Category Archives: Maternal Health

Why NTDs Matter to Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

Maternal Health

 

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By Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, NTD Special Envoy

Next week, from May 28th to 30th, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will host a summit on maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in Toronto, Canada. Titled “Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach,” the summit will bring global leaders and experts together to ensure that MNCH remains an international priority – not only for Canada, but for all countries.

This summit is extremely timely due to the close 2015 deadline of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and with the global community refining the priority themes to include into the post-2015 development agenda. As Canada prepares to launch its renewed MNCH strategy and as governments adopt greater collaboration through public-private partnerships, the Global Network is calling on the Canadian government, NGOs, research organizations and the private sector to include action against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) within their new MNCH framework and global health and development priorities.

NTDs are a group of 17 parasitic and bacterial infections with a larger extension since they affect more than 1 billion people worldwide. Soil-transmitted helminths (STH or parasitic infections) such as hookworm can cause severe anemia and contribute to pregnancy complications in women and severe malnutrition in children. Schistosomiasis infections keep young girls and women in a vulnerable situation for HIV/AIDS infections. And the impact of NTDs stretches far beyond the health sector – they also impact educational achievement, food security, economic growth and gender equality.

NTDs pose a threat to the development of endemic countries by trapping the most vulnerable populations in cycles of poverty and disease, and by undercutting ongoing efforts to achieve the MDGs. The control and elimination of NTDs will be critical to eradicating poverty and to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals set by the post-2015 development agenda process.

The Canadian government has been a strong leader in global MNCH efforts, as evidenced through the widely successful Muskoka Initiative. Announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the G8 Summit in June 2010 in Toronto, the Muskoka Initiative has advanced the critical goals of improving the health of women and children in developing countries and reducing the number of preventable deaths. By 2015, Canada will have dedicated $2.85 billion to this initiative, focusing on three priorities: strengthening health systems, reducing the burden of disease and improving nutrition.

Programs that address NTDs are “best-buys” in global health. Providing deworming medication for parasitic infections, along with other MNCH interventions such as iron supplements and vitamin A, can help reduce anemia and malnutrition — improving the overall health of mothers and children. A golden opportunity exists for Canada to collaborate on NTDs with the private sector, which has stepped up to donate the drugs needed to prevent and treat worms and other NTDs.

NTDs inclusion into Canada’s MNCH and international development strategy can make a real difference in the results achieved in a short and mid-term period. This would lead the way for other countries, both donor and endemic, to make a political and financial commitment to end these diseases of poverty. Together, under this leadership, we will be able to reach the goals of the London Declaration on NTDs and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Roadmap on Neglected Tropical Diseases, thus moving closer to eradicating poverty, and saving and improving the lives of mothers and children worldwide.

Honoring the Moms who Keep us Healthy

Maternal Health, ,

 

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and in honor of this important holiday, moms around the world will be showered with gifts and appreciation for their love and tireless work. But shouldn’t mothers be honored every day? Moms feed us, encourage us and care for our health before we’re even aware of its value.

This past week, I had the fortunate opportunity to meet several moms during my trip to Honduras with the END7 campaign. At health clinics in Tegucigalpa, El Triunfo and Marcovia, I saw moms who were placing their children’s health above all else. Despite the lengthy lines, the 95 degree heat and the long walks to the local clinics, these moms were determined to provide their children with the much-needed deworming medicine that rids their bodies of harmful parasitic worms.

I saw mothers soothing their children as they struggled to swallow the deworming medicine.

Child receiving medicine

I saw mothers laughing and smiling with their children – celebrating their health.

mother and child smiling

And I saw mothers who were proud – holding their children up for the rest of the clinics’ visitors to see.

mother holding baby

The children and mothers I met in Honduras were happy and thriving because of the deworming medicine and vaccines provided to them by local health clinics. Treating NTDs can positively impact the health of mothers and their children by reducing anemia, improving nutrition and strengthening a mother or child’s immune system so they are able to fight off other diseases. But without deworming medicine, mothers and their children are susceptible to a variety of health complications and a poor, unfulfilled quality of life.

So this Mother’s Day, take a moment to thank you mom for all she’s done to keep you healthy, and take another for moms around the world who are contributing to the fight against NTDs.

ICFP 2013 Reflections: Maternal & Child Health, Family Planning… and NTDs

Maternal Health, NTDs,

 

Photo by Olivier Asselin

Photo by Olivier Asselin

This blog was originally posted by Chelsea Ducharme on the Global Health Corps blog. 

As a current Global Health Corps (GHC) fellow, I was fortunate to attend the 2013 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, jointly organized by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia and the Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health. With a theme of “Full Access, Full Choice,”  I was consistently inspired and challenged while attending presentations by researchers, political figures, advocates, youth, donors and implementing organizations all fighting together for the health and rights of women and girls. It is evident that continued commitment is needed to address the estimated quarter of all women globally desiring to control pregnancy.

One method of ensuring sustained commitment for a healthier and more just future is building leaders of tomorrow. So, ICFP heavily involved youth in the conference via several methods. During the Youth Preconference, the panel “Human Rights Approaches to Family Planning” framed my perspective for the rest of the week. The below thoughts from Kate Gilmore, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, illustrate well the focus of the session:

  • “Human rights is for all of us – the best and the worst. The purpose of it is to provide a discourse of what a human being is. It is a verb, not a noun. There is no development without human rights.”
  • “Family planning is not about contraception and fertility rates, it is about a choice. A right to live without fear, stigma, and discrimination.”

I could not agree more. Her passion and provocative statements sparked a fire in each of us to do more. However, in listening and reflecting on these concepts, I couldn’t help but think about other human rights injustices that must be addressed to make a positive impact on the health of women and children worldwide. And though there are many, I propose an equally significant companion statement to one of Ms. Gilmore’s thoughts in light of a week that was also shared with the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene in Washington, DC (13-17 November): “Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are not about parasitic worms and bacterial infections. They are about a right to live without fear, stigma, and discrimination.”

NTDS are a group of seventeen diseases that infect one in six people around the world, often termed the “bottom billion” – the poorest of the poor. Of those one billion infected, an estimated 500 million are children. NTDs are known to cause severe disfigurement and debilitation that impact not only health and nutrition, but also education level and socioeconomic status, pushing populations into a cycle of poverty. Currently, only fifty cents can protect and treat one person for a whole year from seven diseases such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Yet, as evidenced by the term “neglected,” addressing challenges associated with reducing NTD burden, such as lack of research, funding, advocacy, and political will, has been slow.

So in the aftermath of ICFP 2013, I propose the importance of universal access to both family planning and NTD prevention and treatment as vital to maternal and child health in most parts of the world. Mothers and children are particularly vulnerable to NTDs which have the ability to complicate pregnancies, threaten newborn health, severely disfigure, impair child growth, and reduce cognitive ability. As we work towards ensuring women can plan their births, let’s ensure a healthy pregnancy and that they can keep their children free of NTDs. As women become empowered to work through family planning access, let’s ensure NTD-related blindness or disfigurement doesn’t prevent them from their livelihoods. As women use family planning as an exit to the cycle of poverty for their families, let’s ensure NTDs don’t reverse this hard work. Just as meeting the need for family planning is one of the most cost-effective investments to increase income, education, and health among women and children, so is addressing NTDs.

We are all part of a global community and responsible for the wellbeing of each other…

“Our best hope for the future is not to get people to think of all humanity as family—that’s impossible. It lies, instead, in an appreciation of the fact that, even if we don’t empathize with distant strangers, their lives have the same value as the lives of those we love.” –Paul Bloom, “The Case Against Empathy”

…so let’s ensure that no matter where you are born, your health is not a barrier to achieving your dreams.

“He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.” Arabian Proverb

Taking Action

As a GHC fellow, I share in our core belief that my generation has the ability to step forward, innovate, and make a positive impact on lives across the globe. If you’re interested in becoming a part of the health equity movement around these issues and others, here are some specific actions you can take:

  • Learn about the discourse following ICFP 2013 and how you can be a part of ensuring the basic right to universal family planning access.
  • Join the END7 movement, a Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases’ campaign that provides information and tools to build awareness and raise resources for NTDs.
  • Apply to be a fellow with the Global Health Corps. Applications are now open until 26 January 2013.

Author: Chelsea Ducharme, MPH ()

Chelsea is a current Global Health Corps fellow in Kasese, Western Uganda with Action for Community Development (ACODEV). Before joining GHC, she was a member of the Strategic Analysis & Partnerships team in the Washington, DC offices of FHI 360, an international development NGO focusing on sustainable, integrated approaches to improving lives around the world. Pursuing her interest in infectious and neglected tropical diseases, Chelsea earned both an MPH in Global Health and a BS in Biology at The George Washington University.

 

Global Network to Policymakers: We Can Achieve Better Health for Mothers and Children

Maternal Health

 

As we continue to celebrate all mothers around the world this week, we’d like to share with you the Global Network’s new policy brief, Better Health for Mothers and Children, which urges policymakers to integrate NTD treatment into programs designed for improving maternal, newborn and child health.

Mothers from around the worldNTDs, especially intestinal parasites and schistosomiasis, contribute significantly to anemia and poor absorption of vital nutrients. In the developing world, more than half of all pregnant women are anemic and one-third of all pregnant women are infected with hookworm, which contributes to iron-deficiency anemia. NTD treatment is also important for all women of reproductive age, especially considering the estimated 10 to 19 percent of women of reproductive age who are severely undernourished.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that pregnant women at risk for infection receive treatment for hookworm and schistosomiasis. The WHO also recommends deworming medication for preschool and school-aged children to protect them from these infections and to allow them to remain healthy and in school.

Integrating NTD treatment into existing maternal and child health efforts can help mitigate anemia, improve nutrition, and better equip a mother and her child’s immune system to fight off additional health threats, improving their overall health status and quality of life. As policymakers, non-profit organizations, and global leaders work to prepare the post-2015 development agenda, it is important for them to see the link between NTDs and women’s health and ensure that the programs include treatment for NTDs. For only 50 cents per person per year, pregnant mothers around the world can be protected from the effects of NTDs.

You can read our new policy brief to learn more about this issue. Additionally, stay tuned for more important issues affecting women that will be explored in detail at the Women Deliver Conference (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 28-30, 2013) or follow the activities of the maternal, newborn and child health community by signing up for the conference newsletter.