The overall global maternal mortality rate (MMR) may be dropping, but the decline is slowed in part by a surprising rise in rates in the developed world. In the United States, the rate of mothers dying from complications in pregnancy and birth is increasing. The rate seems inconsistent with modern medical and technological advances. Maternal
According to a 2015 World Health Organization report, a mother dies from pregnancy-related complications every 104 seconds. Each time a mother dies, her baby — and even some of her other children — often die as well.
Of the 830 daily global maternal estimated deaths in 2015, 550 or so happened in sub-Saharan Africa, 180 in
Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace ends January 31 for 2016 coverage. A growing number of people shop for their health insurance coverage during the last months of the year using the Health Insurance Marketplace or a state-based insurance exchange. Unfortunately, many of the people who are eligible for financial assistance through the Affordable
“We as people are not defined by the crises that strike our lives; we are defined by how we respond to them.”
The message above is one thought that Raj Panjabi, CEO of Last Mile Health, finds universal. Last Mile Health has sought to bridge the gap between health facilities and remote communities by bringing critical
A natural disaster like a deadly epidemic inflicts tremendous loss of life but does not damage roads, buildings, or the countries material infrastructure. What it does damage is the social infrastructure like government, the economy and businesses. The good news is that those institutions can be revived and even strengthened despite the loss of human
In 2010, malaria killed almost a million people worldwide and still infects about 350 million a year. These are large figures for a disease that is both curable and preventable.
Malaria is one of humanity’s biggest killers, ranking among the five most dreadful illnesses ever experienced, killing more than 150 million in the 20th century, and an
Ebola has been in the news. But much of the news has not offered background information about the disease.
The world may be facing the worst Ebola outbreak ever recorded. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Oct. 15, there have been 8,376 cases and 4,024 people have died. These figures are
War has more casualties than we know.
We learned in September 2013 that an outbreak of the deadly polio virus occurred in Syria. It was the first in that country since 1999. While the world-wide incidence of polio has declined dramatically in the last 25 years, we are actually seeing more cases in some areas. Syria
“Whatever else happens, this child will not be crippled by polio” is just one of the thoughts that go through your mind as you deliver the drops that prevent polio. With that thought and the fact that more than 350,000 cases of polio were diagnosed annually in the world in 1988, Rotary International, a humanitarian
Around the world, on average, 18,000 children under the age of 5 died every day in 2012. While this tragic fact is definitely cause for concern, it may also provide room for optimism. This is only half the number of under-5 deaths compared to 1990. With the global population constantly growing over
