CAPE TOWN – More and more health workers are performing female genital mutilation (FGM) in South and South East Asia – although the process is internationally recognised as a serious human rights violation with no medical justification.  Health professional associations mulled over how to ensure that health workers stop performing this harmful practice at the […] Continue reading ->
Ghana is the first country in the world to roll out a malaria treatment specially formulated for newborn babies. The new treatment, known as Coartem <5 kg Baby, uses a new ratio and dose of artemether-lumefantrine to account for metabolic differences in babies under 5kg. Small babies handle drugs differently due to the immaturity of their […] Continue reading ->
The first pregnant woman infected with malaria has been recruited into a Phase 3 trial in Mali that is evaluating the efficacy and safety of antimalarial drugs during the first trimester of pregnancy. Pregnant women are more susceptible to malaria as they have reduced immunity, and malaria poses serious risks to both mothers and babies. […] Continue reading ->
Women who lose 300ml of blood after giving birth should be diagnosed with postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) according to new guidelines published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). In the past, PPH has only been diagnosed if a woman loses 500ml […] Continue reading ->
Vaccinations have saved the lives of an estimated 17 million people between 2021 and 2024 – but global immunisation programmes face several challenges, according to an assessment by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation. Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO director of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals, acknowledged the “deep commitment […] Continue reading ->
Engaging people from a nomadic community in rural Kenya in a clinical trial involved employing community mobilisers on motorbikes and understanding seasonal and cultural practices. Geographic touchpoints such as waterholes and schools were mapped as places to find trial participants as they searched for grazing and water for their cattle and goats. This was a […] Continue reading ->