Maternal Health News and Research

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IRIN examines efforts to train midwives, improve maternal health in Laos

"In 2010, for the first time in more than 20 years, 140 midwives graduated in Laos but specialists say their skills may go untapped because the country's women are not used to visiting health workers," IRIN reports. "Only 34 percent of women in Laos seek the advice of medical professionals; even fewer see one when they are pregnant, according to government data from 2009-2010," the news service writes.

17 Nov 2011

Education for women, girls a more effective strategy than family planning to solve global problems

In a post in the National Review's "The Corner," Christopher White, international director of operations for the World Youth Alliance, responds to a New York Times opinion piece published Wednesday in which columnist Nicholas Kristof hailed family planning as a solution to "many of the global problems that confront us."

5 Nov 2011

Zanzibar's Islamic leaders use Qur'an to shift attitudes about sex, contraception, HIV/AIDS

The Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog" examines how religious leaders on the island of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, are using the Qur'an to shift attitudes about the issues of sex, contraception, and HIV/AIDS in an effort to reduce HIV infection, improve maternal health and curb rapid population growth. "Their aim is to shift deep-rooted views in their devout Islamic society that contraception is a sin," according to the blog.

2 Nov 2011

Exclusion of family planning, HIV prevention from Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership is 'counter-intuitive'

In this Huffington Post opinion piece, Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, examines the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership, which was launched last month by PEPFAR in conjunction with the George W. Bush Institute, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and UNAIDS with the aim of "integrating cervical and breast cancer education, screening, and treatment with HIV services."

2 Nov 2011

Advocates call for supplementary budget to address shortage of health workers, midwives in Uganda

"The shortage of health workers in Uganda is a 'crisis,' says the Minister of Health, and activists say expectant mothers are bearing the brunt of the country's staffing deficiency," IRIN reports.

29 Oct 2011

University kicks off campaign to collect mobile phones to help fund maternal health programs in Congo, Nepal

On Tuesday at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Chelsea Clinton, board member of the William J. Clinton Foundation, and Christy Turlington Burns, founder of Every Mother Counts, helped launch the GW + Phones = Hope campaign, which is "working with the national nonprofit Hope Phones to collect phones to benefit maternal health programs in Democratic Republic of Congo and Nepal," the "GW Hatchet" blog reports.

21 Oct 2011

Founder of Every Mother Counts to address AAP National Conference

Fashion model and Global Maternal Health Advocate Christy Turlington Burns will speak at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on International Child Health meeting at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition in Boston on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 4:15-5 p.m. ET.

15 Oct 2011

Council On Foreign Relations examines maternal health in Afghanistan

Isobel Coleman, senior fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and director of the Civil Society, Markets and Democracy Initiative at the Council On Foreign Relations, reports on the council's website on maternal health in Afghanistan, writing that one out of 11 Afghan women is likely to die in childbirth during her lifetime; Afghan women are 200 times more likely to die giving birth than by a bomb or bullet. Not surprisingly, Save the Children this year ranked Afghanistan the worst country in the world to be a mother. Yet, there are some positive signs.

4 Oct 2011

Uganda cannot achieve development without increased investment in maternal health

In this Daily Monitor opinion piece, Anthony Masake of the Uganda Law Society stresses the importance of addressing maternal mortality in Uganda and asserts that the country cannot achieve development without increased efforts to meet national maternal health targets.

1 Oct 2011

Sierra Leone First Lady discusses work to improve maternal mortality

NPR's Tell Me More on Friday interviewed Sierra Leone First Lady Sia Nyama Koroma about her work aimed at improving maternal health in her country. Koroma was in New York attending the African First Ladies Fellowship Program "that brings together Western European and American first ladies with their African counterparts for an exchange of ideas and best practices," according to the program.

27 Sep 2011

Financial and political commitments to improve health of women and children

In only one year, more than 100 countries, foundations, multilateral organizations, the UN, the private sector, and academic and professional associations have made unprecedented financial and political commitments to greatly improve the health of women and children.

21 Sep 2011

ACC cardiologist to address the United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases

Cardiologist William Zoghbi, M.D., will address the United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases next week to argue that abating heart disease should be a target of the United Nations' eight Millennium Development Goals.

19 Sep 2011

Midwife shortages across UK

According to a warning from the Royal College of Midwives parts of England are facing a dangerous shortage of midwives as Britain's birthrate climbs. The RCM added that while shortages are seen across the country, some areas are worse than others, putting mothers and babies at risk.

16 Sep 2011

Report urges integrated aid approach to tackle poverty, disease

Action Against Hunger, Action for Global Health, End Water Poverty, PATH, Tearfund and WaterAid on Wednesday released a report that "provides clear and compelling evidence that a new combined approach to tackling poverty and disease that brings together work on water and sanitation, health, education and nutrition achieves better results for the world's poorest," according to a joint press release.

16 Sep 2011

Integrated health, education and water/sanitation programs can defeat disease and poverty

As governments prepare to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 19 and 20, a new report published by a group of six influential aid agencies provides clear and compelling evidence that a combined approach to tackling poverty and disease-that brings together work on water and sanitation, health, education, and nutrition/food security-achieves better results for the world's poorest.

15 Sep 2011

A woman's pregnancy outcome can be an indicator of future health conditions

"A woman's pregnancy outcome can be an indicator of future health conditions," stated George R. Saade, M.D., president of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

14 Sep 2011

Preterm babies may be experiencing pain during procedures: Study

Preterm may begin to feel pain around a woman's 35th week of pregnancy, about two to four weeks before delivery, according to a new study from University College London. Using EEG, researchers recorded the babies' brain activity in response to pain, comparing their pain responses from a touch and prick on the heels. The findings were published in the journal Current Biology.

9 Sep 2011

African countries see slow progress in reducing maternal mortality to achieve MDG 5

Inter Press Service examines what some experts are calling a lack of commitment from health care workers, which they say is "among the reasons why Africa may not succeed in achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 on improving maternal health by 2015 by reducing maternal mortality by three quarters."