U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis, during a speech at the Global Health Council's annual conference in Washington, D.C., said that he was "aghast" at the way in which "AIDS was deepening hunger and hunger was deepening AIDS" in Southern Africa. According to Lewis, Africa "reaps what the world sows, and with a vengeance."
Equity in Health
U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA 'AGHAST' AT CONNECTION BETWEEN HUNGER, HIV/AIDS
U.S. ABORTION POLICY CLOSES AFRICAN CLINICS, SAYS STUDY
U.S. President George W. Bush's anti-abortion policy has forced family planning clinics in poor countries to close, leaving some communities without any healthcare, according to a report issued Wednesday. Under the policy, known as the Mexico City rule by supporters and the Global Gag rule by opponents, foreign family planning agencies cannot receive U.S. funds if they provide abortion services or lobby to make or keep abortion legal in their own country.
Related Link: Access Denied: The Global Gag Rule- http://64.224.182.238/globalgagrule/impacts.htm
U.S. May Abandon Support of U.N. Population Accord
The Bush administration, embroiling itself in a new fight at the United Nations, has threatened to withdraw its sup- port for a landmark family planning agreement that the United States helped write eight years ago. The reason for the threat is contained in two terms that the administration contends can be construed as promoting abortion. The terms - reproductive health services and reproductive rights - figure in the final declaration of the United Nations population conference in 1994 in Cairo, which embraced a new concept of population policy based on improving the legal rights and economic status of women. The declara- tion has since been endorsed by 179 nations. But during a population and development conference in Bangkok this week, the American delega- tion announced that Washington would not reaffirm its support for the Cairo "program of action" unless the disputed words were changed or removed, United States and United Nations officials said.
Further details: /newsletter/id/29427
Umthente, uhlaba, usamila: The second South African national youth risk behaviour survey 2008
Medical Research Council: 2010
For this survey, school learners completed a self-administered questionnaire, in addition to having their height and weight measures taken, in 2008. The overall response rate was 71.6%. In summary, there were considerable variations across age, gender, grade, race and province for each of the risk behaviours. With regard to behaviours related to infectious diseases, 38% of learners had reported ever having had sex, with 13% of them reporting their age of initiation of sexual activity as being under 14 years old, while 63% always washed their hands before eating and 70% always washed their hands after going to the toilet. High levels of violence were indicated by the 15% of learners reported carrying weapons and 36% who reported they had been bullied in the month prior to the survey. Learners reported alcohol consumption was 50% for ever having drunk alcohol and 35% for having drunk alcohol in the past month, and 29% for having engaged in binge drinking in the month prior to the survey. The study makes specific recommendations to address the clusters of behaviours covered in this survey, based on the concept of intersectoral intervention development or solutions to limit the behaviours that place young people at risk for premature morbidity and mortality.
UN aims to eliminate yellow fever epidemics in Africa by 2026
Times LIVE, Reuters, April 2018
Nearly 1 billion people in Africa will be vaccinated against yellow fever by 2026 in an ambitious United Nations campaign to eliminate epidemics of the deadly disease on the continent. The mosquito-borne viral disease is a major killer in Africa, where it can spread fast in highly populated areas with devastating consequences. "With one injection we can protect a person for life against this dangerous pathogen," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the programme's launch in Nigeria, a priority target country. A major vaccination campaign in Angola and Congo in 2016 brought one of the worst outbreaks of the disease in decades under control after more than 400 people died. The vaccination programme is a joint venture by the WHO, UNICEF, the GAVI global vaccine alliance and more than 50 health partners.
UN calls for increased support for breastfeeding mothers
UNICEF, 31 July 2008
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) is urging increased support for breastfeeding mothers since the practice has been shown to slash deaths by more than 10% in infants in developing countries. Despite advances in the past 15 years, only 38% of infants under six months of age in the poorer nations are exclusively breastfed, a practice which could curb infant mortality. Various studies have shown that the number of months which mothers breastfeed – especially exclusively – can be extended by education and support. The practice can reduce the number of deaths caused by acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea, as well as other infectious diseases. It also improves mothers’ health and strengthens the bond between mother and child. ‘There is a double message here: it is not enough to say that breastfeeding is an ideal source of nourishment for infants and young children; mothers also need support to make optimal breastfeeding practices a reality,’ WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said.
UN criticises developed countries for reneging on promises on sexual health
The developed world is breaking its pledges to fund sexual and reproductive health care in the developing world, says a new report published by the Alan Guttmacher Institute and the United Nations Population Fund. "It is time for developed countries to live up to the pledges they made at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). In 2000, these countries provided $2.6 billion (£1.4; €2.1bn) for sexual and reproductive health services in developing countries - less than half of what they had pledged at ICPD for that year," the report states.
UN envoy battling AIDS in Africa finds infected children lack key treatment
Although 2.2 million children are living with AIDS, at least two-thirds of them in Africa, anti-retroviral formulations for children are not available and the youngsters are just being left to die, a United Nations special envoy battling HIV/AIDS on the continent said. "In the instance of anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy, the scenario for children is quite simply, doomsday," Stephen Lewis, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, told a news conference. "Incredibly enough, we don't even have paediatric formulations. When treatment takes place - a rarity among rarities - doctors and nurses fumble over breaking capsules into several pieces to estimate the dosage for a child, or scramble around to find a syrup solution. It's bizarre."
UN Examines Conditions Related To Falling Birth Rates
Fertility rates in most high-fertility countries are declining, a UN workshop concluded last week, though some participants questioned whether this trend would continue, saying the decline was driven by crisis-- either by economic conditions or civil strife -- rather than by developments in social and economic conditions.
UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases: addressing four questions
Beaglehole R, Bonita R, Alleyne G, Horton R, Li L, Lincoln P et al: The Lancet 378(9789): 449-455, 30 July 2011
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), principally heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, are a global crisis and require a global response, according to the authors of this report. Yet, despite the threat to human development, and the availability of affordable, cost-effective and feasible interventions, most countries, development agencies and foundations are neglecting the crisis. The authors call on the United Nations, which will gather for its High-Level Meeting on NCDs in September 2011, to launch a coordinated global response to NCDs that is commensurate with their health and economic burdens. The report aims to answer four questions: is there really a global crisis of NCDs? How is NCD a development issue? Are affordable and cost-effective interventions available? And do we really need high-level leadership and accountability? Action against NCDs will support other global health and development priorities, the authors argue, concluding that long-term success will require inspired and committed national and international leadership.