Have you seen all the new resources that have been posted up? Use the categories on this list to filter resources to those you are most interested in.
The Lancet Midwifery Series
The essential needs of childbearing women in all countries, and of their babies and families, are the focus of this thought-provoking series of international studies on midwifery. Many of those needs are still not being met, decades after they have been recognized. New solutions are required. The Series provides a framework for quality maternal and newborn care (QMNC) that firmly places the needs of women and their newborn infants at its centre. It is based on a definition of midwifery that takes account of skills, attitudes and behaviours rather than specific professional roles. The findings of this Series support a shift from fragmented maternal and newborn care provision that is focussed on identification and treatment of pathology to a whole-system approach that provides skilled care for all. Please refer to teh link below for the series papers, executive summary and comments:
http://www.thelancet.com/series/midwifery
Lancet Every Newborn Series urges global action to prevent 5.5 million ‘invisible’ newborn deaths and stillbirths every year
Findings from the Every Newborn Series, published today in The Lancet, paint the clearest picture to date of a newborn’s chance of survival and the steps that must be taken to end preventable infant deaths. New analyses indicate that 3 million maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths can be prevented each year with proven intervention – including the promotion of breastfeeding, neonatal resuscitation, kangaroo mother care for preterm babies, antenatal corticosteroids, and the prevention and treatment of infections. These interventions can be implemented for an annual cost of US$1.15 per person. The research was led by Professor Joy Lawn, at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Save the Children, UK, with Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta at the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the Aga Khan University, Pakistan and Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Canada in collaboration with more than 54 experts from 28 institutions in 17 countries.
Joint Global Health Trials scheme – launch of fourth call for proposals
The UK Department for International Development, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust are pleased to jointly announce the launch of the fourth call for proposals under this initiative to fund global health trials. The purpose of this scheme is to provide funding for the best proposals to generate new knowledge about interventions that will contribute to the improvement of health in low and middle income countries and this includes innovative proposals to address reproductive, maternal and newborn health. The programme will give priority to proposals that are likely to produce implementable results and that are designed to address the major causes of mortality or morbidity in low and middle income countries. For the details regarding eligibility and submissions visit the follwoing link:
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Fundingopportunities/Calls/Jointghtrials/MRC006855
Lancet Maternal and Child Nutrition Series
The Lancet publishes a new Series on maternal and child undernutrition, providing startling new estimates of the numbers of children dying from malnutrition every year. The Series highlights how the persistent burden of malnutrition can be tackled, presenting the best evidence and latest developments in the field.
http://www.thelancet.com/series/maternal-and-child-nutrition
Threat to measles elimination plans
Outbreaks of measles are putting Europe's commitment to eliminate the disease by 2015 under threat, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. Levels of vaccination have been too low in some countries, particularly in rich western European nations. It says catch-up vaccination campaigns, such as the one launched in the UK, are needed across the continent. Catch up the full news at the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22295629
First-Ever Simultaneous Effort to Combat Pneumonia and Diarrhea: Launch of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (DGAPP)
A new Global Action Plan launched today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF has the potential to save up to 2 million children every year from deaths caused by pneumonia and diarrhoea, some of the leading killers of children under five globally. The DGAPP is based on the most recent data and evidence collected in a special series published in The Lancet today led by Prof. Zulfiqar A Bhutta of The Aga Khan University, Pakistan. This Series identifies 15 key interventions that, if delivered at high coverage and quality, would reduce 95% of diarrhoeal and 67% of pneumonia deaths in children younger than 5 years by 2025. Catch the news at the following links and also take a sneek peak at all the latest series papers under our "RESOURCES" section.
http://www.thelancet.com/series/childhood-pneumonia-and-diarrhoea
http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/keeping-two-million-children-from-dying-each-year/
http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USAID-736c34
https://www.unicef.org/media/media_68669.html
http://www.kmbz.com/Experts-Seek-to-Eliminate-Leading-Causes-of-Child-/16030215
http://www.defeatdd.org/take-action/global-action-plan/press-release
http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/unifeed/2013/04/geneva-neumonia-diarrhea-deaths/
http://www.ccmcentral.com/?q=node/957
http://www.rappler.com/world/26054-un-end-child-deaths-diarrhea,-pneumonia
http://news.webindia123.com/news/press_showdetails.asp?id=26342&cat=Press%20Releases
Amniotic fluid 'may heal premature baby gut'
Early animal tests, published in the journal Gut, showed that stem cells inside amniotic fluid could heal some of the damage and increase survival. Check the full report on the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21900203
Gates says world must push to finally eradicate polio
Bill Gates said Tuesday that the world must commit to wiping out the remaining cases of polio and finally eradicate the disease despite squeezed aid budgets and violence plaguing vaccination efforts.
http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=94018
Mammogram scares leave lasting fears, research finds
A study published many women suffer intense stress after a call for routine mammogram follow-up and that the stress lasts long after a follow-up mammogram, ultrasound or biopsy shows they are cancer-free. Most women are just fine, of course. But the study, published in the Annals of Family Medicine, suggests that doctors need to address the possibility of anxiety, even extreme anxiety, over a false-positive test result. Follow the news on the follwoign link:
US HIV baby 'cured' by early drug treatment
A baby girl in the US born with HIV appears to have been cured after very early treatment with standard drug therapy, doctors say. The Mississippi child is now two-and-a-half years old and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection. Read the full story on the following BBC link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21651225
Smoking ban 'cuts premature births'
It is already well established that smoking leads to reduced birth weight and an increased risk of premature birth. The study by Hasselt University in Belgium, of 600,000 births found three successive drops in babies born before 37 weeks - each occurring after a phase of a public smoking ban was introduced. Read the full news at the following BBC link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21460315
Nigeria polio vaccinators shot dead in Kano
Nine female polio vaccinators have been killed in two shootings at health centres in northern Nigeria. This is believed to be the first time polio vaccinators have been attacked in the country. Read the full story at the following BBC link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21381773
2013 Global Campaign Report launched at high-level meeting in Norway
A high-level meeting in Norway has brought government leaders, health experts and private sector together to examine health and development in the context of the Millennium Development Goals, and launch a yearly progress report on Norway’s Global MDG Campaign - Accelerating Progress in saving the Lives of Women and Children. Hosted by Norway, the conference closed with a discussion between its Prime Minister, H.E.Jens Stoltenberg and philanthropist Bill Gates. For the realted links and documents, follow the link below:
http://www.who.int/pmnch/media/news/2013/20130122_global_campaign/en/index.html
Battle to Contain Polio: Future?
Various national and international agencies are pouring in significant amount of money to eradicate polio however with the end of 2012 another deadline has been missed. Polio remains endemic in three countries – Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan – and has re-established transmission in three countries which were previously polio-free (Angola, Chad and Democratic Republic of the Congo). Nigeria is one of the most entrenched reservoirs of wild poliovirus in the world. It is the only country with ongoing transmission of all three serotypes. Nigeria is being watched more closely than anywhere else: its cases reached a three-year high with more than 100 in 2012. The issue is compounded with the prevailing suspicions among the people like vaccine being a plot to sterilise children. Catch up on the latest in grounds for Nigeria's battle to contain polio at the follwoing BBC News Health Link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20819972
On the other hand, in Pakistan, persistent wild poliovirus transmission is restricted to three groups of districts: (1) Karachi city, (2) a group of districts in Balochistan Province, and (3) districts in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa according to WHO. In addition, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan repeatedly re-infect one other, due to the substantial population movements within and between the countries. Recently the polio campaigns in Pakistan has been disrupted due to the attacks on polio vaccinators near Peshawar. Catch up the news on the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20779388
However, statements from the Microsoft founder Bill Gates are encouraging. He said that the recent attacks on polio fieldworkers in Pakistan would not stop his foundation from succeeding in eradicating the crippling virus. Follow up the complete news at the following link:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/496464/attacks-on-polio-workers-would-not-deter-us-bill-gates/
Polio virus found in Egypt linked to Pakistan. Two sewage samples from Cairo were analysed and found to resemble a recently discovered strain in a southern city of Pakistan, a joint statement by health officials, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef said. For further update, please see the below link:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/497275/polio-virus-found-in-egypt-linked-to-pakistan-officials/
Lancet Infectious Diseases recently published an article on the killings of polio vaccinators in Pakistan. Read the following link: