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

Most Physicians Don’t Follow WHO Guidelines in Neonatal, Pediatric Sepsis

Contagion Live HNN Team

This article was originally published by Contagion Live   More than 4 million newborns and children suffer cases of sepsis each year, but a new study concluded that in the majority of those cases, patients don’t receive the World Health Organization (WHO’s) recommended first- or second-line therapy. Those are the findings of a new study … Continued

Saudi Arabia delivers ‘early warning’ on preterm births

Arab Times HNN Team

This story was originally published by Arab News JEDDAH: Up to 60,000 babies are born prematurely every year in Saudi Arabia with hospitals in the Kingdom spending up to SR60,000 ($16,000) on individual treatment and specialized care, a leading pediatrician told Arab News. Dr. Sawsan Hussein Daffa, consultant neonatologist and head of pediatrics department at the Aya … Continued

Train more midwives to save lives

The National Papua New Guinea HNN Team

This story was originally published by The National Disturbing figures were released in March this year that Papua New Guinea has the lowest number of skilled birth attendants and needs 6,000 more to meet global standard. The 2019 Maternal and Newborn Health Task Force report says high maternal and newborn mortality in the country is … Continued

No training, no gloves: Zimbabwe’s desperate childbirths

AP Zimbabwe HNN Team

This article was originally published by AP By Farao Mutsaka When her contractions became unbearably painful, 18-year-old Perseverance Kanyoza rushed to a maternity hospital in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. But the doors were closed amid a weekslong strike by public health workers. With no money for private care, panic set in. A hospital guard directed her … Continued

Target to reduce newborn deaths within reach

International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics HNN Team

This article was originally published by FIGO Impressive progress has been made across the world to improve the health and survival rate of young children. The number of infants who die before the age of five has more than halved since 1990, from 93 deaths per 1000 live births to 39 per 1000 live births … Continued

Nothing for young people, without young people: Making family planning access youth-centered

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation HNN Team

This article was originally published by The Optimist By Nomi Fuchs-Montgomery How does the foundation think about its family planning strategy when it comes to young people? We know that the largest generation of young people in history are currently experiencing their reproductive years—1.2 billion people. If given every opportunity to succeed, their energy and … Continued

Newborn care units at Health Centre IV: the MANeSCALE experience

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

From explaining how to mix drugs in the right doses for premature babies to explaining how a radiant warmer works, Nursing Officer Sarah Mirembe clearly knows what she is doing given the confidence she exudes. It is apparent from her talk that she has no problem with dump dusting and mopping her workstation in order … Continued

Building Capacity of Six African Countries to Strengthen Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition

WHO HNN Team

This story was originally published by the World Health Organization Entebbe, 29th October 2019 – The Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted a five-day workshop to build the capacity of program managers and WHO country office staff to better manage and improve service delivery in the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, … 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