Pakistan struggles to make progress against polio
Child malnutrition and vaccination refusals are hindering Pakistan’s effort to battle polio, and the health community is seeking new ways to address the problem. Despite authorities’ backing for an ambitious vaccination program last year, the number of cases in 2011 actually increased over 2010.
German researchers pave way to cheaper malaria drug
Researchers in Germany have developed a way to synthesize artemisinin, a drug crucial to anti-malaria efforts, using oxygen and light — a breakthrough that should make artemisinin not only easier to produce, but more affordable. “The impact of this is hard to overestimate,” said one observer, industrial chemist Jack Newman.
Polio gains in Afghanistan threatened by outbreak
Polio cases in Afghanistan nearly tripled in 2011 in a major setback to international public health efforts to eradicate the disease. Dr. Bruce Aylward of the World Health Organization said, “This is a national tragedy to end up with a major polio outbreak, especially with all the effort they have put into it. It increases the risk to neighboring countries and is both a local and national, and international, concern.
India sets sights on higher education
Indian authorities are scrambling to build 1,000 universities and 50,000 colleges over the next decade to promote higher education and development. The number of young Indians entering the workforce is expected to reach 100 million by 2020, and authorities hope increased higher education opportunities will help propel India’s economy in the decades to come.
Valuing Indian women, by the numbers
A considerable drop in the number of girls in India as a result of sex-selective abortions and general neglect could, in fact, make women more valuable in accordance with the law of supply and demand. Not only could women begin to be paid better in relation to men, but their marriage value could rise too, ostensibly reducing the burden of dowries on families.
Kenyan faces legal action over child bride
A Kenyan man facing charges for defiling a child bride he paid about $58 for has called for the girl’s parents to be brought in to corroborate. Child marriage remains commonplace in Kenya due to chronic poverty, tradition and the desire to protect family honor
Prioritizing the end of polio
The last recorded case of polio in India affected an 18-month-old girl in West Bengal, Rukhsar Khatoon, who recovered from the disease without lasting paralysis — only a few years ago, the country recorded as many as 100,000 cases a year. Eradication of the disease can happen elsewhere, according to philanthropist Bill Gates, when there is “political will, quality immunization campaigns and an entire nation’s determination.
UNICEF officials talks of past, future challenges
In an interview, Susan Bissell, chief of child protection programs for UNICEF, talks about influences on her career, as well as the reputation of the UN agency and the emerging global challenges it is facing. Among the programs she mentions is the public-private partnership, Together for Girls, for which the agency is conducting first-ever surveys of violence against children — including sexual violence — in households across the world.
