A pinch of salt, a handful of sugar and some clean water is all that is needed to save up to two million children who die each year from diarrhoea, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday. Children in poor countries suffer the dehydrating condition on average about four times a year, according to the United Nations agency. Instead of focusing on ways to stop diarrhoea from striking, the WHO said health authorities ought to ensure care-givers know how to use the rehydrating recipe, which can be home-made.
Study finds high incidence of child marriage in India
A study found women in India often are married before the age of 18, raising the risks of unwanted pregnancies and serious health complications despite laws against child marriages, according to a study published in The Lancet.
Estimate: Progress toward MDG set back 3 years by financial collapse
Department for International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander estimated the global financial crisis would set back progress toward the Millennium Development Goals three years. Research conducted by the agency suggests another 90 million people will enter the ranks of poverty by the end of 2010. Alexander recommends the introduction of new rapid response and global poverty alert networks to combat the worst realities associated with the global economic downturn.
UN rescues 880 child soldiers from Congo
With help from Congolese authorities, the UN successfully has rescued and demobilized 880 child soldiers during the past five weeks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The children will be reunited with their families by various aid agencies. It’s suspected 3,500 children remain incorporated as soldiers.
Ban: Violence against women cannot be tolerated
Recounting reports of violence against women, the UN Secretary-General renewed his call for an end to such atrocities and called upon world leaders to work on changing the attitudes of abusers. “Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstance, by any political leader or by any government,” said Ban Ki-moon a year after he launched a campaign to end the problem. Ban’s remarks were timed to the UN observance of International Women’s Day.
Afghan women offered refuge from abusive marriages
More Afghan women are finding refuge from abusive marriages in shelters, a reflection of the nation’s growing appreciation for women’s rights since the Taliban was ousted in 2001. Advocates say the shelters are a last-ditch solution after efforts at mediation or counseling fail. “Only in cases where it’s dangerous for the women to go back home, that’s when we put them in the shelter,” one said.
Tsvangirai says official number understate cholera cases in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, where the health and hospitals system has all but collapsed, is experiencing a surge in cholera cases much greater than reports have indicated, according to Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The World Health Organization has said more than 80,000 people have been infected since the outbreak, with nearly 4,000 dead — the worst outbreak of cholera in 15 years.