Better care, stronger laws needed to save 30 million babies on the brink of death

UN News HNN Team

Nearly 30 million babies each year – nearly a quarter of the total – are born too soon, too small or become sick, requiring specialized care to survive beyond the first month of life, according to a new report by a global coalition that includes the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO). … Continued

Namibia: 208 Babies Die At Oshakati

All Africa HNN Team

Forty-eight hours – that is how long most newborn babies survive at the Oshakati State Hospital in the Oshana region. At least 150 premature babies out of more than 1 000 who are either admitted or born at the Oshakati State Hospital yearly do not survive. This year alone, the hospital recorded 208 neonatal deaths … Continued

Breaking The Mold For Pregnant Women in Sierra Leone

Verve Up Sierra Leone HNN Team

Leaning over the pregnant patient before her, Regina Korgbendeh touches the woman’s looming stomach and speaks softly in a Kono-dialect: “Thank you for this child.” Blessing an unborn baby is a custom strictly followed in communities throughout Kono, Sierra Leone. Once the prayer is complete, Regina, 48, leads her patient over to a chair, where … Continued

Regional Commissioners take oath to end maternal deaths

The Citizen Tanzania, United Republic of HNN Team

Dar es Salaam. Regional commissioners across the country yesterday took an oath as part of the government’s new move to stop deaths related to pregnancy, child-birth and newborns’ ill health. The role of political leaders’ commitment in the control of maternal deaths and improving newborns health has been highlighted by maternal health researchers. The deaths … Continued

Detecting and diagnosing infection in women during and after pregnancy in Togo

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health Togo HNN Team

The Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health (CMNH) has launched a new programme in Togo, which aims to better understand the causes of infection in women during and after pregnancy, and determine the usefulness of an early warning score to detect possible infection. Last month, Dr Mary McCauley, Academic Clinical Lecturer at CMNH, travelled to … Continued

Doctors Test Bacterial Smear After Cesarean Sections To Bolster Babies’ Microbiomes

NPR HNN Team

Danielle Vukadinovich is sitting up in a hospital bed at the Inova Women’s Hospital in Falls Church, Va., waiting to give birth. “I feel good, I’m excited!” says Vukadinovich, 35, of Annandale, Va., “Nervous, but good!” Vukadinovich is getting a cesarean section today. It’s the second time for her — she underwent the surgical procedure … Continued

A Day in the Life of a Community Health Worker

USAID Afghanistan Afghanistan HNN Team

SACRIFICING TO MEET NEEDS Shakila is a volunteer Community Health Worker at a health post in Enjil District, Herat Province. Every day, prior to working a typical 24 hour shift at the health post, she leaves her two-year old son, Mohammad Moshfe, with her mother-in-law. “Everyone is welcome here. Enjil is a poor district. It … Continued

Free maternity services require solid funding

NewsDay Zimbabwe HNN Team

THE heavily pregnant woman lying on the floor in a maternity ward at Harare Central Hospital stretches out her hand to greet First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa. For the briefest moment, the woman forgets about the hard, cold and uncomfortable surface and basks in the glow of being in the presence of “greatness”. A wide grin … Continued

These Women Are Saving Lives, One Pregnancy at a Time

New York Times Sierra Leone, Uganda HNN Team

Regions of sub-Saharan Africa have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Geographical obstacles, scarce financial resources and the terrors of political insurrection can transform what should be one of the happiest times of a woman’s life into a race for survival. While this issue has been covered extensively from a geopolitical … Continued

In Sembabule, getting maternal health services is a nightmare

Daily Monitor Uganda HNN Team

SEMBABULE. It is noon at Ntuusi Health Centre IV in Sembabule District. The centre serves close to 60,000 people from Ntuusi Rural, Kyeera, Ntuusi Town Council, Nabitanga and Lwemiyaga sub-counties that make up Lwemiyaga County. Patients, caregivers and other guests are moving in and out of the centre. Inside the health unit, nurses and midwives … Continued