that more than 800 women die every day from complications, while many more … Continued

With Help From UNICEF and Partners, Chad Eliminates MNT

UNICEF Chad HNN Team

Wonderful news for newborns and mothers in Chad, and everyone who cares about them: Maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) has been declared eliminated in Chad. On behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Jean-Bosco Ndihokubwayo, WHO Representative in Chad, presented the official certificate of merit to Chad’s Minister of Public Health, Mahamet Aziz Saleh, … 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

WHO publishes new estimates on congenital syphilis

World Health Organization HNN Team

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

Kenya now eliminates maternal and neonatal tetanus

World Health Organization Kenya Kenya HNN Team

Kenya has attained maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination status, MNTE, following a successful WHO-led validation process in 2018 to confirm the elimination of the disease. The process was preceded by a pre-validation assessment in September 2017 done by the Ministry of Health with the support of WHO and UNICEF. Elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus … Continued

Nigeria’s ‘Flying Midwives’ Are Helping Save Moms and Babies

Time Nigeria HNN Team

By Aryn Baker | Photographs by Lynsey Addario for TIME February 7, 2019 In the small, whitewashed medical clinic of Banki, one of northeastern Nigeria’s largest camps for internally displaced people (IDP), midwife Stella Aneto takes a rare pause between deliveries to catch her breath. Before wiping down the clinic’s sole delivery bed with disinfectant, Aneto glances at the clinic … Continued

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

YourStory India HNN Team

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 Team

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 Team

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

Proud mothers from around the world show off their New Year’s arrivals as UNICEF celebrates the 400,000 babies born on January 1st

Daily Mail UK HNN Team

UNICEF says 395,072 babies were born across the globe on New Year’s Day The organisation has pictured 12 babies born in 10 countries on January 1 India and China welcomed the most children on New Year’s Day Some mothers are feeling anxiety as well as joy as babies face uncertain future While some were ringing … Continued