Archive for category: Health

Information and stories on health topics.

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First 28 Days of Life

28 days of life
The first 28 days of life are the most fragile. Because newborns are especially delicate, many child deaths happen within the first 28 days of life. In 2007, out of 9.2 million infant deaths, 40 percent of the deaths were during the newborn stage.

Over half of child deaths occur during the newborn stage in developing countries, as most babies only live a few days after birth. Some of the main causes of early death are serious infections, prematurity, birth asphyxia (a condition arising when the body is deprived of oxygen, causing unconsciousness or death from suffocation) and congenital malformations.

Another major cause of early death is the health of the mother during pregnancy. Some specific examples that lead to early deaths in developing countries are a lack of attention to maternal health because they do not have care from proper skilled caretakers, the lack of knowledge about infant illnesses and the absence of proper birthing facilities.

A committee has been developed specifically for newborn health and development and aims to prevent newborn deaths. This committee is called Every Newborn: an action plan to end preventable deaths. The main partners involved in this community are WHO and UNICEF. Every Newborn (ENAP) is also working with governments who have recently made commitments to look into this issue and come up with solutions. ENAP works to develop solutions. Solutions range  from a wide variety of aid to end preventable deaths in newborns and mothers. The committee claims they have the knowledge, power and skills to prevent two-thirds of newborn deaths.

ENAP’s mission is “a vision of a world in which there are no preventable deaths of newborns or stillbirths, where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth celebrated, and women, babies and children survive, thrive and reach their full potential.”

– Priscilla Rodarte

Sources: Every Newborn, Healthy Newborn Network, WHO 1, WHO 2 UNICEF
Photo: GW Hospital

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mDiabetes for a Healthy Ramadan

As many Senegalese begin celebrating Ramadan, those with diabetes must be particularly careful fasting and feasting because it can trigger complications, and put their health at risk.

Every year during Ramadan in Senegal, there is a spike in those needing urgent hospitalization due to uncontrolled diabetes. To help solve this problem is mDiabetes, a free service that sends text messages to mobile phones before, during and after the month of Ramadan to give those with diabetes tips and tricks to fasting safely.

Text messages include advice such as,

“Drink one liter of water every morning before you begin fasting.”

“Take care to not overeat and watch out for foods high in sugar such as dates.”

“Ask your doctor to adapt the dose and timing of your diabetes medication before you fast.”

Simple texts like these will help the thousands of people living in Senegal with diabetes, which has increased in the past decade due to rapid urbanization. Obesity in young people has escalated drastically, putting them at risk for type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that four to six percent of the Senegalese population are living with diabetes, at least 400,000 people, yet only 60,000 have been diagnosed.

Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that many are unaware that they even have diabetes since they do not know the causes or symptoms. This is particularly common in rural areas where access to health services is limited.

mDiabetes is part of a campaign by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) called, “Be He@lthy Be Mobile.” Through the use of technology such as text messages and apps, they can “control, prevent, and manage non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.”

Similar programs have been implemented in other countries such as the mCessation program in Costa Rica for tobacco, mCervical cancer program in Zambia and others like mHypoertension and mWellness have been planned for the future.

Eighty-three percent of the Senegalese population have mobile telephones, and 40 percent of those have smart phones, capable of receiving pictures and videos. Utilizing this technology that is becoming increasingly more prevalent in the daily lives of those around the world, is effective way to educate thousands, at no cost to the public.

Thanks to mDiabetes, this Ramadan thousands of Senegalese will be able to fully practice their faith without risking their health.

— Kim Tierney

Sources: World Health Organization, Diabetes and Ramadan International Alliance
Photo: Hong Kiat

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10 World Hunger Statistics


Hunger is a living, breathing thing that seems to be consuming the world one impoverished nation at a time. The numbers keep fluctuating and more of the world falls into malnutrition. Here are 10 world hunger statistics to raise awareness about people struggling with hunger.

1. On a regular basis, 842 million people in the world do not get enough to eat.

While the number of people struggling with hunger has fallen by 17% since 1990, the percentage of people who are hungry has grown by 7% since 2009.

2. The majority of hungry and impoverished peoples live in developing nations.

Nearly 15% of the people in developing nations can be malnourished, while 7% of the people in first world nations and developed countries go hungry.

3. Asia has the most hungry people.

More than 500,000 people in Asian countries are malnourished; half of these people are children under the age of five.

4. Africa had the highest prevalence of hungry people.

Nearly 30% of people in Africa suffer from extreme hunger, meaning more of their population is hungry in comparison to the rest of the world.

5. First world countries spend more on pet food than they do helping the hungry.

Today alone in America and the UK, people have spent 44 million dollars on pet food and only five million on aiding people who are starving.

6. Americans wasted 124,000 tons of food today alone.

Each day Americans can waste up to 150,000 tons of food by throwing it away. Every year Americans alone have the potential to waste well over 1.8 million tons of food.

7. Five million people died of hunger this year.

This year so far, well over five million people have died of starvation or malnutrition. More than half of these deaths were children.

8. One in every 15 children dies from hunger in developing countries.

Children often face the worst parts of starvation or malnutrition. More children will die of starvation than adults each year.

9. Due to hunger, 315,000 women die in childbirth each year.

Women who do not get enough nutrients, most specifically iron, in their diets during pregnancy are at a greater risk of dying in childbirth from hemorrhaging. It is not uncommon for women, even women with child, to be forced to give up nutrient-heavy foods in lieu of their male counterparts.

10. More than half of people suffering from hunger in the world are in Asia and the South Pacific.

Roughly 63% of all the people suffering from starvation and malnutrition can be found in Asia and the South Pacific. This means more people are suffering in these two areas than there is anywhere else in the world.

While starvation is preventable, millions of people will still die each year from not having enough food or enough nutrients to survive. Isn’t it time you did something?

– Cara Morgan

Sources: Do Something, Stop the Hunger, World Hunger, World Food Programme
Photo: Flanboyant Eats

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Every Newborn Action Plan Targets Preventable Deaths

Five babies are born every second, and every day over 400,000 women around the world facilitate the miracle of life. Many of these children, however, are given poor chances of survival. 44 percent of children who die before their fifth birthday are taken from the world within their first month of life. 2.9 million babies die within the first month, and an additional 2.6 million babies are stillborn. Arguably more alarming than the statistics is that these deaths are typically preventable.

That’s where the Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) comes in. Endorsed in May and launched on June 30, ENAP is an initiative aimed at accelerating action to prevent the numerous newborn deaths around the world. USAID, the UN and other global organizations have banded together to support and promote this plan.

Children are at their most vulnerable during the child delivery process and the first few months of life. Prematurity, asphyxiation and infection are among the serious threats to newborn survival, but they can be minimized with the right steps. Training doctors and nurses to anticipate and prevent these possibly fatal conditions is a vital step in minimizing newborn deaths, and ENAP aims to address this.

ENAP was launched in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon spoke. He said, “If we increase investments, focus on equity and promote human rights, we can create a world free of preventable maternal and child deaths in just one generation.”

The plan has a timetable, hoping to reduce the neonatal mortality rate per 1000 live births from 15 to 7 by 2035, with less extreme mile markers between now and then. To achieve these goals, over 90 countries have to get behind the movement and accelerate their progress and 29 of these countries will have to “more than double current rates of progress in policy and private sector commitments to save newborn lives.” ENAP outlines how this can be achieved.

ENAP focuses on improving healthcare across myriad specialties including prenatal, pregnancy, postnatal and infant care. It emphasizes thoroughness at every stage, beginning with early pregnancy and not ending until the child and the mother are experiencing stable health. Their plan includes a checklist of criteria for improved pregnancy healthcare, including points like “early initiation of breastfeeding” and “birth companion of choice and skilled attendant at birth.” These things are often a given in the U.S., but are sometimes a luxury in impoverished countries.

Higher survival rates for newborns and mothers would mean great things for fighting global poverty. Population growth is often uncontrollable in impoverished areas because, without a guarantee that children will survive, families often have more children than they can support. This puts strain on communities and lowers quality of life standards significantly. As ENAP reduces newborn deaths, population growth can transition to a steadier rate that can be more easily supported by countries, which will lead to more stable economies and happier people.

With the backing of countries worldwide, the support of institutions such as USAID and the UN and effective implementations of the guidelines of the plan, Every Newborn Action Plan has the potential to save millions of lives in just over two decades.

– Magdalen Wagner

Sources: United Nations, World Health Organization, GhanaWeb, Huffington Post, Mail Online
Photo: IBTimes

Himalayan Cataract Project

In an attempt to aid the blind, ophthalmologists Dr. Geoff Tabin and Dr. Sanduk Ruit founded the Himalayan Cataract Project. Their goal was to provide and implement adequate hospital quality standards in areas that do not always have basic electricity and water needs satisfied. The two aim to deliver the highest possible quality care for the lowest possible cost.

The prevalence of blindness in developing countries is astounding and, as explained by the Himalayan Cataract Project website, “malnutrition, inadequate health and education services, poor water quality, and a lack of sanitation leads to a high incidence of eye disease.”

According to the World Health Organization, individuals in sub-Saharan Africa are often afflicted with avoidable blindness caused by onchocerciasis (4 percent), childhood blindness (5.3  percent), trachoma (6.8 percent), corneal opacities (10 percent), glaucoma (15 percent), and cataracts (50 percent).

In developing countries, life expectancy for someone who is blind is less than half of that expected for a person of the same age who can see. The blind individual is no longer able to work and therefore, one income for the family is lost. The World Health Organization also states that “a conservative estimate of the annual direct economic productivity loss due to blindness and low vision in sub-Saharan Africa was U.S. $1,830 million in 2000. Without concerted international action, it is expected to rise to $4, 374 million per year by 2020, the equivalent of 0.5 percent of GDP for the region.”

The Himalayan Cataract Project is based in both the Himalayan region and in sub-Saharan Africa. They operate through teaching ophthalmic care at basic and advanced levels, establishing self-sustaining eye centers, and performing low cost sutureless cataract operations in 7 minutes. Moreover, their efforts to create self-sustaining eye centers involve building microsurgical eye clinics in rural communities and encourage these centers to reach out to the poor who are blind in order to provide them with the care they need. The Himalayan Cataract Project makes treating blindness both affordable and accessible to the wider masses in developing countries and communities.

–Jordyn Horowitz

Sources: Global Giving, Himalayan Cataract Project, WHO
Photo: MediManage

Alcohol Abuse in Developing Countries

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that one in ten deaths of American adults are the result of excessive alcohol use. However, alcohol abuse is not just a problem for the United States. In the developing world, where “excess” is often uncommon, alcohol abuse is steadily increasing, along with the health problems associated with it.

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide, there were 3.3 million deaths caused by alcohol, in 2012. Alcohol abuse also has consequences reaching far beyond the immediate effects of intoxication (like “violence and injuries” often related to impaired judgment, risky sexual behaviors, birth defects, and miscarriages in pregnant women).

The WHO states that excessive alcohol use “can not only lead to dependence, but also increases people’s risk of developing more than 200 diseases, including liver cirrhosis and some cancers.” The CDC notes that mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast cancer can all develop from alcohol abuse, as well as gastrointestinal issues like pancreatitis and gastritis. Alarmingly, alcohol can also impair one’s immune system, making people “more susceptible to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia.”

The prevalence of heavy drinking has skyrocketed in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where the urban populations have increased dramatically in recent decades. Often, difficult social and economic issues (such as “poverty and dependence on a cash economy” and “high levels of violence”) cause people to begin abusing alcohol, and other illicit substances. The WHO reports that 77 percent of impoverished children in Brazil abuse alcohol.

Substance abuse is often used as a solution to “alleviate emotional stress.” This stress can be a result of poverty, which includes “unemployment, low education and deprivation.” This “self-medication” has dangerous consequences, as up to 16 percent of the burden of disease can be attributed to alcohol use.

A report by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine examined the relationship between alcohol use and mental health, in developing countries. The report included the find that, typically, binge drinking among men is considered more socially acceptable than binge drinking among women, and it can even be considered a sign of maturity. As a result, alcohol dependence is far more common in men.

The report also found that there was a clear correlation between “hazardous drinking” and “common mental disorders,” like depression or anxiety disorders. Furthermore, studies in Eastern Europe, Chile, and Ethiopia showed a connection between alcohol use and suicide rates. The report provided explanations for this relationship, stating “alcohol may disinhibit suicidal impulses.” Conversely, “chronic and heavy alcohol use may lead to a gradual disintegration of the person’s social life, depression, and, thus, an elevated risk of suicide.”

The WHO suggests “major efforts” in order to prevent alcohol dependence from developing. The people of the organization suggest establishing community-based programs to identify “hazardous use” and perform interventions. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine proposes a different strategy: raising alcohol taxes based on “the level of alcohol content in a given beverage,” which would likely reduce the consumption of hard liquor. Combining these suggested tactics could help reduce the prevalence of alcohol-related disease and deaths.

– Bridget Tobin 

Sources: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, WHO 1, WHO 2, USA Today, CDC
Photo: Flickr

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Zambia Sees Positive Water Delivery

big bellies
As 2014 nears its halfway point, the capital of Zambia recently reported positive water delivery to its residents inhabiting much of the city.

The Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company, the water company that services the nation’s capital, promises a number of additional water projects to be undertaken in the months and years ahead.

“Now it is time to offer solutions because we believe that only through actions will we be judged and our actions can now tell a positive story of how we are transforming the city of Lusaka with improved service delivery,” LWSC public relations manager, Topsy Sikalinda, said.

Lusaka’s Strategic Revenue Improvement Report Programme noted the need for corporate and residential areas to see improved water reticulation, the commissioning of boreholes and an increase in water supply throughout the city.

Other incomplete projects include water supply upgrades in the surrounding parts of the city. Surrounding cities and areas expect to increase yields of cubic meters of water per day through the installation of additional infrastructure.

While Lusaka and its surrounding areas have witnessed positive water services, other parts of the country continue to struggle with their water infrastructure and services.

Recently, Devolution Trust Fund manager, Sam Ng’onga, stated that nearly 2 million Zambians inhabiting low-income housing do not have access to adequate drinking water. A larger number of Zambians do not have access to legitimate sanitation services.

According to UNICEF, nearly 25 percent of Zambian schools do not have access to clean water and sanitation facilities. Among both genders, the primary education completion rate is only 72 percent.

Even though the number of Zambians who have access to water and sanitation services continues to increase, the number will need to climb further in order for the nation to meet its goal of supplying nearly all of its residents with consumable drinking water in the coming years.

– Ethan Safran

Sources: allAfrica, UNICEF

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AMIGOS de Las Américas

Amigos de Las Américas
Amigos de Las Américas (AMIGOS) was founded by youth pastor Guy Bevil in 1965 when he and a small group of young adults landed in Honduras to administer polio vaccines in isolated, rural communities.

He knew that people lived off the beaten path, and wanted to provide health services for those who would not normally have access to them. Nearly 50 years later, his philosophy is strongly upheld in the organization.

Amigos de Las Américas has a mission: to make young people leaders and improve underdeveloped communities while doing so. Volunteers are high school or college aged. Summer programs are generally four to nine weeks in length, though college students can take a gap semester or year. All must have a base level of Spanish and an interest in changing the world.

Over 700 volunteers received training in leadership and specific community development projects annually. Volunteers are placed with host families, which gives them a chance to improve their Spanish, learn about the host culture, share their own culture and further integrate into the community.

Accepted applicants to the program must pay a program fee; 80 percent of this goes to cover travel, additional housing and meals. The remaining 20 percent is used for the organization’s administrative expenses.

AMIGOS operates in nine different countries: Paraguay, Panama, Nicaragua, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, The Dominican Republic, Colombia and Costa Rica. Community development projects cover a wide range of services, but are largely dependent on AMIGOS partners.

AMIGOS partners with locally based organizations, often nonprofit, to ensure that its volunteers are doing effective and needed work within a community. There are 25 partners in total.

Organizations like Servicios de Salud de Oaxaca in Mexico and Prodia of Peru, work mainly in health services, sanitation and nutrition awareness. Fundación Paraguaya and Panama’s Ministereo de Deasarollo Social provide investment services in local projects and individual enterprises. Fútbol con Corazón provides workshops on nutrition and life skills to more than 2,000 children in Columbia. This is in addition, of course, to soccer training.

Some might ask why AMIGOS focuses its efforts on Latin America when there is poverty still in the United States. The organization says it builds leaders, and that the compassion and leadership skills learned while on programs abroad are brought back to the U.S.

— Olivia Kostreva

Sources: AMIGOS, Go Overseas , US Gap Year Fairs
Photo: Vimeo

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Who Gives a Crap?

Presently, over 40 percent of the world’s population does not have access to a toilet. All over the world, open defecation is a way of life. This excretion runs into water, which is used for cooking, cleaning and washing.

Dirty water is a leading cause of diarrhea-related illnesses, which results in over 2,000 deaths per day across the globe for children under the age of 5. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention notes that 6.3 percent of all deaths worldwide would be preventable if access to proper sanitation were available to the 2.6 billion people who currently lack it.

Who Gives a Crap is an Australian toilet paper company that claims to be “The World’s Most Impactful Toilet Paper.” This innovative company donates 50 percent of its profits to WaterAid, a nonprofit that aims to improve access to clean water in the developing world by building toilets and improving sanitation.

In July 2012, the co-founder of Who Gives a Crap, Simon Griffiths, conducted a literal sit-in, bare-bottomed on a toilet, until enough pre-orders were made to begin production. And 50 hours and $50,000 later, Who Gives a Crap was launched.

Using 100 percent recycled post-consumer waste fibers in their product saves trees, water and landfills, meaning consumers help keep our planet great while promoting a great cause.

The toilet paper industry in the United States is a 7.6 billion industry each year. Capturing just 1 percent of the market in the U.S. means that Who Gives a Crap would help to provide toilets to about 2 million people living in developing countries each year. Griffiths believes that to remain competitive, companies must incorporate “goodness” into their products — that is, the way consumers value products is more than just quality and price, but what the companies do to make a difference.

Who Gives a Crap is an inventive company using a product that everybody needs to help those in need, and in that way, Griffiths says, he is “sitting down for what I believe in.”

— Ellie Malfaro

Sources: Vimeo, Who Gives a Crap, Huffington Post
Photo: Oilers’ Addict

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Chickungunya Virus Spreading Fast

Chickungunya

North Carolina’s first case of the Chickungunya virus was confirmed on June 12. Seven days later Georgia confirmed its first case. Two days after that Tennessee confirmed its second. With over 30 cases already confirmed in Florida, this mosquito-borne virus is quickly spreading.

Until 2007, Chickungunya was only found in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Then it appeared in Italy and slowly made its way throughout Europe. In December of this past year the first case of Chickungunya was reported in the Caribbean. Now, barely six months later, the Pan American Health Organization has confirmed 5,000 cases of the virus and suspects another 160,000 cases in the region.

There is currently no vaccine for the virus or treatment for the symptoms. Those symptoms include fever, rash, nausea, chronic joint pain, swelling and headache. They usually first appear within three to seven days after infection with most symptoms abating after about a week’s time. However, the joint pain often lasts for months.

There are now 20 afflicted states and islands in the Caribbean, with Cuba being the most recent. The Center for Disease Control has reported approximately 60 total cases in the continental United States thus far. All such cases have included patients who have made recent trips to the Caribbean. The virus has been linked to the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, both of which are fairly common in the U.S. The CDC has recommended that people who are traveling to the Caribbean use bug spray and dress in long sleeves and pants to avoid being bitten by either kind.

Despite rising concerns about possible contraction of the Chickungunya virus, trips to the Caribbean remain popular among American tourists. With cruise season currently in full swing, the number of cases in the U.S. is sure to rise.

— Taylor Dow

Sources: LA Times, Island Gazette, CNN, AJC, Medpage Today
Photo: Wageningen Ur