Astronomers found a star that appeared to be orbiting nothing at all – but it’s actually the closest black hole ever at just 1000 light years away
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New research from the Global Maternal Sepsis Study (GLOSS), a major WHO/HRP initiative, shows that infection has a much larger impact on global maternal mortality and morbidity than previously thought.
The
results from GLOSS, published in The Lancet Global Health, are the first to provide data on frequency of maternal infections and
sepsis across the pregnancy and post-pregnancy period, in a large number of health facilities around the world.
Around 11 women per 1000 live births had an infection which resulted in or contributed to what is known as a severe maternal outcome – either they died or nearly died – during their hospitalization.
Urgent improvement is needed to manage this life-threatening risk faced by all pregnant and recently pregnant women, wherever they are in the world.
Maternal sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs during pregnancy, child-birth, post-abortion or the postpartum period.
The latest global estimates place sepsis due to obstetric infections as the third most common cause of maternal mortality. However, this only includes infections as a direct result of pregnancy, such as endometritis or post-caesarean wound infections.
Few
previous studies include post-abortion infections. Neither do they address indirect infections such as respiratory and meningitis, which are aggravated by pregnancy but not directly caused by it.
GLOSS was a massive facility-based data collection effort led by WHO, accompanied by a ‘STOP SEPSIS!’ campaign to increase awareness among healthcare providers.
The study gathered data on women who were admitted with suspected or confirmed infection during pregnancy or post-pregnancy over a one-week period in 2017. More than 2800 women participated in the study in 52 countries.
GLOSS included healthcare facilities that care for women during pregnancy, childbirth or at the end of pregnancy, as well as facilities without maternity service but where women could be hospitalized during or after pregnancy, and data on infections
which are not usually recorded as maternal sepsis, including post-abortion and indirect infections.
The result is a more complete understanding of the frequency and impact of maternal infections in health facilities.
GLOSS calls attention not only to the wider range of risks faced by pregnant women but also to the long period of time during which they are at risk.
Overall, around 70 pregnant or recently-pregnant women per 1000 live births were found to have a maternal infection needing hospital management.
Across the study, 11 women with either direct or indirect infection per 1000 live births developed a severe maternal outcome, but in low- and middle-income countries up to 15 women per 1000 births were affected.
Infections were the underlying cause of most of the deaths recorded during the study, primarily post-abortion infection and indirect infections. Infections were also present in about a third of deaths attributed to other causes, such as postpartum
haemorrhage.
This suggests that the contribution of infection to global maternal mortality and morbidity may be larger than current reports of maternal sepsis mortality suggest.
Some of the most common maternal infections found in the study, such as urinary tract infections, post-caesarean and post-abortion infections, are largely preventable and treatable.
GLOSS results suggest that current levels of monitoring and clinical care across health facilities are not enough to prevent, identify and treat levels of maternal infection effectively.
For instance, a complete set of vital signs was not reported for a third of the women in the study, on the day their infection was suspected or diagnosed. Delays in antimicrobial therapy were frequent.
GLOSS also shows marked differences across countries, with the highest burden in low- and middle-income countries, compared with high-income countries.
This may reflect the impact of broader health determinants in different country contexts. Challenges of overcrowding, limited access to water and sanitation and constraints to safe births by skilled birth attendants can reduce the ability of healthcare
providers to manage the frequency and outcome of maternal infections.
GLOSS gives healthcare providers, policy-makers, and the public at large an opportunity: to mobilise around these data improve evidence-based practice, and save lives.
WHO has produced a number of resources which can support timely action to prevent, diagnose and treat maternal infection, as well as activities such as the upcoming SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign
on 5 May which celebrates the central role played by nurses and midwives in clean health care.
In addition, WHO will publish a global sepsis epidemiology report around the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) in May, as requested in the
2017
WHA Resolution on Improving the prevention, diagnosis and clinical managementof sepsis.
Understanding why and how infection affects women is essential for equipping healthcare providers with life-saving knowledge and enabling health care systems to bring down global maternal mortality and morbidity.
WHO recommendations for prevention and treatment of maternal peripartum infections
WHO Clinical practice handbook for safe abortion
Global guidelines on the prevention of surgical site infection
WHO statement on maternal sepsis
Infection Prevention and Control
SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands 5 May 2020
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) is right here to show us a lesson; I hope we be taught. Nigeria’s healthcare is unhealthy. But as an alternative of fixing it our rulers have been busy flying up and down to profit from different nation’s productive well being system. With Coronavirus, actuality is upon us. No extra operating abroad for medical trip. Our rulers can’t journey to the United Kingdom, United States of America or India anymore for medical care. These nations are additionally hanging on their final breath, battling to outlive the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari spent 103 days in London receiving medical therapy for an undisclosed sickness, spending taxpayers’ cash as an alternative of investing within the nation’s healthcare. Thousands of Nigerians died in the identical interval from totally different sicknesses. More than 3,000 girls died of breast most cancers, greater than 2,000 girls died of cervical most cancers and greater than 1,500 males died of prostate most cancers, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) figures on annual most cancers mortality.
I had hoped that on his return to Nigeria, President Buhari would declare a state of emergency within the nation’s well being sector. Painfully, nothing of such occurred. Nigeria’s funds allocation to healthcare has remained lower than 5% of the whole funds for the previous 5 years. Simply put, in 2020 the federal authorities budgeted N2,000 (£4.2) for every Nigerian with a complete of N427.Three billion as funds allocation to the well being sector whereas the United Kingdom budgeted £2,159.6 for every citizen with a complete well being funds of £143.4billion. It is similar dismal story within the states throughout Nigeria. Healthcare isn’t a precedence. In some states in Nigeria, a hospital is a 20-minute boat journey and an hour-long automobile journey. Because many poor Nigerians don’t personal boats, a girl in labour may bleed to loss of life earlier than she reaches the hospital.
On March 22, 2018, Bill Gates, founding father of Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, criticized Nigerian authorities’s poor funding of healthcare within the nation. In his phrases, “One in three children is chronically malnourished.” This tragedy has large implications for the economic system. According to the World Bank, addressing the stunting disaster in Nigeria would add virtually $30 billion to Nigeria’s GDP. It is painful that regardless of Mr. Gates assertion, nothing has modified. Nigeria has remained one of many nations on this planet with the worst healthcare system with over 60 deaths per 1000 stay births. Nigeria has one of many worst most cancers survival charges on this planet, with solely 2 to three most cancers radiotherapy machines working at any time and fewer than 70 oncologists for a inhabitants of over 200 million.
COVID-19 is exposing the insensitivity of our leaders to issues that matter most to us. That Nigerians are disobeying the federal government’s security recommendation on COVID-19 is a transparent reflection of residents’ distrust for his or her leaders. Many Nigerians belief their non secular leaders greater than they belief our political leaders. Successive governments have failed the nation, and it doesn’t appear like factor will change anytime quickly.
Nigeria is a rustic the place our rulers make legal guidelines as we speak and break the identical legal guidelines tomorrow. The Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline and strongly inspired all Nigerians coming from sure nations to self-isolate and monitor themselves, as a method to comprise or to delay the unfold of COVID-19. The president’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, returned from Germany and as an alternative of isolating himself he was leaping from one state to a different, attending occasions and conferences with totally different folks, breaching the federal government’s personal advice and inserting the lives of different Nigerians in danger!
Now that COVID-19 is in Nigeria we have to face it with all that we’ve. But can we? The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is now the nation’s solely perceived hope. Many Nigerians have been calling NCDC scorching traces, criticizing NCDC for not testing sufficient folks. But we must always face the music and never the dancer. NCDC is crippled and never effectively outfitted to guard Nigerians from the illness.
In 2016, NCDC budgeted N3.7m for its recurrent and N248m for capital allocations. That is a complete of N251.7m. Out of this, solely N155m was launched to the centre. In the identical 12 months, 1,166 Nigerians died of Cerebrospinal Meningitis. In 2017, the NCDC had a funds of N1.5b. Only N782m was launched. In the identical 12 months, greater than 120 Nigerians contracted Monkeypox and 7 folks died from the illness. That identical 12 months, the Presidency budgeted N77m for Aso Rock lease, N1b for journeys and sitting allowances, and N94m for meals. In 2018, the NCDC had a funds of N1.9b. Only N654m was launched. In the identical 12 months, N7.2b was proposed for Presidential Air Fleet. N440m was proposed for necessary improve and set up of stay TV and web service within the presidential aircrafts, N375m for brand spanking new cabin administration, N418m for the touchdown gears. In whole, over N1b was budgeted for the presidential aircrafts which is used for medical tourism and frequent journeys overseas.
On November 12, 2018, the NCDC institution invoice was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, because of the efforts of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, the then Chair, Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases. On this premise, the NCDC was empowered with a laws for its work in stopping and making ready for outbreaks of infectious illnesses. Interestingly, the NCDC acquired the worst funds in 2019, the 12 months following the passage of the NCDC Act. The Centre had a funds of N1.4b, however solely N224m was launched. In the identical 12 months, over 472 Nigerians have been identified with Lassa fever and over 110 folks died from this viral hemorrhagic fever. Clearly, NCDC can’t carry out magic. They need assistance. Nigeria is grossly under-testing for COVID-19, the laboratories usually are not sufficient, and NCDC and its affiliate businesses wouldn’t have sufficient manpower and sources.
Months in the past, being unwell evoked empathy; as we speak being unwell evokes concern. The concern of COVID-19? No! It is the concern of not gaining access to the care that you just want, the concern of absence of ventilators, the concern of a damaged well being system. It is the concern of loss of life. Our political leaders have stolen from the sick by corruption. Many Nigerian governors construct non-functional hospitals of their states. Usually, after the commissioning of those hospitals, all of the CT Scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and different medical machines—a few of them faux—are returned to the place they have been bought or left to rot.
Hospitals in Nigeria are among the worst on this planet. Our educating hospitals at the moment are museums the place lower than 5% of medical trial and analysis is occurring due to poor laboratory. Medical tourism has due to this fact grow to be the norm. Dubai hospitals, Saudi Arabian hospitals, and so on., are promoting in Abuja and Lagos for Nigerian sufferers. They are recruiting Nigerian docs, together with consultants. Nigeria isn’t solely going through “brain drain,” we’re additionally going through “patient drain.” Our docs and nurses work within the worst situations. Hazard allowance for well being staff is about N5,000 whereas wardrobe allowance for members of the National Assembly runs into hundreds of thousands.
Now is the time for Nigeria to confront its healthcare disaster. The Nigerian authorities should settle for its failure. Our political leaders should brace as much as their duty and critically replicate on the issue their greed has delivered to Nigeria. This is the time to put money into a result-oriented healthcare system. Health is wealth because the saying goes. healthcare system is the muse of any nation.
If we survive COVID-19, we have to contemplate a legislation to limit all public officers from searching for medical care overseas. It could also be perceived as strict, however it can save future generations since we don’t know which pandemic would come subsequent and when.
Let’s give each Nigerian an area to stay and a not probability to die.
Runcie C.W. Chidebe is Executive Director, Project PINK BLUE. He is at the moment a Commonwealth Scholar on Transforming and Leading in Health Care at Birmingham City University, United Kingdom. He tweets @runciecwc
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PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pix) immediately visited the Economic Stimulus Implementation & Coordination Unit Between National Agencies (Laksana) on the Ministry of Finance right here to watch the implementation of the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (Prihatin) introduced final Friday.
Muhyiddin stated Laksana is accountable for making certain the initiatives price RM250 billion introduced beneath Prihatin package is effectively carried out.
“I understand the allocation channels to register taxi drivers and tour guides would be carried out starting today.
“I hope the registration and review process for Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) would proceed smoothly,” he stated.
During the go to, Muhyiddin was briefed by the National Budget Office director cum Laksana unit head Johan Mahmood Merican on the operation of Prihatin implementation.
Laksana was established on March 16 to watch the implementation of the Economic Stimulus Package 2020 (PRE).
Laksana has been tasked with the preparation of periodic experiences on the standing of implementation and achievement of initiatives referring to PRE to the Economic Action Council chaired by the Prime Minister.
Also current within the go to had been Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz; International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Ahmad Badri Mohd Zahri.
Members of the general public can enquire about PRIHATIN with the Finance Ministry at 03-8882 9089, 03-8882 9087, 03-8882 9191, 03-8882 4565, 03-8882 4566 (workplace hours) or electronic mail to : bsh@treasury.gov.my pre2020@treasury.gov.my or telegram: PRE PRIHATIN or through Finance Ministry Facebook.
The folks also can contact the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) at 1-800 882 747 or 03-8911 1000 for enquiries.
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Inside a mountain in the Arctic, Microsoft is building a backup of open-source software that it says will keep the code safe for 1000 years
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PUTRAJAYA: Households and single individuals who have been listed as the Cost of Living Aid (BSH) recipients do not need to make a new application for the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) cash handouts.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) in a statement today said the BPN payments would be made directly to them through their bank accounts registered under BSH.
“Households earning RM4,000 or less will get BPN of RM1,600 while singles earning RM2,000 or less will receive BPN of RM800.
For households earning between RM4,001 and RM8,000 and singles earning between RM2,001 and RM4,000 who are registered taxpayers under the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN), MOF said they also do not need to make a new application for BPN.
BPN payments of RM1,000 for households and RM500 for eligible individuals under the category will be made directly to them through their bank accounts registered with LHDN, it added.
For those who have not yet registered, new applications can be made starting April 1 via LHDN’s website at www.hasil.gov.my, it said.
“The ministry wishes to remind the public to be wary of scammers who have become emboldened by the opportunity to commit fraud against those who need such assistance.
“Recipients are advised to refer to official sources and not to disclose any personal information to any third party,” it said.
For more information, the public can contact the MOF at 03-8882 9089/ 03-8882 9087/ 03-8882 9191/ 03-8882 4565/ 03-8882 4566 from 9am to 5pm (Sunday to Friday), through email at bsh@treasury.gov.my/ pre2020@treasury.gov.my or Telegram application PRE Prihatin or the MOF official Facebook page.
Enquiries can also be forwarded to LHDN via calls from 9am to 5pm (Sunday to Friday) at 1-800 882 747 or 03-8911 1000. – Bernama
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KUALA LUMPUR: Some 1,000 homeless people in the capital will be placed at three National Service Training Programme (PLKN) camps during the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) in the country.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan (pix) said the identified camps are in Kuala Kubu Baru, Semenyih and Sepang.
“We are aware that they don’t have a place to stay during the implementation of the MCO, that is why we are taking this proactive measure.
“They will be screened and placed at the respective camps based on their health status and citizenship,” he told Bernama today.
He said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) was currently making necessary preparations before carrying out the plan, to be assisted by the Royal Malaysia Police, National Anti-Drugs Agency and other related agencies.
The MCO, which began nationwide on March 18 to curb the spread of Covid-19, is effective until April 14. — Bernama
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JOHOR BARU: The Ministry of Health (MOH) will station 1,000 housemen at government hospitals nationwide to help smoothen the day-to-day operations following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba (pix) said all the trainee doctors would undergo a five-day induction training starting from Monday including handling of Covid-19 elements.
Their immediate stationing at the hospitals is to relieve the burden of existing doctors who are focusing their attention on Covid-19 cases.
“They (trainees) have to undergo an induction course and we (MOH) will provide them with skills pertaining to Covid-19 elements before they enter the MOH system,“ he told reporters after hearing a briefing on the Covid-19 situation at Permai Hospital, here, today.
Also present were Johor Health and Environment Committee Chairman R. Vidyananthan and Johor Health Director Dr Aman Rabu.
On the tabligh members who attended a gathering at the Sri Petaling Jamek Mosque, Kuala Lumpur, from Feb 27 to March 1, he said 508 participants from the state who attended the programme had volunteered to have health checks on Covid-19.
“Ninety-four patients were treated at the Permai Hospital with 21 of them positive for Covid-19.
“There are 73 others who are Persons Under Investigation (PUI) for Covid-19 including 13 who are tabligh members who had attended the gathering,“ he said, calling on those who had attended the gathering to volunteer for health examination.
At the same time, the Tenggara Member of Parliament called on the public to respect the government’s decision that all gatherings including international meetings, sports, social and religious events be postponed or canceled accordingly until April 30.
“Concerning the limit of a mass gathering, we have heard the Prime Minister’s (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) message that there should be no gathering in the current situation, I urge the people not to hold a public gathering of more than 50 people at any one time,“ he said, advising the public to practice good hygiene. especially washing their hands.
At the same time, he said MOH also urged private hospitals to limit visiting hours as done in government hospitals to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection.
“We have called for the co-operation of private hospitals to be more stringent in this regard and, the latest, we have reached an understanding with private hospital in dealing with Covid-19,“ he said. — Bernama
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This Medical Product Alert relates to a series of confirmed falsified antimalarials circulating in West and Central Africa. Medicines subject of this alert display a similar logo to the outdated
WHO Essential Drugs Programme logo.
Since 2013, different falsified medicines, all displaying the outdated WHO Essential Drugs Programme logo, have been reported to the WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring System by various stakeholders. The continued and widespread availability of these falsified medicines highlights a strong need for additional vigilance. WHO previously published two alerts on this issue (No.132 in Oct 2014, and No.131 in March 2014)
This WHO medical product alert N°1/2020 refers to falsified Quinine Sulphate 300mg presented in six different combinations of batch numbers, expiry and manufacturing dates (see Table 1). The fraudulent use of the outdated WHO Essential Drugs Programme logo may create a false sense of product quality.
Table 1: List of identified falsified Quinine Sulphate 300mg, subject of WHO Alert N°1/2020
Recently received results of analysed samples show they do not contain any of the expected active ingredients.
Quinine sulphate is referenced on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, to manage and treat severe malaria. At this stage, no adverse reactions attributed to these falsified products have been reported to WHO.
All the above falsified products claim to be manufactured by REMEDICA LTD – Cyprus and to contain 300mg of quinine sulphate. Remedica Ltd has confirmed that:
These falsified medicines display the following common characteristics (please see photographs):
Product details, photographs and advice to the public are available on the following pages.
1. Falsified
Quinine Sulphate Tablets B.P 300mg identified
in Chad (Batch 44680)
WHO requests increased vigilance within the supply chains of countries likely to be affected by these falsified products. Increased vigilance should include hospitals, clinics, health centres, wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies and any other suppliers of medical products.
If you are in possession of the above products, please do not use. If you have used these falsified products, or if you suffer an adverse event having used these products, please seek immediate advice from a qualified healthcare professional, and ensure they report the incident to your local Ministry of Health/National Medicines Regulatory Authorities/National Pharmacovigilance Centre.
All medical products must be obtained from authentic and reliable sources. Their authenticity and condition should be carefully checked. Seek advice from a healthcare professional in case of doubt.
National health authorities are asked to immediately notify WHO if these falsified products are discovered in their country. If you have any information concerning the manufacture, distribution, or supply of these products, please contact rapidalert@who.int .
For further information, please visit our website: www.who.int/medicines/regulation/ssffc/en/
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Remarks by Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, World Health Organization Assistant Director-General, Emergency Response
Good afternoon.
I hope that your busy week was interrupted, like mine, with a moment of joy on Tuesday.
That moment was the celebration of a woman being discharged from an Ebola treatment centre in Beni. Her name is Masiko.
She was the last person in the Democratic Republic of the Congo confirmed to have Ebola.
Health workers and other responders sacrificed a lot to get to this point.
Since the outbreak was declared in August 2018 there have been 420 attacks on health facilities in DRC, resulting in 11 deaths and 86 injuries among health care workers and patients.
It’s been a huge amount of work. At the peak of the outbreak, more than 120 cases were being reported each week. 28 health zones were affected, with cases appearing 1200 kilometres apart. In response:
This work is continuing. The outbreak isn’t over. WHO recommends waiting two full incubation periods – that’s 42 days – after the last person tests negative a second time before declaring the end of the outbreak.
We must stay in active response mode to get us over that finish line.
We have to be prepared for other cases emerging. It’s is a very real risk.
Remember that during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa flare-ups of new cases occurred after the end of the outbreak.
There are four reasons why new cases may emerge during this 42-day period, or even after the end of the outbreak.
This is why it’s critical to maintain surveillance and rapid response capacities.
And that’s what we are doing. We’re still in full response mode.
In addition to the activities I already mentioned, I have to underline how critical it is to continue supporting the Survivor Programme, which provides follow-up care for almost all of the 1169 survivors in 26 health areas in North Kivu and Ituri. The programme also helps reduce the risks of re-introduction events.
We need to continue this work until the end of the outbreak, to keep the capacity in place to rapidly respond to flare-ups, to keep supporting survivors after the outbreak, and to transition the capacities built in this response toward building a stronger health system.
But to be very frank, right now the world risks dropping the baton at the finish line. WHO faces an immediate US $20 million funding gap. If no new resources are received, we will run out of money before the end of the outbreak.
We appreciate the generosity of donors who have supported the response since August 2018. Now we need to get over the finish line. WHO is calling on the international community to help us end this outbreak, and keep our promises to communities to build a stronger health system.
If we are forced to scale back operations because of a lack of funds, and then a new case emerges, we might not have the people and resources on the ground that we need to shut down transmission quickly. Just a single case could re-ignite the epidemic.
That would be a tragedy. An avoidable tragedy.
It is important that the global community doesn’t only focus efforts when there is an immediate threat, then walk away when the threat subsides.
The health system has to be strong to stop much more than Ebola. It has to stop malaria, measles, cholera, and now COVID-19.
There is a lot more work to do.
Thank you.
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