Day Two (6/8) at Women Deliver 2010: Innovation and (High and Low) Technology

Tuesday (6/8) marked day two of Women Deliver 2010. Day two was all about innovation and (high and low) technology to improve the health of women and infants worldwide–in fact, the conference organizers marketed Tuesday’s sessions as a stand-alone symposium called Technology as a Catalyst for Social Transformation.

Take a look at two examples of technologies that were discussed at the conference on Tuesday…

Microbicide Vaginal Rings (High Tech)

“The nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) today announced the initiation of the first trial among women in Africa testing a vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral drug (ARV) that could one day be used to prevent HIV transmission during sex. The clinical trial, known as IPM 015, tests the safety and acceptability of an innovative approach that adapts a successful technology from the reproductive health field to give women around the world a tool to protect themselves from HIV infection…”

Read the full press release here.

Clean Delivery Kits (Low Tech)

Clean Birth Kits–Potential to Deliver?, a publication supported by Save the Children/Saving Newborn Lives, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immpact (University of Aberdeen), and the Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth, was released at a session at Women Deliver yesterday. The session was chaired by Claudia Morrissey of Save the Children; moderated by Richard Horton, Editor of the Lancet; and presenters included Wendy Graham of University of Aberdeen, and Haris Ahmed of PAIMAN. The goal of the session was to summarise the evidence base for clean delivery kits, discuss practical implementation experiences from the field, and to have a lively debate on the “risks” associated with promoting birth kits. The report will be available online soon.

Subscribe to the MHTF Blog for updates on this project/report–as well as updates on other MHTF projects and commentary on a variety of maternal health issues.

Check out a recent blog post, A Good Idea or an Expensive Diversion: Workshop on the Evidence Base for Clean Birth Kits, by Ann Blanc, Director of the Maternal Health Task Force, on a workshop leading up to the new report on delivery kits.

Click here for the webcast of a session at Women Deliver 2010 that explores “What’s on the Horizon” for new technologies in contraception.

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Melinda Gates Explains How Investing in the Health of Mothers and Newborns Gives Donors “More Bang for Their Buck”

The Seattle Times reports on a rise in Gates Foundation funding for programs that aim to improve maternal and newborn health–and according to Melinda Gates, investing in the health of moms and babies saves lives at a far lower cost than treating diseases later on.

The Seattle Times

“…Gates talked about teaching a method known as “Kangaroo Mother Care,” which encourages mothers to wrap and hold their babies until they can maintain their own body temperature. (In fact a study published this week found that “kangaroo mother care” cut newborn deaths by more than 50 percent and was more effective than incubators). Inexpensive drugs can also prevent mothers from hemorrhaging in childbirth.

Such a comprehensive program, together with contraception, could cut maternal deaths by 75 percent and reduce newborn deaths by 44 percent, she said…”

Read the full article, Melinda Gates: Foundation Investing More in Mothers and Newborns.

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Can Canada Lead G8 on Improving Maternal Health in Developing Countries—and Avoid Abortion Politics?

Elizabeth Payne, Editorial Board member of the Ottawa Citizen, outlines a plan/suggestion by Keith Martin, medical doctor and maternal health expert, for G8 countries to tackle maternal mortality in developing countries.

Ottawa Citizen

“…Martin says the federal government must articulate exactly what it is going to do when it comes to the G8 maternal health initiative and access to reproductive technology. ‘I hope they don’t take an ideological position.’

Harper will be ‘turning back the clock,’ Martin says, if the initiative does not include reproductive health: ‘I can’t think of another country that would take that position.’

But, he adds, the initiative is too crucial to be lost because of political debate. There is a way Canada can lead a ‘pragmatic, effective plan’ without having to directly support abortions or contraceptives.

Martin suggests each of the G8 countries could take on a different aspect of the campaign to reduce maternal and child mortality.

‘It would be a way for the conservative government to make sure what comes out of the G8 is a plan that is implemented rather than talked about,’ he said.

In order to reduce maternal mortality rates, he says, a G8 initiative should include training of primary care workers, access to medications, diagnostics, clean water, access to power, access to family planning and nutrition, particularly micro-nutrients…”

Read the full story, How to help women, and avoid abortion politics.

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Gates Foundation Grants UCSF $1.15 Million for Study on Integrating Family Planning Services and HIV/AIDS Treatment

Can integrating family planning services into HIV/AIDS treatment and care increase contraceptive use and decrease unintended pregnancy among HIV-positive women? UCSF is partnering with the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Ibis Reproductive Health to find out.

University of California, San Francisco

“’Two-thirds of the world’s HIV-infected population lives in sub-Saharan Africa and 60 percent are estimated to be women. Recent evidence suggests high rates of unintended pregnancy among HIV-infected women. Family planning is the cornerstone for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and can also reduce maternal mortality, but family planning services are not always accessible at many of the public health clinics providing HIV care and treatment,’ said the study’s primary investigator, Craig R. Cohen, MD, MPH, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF.

The research will be conducted at 18 HIV care and treatment clinics in Nyanza Province, Kenya. With 15.3 percent of its population HIV-infected, Nyanza Province has the highest seroprevalence rate amongst provinces in Kenya. These clinics are supported by the Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) Program, a collaboration between UCSF and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). At 12 randomly selected clinics, HIV-infected clients will receive the intervention package of integrated family planning and HIV care. At each of the six clinic control sites, HIV-infected clients will receive standard HIV care and a referral to a separate family planning clinic within the same facility for contraceptive services.

The study’s first objective is to improve family planning clinical and counseling skills of clinicians and community health workers at all the FACES-supported HIV care and treatment clinics. A training curriculum on family planning counseling and method provision will be developed and implemented…”

Read the full news release here.

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On NPR Morning Edition: A Look at U.S. Policy on Family Planning Abroad

National Public Radio

“During the Bush administration, conservatives opposed even the use of the term “reproductive health services.” U.S. support for family planning abroad declined significantly. Now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that under the Obama administration, millions of women worldwide will have greater access to family planning, contraception and HIV counseling and treatment.”

Listen to the story here.

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Reproductive Health Response in Crises Consortium Releases Statement on the Earthquake in Haiti

The Reproductive Health Response in Crises Consortium applauds current relief efforts in Haiti while calling on humanitarian actors to provide lifesaving reproductive health services for women displaced by the earthquake.

The RHRC Consortium

The RHRC Consortium calls on humanitarian actors to meet the needs of women and girls—including the 63,000  pregnant women in Port au Prince.  (Other organizations have put the estimate lower at 37,000.) The RHRC estimates that 7,000 will deliver in the coming month.

The statement includes calls to action on issues of safe delivery,  sexual violence and exploitation, HIV/AIDS, and family planning.

Click here to read their full statement.

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Pathfinder International Launches Video to Raise Awareness and Money for Women’s Rights and Health

Watch and share Pathfinder’s video, Girl2Woman, that outlines the challenges related to sexual and reproductive health that girls face throughout their lives.

Every video shared raises $1 for Pathfinder International programs—-up to $1 million. Visit the Girl2Woman site to see more information about the initiative and an interactive time line that outlines stages of life and highlights the work that Pathfinder International does to help women at each stage. At the Girl2Woman site, you can also fill out a form to share the video with your contacts.

To learn more about Pathfinder International, click here.

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Peer-to-Peer Health Care Delivery Model: Ecuadorian Teens Deliver Injectable Contraceptives to Peers

Planned Parenthood Federation of America and CEMOPLAF, an Ecuadorian reproductive health organization, are working together to train Ecuadorian teens to become community health workers in the Chimborazo region of central Ecuador.

Global Health Magazine

“Ecuador has the highest adolescent fertility rate in Latin America, and this skyrockets when we’re talking about rural or indigenous youth. Among community members in the region here, just 6 percent of women and 12 percent of men reported contraceptive use, while less than half of all women reported any knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

This program meets the needs of a particularly underserved and hard-to-reach group, with a new contraceptive method, in a new way. The peer promoters hail from 15 different small communities within the region and are providing a brand new range of services to their peers. They meet weekly at a central clinic location to discuss challenges and attend trainings. There, CEMOPLAF also provides lunch, transportation costs and job-skills training.

All promoters attend a four-part extensive training, including an introduction to injections in general; training on Depo Provera in particular; and training in bio-safety procedures. They also learn about other contraceptive options, like the pill and condoms…”

Read the full story here.

For more information on Planned Parenthood Federation of America, click here.

To learn more about CEMOPLAF, click here.

Click here to see a previous post on this blog about a policy discussion at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC on health workers and task-shifting.

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Hillary Clinton Will Reaffirm U.S. Commitment to Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech comes in time for the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and marks a renewed  support for and dedication to reaching the goals of ICPD and other related UN agreements, including the Millennium Development Goals, by 2015.

ICPD called on governments and development agencies to place human beings—specifically young people and women—at the very heart of the development process. The conference also called for family planning, reproductive health, basic health and education needs to be met.

Millennium Development Goal 5 aims to improve international maternal health by reducing maternal mortality by 2/3 and achieving universal access to reproductive health services by 2015.

“On Jan. 8, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will address hundreds of health and development leaders at the State Department to reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to achieving universal access to reproductive health for individual health, family well-being, broader economic development and a healthy planet.”

The speech is scheduled for 2:30 pm Friday, January 8, 2010.

The Secretary’s speech will be livestreamed at www.icpd2015.org.

For more information on the goals of ICPD and events marking the 15th anniversary, click here.

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Top Ten Wins for Women’s Health and Rights in 2009

The International Women’s Health Coalition lists and describes what they see as the top ten wins for women’s health and rights in 2009–and comment on next steps and challenges for each win.

RH Reality Check

The IWHC’s picks for the top ten women’s health and rights wins span topics ranging from the new Bolivian constitution that guarantees sexual and reproductive rights and the striking down of sex work criminalization in India to a new law that combats child marriage in Yemen and the upholding of the right to abortion in England.

To see the complete list with descriptions of the wins, potential next steps and challenges, click here.

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Reducing Maternal Mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a Tough Bet

Conflict and instability make the Democratic Republic of Congo a difficult place to be pregnant

AllAfrica.com

“Years of conflict and instability mean the Democratic Republic of Congo is still among the worst countries in the world to be pregnant, despite a nationwide push to improve maternal, infant and childhood mortality rates. ‘Every hour of every day in DRC, four women die from complications of pregnancy and labour, and for every woman who dies, between 20 and 30 have serious complications, such as obstetric fistula, which is very common in DRC,’ said Richard Dackam Ngacthou, country representative of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)…”

Read the full article here.

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Dear Copenhagen: What About Women?

Ana Langer, President of EngenderHealth and Adviser to the Maternal Health Task Force, blogs on The Huffington Post—and calls attention to the power of modern contraception methods to help families weather the uncertainties of climate change.

“As the global architects of a new treaty to combat climate change meet in Copenhagen this month, they continue to work from a conspicuously incomplete blueprint. Last Thursday morning, George Soros made it very clear that significantly greater resources must be allocated to mitigate the impact of climate change on the world’s poorest people, who are the most vulnerable to its affects. This is a welcome development. But still…”

Read the full post here.

Read Ana’s bio here.

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Will the passing of a new law in Guatemala increase access to birth control and sex education?

GUATEMALA
Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS)

In 2005, a family planning law was passed in Guatemala–and went into effect on Oct. 30th, 2009.
Mirna Montenegro, with the Observatory on Reproductive Health, highlighted for IPS the two key aspects of the new family planning law: a sex education curriculum for primary schools and the creation of a national commission on contraceptives. She went on to explain that it has been clearly demonstrated that as a result of family planning methods, “women have greater access to sources of income, and maternal and infant mortality are reduced.” José Roberto Luna, with Incide Joven, told IPS that the family planning law “is aimed at guaranteeing equal, universal access to family planning methods, because it has been demonstrated that there is unmet demand for birth control services.” While the passing of the law is seen by many as a victory in the fight against the country’s high maternal and infant mortality rates, the law still faces much opposition–mainly from the Catholic Church. It is unclear what impact this new law will have on access to services and ultimately on the reduction of mortality rates. See the full story here.

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Updates on MDG5 From Around the World: Burma, Ghana, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda

BURMA
The Gov Monitor
Australia To Provide $15 Million Humanitarian Assistance For Burma
Australia will provide $15 million in humanitarian assistance for the Burmese people still suffering from the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis which struck Burma in May 2008. $1 million will support essential maternal and child health services in particularly needy rural and remote areas.

GHANA
Peace FM Online
Ghana Health Service Launches Campaign on Safe Motherhood
The GHS will launch a national campaign: “Ghana Cares; No Woman Should Die While Giving Birth” to ensure an accelerated reduction of maternal mortality.The campaign also has a subtheme: “No Woman Should Die from Bleeding during Pregnancy and Child Birth,” that will focus on hemorrhage or bleeding–a condition that significantly contributes to maternal deaths around the world.

PAKISTAN
The News
Inclusion of Reproductive Health in Curriculum Urged
Speakers at a district level advocacy seminar series organized by the World Population Foundation (WPF) said that negligence of reproductive health issues is the worst form of gender-based violence and a major factor that contributes to high maternal and infant mortality rates in the country, particularly in remote and neglected rural areas.

TANZANIA
guardian.co.uk
Abortion in Tanzania: Fighting Stigma
A major cause of maternal mortality is barely mentionable in Tanzania: abortion. Illegal unless necessary to save a woman’s life, nobody knows how significant a factor it is.

Support is Stigmatised and Scarce
Poverty, HIV and maternal mortality rates are high in Tanzania, yet religion, prejudice and logistics make access to contraception difficult. Access to family planning services is crucial in Tanzania, where the maternal mortality rate stands at 950 per 100,000 live births, higher than the average of 900 deaths per 100,000 births in sub-Saharan Africa.

UGANDA
The Pulse of Uganda
Museveni Wants Adolescents to Stop Early Marriages
Reports by the World Health Organization indicate that about 70,000 adolescent girls die every year in developing countries from diseases related to pregnancy.

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Welcome to Maternal Mortality Daily

Hi and thanks for visiting Maternal Mortality Daily.

In the name of the 1500 women who die each day around the world from pregnancy complications, Maternal Mortality Daily tracks the latest news and blogs addressing global maternal mortality. The idea is to create a one-stop-shop for the latest info on progress toward Millennium Development Goal 5–on a daily basis.

I am Kate Mitchell. I recently completed my MPH in International Health from Boston University. For my ‘culminating experience’ at BU, I produced a 25 minute multimedia piece on the public health paradox of high levels of institutionalized deliveries and high levels of maternal mortality in the Dominican Republic. I am currently working as a Knowledge Management intern with the Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth.

I look forward to your help and participation on this blog. Please alert me to new programs/research you are working on and let me know if you hear about any maternal health news that should be posted. I’ll do my best to keep the site up to date so that it serves as a useful resource for all who are working to reduce maternal mortality around the world.

Thanks,
Kate

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