Open access
Open access
Powered by Google Translator Translator

Global and Humanitarian Medicine

WHO Report | Global progress in tackling maternal and newborn deaths stalls since 2015

25 May, 2023 | 11:36h | UTC

News Release: Global progress in tackling maternal and newborn deaths stalls since 2015: UN – World Health Organization

Report: Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth – Progress report 2023 – World Health Organization

 

WHO Report | World health statistics 2023

23 May, 2023 | 13:16h | UTC

World health statistics 2023: monitoring health for the SDGs, sustainable development goals – World Health Organization

News Release: Urgent action needed to tackle stalled progress on health-related Sustainable Development Goals – World Health Organization

 

Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)

 

WHO Report | 152 million babies born preterm in the last decade

23 May, 2023 | 13:15h | UTC

News Release: 152 million babies born preterm in the last decade – World Health Organization

Report: Born too soon: decade of action on preterm birth – World Health Organization

 

The Lancet Series | Small vulnerable newborns

23 May, 2023 | 13:13h | UTC

News Release: An estimated 1 million stillbirths and newborn baby deaths could be prevented each year with low-cost solutions – Lancet

Homepage: Small vulnerable newborns – The Lancet (free registration required for all articles)

Small vulnerable newborns—big potential for impact

Small babies, big risks: global estimates of prevalence and mortality for vulnerable newborns to accelerate change and improve counting

Biological and pathological mechanisms leading to the birth of a small vulnerable newborn

Evidence-based antenatal interventions to reduce the incidence of small vulnerable newborns and their associated poor outcomes

The ethical, economic, and developmental imperative to prevent small vulnerable newborns and stillbirths: essential actions to improve the country and global response

 

Global variations in heart failure etiology, management, and outcomes

22 May, 2023 | 13:50h | UTC

Global Variations in Heart Failure Etiology, Management, and Outcomes – JAMA (free for a limited period)

Author Interview: Global Trends in Heart Failure Etiology, Management, and Outcomes

News Release: Heart failure deadly and under-treated in most countries, says a study in 40 countries – McMaster University

 

Commentary on Twitter

 

Cluster RCT | Early detection and treatment bundle reduces postpartum hemorrhage complications

16 May, 2023 | 15:02h | UTC

Summary: An international, cluster-randomized trial assessed the effectiveness of a multicomponent clinical intervention for postpartum hemorrhage in patients having vaginal delivery. The study involved 80 secondary-level hospitals across Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania, with 210,132 patients. The intervention group utilized a calibrated blood-collection drape for early detection of postpartum hemorrhage and a first-response treatment bundle, while the control group received usual care.

The primary outcome measured was a composite of severe postpartum hemorrhage (blood loss ≥1000 ml), laparotomy for bleeding, or maternal death from bleeding. The results showed a significant reduction in primary-outcome events in the intervention group (1.6%) compared to the usual-care group (4.3%) with a risk ratio of 0.40 (95% CI, 0.32 to 0.50; P<0.001). Postpartum hemorrhage detection rates were 93.1% and 51.1% in the intervention and usual-care groups, respectively, and treatment bundle adherence was 91.2% and 19.4%, respectively.

These findings demonstrate that early detection of postpartum hemorrhage and the use of a bundled treatment approach can significantly reduce the risk of severe postpartum hemorrhage, laparotomy for bleeding, or death from bleeding among patients having vaginal delivery. The results have important implications for improving clinical practice and reducing postpartum hemorrhage complications globally.

Article: Randomized Trial of Early Detection and Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary: Lifesaving solution dramatically reduces severe bleeding after childbirth – World Health Organization

 

Commentary on Twitter

 

M-A | Impact on childhood mortality of interventions to improve drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene to households

10 May, 2023 | 15:28h | UTC

Impact on childhood mortality of interventions to improve drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to households: Systematic review and meta-analysis – PLOS Medicine

 

WHO declares end to COVID-19 global health emergency

8 May, 2023 | 13:26h | UTC

WHO Declares End to COVID-19 Global Health Emergency – Health Policy Watch

WHO Statement: Statement on the fifteenth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic – World Health Organization

 

M-A | Effectiveness of handwashing with soap for preventing acute respiratory infections in low-income and middle-income countries

5 May, 2023 | 15:28h | UTC

Effectiveness of handwashing with soap for preventing acute respiratory infections in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet

News Release: Handwashing during ‘normal times’ can reduce burden of respiratory disease – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Commentary from the author: New meta-analysis – handwashing promotion reduces respiratory infections by 17%

 

Commentary from the author on Twitter

 

Review | The global burden of liver disease

5 May, 2023 | 15:23h | UTC

The Global Burden of Liver Disease – Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

 

Clinical aspects of snakebite envenoming and its treatment in low-resource settings

2 May, 2023 | 13:21h | UTC

Clinical aspects of snakebite envenoming and its treatment in low-resource settings – The Lancet (free registration required)

 

Global burden of chronic respiratory diseases and risk factors, 1990–2019

28 Apr, 2023 | 13:17h | UTC

Global burden of chronic respiratory diseases and risk factors, 1990–2019: an update from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 – eClinicalMedicine

News Release: Chronic respiratory disease is third leading cause of death globally with air pollution killing 1.3 million people – IHME

 

Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)

 

Study estimates poor diet causes 70% of diabetes cases globally

21 Apr, 2023 | 13:06h | UTC

Incident type 2 diabetes attributable to suboptimal diet in 184 countries – Nature Medicine

News Release: Study links poor diet to 14 million cases of type 2 diabetes globally – Tufts University

 

Commentary on Twitter

 

Cluster RCT | Long-lasting insecticidal nets compared for malaria control

12 Apr, 2023 | 13:04h | UTC

Efficacy of pyriproxyfen-pyrethroid long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and chlorfenapyr-pyrethroid LLINs compared with pyrethroid-only LLINs for malaria control in Benin: a cluster-randomised, superiority trial – The Lancet

Invited Commentary: Getting ahead of insecticide-resistant malaria vector mosquitoes – The Lancet (free registration required)

 

SR | Epidemiology of injecting drug use, related harms & exposure to behavioral and environmental risks

11 Apr, 2023 | 14:26h | UTC

Epidemiology of injecting drug use, prevalence of injecting-related harm, and exposure to behavioural and environmental risks among people who inject drugs: a systematic review – The Lancet Global Health

Invited Commentary: Surveillance of injecting drug use as a global health imperative – The Lancet Global Health

News Release: Evidence of injecting drug use found in 190 countries: global review – UNSW Sydney

Related Article: Global coverage of interventions to prevent and manage drug-related harms among people who inject drugs: a systematic review – The Lancet Global Health

 

M-A | Ambient air pollution and clinical dementia

11 Apr, 2023 | 14:23h | UTC

Ambient air pollution and clinical dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis – The BMJ

Editorial: Air pollution and dementia – The BMJ

News Releases:

Air pollution may increase risk for dementia – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Exposure to fine particle air pollution linked to heightened dementia risk – BMJ Newsroom

Commentary: Elevated dementia risk even when pollution is below EPA standards – The Harvard Gazette

 

SR | Global coverage of interventions to prevent and manage drug-related harms among people who inject drugs

11 Apr, 2023 | 14:24h | UTC

Global coverage of interventions to prevent and manage drug-related harms among people who inject drugs: a systematic review – The Lancet Global Health

Invited Commentary: Harm reduction interventions for people who inject drugs – The Lancet Global Health

News Release: Evidence of injecting drug use found in 190 countries: global review – UNSW Sydney

Related Article: Epidemiology of injecting drug use, prevalence of injecting-related harm, and exposure to behavioural and environmental risks among people who inject drugs: a systematic review – The Lancet Global Health

 

Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)

 

WHO Report | Dengue & Chikungunya cases spreading beyond known transmission zones in the Americas

10 Apr, 2023 | 14:04h | UTC

Geographical expansion of cases of dengue and chikungunya beyond the historical areas of transmission in the Region of the Americas – World Health Organization

Commentary: WHO: Concerning Spread of Dengue, Chikungunya in Latin America – JAMA

 

Global epidemiology of cirrhosis — Etiology, trends and predictions

6 Apr, 2023 | 13:27h | UTC

Global epidemiology of cirrhosis — aetiology, trends and predictions – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

 

Commentary on Twitter

 

WHO Report | 1 in 6 people globally affected by infertility

5 Apr, 2023 | 13:47h | UTC

News Release: 1 in 6 people globally affected by infertility – World Health Organization

Report: Infertility Prevalence Estimates, 1990–2021 – World Health Organization

Key facts: Infertility – World Health Organization

Commentaries:

Infertility affects a ‘staggering’ 1 in 6 people worldwide, WHO says – CNN

One in six people worldwide affected by infertility, WHO reports – The Guardian

 

Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)

 

Analysis | Global coverage and design of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes

5 Apr, 2023 | 12:43h | UTC

Global Coverage and Design of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes – JAMA Network Open

Related:

The introduction of sugary drinks tax in the UK was followed by a drop in obesity cases among children

WHO manual on sugar-sweetened beverage taxation policies to promote healthy diets.

M-A: Outcomes following taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Public Policies to Reduce Sugary Drink Consumption in Children and Adolescents – Pediatrics

Cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages: What works? – Cochrane Library

Association of a Beverage Tax on Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages With Changes in Beverage Prices and Sales at Chain Retailers in a Large Urban Setting – JAMA

Association between tax on sugar sweetened beverages and soft drink consumption in adults in Mexico: open cohort longitudinal analysis of Health Workers Cohort Study – The BMJ

Potential impact on prevalence of obesity in the UK of a 20% price increase in high sugar snacks: modelling study – The BMJ

Changes in food purchases after the Chilean policies on food labelling, marketing, and sales in schools: a before and after study – The Lancet Planetary Health

Association of a Sweetened Beverage Tax With Soda Consumption in High School Students – JAMA Pediatrics

Sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: Lessons to date and the future of taxation – PLOS Medicine

Banning the promotion of soft drinks could be more effective than a sugar tax – The Conversation

Sugar tax: why health experts want it but politicians and industry are resisting – The Guardian

 

Commentary on Twitter

 

Updated WHO Guidelines | COVID-19 boosters no longer routinely recommended for low-risk groups

30 Mar, 2023 | 14:33h | UTC

Summary: The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has revised its COVID-19 vaccination roadmap in light of the Omicron variant and widespread population immunity. The revised roadmap prioritizes protecting those at the highest risk of severe disease and death while maintaining resilient health systems. It introduces cost-effectiveness considerations for vaccinating lower-risk individuals, such as healthy children and adolescents, and presents revised booster dose recommendations.

Priority groups are categorized as high, medium, and low, based on factors like risk of severe disease and death. People in the high-priority group, consisting of older adults, individuals with significant comorbidities or immunocompromising conditions, pregnant persons, and frontline health workers, are advised to receive additional boosters 6 or 12 months after the last dose. The medium priority group, which includes healthy adults without comorbidities and children with comorbidities, is recommended to receive primary series and first booster doses. However, SAGE no longer routinely recommends additional boosters for this group due to limited public health gains.

For the low-priority group, encompassing healthy children and adolescents, vaccination decisions should take into account factors such as disease prevalence and cost-effectiveness. It is important to note that the public health benefits of vaccinating healthy children and adolescents are considerably lower compared to established essential vaccines for children, like rotavirus, measles, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.

News Release: SAGE updates COVID-19 vaccination guidance – World Health Organization

Commentaries:

No More COVID-19 Boosters for Healthy People, WHO Experts Recommend – Health Policy Watch

WHO vaccine advisers update COVID vaccine recommendations – CIDRAP

 

M-A | The efficacy of Kangaroo-Mother care to the clinical outcomes of LBW and premature infants

21 Mar, 2023 | 13:35h | UTC

Summary: Kangaroo-Mother Care (KMC) is a method that involves skin-to-skin contact between the mother and newborn, frequent exclusive or almost exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge. KMC is an alternative to traditional care interventions for low birthweight (LBW) infants, and the World Health Organization has recommended its use for LBW infants for over a decade.

The authors conducted a meta-analysis including 17 randomized clinical trials involving 17,668 participants. They found that KMC can significantly reduce neonatal mortality, lower hypothermia and sepsis rates, and reduce the duration of hospital stay. The authors suggest that KMC should be promoted, popularized, and standardized in clinical practice.

Article: The efficacy of Kangaroo-Mother care to the clinical outcomes of LBW and premature infants in the first 28 days: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials – Frontiers in Pediatrics

Related:

Immediate “Kangaroo Mother Care” and Survival of Infants with Low Birth Weight – New England Journal of Medicine

Effect of community-initiated kangaroo mother care on survival of infants with low birthweight: a randomised controlled trial – The Lancet

Effect of Community-Initiated Kangaroo Mother Care on Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Stress Among Mothers of Low-Birth-Weight Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Network Open

Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants – Cochrane Library

Preterm care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative risk analysis of neonatal deaths averted by kangaroo mother care versus mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection – EclinicalMedicine

 

Analysis | Networks of care to strengthen primary healthcare in resource constrained settings

21 Mar, 2023 | 13:08h | UTC

Networks of care to strengthen primary healthcare in resource constrained settings – The BMJ

 

Burden, trends, and inequalities of heart failure globally, 1990 to 2019

14 Mar, 2023 | 13:35h | UTC

Burden, Trends, and Inequalities of Heart Failure Globally, 1990 to 2019: A Secondary Analysis Based on the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study – Journal of the American Heart Association

 

Stay Updated in Your Specialty

No spam, just news.