New York / Addis Ababa — Tonight, thousands of women across Africa will give birth. Whether they survive to see daylight will largely depend on where they live, how quickly they reach care, and whether the health system around them is ready to respond. Maternal deaths in Africa have dropped 40 percent since 2000, but…
The World Health Organization (WHO) today calls on countries to expand newborn screening for birth defects, highlighting how early detection and treatment can save lives and reduce lifelong disability for millions of children. A new WHO report, Strengthening capacity for newborn screening, diagnosis and management of birth defects, identifies newborn screening as an important opportunity…
Women continue to die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and this is unacceptable. While Africa has made progress in reducing maternal mortality since 2000, the region still needs a twelve-fold increase in the annual reduction rate to meet the Sustainable Development Goal, according to the estimates from the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Interagency…
