By GHHub
A report by a Britain-based charity says one-quarter of the world’s children may underperform at school because of chronic malnutrition. Save the Children says tackling malnutrition should be a priority for G8 leaders meeting next month in Northern Ireland. via allAfrica.com: Africa: Report – Child Malnutrition Costs Global Economy Billions.
By GHHub
“The recent Global vaccine summit held in Dubai last month saw an extraordinary demonstration of support for the new Polio Eradication Initiative and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018, where governments, private sector, civil society and multilateral organisations pledge 75% of the projected US$5.5billion needed to finally rid the world of poliomyelitis,” said Dr. Thomas Sukwa, Country [...]
By GHHub
With more than a third of children and adolescents overweight or obese — a statistic that has tripled within the past three decades — the prevalence of childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels by most estimations. via “Breathprints” Pinpoint Potential Obesity-Related Complications in Children | Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network.
By GHHub
Educators in low-income areas everywhere struggle with one of the most basic hurdles to teaching children – students showing up to school hungry. via School Lunches Vital to Children’s Health, Education says World Food Program.
Continue reading here: Can We Identify Illness in Newborns From Their Cry? (And Other Cool Ideas)
By GHHub
After significant decreases throughout the 20th century, the US infant mortality rate plateaued from 2000 to 2005 and now is declining again. However, the US infant mortality rate still ranks 27th among the 34 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. via JAMA Network | JAMA | US Infant Mortality Decreases but Still [...]
By GHHub
Whooping cough has exploded in the United States and some other developed countries in recent decades, and many experts suspect ineffective childhood vaccines for the alarming resurgence. via Leading explanations for whooping cough’s resurgence don’t stand up to scrutiny.
By GHHub
Imaging technique shows premature birth interrupts vital brain development processes, leading to reduced cognitive abilities in infants via Premature birth interrupts vital brain development processes leading to reduced cognitive abilities in infants.
By GHHub
Women who smoke during pregnancy increase the risk of both obesity and gestational diabetes, in their daughters, concludes research published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. The study is by Dr Kristina Mattsson, Lund University, Sweden, and colleagues including Dr Matthew Longnecker from the National Institute on Environmental [...]
By GHHub
Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. via Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivity.
By GHHub
Maternal and neonatal mortality rates remain high in many low-income and middle-income countries. Different approaches for the improvement of birth outcomes have been used in community-based interventions, with heterogeneous effects on survival. We assessed the effects of women’s groups practising participatory learning and action, compared with usual care, on birth outcomes in low-resource settings. via [...]
By GHHub
Women’s groups and health education by peer counsellors can improve the health of mothers and children. We assessed their effects on mortality and breastfeeding rates in rural Malawi. via Effect of women’s groups and volunteer peer counselling on rates of mortality, morbidity, and health behaviours in mothers and children in rural Malawi (MaiMwana): a factorial, [...]
May 16, 2013 Phase III trials of the Rotavac Rotavirus Vaccine show that it has the potential to save thousands of lives, say scientists. From the BBC: Rotavirus causes dehydration and severe diarrhoea and spreads through contaminated hands and surfaces and is rampant in Asia and Africa. India says clinical trials show the new vaccine, Rotavac, can save the lives of thousands of children annually. An Indian manufacturer said the vaccine would cost 54 rupees ($1; £0.65). International pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Merck produce similar vaccines but each dose costs around 1,000 rupees. “This is an important scientific breakthrough against rotavirus infections, the most severe and lethal cause of childhood diarrhoea, responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths of small children in India each year,” India’s Department of Biotechnology official K Vijay Raghavan said
Procter & Gamble’s flagship social initiative has helped save the lives of 30,000 children globally. Katharine Earley explores how the firm is using the program to engage consumers and meet its goals. This originally appears on 2 Degrees Network here. As the global water crisis intensifies, some 780 million people lack access to safe water, while nearly 2,000 children under the age of five die from water and sanitation-related diarrheal diseases every day. That is more than from HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. Increasingly, major companies are tackling fundamental health and development issues, including safe drinking water, as they move beyond cutting their own impacts to make a positive contribution to society
