Maternal Health News and Research

RSS

Life-saving interventions can save 11 million African women, children over next five years: Countdown report

In the next five years, 11 million African women and children could be saved by creating near-universal availability of key life-saving interventions, according to The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health and the Countdown to 2015 Decade Report (2000-2010).

27 Jul 2010

Current myths vs. realities in global AIDS funding

Activists at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna are charging developed and developing country governments with writing checques that bounce to the millions of people in need of lifesaving HIV treatment. Despite the gains in treatment numbers reported by WHO, the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition's (ITPC), latest report, Rationing Funds, Risking Lives, documents early warnings of the global pullback on AIDS commitment and funding.

22 Jul 2010

AU Pre-Summit on Gender concludes

The African Union (AU) Pre-Summit on Gender concludes Wednesday after three days of discussion about how African countries could improve progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targeting women and children's health, the Independent reports.

22 Jul 2010

HIV – Rising menace

Nevirapine is considered to be an effective drug that can prevent HIV infection in babies born to mothers with HIV. However a new study shows that only about half of babies born to mothers with HIV receive the drug. The study appeared in the July 21 HIV/AIDS themed issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

20 Jul 2010

New poverty index finds more poor people in Indian states than in poorest African countries

There is a higher number of poor people in eight Indian states than in 26 of the poorest African countries, according to the Multidimensional Poverty Index, which was developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative with support from the U.N., the BBC reports (7/13).

16 Jul 2010

AU summit meetings to focus on maternal, child health

African Union (AU) summit delegates have started arriving in Uganda for a series of meetings ahead of the 15th AU Summit, which takes place July 19-27 in the capital of Kampala, the New Vision reports (Musoke, 7/14).

16 Jul 2010

Opinions: Coordinate debris removal in Haiti; Focus on sustainability to feed Africa; G20's role in health, development; Role of health workers in reducing maternal deaths

Marking the six-month anniversary since the earthquake in Haiti, Reginald DesRoches, Ozlem Ergun and Julie Swann, all of the Georgia Institute of Technology, call for increased attention to be paid towards efforts to remove the "[t]wenty million to 25 million cubic yards of debris [that] fill the streets, yards, sidewalks and canals of Port-au-Prince" in a New York Times opinion piece.

9 Jul 2010

Women's eNews examines progress towards MDGs in Bangladesh

Though Bangladesh is "on track" to meet most of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets laid out by the U.N., "many female-focused targets, including maternal mortality are lagging far behind," writes Women's eNews, adding that "progress has stalled" at 351 deaths per 100,000, "a point far above the 2014 target figure of 144."

9 Jul 2010

American, Canadian officials discuss global health developments at recent G8, G20 summits

The recent G8 summit in Canada's Muskoka region took an important step forward in improving maternal and child health in developing countries, Canadian and American officials said at a forum Wednesday in Washington, DC.

9 Jul 2010

QIAGEN receives CE conformity marking for careHPV Test

QIAGEN has completed European certification of its careHPV™ Test to bring human papillomavirus (HPV) testing to public-health programs in low-resource, developing countries, the company announced today at the International Papillomavirus Conference in Montreal, Canada. The CE conformity marking ("Conformite Europeenne") certifies that the careHPV Test has met European Union consumer safety and health requirements, allowing the test to be distributed in developing countries that recognize the CE mark.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 7 Jul 2010

Recent releases in global health

Looking ahead to AIDS 2010 which will be held in Vienna, Austria, July 18-23, a Lancet editorial writes that 2010 marks "the deadline set by global leaders to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Sadly, the world will not meet these ambitious goals." However, the latest issue of the Lancet "offers some new insights to progress," the editorial notes.

3 Jul 2010

Canadian press/globe and mail examine 'loose ends' in G8's maternal, child health initiative

The G8's $5-billion initiative to improve maternal and child health "left many loose ends that need to be tied up before the countries can begin to make good on their commitment to save the lives of 1.3 million children under age five, and 64,000 mothers," the Canadian Press/Globe and Mail reports. According to the article, while stakeholders welcome the G8 initiative, many find it "deeply underfunded and lacking in detail."

3 Jul 2010

G8 will fall short on their promises to cut child and maternal deaths, says World Vision

Last year, the G8 pledged $20 billion through 2012 to fund hunger alleviation programs, yet no mechanism exists to track the disbursement of the funds.

30 Jun 2010

G8 nations commit $5B for maternal, child health; Additional $2.3B committed from other countries, foundations

G8 nations, plus other countries and private organizations, have committed at total of $7.3 billion to improve maternal and child health in the developing world, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday at the group's summit in Canada's Muskoka region, All Headline News reports (6/26).

29 Jun 2010

Foreign Policy examines GHI, PEPFAR

Foreign Policy examines reactions to the priorities set forth in President Barack Obama's Global Health Initiative (GHI) and what they might mean for PEPFAR.

29 Jun 2010

Opinions: G8 commitments to maternal, child health

A Toronto Star editorial reflects on the pledges of G8 countries to the Muskoka Initiative to improve maternal and child health care, noting, while Canada's $1.1 billion over five years "fell noticeably short of the $1.2 billion the G8 and G20 summits cost to stage, it will lend welcome impetus to a lifeline for Africa and help save lives." However, as the editorial notes, "the recession-battered G8 as a group responded feebly, mustering only $5 billion over five years.

29 Jun 2010

World Vision calls upon emerging economies within G20 to prioritize child and maternal health progress

With the G20 summit opening today in Toronto, World Vision is calling upon emerging economies within the G20 to be accountable for prioritizing their own child and maternal health progress -- and for all G20 nations to provide their fair share of funding and leadership within their respective regions.

28 Jun 2010

G8 leaders to discuss economic policy, developing world, maternal and child health, Haitian rebuilding

Ahead of the G8 summit, which begins Friday in Canada, "leaders engaged in a series of dueling letters and interviews that exposed their conflicts" in how to foster global economic recovery, the Associated Press reports.

28 Jun 2010

U.N. Secretary-General to ask G20 for additional $60B over 5 years for maternal, child health

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he plans to ask the G20 to follow through on aid promises and to commit an additional $60 billion over five years for lowering maternal and child mortality rates worldwide, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

25 Jun 2010

G8 Summit needs to focus on MDGs to address AIDS crisis: IAS

In 2005 the international community made an historic commitment to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care by 2010 at the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. Despite important progress, the world is not yet on track to achieve this commitment, and there are troubling signs that donors and implementing countries are capping or shrinking funding for the HIV response.

24 Jun 2010

Maternal Health News and Research

Life-saving interventions can save 11 million African women, children over next five years: Countdown report

Current myths vs. realities in global AIDS funding

AU Pre-Summit on Gender concludes

HIV – Rising menace

New poverty index finds more poor people in Indian states than in poorest African countries

AU summit meetings to focus on maternal, child health

Opinions: Coordinate debris removal in Haiti; Focus on sustainability to feed Africa; G20's role in health, development; Role of health workers in reducing maternal deaths

Women's eNews examines progress towards MDGs in Bangladesh

American, Canadian officials discuss global health developments at recent G8, G20 summits

QIAGEN receives CE conformity marking for careHPV Test

Recent releases in global health

Canadian press/globe and mail examine 'loose ends' in G8's maternal, child health initiative

G8 will fall short on their promises to cut child and maternal deaths, says World Vision

G8 nations commit $5B for maternal, child health; Additional $2.3B committed from other countries, foundations

Foreign Policy examines GHI, PEPFAR

Opinions: G8 commitments to maternal, child health

World Vision calls upon emerging economies within G20 to prioritize child and maternal health progress

G8 leaders to discuss economic policy, developing world, maternal and child health, Haitian rebuilding

U.N. Secretary-General to ask G20 for additional $60B over 5 years for maternal, child health

G8 Summit needs to focus on MDGs to address AIDS crisis: IAS

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News