Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report—Maternal and Newborn Health

Foreign Policy Examines India's Growing Industry Of Fertility Treatment

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:22:16 GMT

Foreign Policy examines "India's flourishing fertility treatment business," a multi-billion dollar industry that "has earned India the dubious reputation of being the world's baby factory." While "regulation has not kept pace with the proliferation of clinics" and some "facilities have been accused of a litany of shocking abuses," "[t]he Indian government is gearing up to pass a new law to regulate the fertility business," the magazine writes. The article focuses on "one pressing issue [that] has remained beyond the purview of regulation: How old is too old to get pregnant?" and discusses post-menopausal aged women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments in order to become pregnant (Chopra, 2/10).

Recognizing Global Fund's Integration Of Reproductive Health Into Focus On AIDS, TB, Malaria

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:35:34 GMT

Noting the successes of the first 10 years of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as the funding challenges it faces moving forward, Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, vice president of advocacy at Population Action International, writes in an opinion piece in GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog that the Fund "has always upheld the idea that their work contributes to achievement of all of the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)" and "always accepted and considered proposals that include reproductive, maternal, and child health interventions, when countries could demonstrate that they would have an impact on AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria."

'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."

Mozambique Expected To Pass Bill Legalizing Abortion In March

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:20:59 GMT

"Mozambique's legislature is expected to pass a bill to legalize abortions in March in an effort to reduce the country's high rate of unsafe ... abortions," the Christian Science Monitor reports, noting under current law, abortion remains illegal in the country under any circumstances. The bill "would revise the country's ... abortion law and legalize voluntary abortions in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy," making Mozambique "the ninth African country to liberalize its abortion policy in the last decade," according to the newspaper.

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).

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).

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."

PMI-Supported Study Aims To Measure Malaria Among Pregnant Women In Rwanda

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:41:43 GMT

This post in the Malaria Free Future blog reports on a study underway in Rwanda that aims to measure the prevalence of malaria in pregnancy (MIP). The research is supported by the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) and is being carried out through its Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) "so that the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) can have data to design appropriate MIP interventions as the country moves towards malaria elimination," the blog notes. According to the blog, the study of more than 4,000 women "focuses on pregnant women during their first visit to focused antenatal care (FANC) for their current pregnancy" and is currently at the half way mark (Brieger, 1/25).

U.S. Military Provides Medical Care, Education Services To Women, Children In Tanzania

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:11:41 GMT

The U.S. Army news service reports on a five-day Medical Civil Action Program, or MEDCAP, in Tanzania, during which "Tanzanian medical providers working in partnership with U.S. service members from Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa provided medical care to more than 2,100 Tanzanian women and children." According to the news service, "The program supported the Tanzanian Health Initiative, a program that seeks to provide a comprehensive approach to health for the Tanzanian people and parallels the U.S. government's Global Health Initiative."

PBS NewsHour Examines Family Planning In The Philippines

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:52:11 GMT

PBS NewsHour on Monday aired the second installment in its "Food for 9 Billion" series, in which "Sam Eaton of Homelands Productions goes to the fishing village of Humay-Humay" in the Philippines and "speaks with families about their concerns that future generations won't enjoy the same access to fish as a food staple and way of life," the PBS NewsHour blog "The Rundown" reports. The video report looks at how "one organization is making birth control more readily accessible to those wishing to keep their families small," according to the blog.

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).

Harare Maternity Clinics Reportedly Conducting Compulsory HIV/AIDS Tests On Pregnant Women

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:49:00 GMT

"In a move that is likely to raise the ire of HIV/AIDS activists, maternity clinics in [Harare] are conducting compulsory HIV/AIDS tests on pregnant women before they can register for delivery," the Zimbabwean reports, adding, "Scores of pregnant women in the high-density suburb of Glen-Norah told this newspaper that they were being asked to bring their spouses [to be tested] if they wanted to register to deliver their babies." According to the newspaper, "The Zimbabwean visited [a clinic] in Glen-Norah where workers confirmed they had turned away 'a few' people so they could bring their spouses for testing."

Study Finds Global Abortion Rate 'Virtually Unchanged' From 2003 To 2008

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:34:00 GMT

"After a period of substantial decline, the global abortion rate has stalled, according to new research from the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO)" published in the Lancet on Wednesday, a Guttmacher press release reports. "Between 1995 and 2003, the overall number of abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15-44 years) dropped from 35 to 29" but, "according to the new study, the global abortion rate in 2008 was virtually unchanged, at 28 per 1,000," the press release states. "This plateau coincides with a slowdown, documented by the United Nations, in contraceptive uptake, which has been especially marked in developing countries," according to the press release. "The researchers also found that nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe, ... almost all unsafe abortions occur in the developing world," and "restrictive abortion laws are not associated with lower rates of abortion," the press release adds (1/18).

Experts Debate Pros, Cons Of Sierra Leone's Ban On Traditional Birth Attendants

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:34:00 GMT

The Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog asks whether Sierra Leone was right to ban traditional birth attendants (TBAs) from assisting deliveries 18 months ago, writing, "Although [TBAs] are often poorly trained and sometimes use unsafe delivery procedures, for most women in rural Sierra Leone they are a lifeline." The blog writes that "some experts believe women are putting themselves at serious risk by relying on TBAs, who cannot handle obstetric complications such as hemorrhage, eclampsia and obstructed labor, conditions that account for three-quarters of maternal deaths," but, "[i]n areas where dense jungle and impassable roads make travel nigh-on impossible, the TBAs may also be the only available helping hand."

Questions Raised Over Accuracy Of Afghanistan Mortality Survey Data

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:16:54 GMT

"A U.S.-sponsored mortality survey released last year announced huge improvements in health across Afghanistan. But the gains are so great that experts are still arguing about whether it's correct," NPR's All Things Considered reports. The 2011 $5 million Afghanistan Mortality Survey, which was funded by USAID with a contribution from UNICEF, showed huge gains in life expectancy and maternal and child mortality compared with data from 2004, NPR says, noting, "But believing the new numbers are accurate probably means accepting that the old numbers were way off, which makes it impossible to say exactly how much health has really improved."

Estimating Number Of Births Without Skilled Birth Attendants In South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:07:31 GMT

Noting that the "fifth Millennium Development Goal target for 90 percent of births in low- and middle-income countries to have a skilled birth attendant (SBA) by 2015 will not be met," researchers from University College London estimate "that there will be between 130 and 180 million non-SBA births in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa from 2011 to 2015 (90 percent of these in rural areas)" in this BioMed Central Pregnancy & Childbirth article. They conclude, "Efforts to improve access to skilled attendance should be accompanied by interventions to improve the safety of non-attended deliveries" (1/17).

Improving Obstetric Care With Solar Power

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:47:22 GMT

In the National Geographic News blog "Mobile Message," "a series of posts from FrontlineSMS about how mobile phones and appropriate technologies are being used throughout the world to improve, enrich, and empower billions of lives," Laura Stachel, an obstetrician-gynecologist and the co-founder and executive director of WE CARE Solar, writes about the "'Solar Suitcase,' a portable, rugged, complete solar electric kit packed with solar panels, a charge controller, batteries, medical LED lights, phone chargers, headlamps, and a fetal monitor." She says the suitcases improve lighting so surgeries can be performed 24 hours a day; allow nurses to contact on-call physicians in the case of emergency through a mobile phone; and, with alterations, power blood bank refrigerators (Banks, 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).

Reaching WHO PMTCT Goal In Zimbabwe

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:20:00 GMT

Researchers in this PLoS Medicine article examine the efforts necessary to reach the WHO goal of reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) risk to less than five percent in Zimbabwe. They conclude, "Implementation of the WHO [prevention of MTCT (PMTCT)] guidelines must be accompanied by efforts to improve access to PMTCT services, retain women in care, and support medication adherence throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding, to approach the 'virtual elimination' of pediatric HIV in Zimbabwe," according to the study (Ciaranello et al., 1/10). A Massachusetts General Hospital press release states the research "should help with the planning of expanded programs to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas with limited health resources" (1/10).