Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report—Child Health

'The Elders' Promote 'Girls Not Brides' Initiative In India

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:31:00 GMT

"A group of prominent activists from around the world known as 'The Elders' arrived in India Thursday to take a stand against the practice of child marriage" and promote its global "Girls Not Brides" movement, VOA's "Breaking News" blog reports (2/9). South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the group's chair, said India's gross domestic product growth would be much greater if "women are given their proper place," Reuters notes. Experts say approximately 10 million girls under the age of 18 are married worldwide every year, often to an older man, without consent and before they are mentally and physically mature, according to the news service, which adds, "The practice is most prevalent in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, despite laws in most countries banning it."

Experts Discuss Benefits Of Combining Deworming, School Feeding Programs At Meeting With U.K. Parliament

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:44:00 GMT

This post in the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog reports on an event held on Wednesday in London during which John Kufuor, former president of Ghana and winner of the 2011 World Food Prize, addressed the U.K. Parliament "about how school feeding programs can help millions of people currently living in poverty." According to the blog, "In coordination with [the Partnership for Child Development (PCD)] and Deworm the World, the Global Network shared information at the event about combining deworming efforts with school feeding programs in order to strengthen agriculture, health and education programs," noting, "Parasitic worm infections often undermine existing school feeding programs by causing malnutrition and anemia even in children who are well-fed" (2/9).

Global Malaria Deaths Twice As High As Previously Estimated, IHME Study Suggests

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:51:00 GMT

"Malaria is killing more people worldwide than previously thought, but the number of deaths has fallen rapidly as efforts to combat the disease have ramped up, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington" published in the Lancet on Thursday, an IHME press release reports. "More than 1.2 million people died from malaria worldwide in 2010, nearly twice the number found in the most recent comprehensive study of the disease," the press release states (2/2). The study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "used new data and new computer modeling to build a historical database for malaria between 1980 and 2010," BBC News notes (Bowdler, 2/2).

Knowledge, Resources Exist To Reach Maternal, Child Mortality MDGs In Africa With Unified Efforts

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:00:11 GMT

In this Global Health and Diplomacy opinion piece, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete examines efforts to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets on maternal and child mortality in Africa, noting, "Although Africa has just 12 percent of the global population, it accounts for half of all maternal deaths and half the deaths of children under five." He writes, "Though global maternal deaths are in decline and women's health has at last become a global priority, our goal of reducing maternal mortality by 75 percent in 2015 is still a long way off. ... It is unacceptable to allow mothers and children to die when we have the knowledge and resources to save them."

India Has Worst Child Mortality Gender Differential Worldwide, New U.N. Data Show

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:47:57 GMT

An Indian girl between the ages of one and five years old is 75 percent more likely to die than an Indian boy, giving the country the worst gender differential in child mortality in the world, according to new data released by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Times of India reports. The "data for 150 countries over 40 years show that India and China are the only two countries in the world where female infant mortality is higher than male infant mortality in the 2000s," the newspaper writes (Shrinivasan, 2/1). In India, for every 100 deaths among females one to five years old, 56 males of the same age group die, whereas the global average is 111 male child deaths to every 100 female children, India Today notes. "Higher mortality among girls is a powerful warning that differential treatment or access to resources is putting girls at a disadvantage," the report said, according to the news service (2/1).

Poor Quality Vaccination Campaigns, Lack Of Government Commitment Helping Polio Spread In Chad

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:09:59 GMT

"Poor-quality emergency immunization campaigns and low routine polio immunization coverage are helping the polio virus to spread in Chad, with 132 cases reported in 2011 -- five times the number in 2010," IRIN reports. "More commitment is needed across the board, especially from local health authorities, to try to get immunizations right, say aid agencies," the news service adds.

UNICEF Appeals For $1.28B To Provide Humanitarian Assistance For Children In 25 Nations

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:18:36 GMT

UNICEF on Friday "appealed ... for $1.28 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to children in over 25 countries this year, with nearly one-third of the total amount earmarked for the crisis in the Horn of Africa," the U.N. News Centre reports (1/27). The agency also released its annual "Humanitarian Action for Children 2012" report, which "decried the rising levels of starvation and malnutrition among children under the age of five in many of the world's troubled regions," GlobalPost writes (1/27). UNICEF "said it was seeking nine percent less than in 2011, linked to lower needs in Pakistan and Haiti, but that its needs for fighting hunger had jumped by nearly 50 percent," according to Agence France-Presse (1/28). The agency said more than one million children in Africa's Sahel region are at risk of severe malnutrition, Reuters reports (1/27).

GAVI Matching Fund Public-Private Partnership Working To Raise Money

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:15:05 GMT

In this AlertNet commentary, GAVI Alliance CEO Seth Berkley discusses how "public-private partnership is part of the GAVI Alliance's formula for success that has helped countries to immunize 325 million children in our first 10 years, saving more than 5.5 million lives." Writing last week from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Berkley says, "In fact, public-private partnerships are part of what brings me to Davos this week."

Cote d'Ivoire Abandoning Free Health Care Scheme Due To Cost, Mismanagement

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:57:36 GMT

IRIN reports that Cote d'Ivoire is abandoning its free health care for all scheme after a period of nine months, noting, "Theft, poor management and rising costs have made the service -- introduced by President Alassane Ouattara's government at the end of civil conflict to ease a dire public health situation -- unaffordable." According to the news service, "As of February, the free service will only be available to mothers and their children," meaning "free care for deliveries and free treatment for diseases affecting children under six years old."

Two Initiatives Launched At WEF With Aim Of Ending New HIV Infections Among Children By 2015

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:51:57 GMT

"Two groundbreaking initiatives, aimed at realistically achieving the once-unthinkable goal of ending new HIV infections among children by the end of 2015, were launched simultaneously at the World Economic Forum's [WEF] Annual Conference in Davos" on Friday, according to a Business Leadership Council press release. "The Business Leadership Council for a Generation Born HIV Free was launched together with a Social Media Syndicate that is designed to reach billions of people around the world ... The Syndicate will evolve to focus on other U.N. Health Millennium Development Goals over the coming months," the press release states (1/27). "The Social Media Syndicate will coordinate the most influential, individual publishers on the Social Web to share messages and actions needed to welcome a 'Generation Born HIV Free' and to achieve all the health-related Millennium Development Goals," according to a press statement from UNAIDS and PEPFAR (1/27).

Yemen Faces Child Malnutrition Crisis After Year Of Unrest

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:21:00 GMT

"A year of Yemen's turmoil has exacerbated the number of malnourished children under the age of five to around 750,000, UNICEF said Tuesday, appealing to the government and the international community to help develop the country's infrastructure to tackle the problem," the Associated Press reports (Al-Haj/Batrawy, 1/24). "Conflict, poverty and drought, compounded by the unrest of the previous year, the high food and fuel prices, and the breakdown of social services, are putting children's health at great risks and threatening their very survival," UNICEF Regional Director Maria Calivis said today, concluding "a two-day visit to Yemen where she saw first-hand the impact of malnutrition on children's health," a UNICEF news note states (1/24).

Drought Threatens Africa's Sahel Region; Aid Agencies Worry About Donor Fatigue

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:01:15 GMT

"For the third time in the past decade, drought has returned to the arid, western shoulder of Africa, bringing hunger to millions," and "[a]id agencies are warning that if action is not taken now, the region known as the Sahel could slip into crisis," the Associated Press reports. "Aid workers also worry that donors are suffering from 'famine fatigue,' as the looming West African crisis comes just six months after Somalia's capital was declared a famine zone," the news agency writes.

Pakistan's Polio Eradication Program Facing Challenges After Increase In Cases Last Year

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:43:55 GMT

IRIN examines several factors that could be contributing to an increase in polio cases in Pakistan, "despite the launch of a National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication" at the beginning of 2011. In 2010, Pakistan recorded 144 cases of polio and 192 cases in 2011, the news service reports. According to IRIN, refusals by some households to vaccinate children; "administrative laxity" and "poorly run campaigns"; and malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, and diarrhea among children could be contributing to the campaign's lack of success (1/23).

GAVI Says Ministries Of Health In Cameroon, Niger Cooperating To Reimburse Misused Funds

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:46:00 GMT

"Following separate investigations into the misuse of GAVI funding in Cameroon and Niger, both Ministries of Health have cooperated fully and confirmed their commitment to take all necessary measures, including the reimbursement of misused funds," the GAVI Alliance said in a statement released on Thursday. According to the statement, "The findings suggest that up to US$4.2 million allocated for health systems strengthening (HSS) has been misused in Cameroon and up to US$2.5 million allocated for immunization services support (ISS) has been misused in Niger," with approximately $1.8 million and $1.5 million of those funds under investigation for theft in the respective countries.

Huffington Post, Johnson & Johnson Partner To Launch 'Global Motherhood' Forum

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:52:00 GMT

Sharon D'Agostino, vice president of worldwide corporate contributions and community relations at Johnson & Johnson, writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece about the launch of the Global Motherhood partnership between Johnson & Johnson and the Huffington Post. "The Huffington Post and Johnson & Johnson have collaborated to create this forum focused on global motherhood, a place to share ideas and experiences for improving maternal and child health," she writes, adding, "We hope that the Global Motherhood section will give voice to the people and organizations that are making a difference and inspire others to join in this effort" (1/18).

Threefold Increase In Polio Cases In Afghanistan Concerns Experts

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:18:35 GMT

The New York Times examines how after years of decline, the number of recorded polio cases in Afghanistan tripled in 2011 to 76, following only 25 cases in 2010, raising concerns among international health experts that polio is seeing a resurgence, "particularly since some of the cases erupted far outside the disease's traditional areas in Afghanistan."

Gates, Kristof Answer Questions About Bangladesh, Public Health In Final Installment Of Blog Series

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:16:03 GMT

Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof continue to answer readers' questions in this third and final installment of the series on Kristof's "On the Ground" blog. Gates and Kristof answer questions about assessing and incorporating the needs of women and children in Bangladesh into development initiatives and discuss the global health activities about which they are most excited and optimistic (1/13).

Afghan President Karzai Urges Taliban To Allow Polio Vaccination Teams Into Insurgent-Controlled Areas

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:36:00 GMT

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday "urg[ed] the Taliban to allow teams conducting a polio vaccination campaign access to areas under their control" and "said that whoever hampers the medical workers 'is the enemy of our children's future,'" the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (1/17). "A total of 80 cases of the crippling disease were reported in Afghanistan last year -- a three-fold increase over 2010, the health ministry said on Tuesday, marking a major setback in the drive to eradicate polio worldwide," Agence France-Presse writes, adding that "Karzai appealed to religious and community leaders to persuade the insurgents to allow the immunization teams to vaccinate children" (1/17).

HHS Secretary Sebelius Helps India Mark One Year Since Last Recorded Polio Case

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:00:23 GMT

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "administered polio vaccination drops to children in New Delhi on Friday as India marked one year since its last case of the crippling disease," the Associated Press reports (1/13). The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports that "[o]fficials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] say U.S. funding and experience were key to beating back the disease," but "[t]he news comes as federal funding for global health programs now faces sharp cuts from Tea Party lawmakers and others worried about the deficit" (Pecquet, 1/12). "Globally, the U.S. government has provided $2 billion for the polio eradication campaign, Rotary International has raised about $1 billion from its members, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated more than $1 billion," and the CDC "weighed in with crucial expertise," the Washington Post writes (Denyer, 1/12).

Melinda Gates, Nicholas Kristof Answer More Questions About Bangladesh, Public Health

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof continue to answer readers' questions in this second installment on Kristof's "On the Ground" blog. Gates and Kristof answer questions about corruption and contraception in Bangladesh, where Gates recently visited, and why more efforts are not being concentrated on children in the U.S. (1/11).