Information and stories on health topics.

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Bangladesh Launches Immunization Campaign

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The introduction of the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) and pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) has benefited over three million children in Bangladesh. These additional immunizations in Bangladesh are now given regularly to children in accordance with the country’s national immunization program.

In 1979, Bangladesh started the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) to reduce child deaths from vaccine preventable deaths. The first six vaccines administered against infectious diseases included tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and measles.

Currently, Bangladesh is administering vaccines against nine diseases to children under the age of 1. More than 85 percent of children are vaccinated, an achievement that helped Bangladesh to become one of the six countries in the world that achieved Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on child mortality before the 2015 deadline.

WHO, UNICEF, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners support the addition of these novel vaccines to the country’s national immunization program. In 2013, the government of Bangladesh doubled its vaccine storage capacity to allow the storage of the PCV.

Seth Berkley, the CEO of Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, says “Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of child mortality in Bangladesh, accounting for 22 percent of deaths of children under the age of 5, so the introduction of pneumococcal vaccine will have a major positive impact on child survival”.

By adding the IPV into Bangladesh’s national immunization campaign, it is fulfilling the Polio Eradication & Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018.

To ensure that the IPV and the PCV are added to every child’s immunization card, over 45,000 community health workers play the key role to ensure that parents bring their children in for their immunization sessions.

In order for these new immunizations to become a success, the community health workers had to complete extensive training in order to administer the vaccines, and to also be knowledgeable to answer any of the parents’ questions.

Aside from the necessary training, health workers in Bangladesh faced other challenges in the course of administering the new vaccines. The equipment that keeps the vaccines cold and vital, the national cold chain, had to be modified in order to adjust to the varying temperatures during the monsoon season. In addition to the varying temperatures, rickshaws had to be used for transportation through the crowded cities in order to deliver the vaccines in time for immunization sessions.

There have been many obstacles for the vaccines to be administered to the three million children in Bangladesh. From extreme temperatures, extensive training and implementation, the PCV and IPV have had a difficult undertaking to make it to the immunization sessions.

However, these vaccines will lower the mortality rate for children under five dying from pneumonia. Pneumonia, a bacterial or viral infection, has been an illness prevented in many countries. With the immunization in Bangladesh, more children will build immunity against the illness and survive the infection if contracted.

– Kerri Szulak

Sources: Bdnews24, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, Vaccine News Daily
Photo: UNICEF New Zealand

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Can the Measles Vaccine Ward Off ‘Immune Amnesia’?

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Scientists are speculating that the measles vaccine does more than prevent measles. A new study published in the journal “Science” found that children that were vaccinated did not just avoid the measles, they also eluded infectious illnesses such as pneumonia, influenza and tuberculosis.

Historically, each time the measles vaccine was introduced, childhood mortality dramatically went down by 30 to 50 percent in some countries and by 90 percent in severely destitute nations.

Today the vaccine is hailed as one of the most effective operations in public health in recent history.

The World Health Organization has asserted that the vaccine is linked to a hefty decrease in child mortality no matter what the infectious illness is. Following widespread vaccination, childhood deaths due to infectious disease fall by 50 percent.

Michael Mina is a post-doctorate at Princeton University and a medical student at Emory University. He and his team performed a recent study using computer models to predict the mortality rate for infectious diseases in the next few years.

The team looked at figures collected from the U.S, Denmark, England and Wales. Numbers dated back to the 1940s.

In every location, the presence of measles was linked by some degree to the rate of mortality. The magnitude of the affect was different for each country because, most likely, health care underwent changes during the 70-year stretch.

From the evidence, Mina and his colleagues concluded that being infected with measles leaves children susceptible to other infectious diseases for an average time span of 28.3 months, or about two or three years.

Measles is a severe immunosuppressor, increases a host’s likelihood of contracting other diseases. Most viruses have this effect, but measles takes it even further. It actually obliterates any immunity the host once had.

After going through a measles infection, “the immune system kind of comes back. The only problem is that it has forgotten what it once knew,” Mina explains.

For example, if a child gets sick with pneumonia, they build up antibodies which prevent the child from contracting the disease again. But if that child then catches the measles, their immune system loses that protection and they could contract pneumonia once more.

Persuasive evidence from the new study contributes to the belief that measles affects a person’s immunity and, therefore, their overall mortality. Thus, the measles vaccine could decrease mortality to a much larger degree than originally thought.

Still, scientists still have not been able to supply enough evidence as to why this phenomenon happens. They have only come up with “immune amnesia” as a theory. There is still more testing to be done.

Even so, no one can ignore the overwhelming evidence that eliminating measles lessens the risk of contracting other infectious diseases. It is just another incentive for people, especially children, to be vaccinated.

Reductions in mortality have been observed in the U.S., England and other parts of Europe and are still seen in developing countries each time the vaccine is instituted.

– Lillian Sickler

Sources: NPR, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Research Gate, Online Post, ARS Technical
Photo: Flickr

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What it Means to Educate the World

Educate the World

Teach the world. Fix its problems. Seems like pretty simple logic.

However, advocacy for education around the world may seem like a broad scope, and many times the necessity of “spreading education” comes across so vague that it gets lost in the web of international aid “talk”. In order to understand the importance of education and creating more opportunities for education around the world, everyone should know some of the educational programs being created around the world. Here are a few just to start the long list!

Health Education: Rampant spread of disease is a significant concern in many developing nations around the globe. Many illnesses in poorer regions of the world are preventable and treatable, yet people in said communities continue to suffer. Health education is instilled in many countries, teaching many about general health and sexual health. HIV/AIDS in particular, remains a main focus for many international aid organizations, and by teaching safe sex practices and overall safer health practices, there will hopefully be an end to the spread of these deadly illnesses. To learn more about these kinds of organizations, go to www.planusa.org.

Economic Education: Instead of simply giving money to poor communities, it is important to also teach sustainable and smarter economic practices in order to assure more long-term effects from international aid efforts. Certain education advocacy groups go into poor communities in other countries, teaching small business owners and families more efficient strategies of economics and savings. This not only builds up said business, but also puts more money in the homes and to the families of the small communities, and moreover stimulates the overall economy. To learn more about these types of programs, go to www.trickleup.org.

Women’s Education: Educating and empowering women around the world is a huge objective in many international education programs. Many women in developing nations experience extreme oppression, and in many cases, abuse. By educating women, in particular skills and safer health practices, they are given more of ability to be independent, and are less likely to stay in circumstances in which they are abused. To see more about these types of programs go to www.learningpartnership.org.

Education covers a number of interests and fields, especially when dealing with international aid and relief organizations. By educating the world, we do more than teach people how to read and write. Education is matter of sustainable living, health, success and happiness.

– Alexandrea Jacinto 

Sources: Learning Partnership, Plan USA, Trickle Up Organization
Photo: World Vision

World Health Assembly Passes Resolutions

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Among the resolutions passed at the gathering of delegates for the World Health Assembly on May 25, the most critical to the development of sustainable health for nations involved were resolutions that focused on the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance and low immunization rates.

The World Health Assembly (WHA) marked its sixty-eighth year last month, May 2015, with an annual meeting, lasting nine days in Geneva, Switzerland. Whilst a number of important pieces on global health were shared, WHA attendees from 194 member states also determined what should be done to advance the global health agenda.

WHA attendees agreed on resolutions that focused on microorganisms’ growing resistance to antimicrobial drugs as well as antibiotic resistance around the world, which jeopardize healthcare providers’ ability to effectively treat infectious diseases. As a result, a part of the resolutions drafted included a plan of action for member states, which they could utilize to combat this growing threat.

The World Health Organization outlined the five objectives of this plan:

  1. Improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance;
  2. Strengthen surveillance and research;
  3. Reduce the incidence of infection;
  4. Optimize the use of antimicrobial medicines;
  5. Ensure sustainable investment in countering antimicrobial resistance.

WHA delegates encouraged the adopting member states to customize and enact this global plan by May 2017.

Additionally, there were also resolutions passed in regards to scaling up immunizations in low and middle income countries, which tend to suffer some of the highest immunization costs.

Though the WHA enacted the Global Vaccine Action Plan in 2012, due to extremely slow and irregular progress, the World Health Organization states that the “resolution calls on WHO to coordinate efforts to address gaps in progress. It urges Member States to increase transparency around vaccine pricing and explore pooling the procurement of vaccines.”

Not only will decreasing the costs of vaccines potentially shape the way nations deal with health crises, it will also save thousands, if not millions, of lives. This effort will drastically reduce the number of deaths among children and greatly improve their ability to fight infections, both minor and life threatening.
In an effort to bring better vaccination programs to low and middle income countries, the WHA secretariat, met with representatives of participating countries to discuss what could be done to improve vaccination accessibility.

Both antimicrobial resistance and suitable access to vaccinations are issues that every nation must contend with, as they represent a threat to the health and safety of citizens everywhere. Combating a problem begins with awareness, and hopefully, we will see more development in awareness campaigns regarding these important global health issues in the coming months.

– Candice Hughes

Sources: International Business Times, The New York Times World Health Organization World Health Organization
Photo: Flickr

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5 Republican Views on World Poverty and Global Health

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When voting for your congressional leaders, it is important to know where they stand on certain issues. By knowing their stance, voters are able to make informed decisions when they flock to the polls. Being aware of both Democratic and Republican views also provides a certain amount of accountability to the politicians.

Often times when politicians campaign, they include a lot on their platforms that will get them elected. However, if constituents continually call, email and write their politicians about issues that concern them, they ensure a certain amount of accountability to those who got them elected.

Here are five quotes from Republican political leaders that highlight their views on world poverty and global health.

 

“We face very real and immediate challenges with malaria, air pollution, and HIV/AIDS today. For me, the health effects of climate change are inextricably intertwined with poverty. What we do today to provide clean water, clean energy, and public health infrastructure in the developing world will reduce poverty, combat the health problems that many face today, and will lessen any potential future health effects that may come about because of climate change.”

-Michael B Enzi, Senator of Wyoming

 

“An important part of protecting Americans here at home involves strengthening our relationships around the globe. America has an interest in helping raise people out of poverty around the globe, so that developing nations can become trade partners with us and mutually realize the benefits of economic freedom and commerce.”

-Terri Lynn Land of Michigan

 

“Issues like global health and reducing poverty in developing nations have an impact on Americans right here at home. The most recent example is the spread of the Ebola virus. We should be providing humanitarian aid to assist with disease treatment and prevention strategies in nations suffering from the Ebola outbreak. By doing so, we can improve our ability to control and treat diseases in a way that helps stabilize populations there while also protecting our citizens here in the United States. Also, by helping to enable developing nations and communities in Africa to engage in global and regional trade, the United States gains potential new partners to explore mutual economic growth interests with, meaning more jobs for West Virginia families.”

Shelly Moore Capito, Senator of West Virginia

 

“America’s leadership around the world is rooted by the generosity of our people, the strength of our economy, and the power of our ideas. We have the greatest workforce in the world. We have the most stable institutions. We have the best innovators and free-market economy. We have a Constitution that ensures liberty and justice for all. These are the many reasons millions around the world look to the United States of America for a greater level of hope, freedom, and economic prosperity in their own countries. As the next Senator from Georgia, I will promote economic growth and free trade because the best way for a nation to lift itself out of poverty is to partner with the United States in the free enterprise system.”

-David Perdue, Senator of Georgia

 

“Extreme poverty and preventable disease are issues that transcend our nation’s borders and must be addressed. I believe the United States must work to reduce global poverty while providing the resources to create growth and opportunity. As Iowa’s next U.S. Senator, I will work to ensure that our great nation has the capacity to provide aid and assistance in international health issues and crises.”

-Joni Ernst, Senator of Iowa

 

— Erin Logan

Sources: One, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
Photo: Flickr

Improving the Mortality Rate for Newborns

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Each year, the Save the Children Fund releases the “State of the World’s Mothers Report,” detailing the worst and best places to raise children.

India has the highest newborn mortality rate in the world with 300,000 babies dying the same day they are born. This constitutes about a third of total newborn deaths around the world.

Globally, 40 million women give birth without professional help. In many cases, maternal care is far too expensive, sometimes amounting to the cost of a family’s food bill for an entire month.

Moreover, 50,000 Indian women die yearly from complications during childbirth. Most of the time, women give birth at home. Those who receive care in a public hospital rarely have better conditions, or even more favorable outcomes.

The report also revealed that the greatest gap between the rich and the poor exists in India. Children living in extreme poverty are three times more likely to die before the age of five in comparison with more economically advantaged families.

Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives program is supported by the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation. Started in 2000, Saving Newborn Lives is globally distinguished as the leading program advocating for newborn health.

Close to two million babies all over the world do not survive past their first month. Of the 18,000 children who die before reaching age five, 44 percent are newborns.

Universally, four out of five infant deaths occur because of the following three causes: premature birth, development of infections or difficulties arising during birth. Each cause is preventable and treatable. Saving Newborn Lives believes that half of these deaths would not occur if expectant mothers had access to free healthcare.

Saving Newborn Lives extends aid to newborns in the most destitute circumstances in order to ensure survival past the one-month mark. They have specific programs based in seven different countries including Afghanistan, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Nepal and Vietnam.

In collaboration with regional, national and global networks, Saving Newborn Lives institutes solutions to successfully improve infant health. The program promotes the availability of more medical assistance through regular checkups as well as emergency treatment. This impacts the progression toward higher quality clinics, and more knowledgeable and skillful health practitioners.

Pediatricians working for Saving Newborn Lives inform mothers and clinicians about critical practices that could secure the health of their newborns, such as how to breast-feed, administer antibiotics or recognize the onset of infection.

The fourth Millennium Development Goal mandated by the United Nations aims to lessen the 1990 child mortality rate by two-thirds by 2015. In the past decade, child mortality has been diminished from 12 million by roughly one-half. Thanks to the work of organizations like Save the Children, countries plagued with poverty have seen improvements that allow for the attainment of this goal.

Along with its work overseas, Saving Newborn Lives now runs an information portal through the Healthy Newborn Network, an online source for information about newborn health.

– Lillian Sickler

Sources: NPR, Save the Children Healthy Newborn Network
Photo: World Health Organization

Doctors Without Borders: An Advocate for the Poor

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The organization known as Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) sustains viable resources for emergency medical attention for the millions of individuals worldwide experiencing crisis in impoverished areas.

Catastrophic events are the focal point of the organization’s efforts to aid in the overwhelming demand that health systems receive as a result of the event. These events include epidemics, malnutrition, military conflict and natural disasters. The secondary focus of the organization is to provide care for those who are without healthcare or discriminated against due to their economic status. They aim to assist the people that are in need of advanced and quality health care. Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF i) stands as a neutral humanitarian organization. There is no desire among the organization’s goals to promote the agenda of any government interests, pharmaceutical incentives, country, political party or religious faith.

The mission of their humanitarian action is to save the lives of those suffering from global poverty around the world. They do so by providing medical resources, services and surgical needs for those suffering and ailments of people experiencing acute health issues. In resolving these health issues, the health organization assists in the restoration of health and the ability to be more effective in the individual’s life and communities. Doctors without Borders provides medical treatment for over a dozen countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Haiti, Nigeria, Iraq, South Sudan, Somalia and Jordan, in addition to other countries. In addition, they provide services to refugees and displaced individuals.

Doctors without Borders has over 30,000 medical staff consisting of doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts and administrators providing medical care around the world. The number of those treated is abundant. It is estimated that 8.3 million consultations occur annually.

The organization has delivered more than 185,000 babies, as well as provided medical treatment for more than 1.6 million people for Malaria. They have treated nearly 350,000 of severely and moderately malnourished children, and have provided antiretroviral resources for over 284,000 people living with HIV and AIDS. Cumulatively, the organization has performed more than 78,000 surgeries, vaccinated 690,000 individuals against Measles and over 495,000 individuals against Meningitis.

The organization also focuses its efforts toward countries whose communities are riddled with the impact of armed conflict many individuals become victims through injuries, sexual violence and detrimental wounds. Many times during this turmoil, medical treatments are not available or individuals are simply denied the treatment so desperately needed. The response to conflicts have health consequences, therefore it is necessary to respond with care, determination, speed, focus and the ability to adapt in order to deliver the necessary medical care and treatment to those most in need.

To supplement the medical treatment services, the organization runs vaccination campaigns, design campaigns to introduce clean water systems as well as health clinics in impoverished areas. In extreme cases, they also provide resources for acute survival by providing basic supplies. Doctors without Borders consciously supports efforts to treat diseases that affect the impoverished populations.

Doctors Without Borders continues to serve as an effective advocate for access to healthcare around the world in order to improve access to essential medicines and healthcare in impoverished areas.

– Erika Wright

Sources: Time, Doctors Without Borders
Photo: Flickr

Food Revolution Day

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Food Revolution Day, launched May 15, 2015 by Chef Jamie Oliver, raises awareness about diet-related illnesses amongst today’s children and how food education and traditional cooking practices can restore them back to health.

Each day, we watch as the world continues to meld, becoming increasingly global at an unprecedented rate. Nations that have never before been connected are interacting regularly and people are searching for new ways to do things, different sights and new tastes. Not only is this opening the door to advances in global development, a world where everyone has enough to eat, it also has the potential to lead to the dismissal of traditional ways of life, especially as it relates to food, cooking and the cultural importance of food. As many nations begin to adopt what has been called the ‘Western diet’ (i.e. fast food, highly processed foods or foods that are high in fat, with little nutritional content), both malnutrition and obesity plague the health of many nations.

The generations of today are faced with some harrowing facts: we are the first to have shorter life spans than our parents and 42 million children under five are overweight or obese with dangerously high cholesterol levels. On the other hand, at least 11 percent of the global population is malnourished and half of all deaths occurring in children under five are due to diet related illnesses caused by poor nutrition.

So what do we do with this paradoxical situation where half of the world’s population is not getting enough to eat and the other half has too much? According to Chef Jamie Oliver, creator of Food Revolution Day, the only way to stave off malnutrition and obesity is through governmental policies designed to implement compulsory food education into classrooms in order to educate children on where their food comes from, obesity and healthy eating practices.

The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation said, “Food Revolution Day is an annual campaign, which uses the power of Jamie’s global voice to shout about important food issues, driving individuals and businesses to take part in impactful change and pushing governments to improve their food policies in support of better public health.”

Chef Jamie Oliver has long contributed to advancing food education in G20 countries (countries with the largest economies or growing economies), and he has gained the support of international personalities, like Usain Bolt, Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran, Matthew McCounaughey and Ryan Reynolds.

Food Revolution was inspired by a variety of food education programs throughout the world. It uses examples from Mexico, Brazil, Japan, England and other nations to demonstrate how the implementation of food education into school policies has changed eating habits and diet among children. For example, The School Food Plan created for schools in England places an emphasis on growing, eating and cooking nutritious food and ensuring children in schools receive adequate dietary provisions while learning.

While the daily hustle and bustle of modern life has greatly affected the number of families who are cooking for children, supporters of Food Revolution Day are calling on the global community to realize what it is doing to the health of children and the possible impact on future generations. Proper nutrition is a prerequisite for a lifetime of productivity and without it, millions continue to suffer. Movements such as Food Revolution Day call for change in the way we think about food and it advocates for mindful consumption. After all, the abundance that some partake in is not shared by all.

Those who are interested in joining The Food Revolution and supporting compulsory food education can sign the petition at change.org/JamieOliver

– Candice Hughes

Sources: CS Monitor, National Geographic, Food Revolution Day, Jamie Oliver Foundation
Photo: Flickr

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Drowning in Bangladesh: A Public Health Crisis

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When one thinks of a public health crisis, maybe the mind goes to the incidence of AIDS, the measles outbreak in Disneyland or maybe even obesity. Rarely does one think of drowning as a public health issue, yet over 350,000 people die every year due to drowning.

In Bangladesh, this problem is particularly severe. Drowning accounts for 43 percent of all deaths among children between one and four years of age, making drowning the leading cause of death among children.

In a region crisscrossed by many rivers and frequented by monsoons and cyclones, flooding is a constant concern during the rainy season. As expected, the death rate rises rapidly during these rainy months. Many children drown close to their homes when adults leave them unsupervised to go to work. Many children die because they do not know how to swim.

Bangladesh is hastening to control the problem. In collaboration with UNICEF, the Alliance for Safe Children and the Royal Life Saving Society Australia, an NGO named, SwimSafe, is providing training to community swimming instructors. These instructors teach children to swim and float, to be confident in the water, to save someone who is drowning and to identify life-threatening water hazards. By using ponds that are in close proximity to schools and health centers as makeshift pools, SwimSafe is able to generate interest in the program and has taught more than 130,000 children in Bangladesh water survival skills. The Bangladeshi government has now made swimming compulsory in schools.

The Johns Hopkins Injury Research Unit at the Bloomberg School of Public Health is working on evaluating the effectiveness of two initiatives on reducing drowning in Bangladesh. One is providing adult supervision by enrolling families in community daycare centers and the other is implementing playpens that would effectively restrict the ability of children to access water hazards. To date, nearly 30,000 children have been enrolled in 2,000 daycare centers and playpens are being designed and manufactured locally. In this effort, they are being supported by WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies which has committed $10 million to this cause.

Apart from initiatives like these, Bangladesh needs approaches that can reduce the flooding that is endemic to the country. The WHO provides five recommendations for national efforts that can reduce the impact of floods including better land use and conservation of wetlands and forests. Without a doubt, improving infrastructure such as developing better irrigation methods, safer bridges and stagnant water control will contribute significantly.

Most importantly, early warnings of impending floods and disaster conditions delivered in accessible ways to the local population can alert them to take appropriate precautions. Bangladesh also needs rapid response methods for when disaster strikes. International cooperation by neighboring countries will go a long way to help provide disaster relief to a region that experiences severe storms and cyclones on a regular basis.

Greater attention given to drowning as a real public health crisis will bring in more funding and solutions to this problem that claims thousands of young lives everyday.

– Mithila Rajagopal

Sources: BBC, Bloomberg 1, Bloomberg 2, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, SwimSafe, WHO
Photo: Flickr

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Improvements in Health and Hygiene

Health and Hygiene
A detrimental aspect of living in poverty is the issue of health and hygiene. Without access to clean water and food, people living in poverty run the risk of attaining serious diseases.

“Forty percent of the world’s population—2.5 billion people—practice open defecation or lack adequate sanitation facilities, and the consequences can be devastating for human health as well as the environment,” says The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation website. Organizations such as The Gates Foundation are trying their best to resolve this ongoing issue.

As a result of these inadequate living conditions, children suffer from chronic diarrhea causing them to lose vital nutrients. The Gates Foundation is approaching the problem with a focus on traditional plumbing systems implemented in rural areas. It has invested in developing a new-age toilet that requires no water or electricity, offering a way for developing nations to improve hygiene and expand the lifespan of people living in these areas.

Along with creating new ways to improve sanitation, Bill and Melinda Gates have partnered with USAID to develop the WASH for Life initiative. Inventors are invited to apply for the Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) and share their technological ideas on how to improve sanitary conditions in developing countries. “USAID launched Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) in October 2010 to find, test, and scale ideas that could radically improve global prosperity,” said USAID.

While USAID and The Gates Foundation are making a difference in health, progress has been made in the developing world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “2.3 billion people gained access to improved drinking-water between 1990–2012.” In the same time span, the number of children dying has also been drastically reduced in half.

Two of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, focus on reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. These goals go hand in hand since healthier mothers will create healthier children. “The number of deaths in children under five worldwide declined from 12.7 million in 1990 to 6.3 million in 2013,” according to the U.N.

Although there is still much to be done to improve health and hygiene worldwide, education is an important aspect of sustaining health in these developing countries.

– Kimberly Quitzon

Sources: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.N. News Center, USAID, WHO
Photo: Flickr