Maternal Health Initiative

#Women are more likely to have #inflammation and more likely to have #chronicdiseases associated with inflammation, including #autoimmunediseases.

Read more about the gap in women’s health research: tinyurl.com/466vp8jh

Researchers uncover mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants A research group led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has uncovered a potential mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants.

A study by Nagoya University revealed #maternal #inflammation during #pregnancy can disrupt #infant brain development. It highlights the role of specific immune cells in the brain and suggests new ways to reduce long-term #neurodevelopmental effects in babies. tinyurl.com/mr7dudpt

Read more about the gap in women’s health research: tinyurl.com/466vp8jh

Vitamin D monitoring during pregnancy and postpartum Researchers determine the impact of vitamin D levels during pregnancy and their role in maternal and infant health outcomes.

#VitaminD deficiency during pregnancy is common and linked to complications like #gestationaldiabetes and #pretermbirth. A study urges more consistent monitoring of vitamin D levels during #pregnancy and #postpartum to support better #maternal and #infanthealth. tinyurl.com/3ue4akpm

Lancet Series Launch: Breastfeeding and the Fight Against Formula Marketing “Too many children are dying in the first month of life,” said Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet at a recent launch event for the 2023 Lancet Series on Breastfeeding, hosted by The [...]

Early and #exclusivebreastfeeding for the first six months of life reduces #newborn and #infant deaths by limiting exposure to untreated water and contaminated foods.

Less than 50% of #babies are #breastfed according to the @who.int recommendations.

More on our blog: tinyurl.com/kjybnr3v

Is breastfeeding ‘exclusive’? Barriers facing global health professionals and proposed solutions

#HealthProfessionals face challenges #breastfeeding due to poor #workconditions and #heavyworkloads. Systemic changes, better policies, and workplace support are needed to enable #women to #breastfeed, ensuring their health and well-being are prioritized. tinyurl.com/52rha8rr

To End Fistula by 2030, First Strengthen the Healthcare Workforce When childbirth takes place without skilled birth attendants or adequate emergency obstetric care, a woman may suffer from obstetric fistula. Women with fistula live with uncontrollable urinary [...]

#Obstetric #fistula can occur when #childbirth lacks skilled care or emergency obstetric services.

#Women often survive prolonged #labor, lose their child to #stillbirth, and face severe #socialisolation and #stigma.

More on our blog: tinyurl.com/3ttme3vj

Healing Hidden Wounds: The Case for More Free Fistula Treatment Centres in Borno - Nigeria Health Watch I was greeted by the hum of sewing machines in the livelihood training hall at the Centre for CCPRH in Maiduguri, Borno....

Free #fistula repair surgery will soon be offered at clinics across #Nigeria, where ~12,000 new cases are reported annually. Fistula, caused by #obstructedlabor and #genitalmutilation, requires both surgery and counseling for recovery. tinyurl.com/4ufb6bd9

Mental Health Conditions Are the Most Common Complication of Pregnancy and Childbirth Having a new baby should be the happiest time in a family’s life.But it doesn’t always work out that way.During pregnancy or the first year following pregnancy, 1 in 5 women or childbearing [...]

#MentalHealth conditions are the most common complication of #pregnancy and #childbirth. During pregnancy or the first year following pregnancy, 1 in 5 women will experience anxiety or depression.

Read more on our blog: tinyurl.com/bdcnfxkc

@newsecuritybeat.bsky.social

New WHO guidance calls for urgent transformation of mental health policies The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched new guidance to help all countries reform and strengthen mental health policies and systems. Mental health services worldwide remain underfunded, wit...

@who.int launched guidance to help countries reform and strengthen #mentalhealth policies and systems. Mental health services worldwide have major gaps in #access and #quality. In some countries, up to 90% of people with severe mental health conditions receive no care at all. tinyurl.com/yc6jdyzd

Read more about #women and #girls in #humanitariancrises on our blog: tinyurl.com/5n72rspn

@newsecuritybeat.bsky.social

Inside the crisis you don’t see: How war impacts women’s mental health | UN Women – Headquarters Explore how conflict affects women’s mental health and why urgent investment in support services is critical for recovery and resilience.

Today, over 600 million #women and #girls live in conflict-affected areas. Almost everyone affected by a #humanitariancrisis experiences #psychologicaldistress and 1 in 5 people will go on to develop long term #mentalhealth conditions. tinyurl.com/43cw6d6w

Among the millions of people harmed by the fighting in #Sudan are countless #pregnantwomen and #newmothers, who face direct and indirect threats to their health and lives in the country’s renewed conflict.

Read more on the impacts on #women and #girls on our blog: tinyurl.com/yp8ap256

South Sudan: Delivering baby on the road at 2am just another day for midwife The Irish Examiner travelled to South Sudan to meet with some of the 1.1m refugees who have fled across the border from civil war in Sudan. Women, children and men all shared stories of pain but also ...

#Sudan’s #MaternalMortalityRatio was 295 deaths per 100,000 live births before the civil war, with #SouthSudan’s being 1,150. Concern Worldwide warns that Sudan’s #healthsystem is near collapse, with 70% of services dysfunctional, and 60% lacking access to care. tinyurl.com/3re77j6h

In 2023, 58% of global #maternaldeaths, 50% of #newborndeaths, and 51% of #stillbirths worldwide occurred in the 29 countries with a UN humanitarian response plan or regional response plan. Read more: tinyurl.com/5n72rspn

Decades of progress in reducing child deaths and stillbirths under threat, warns the United Nations The number of children dying globally before their fifth birthday declined to 4.8 million in 2023, while stillbirths declined modestly, still remaining around 1.9 million, according to two new reports...

New @who.int findings reveal that global under-five deaths dropped to 4.8 million in 2023, but progress is slowing. #Stillbirths remain high at 1.9 million yearly. Nearly half of child deaths occur in the first month, mainly from #pretermbirth & #laborcomplications. tinyurl.com/4ypb7jf3

During humanitarian emergencies, #women and #newborns face severe #disparities and heightened vulnerabilities, increasing risk of illness and death. #HumanitarianCrises disrupt health systems, limit access to essential services, and increase the likelihood of preventable deaths. tinyurl.com/5n72rspn

Geneva Palais briefing note on the situation for children in Yemen after 10 years of conflict This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Yemen Representative Peter Hawkins – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

After over a decade of conflict, Yemen faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises which has devastated #maternal and #newborn health. 1.4 million #pregnant & lactating #women are #malnourished and 1 in 2 #children under five suffer from acute #malnutrition. @unicef.org tinyurl.com/22yzymud

Global Health & Gender Policy Brief: Women and Girls in Wartime In a new policy brief, Women and Girls in Wartime, the Wilson Center’s Maternal Health Initiative explores the diverse ways women and girls are affected by conflict, both as targets of violence and as...

#Women and #girls often become targets during wartime, facing various forms of violence and abuse. In 2022, some 600,000,000 women lived within 50 kilometers of armed conflict.

Read about the diverse ways women and girls are affected by #conflict in our #PolicyBrief: tinyurl.com/3sr449uy

Violent experiences alter the genome in ways that persist for generations A first-of-its-kind study shows that experiencing violence and trauma leaves a heritable imprint on the human genome.

A #Yale study found that #women who have been directly affected by war-related #violence and #trauma showed altered #epigenetic markings, chemical modifications to #DNA. It was also seen in their grandchildren, even if they had no direct exposure to warfare. tinyurl.com/3z4fs7dh

Read about need to close the #women’shealth gap through research, investment, and eliminating inequities on our blog: tinyurl.com/466vp8jh

Scans capture sweeping reorganisation of brain in pregnancy MRIs taken from before conception until two years after birth show some short-lived changes and some lasting years

For the first time, changes in the human #brain during #pregnancy have been captured, offering insight into the #maternal brain. #MRIscans from #pre-conception to two years #postpartum show widespread reorganization, with some changes short-term and others lasting years. tinyurl.com/3k3dy3va

#TB in #mothers increases the risk that babies will die by six times and doubles the risk of being born #premature or with #lowbirthweight. TB also causes 6-15% of all #maternalmortality.

Read more on drivers of maternal mortality in our #PolicyBrief: tinyurl.com/5n944jwc

#WorldTBDay #EndTB

WHO calls for immediate action as report shows 10% rise in child TB infections in European region Tuberculosis infections among children in the European region rose 10% in 2023, indicating ongoing transmission and the need for immediate public health measures to control the spread, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

According to the #WHO, #Tuberculosis infections among #children in the #European region rose 10% in 2023, an increase of over 650 cases compared to 2022. This indicates ongoing transmission and the need for immediate public health measures to control the spread. tinyurl.com/2s3vdcws

Global Health & Gender Policy Brief: Climate Change and Maternal Newborn Health Outcomes In a new policy brief, Climate Change and Maternal and Newborn Health Outcomes, the Wilson Center’s Maternal Health Initiative explores the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on maternal an...

#SolidFuels, used for cooking contributes to #HouseholdAirPollution. Solid fuel use increases low birthweight by 35% globally. Air pollution exposure is also associated with impaired lung function and #ChildhoodAsthma. More in our #PolicyBrief: tinyurl.com/8j984t5z

Where Household Air Pollution Causes the Most Harm | Think Global Health According to a new study, exposure to household air pollution remains a leading risk factor for disease and early death

In 2021, #particulatematter, produced by #cooking indoors caused more than 3 million deaths. Although the number of people exposed to #HouseholdAirPollution has fallen by half since 1990, currently an estimated 2.7 billion people are still exposed. tinyurl.com/3rbcjrta

New Global Health & Gender Policy Brief: Climate Change and Maternal and Newborn Health Outcomes The growing climate crisis presents one of the largest public health threats of the century. However, its countless impacts on maternal and newborn health outcomes (as well as health disparities [...]

There is strong evidence that impacts of extreme weather events affect #pregnancy and #newbornhealth directly, as well as indirectly due to structural or infrastructure changes where #pregnantwomen and their #newborns live. Read more in our #PolicyBrief: tinyurl.com/cryuwfu8

Report forecasts climate change to drive rise in heart disease Researchers say 50,000 years of healthy life lost annually in Australia to weather-linked cardiovascular disease.

#Australian researchers found that 49,483 years of healthy life are lost annually to #cardiovascular disease caused by hot weather. With rising temperatures, #heartdisease rates could double or triple in 25 years if current trends continue. tinyurl.com/4bzjdatt

Learn more on closing the women’s health gap through research, investment, and eliminating inequities on our website: tinyurl.com/466vp8jh

Public Health On Call: 871 - A Potentially “Game-Changing” Approach to Preventing Ovarian Cancer About this episode: For some people with a high risk of ovarian cancer, a standard approach has been full removal of the reproductive organs. But new research points to a far less invasive procedure c...

New research points to a less invasive procedure called a #salpingectomy, or removal of the fallopian tubes, as a potential “game changer” in #ovariancancer. The current standard approach has been full removal of the reproductive organs for those at high risk of ovarian cancer. tinyurl.com/nhhd5mw9