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Orange sweet potato reduces prevalence and duration of diarrhea in children

A new study has found that orange sweet potato (OSP) reduced both the prevalence and duration of diarrhea in young children in Mozambique.

16 Jun 2015

Toothbrushes can serve as vector for transmission of fecal coliforms in communal bathrooms

Data confirms that there is transmission of fecal coliforms in communal bathrooms at Quinnipiac University and that toothbrushes can serve as a vector for transmission of potentially pathogenic organisms. This research is presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

3 Jun 2015

GSF's financial support helps seven million people become open-defecation free

The GSF's latest Progress Report details how its financial support for nationally-led programmes has helped seven million people in over 20,500 communities become open-defecation free, improved toilets for 4.2 million people and seen eight million people gain access to hand-washing facilities.

2 Jun 2015

WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean press release: WHO delivers additional medicines and medical supplies into Yemen

WHO is also providing a shipment of anti-malaria medicines from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria sufficient for 44 950 treatment courses of malaria...

15 May 2015

WHO Press Release: World Health Statistics reports on global health goals for 194 countries

Progress in child survival worldwide is one of the greatest success stories of international development. Since 1990, child deaths have almost halved – falling from an estimated 90 deaths per 1000 live births to 46 deaths per 1000 live births in 2013...

13 May 2015

UC3M, IRYCIS patent new automated skin biopsy device

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the Institute for Health Research of the Hospital "Ramón y Cajal" have patented a new device for performing skin biopsies. With this new tool a skin biopsy can be performed with fewer instruments and the length of the procedure is shortened from thirty minutes to less than five.

8 May 2015

WHO committed to helping Nepal deliver health care to its citizens, says WHO South-East Asia Regional Director

The World Health Organization is committed to supporting Nepal’s health system to deliver life-saving and essential services to its people and build back resilient health facilities that will be safe in emergencies...

7 May 2015

UNICEF working to bring relief for children affected by earthquake in Nepal

UNICEF expects children to be among the worst affected by the devastating 7.9 earthquake that struck Nepal today, affecting the area around the capital city of Kathmandu. While the full impact of the disaster is still being assessed, an estimated 40 percent of Nepal's population is children, who are the most vulnerable during emergencies.

27 Apr 2015

Dow, Habitat for Humanity expand partnership to address global housing, sanitation issues

The Dow Chemical Company and Habitat for Humanity announced today plans to expand their partnership in 2015 to address global housing and sanitation issues, helping thousands of families across five continents create decent, affordable housing. With first-time builds in Ethiopia, Argentina, Colombia and Nepal, Dow is increasing its support to a total of 30 countries since becoming Habitat's first national partner in 1983.

16 Apr 2015

STRIVE study to assess safety, efficacy of rVSV-ZEBOV candidate Ebola vaccine

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the Sierra Leone College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, is now enrolling and vaccinating volunteers for the Sierra Leone Trial to Introduce a Vaccine against Ebola (STRIVE).

15 Apr 2015

UNICEF and OFC team up to support children affected by Pacific cyclones

From 11-14 March 2015, Tropical Cyclone Pam, with winds of up to Category 5, hit the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. At the same time, the Cyclone caused high waves to crash over atoll islands in Kiribati and the Solomon Islands. The super cyclone is one of the worst natural disasters in South Pacific history.

10 Apr 2015

Hospitals, health systems preparing to treat patients with Ebola face unexpected challenges

Hospitals and health systems preparing for and treating patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the fall of 2015 faced unexpected challenges for ensuring safety of staff, patients and the community. The experiences are detailed in two studies published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

2 Apr 2015

Discovery opens door to possible new ways to break transmission cycle of schistosomiasis

Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered a group of genes in one species of snail that provide a natural resistance to the flatworm parasite that causes schistosomiasis, and opens the door to possible new drugs or ways to break the transmission cycle of this debilitating disease.

25 Mar 2015

Life-saving water, sanitation and hygiene supplies reaching children affected by Cyclone Pam

UNICEF in close collaboration with the Vanuatu Government and WASH Cluster partners have been working amidst logistical, communication and supply challenges to deliver safe drinking water by providing water containers, purification tablets, and soap to communities and evacuation centres in Shefa and Tafea provinces.

23 Mar 2015

New analysis of medieval cesspit in Jerusalem provides window into spread of infectious diseases

A new analysis of a medieval cesspit in the Christian quarter of the old city of Jerusalem has revealed the presence of a number of ancient parasite eggs, providing a window into the nature and spread of infectious diseases in the Middle East during the 15th century.

23 Mar 2015

UNICEF dispatches emergency supplies to children in cyclone-affected Vanuatu

While distributing its pre-positioned emergency supplies in Vanuatu, UNICEF also has dispatched additional life-saving supplies for affected communities from its Pacific regional warehouse in Suva, Fiji. This includes health, education, child protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies.

17 Mar 2015

60,000 children in need of immediate assistance after Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu; at least 72,000 out of school

With Tropical Cyclone Pam ripping through Vanuatu from late Friday night (13th March) into the early hours of Saturday morning, UNICEF Pacific reminds that 45% of the population is children and they are particularly vulnerable in any emergency.

16 Mar 2015

Caltech researchers reveal new information that could help fight against hookworms

Tiny parasitic hookworms infect nearly half a billion people worldwide--almost exclusively in developing countries--causing health problems ranging from gastrointestinal issues to cognitive impairment and stunted growth in children. By sequencing and analyzing the genome of one particular hookworm species, Caltech researchers have uncovered new information that could aid the fight against these parasites.

3 Mar 2015

Scientists sequence genome of hookworm

In an advance that may potentially lead to new treatments for parasitic hookworms, scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Cornell University have sequenced the genome of the hookworm, Ancylostoma ceylanicum.