Landmark reached in fight against tetanus, as over half of 59 priority countries declare victory, partners say

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Landmark reached in fight against tetanus, as over half of 59 priority countries declare victory, partners say

NEW YORK, 15 May 2013 – Tetanus, one of the most deadly diseases a mother and her newborn can face, has been eliminated in over half of 59 priority countries, the Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Initiative partners announced today.
Tetanus kills one newborn baby every nine minutes and almost all of these babies are born in poor families living in the most disadvantaged areas and communities. 
The disease, easily preventable with a vaccine administered to the mother, is transmitted when children are born in unhygienic conditions, and non-sterile materials are used to cut the umbilical cord, or are applied to the umbilical bump.  At that point, the mother’s life is also in danger. With at least three protective doses that cost about US$2, the mother and her future newborns are protected for five years.
Since 1999, more than 118 million women of child-bearing age have been vaccinated against tetanus in 52 countries. Many of these women received their tetanus vaccine as part of  an integrated campaign which included other life- saving interventions for children – such as immunization against measles, Vitamin A supplements, deworming tablets and information on umbilical cord care.
The announcement came during the annual MNT Initiative stakeholders’ meeting.
The Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Initiative is a model of how partners can work together to achieve results.  In 2000, one year after the initiative began, it was estimated that over 200,000 deaths of newborns occurred annually from tetanus. By 2010, this number had dropped to an estimated 58,000 annually.
Despite the progress, more than 28 priority countries have still not reached the elimination goal. This is a formidable challenge in the quest to reach the global target of elimination of MNT in all priority countries by 2015.
The main challenges to MNT elimination are a lack of access to communities because of insecurity, cultural barriers, competing priorities, sustaining elimination after validation and inadequate funding.
The MNT Elimination Initiative is an international private-public partnership that includes National Governments, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, GAVI, USAID/Immunization Basics, CDC, UNICEF National Committees, the Government of Japan, Save the Children, PATH, RMHC, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Kiwanis International, Pampers – a division of Procter & Gamble, and BD.
The countries that have eliminated MNT are: Bangladesh; Benin; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; China; Comoros; Congo (Republic of); Cote d' Ivoire; Egypt; Eritrea; Ghana; Guinea Bissau; Iraq; Liberia;  Malawi; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal;  Rwanda; Senegal; South Africa; Tanzania; Timor Leste; Turkey; Togo; Uganda; Vietnam; Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The countries that are still working toward elimination include Afghanistan; Angola; Cambodia; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo DR; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Guinea; Haiti; India; Indonesia; Kenya; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Madagascar; Mali; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Sudan; South Sudan; and Yemen.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: http://www.unicef.org

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Cuánto debe durar la lactancia ?

 

El editor de esto, o sea yo, piensa que es un desproposito tanto tiempo. Poco fundamento biológico, dudoso efecto psicologico, y no se piensa en que, en general, se está en una familia, donde también hay un padre disputando el mismo lugar. Porotra parte, las madres suelen trabajar,  y las licencias no son tan prolongadas en esta parte del mundo.

 

El Comité de Lactancia Materna de la Asociación Española de Pediatría recomienda sobre la duración de la lactancia materna:

El patrón de duración de lactancia en los humanos hasta hace menos de 100 años, ha sido de 3 a 4 años con variaciones entre el año y los 7 o más. Todavía hay sociedades y culturas en las que la lactancia prolongada es lo normal. En la actualidad, la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF) recomiendan mantener la lactancia hasta los dos años o más en todos los países del mundo.

• El amamantamiento es un acto personal entre madres e hijos.
• La leche de la madre de la propia especie siempre es mucho mejor que la de un animal de otra especie.
• En el primer año se recomienda ofrecer el pecho antes de las comidas.
• Los niños que maman por encima del año siguen obteniendo una cantidad sustanciosa de calorías y micronutrientes (hierro, calcio, vitaminas) de la leche que toman de sus madres (en ocasiones, por encima del 50% de las necesidades diarias).
• Después del primer año y por lo menos hasta el segundo es recomendable que el niño realice al menos 4 tomas de pecho al día, antes o después de las comidas, por la noche, etc. En esta etapa muchos niños maman como postre y cuando están enfermos es lo único que comen.

Cuando la madre desee destetar a su bebé debe hacerlo con delicadeza y paulatinamente. Se puede dulcificar el proceso de varias maneras:

• Posponer el pecho o darlo con condiciones (cuando termines la comida, cuando vayas a dormir, sólo en casa, o sólo en…) para ir disminuyendo el número de veces que mama.
• Cuando insista y “no sea el momento elegido”, conviene proporcionarle otro tipo de consuelo: jugar, hacer un puzzle, leer un cuento, hacernos cosquillas, cantar, jugar al escondite, guardar los muñecos, etc.
• Hablar con el niño, darle alguna explicación de por qué “ahora no se puede” (mamá está cansada, ya comes bocadillos y con tenedor…). Los niños son mucho más comprensivos de lo que se espera, si perciben en sus padres un verdadero deseo de comunicarse y de compartir.
• Darle muestras de cariño continuamente (no sólo se ama dando el pecho).

Los niños no llegan a ser más o menos independientes según el alimento que hayan tomado, sino el modo en que se les ha dado éste (condicional o incondicional). En realidad no depende del tipo de alimentación, sino del estilo de crianza.
(Información tomada de la web En familia de la Asociación Española de Pediatria)

One Step Closer To Eliminating The Polio Virus in India

Source: Foreign Affairs

In January, India marked an incredible achievement: one year since the country's last reported case of polio. That is cause for celebration -- not just in India but around the world. Twenty years ago, there were more than 100 polio-endemic countries; now, only three remain.

Such a victory over polio seemed almost impossible just a decade ago. India's tropical climate is conducive to the survival and spread of the disease. Meanwhile, India's dense, ethnically and linguistically diverse population made it difficult for the government to reach its most at-risk citizens. So, even as the government eliminated the disease from much of the country over the past 15 years, polio hotbeds stubbornly remained.

That India is free of wild polio today is a testament to the commitment of the Indian government. It invested more than $1 billion over the last decade and collaborated with community leaders, health workers, businesses, and parents to fight the disease. The success is also the product of an international partnership that brought together governments, including the United States, Japan, and Norway; nongovernmental organizations, such as Rotary International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and multilateral agencies, namely, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund.

I saw the fruits of that partnership firsthand in January, when I traveled to New Delhi as part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services delegation.

I saw the fruits of that partnership firsthand in January, when I traveled to New Delhi as part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services delegation. We administered polio vaccine drops to children at one of many vaccination sites across India. During each of India's periodic National Immunization days, health workers collectively immunize 175 million children against polio. The victory over the disease in India has saved millions of lives from disability and death. And although the world must remain vigilant against polio to prevent its resurgence, India's success will gradually allow the nation to focus resources and experience on diseases and initiatives.

Beyond the Indian success story, we have made great progress around the globe. In 1988, when the World Health Assembly pledged to eradicate polio, there were more than 350,000 cases worldwide. Last year, there were fewer than 700. Since 1988, the United States has provided polio-endemic countries with critical on-the-ground support. In India, specifically, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials have been working side by side with local colleagues to eradicate the disease.

Today, those officials and global health experts collaborate on the design and maintenance of highly effective polio surveillance systems. These disease detectives work with government and other partners to investigate outbreaks and stop their spread. And at CDC headquarters, polio experts help analyze and interpret the latest information on the virus, monitor progress toward eradication, and use this information to help those on the ground adjust their strategies. But challenges remain. Currently, there are three polio-endemic countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. And three other countries that were once polio-free -- Angola, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- have seen a return of the virus in recent years.

In May, the WHO's executive board will ask its member countries' ministers of health to declare the upsurge a global public health emergency that requires urgent, additional measures. For polio-affected countries, this would mean full implementation of current and new eradication strategies, enhanced national oversight, and greater vigilance and support from around the world.

The CDC, too, recently activated its emergency operations center for polio activities, and agencies across the U.S. government will continue working with partners around the world to implement mass polio vaccination campaigns. They will support improved surveillance, community mobilization, and quality evaluation, while holding partners to the highest levels of accountability.

The world is a small place. When people, goods, and microbes can move around the world in a matter of hours, a health threat anywhere is a health threat everywhere. Eradicating polio not only means saving countless children and families and tens of billions of dollars in treatment and care, it also represents new opportunity and growth for entire communities and countries. When one nation eradicates polio, it is a victory for the entire world.

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