Displacement crisis poses major challenges
The number of people displaced from their homes is set to reach 45 million this year, the highest number in a decade, United Nations refugee chief Antonio Guterres says. The protracted nature of the displacements and the need for humanitarian efforts undertaken in areas still home to conflict are among the significant challenges to meeting peoples’ needs, Guterres said.
UN urges review to minimize Afghan civilian casualties
NATO should review Special Forces operation parameters in Afghanistan to find ways to reduce civilian casualties, United Nations’ Special Representative Kai Eide told NATO defense ministers Friday. “We cannot eliminate civilian casualties, but we cannot afford mistakes that lead to the loss of civilian lives. … The political costs are simply disproportionate to the military gains,” Eide said.
Global hunger on the rise
Increased food prices and the global recession are pushing families to decrease food intake, remove children from school and cut back on health care, United Nations agencies warned. By year’s end, the number of hungry people is expected to reach 1 billion.
South Africa sees progress in HIV/AIDS battle
The number of new HIV/AIDS cases has dropped among South African children and teens because of increased availability of drugs to prevent mother-to-child transfers and the use of condoms, the Human Sciences Research Council reported. South Africa’s battle against HIV/AIDS was long plagued by denials and delays, leaving the country with the largest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the world.
Uganda considers legal penalties over polio vaccinations
Parents who refuse to have their children immunized against polio soon might face criminal charges, Ugandan Health Ministry officials say. Government efforts to achieve 100% immunization coverage have been hampered by parental fears over the vaccinations.
CONGO: Dial 115 and save a child’s life
The public and private sectors in Congo have joined forces to use near-ubiquitous mobile phones in an effort to save the lives of thousands of children who die of treatable conditions every year. About 125 of every 1,000 children in Congo die before their fifth birthday, with half of this number not making it to the age of one. In eight out of 10 cases, easily curable conditions – malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infections, malnutrition – are to blame. With the introduction of a 24-hour toll-free medical hotline set up by the Congolese government, UNICEF and a mobile telephone network operator, professional health operators will be on call to respond to queries about paediatric emergencies.
WHO says anti-diarrhea virus safe for vaccinations
The World Health Organization says an anti-diarrhea virus should be included among regular vaccinations that children receive — a measure that might prevent some of the 500,000 deaths and 2 million hospitalizations caused by rotavirus each year.
ZAMBIA: Routine HIV testing can save children’s lives
The routine offer of an HIV test to children admitted to a hospital in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, resulted in more than 3,000 being diagnosed with the virus over an 18-month period. HIV progresses rapidly in infants and many die before they are diagnosed or can receive life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. As part of a study, researchers at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka implemented a policy of offering HIV counselling and testing to the parents or caregivers of all children admitted to the hospital between January 2006 and June 2007.
KENYA: Keeping up appearances can cost babies their lives
Cultural infant feeding practices and the fear of being stigmatized meant that many women would rather risk infecting their children than deal with the fallout from the possible discovery of their HIV status. Community education was the key to eradicating stigma and creating a safe environment for women to protect their children from the virus. “If not tackled, [incorrect infant feeding] could erode the gains already made in preventing transmission amongst infants, especially in rural areas, where traditional beliefs and stigma still hold sway,” said Achola.
BANGLADESH: Campaign to prevent child blindness, deaths
Twenty million children across Bangladesh aged 1-5 received Vitamin A capsules on 6 June as part of a national campaign to prevent childhood blindness and deaths. The National Vitamin A Plus campaign conducted by Bangladesh’s Institute of Public Health and Nutrition (IPHN) also saw 19 million children aged 2-5 (of the 20 million above) receiving de-worming tablets, health officials report.
