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U.S. is 42nd in the World for Infant Mortality
There’s a problem with today’s health care debate in America. It’s way too focused on health care.
It’s true that the American health care system is on life-support. Priced at nearly $8,000 a year per American, and soon to be 20 percent of our GDP, it’s more expensive by 40-60 percent than health care systems in any other industrial country and totals nearly half the health care budget of the entire world. Yet it leaves 48 million Americans uncovered by health insurance and produces remarkably poor results.
Americans rank 45th in life expectancy, right there with Albania. After age 50, they are nearly twice as likely as western Europeans to suffer from chronic illnesses. Even in the hospital, US patients face unusual dangers. As many as 275,000 of them die each year from “healthcare” itself--errors or infections during treatment. So the system is broken. But fixing it will require a far more holistic approach than has been discussed in the health care debate. There’s a problem with today’s health care debate in America. It’s way too focused on health care. ... more -
Children die in an outsourcing boom
Stories of children's deaths do not shock India too much. Over 2.1 million kids die every year in the country before they reach the ripe age of five, according to a count by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in its State of the World's Children 2008 report. The fate of 49 babies, however, fell in a different category.
They died during clinical trials at New Delhi's All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which it is obligatory for the nation's media to describe as either "premier" or "prestigious," during the last two and a half years. The institute parted with this news in response to a query from a non-profit organization that sought it under a recently enacted law investing the citizen with a "right to information."
The AIIMS pediatrics department conducted 42 sets of trials on 4,142 babies - 2,728 of them below the age of one - since January 1, 2006. As if to soften the impact of the information, the institute added that the deaths amounted to a 1.18 percent mortality rate.
The belated announcement of the unmourned baby deaths has brought to light a major issue that sections of the media and the middle class - busy hailing India's "economic boom" - have preferred to ignore. Can they continue to evade the issue of the outsourcing of clinical trials of drugs and therapies by the US and other Western pharma giants and the outrageous health and human costs of such operations?
The man who has made it a public issue minces no words about the meaning of the cradle deaths - the guinea-pig role reserved for the country's poor in the scheme of things of the elite set on making India a glittering "economic power." Rahul Verma, founder of New Delhi-based Uday Foundation for Congenital Defects and Rare Blood Groups, reiterates that he and his foundation were mainly concerned about the "socioeconomic conditions" of the strata that provided the tender subjects of the clinical trials.
The AIIMS did not answer his question on this count, but Verma points out that the poor of India alone could be tempted by the trials as they could not afford private medical care, while public heath care was in a pathetic state. The institute provided no information about the reasons for the babies' deaths, their ages or their gender, since he had not specifically asked for it.
Talking on the telephone to Truthout, Verma confided that he had named his foundation after his son Uday, suffering from congenital defects and undergoing surgical treatment since his birth just two an a half years ago. "You can watch your father die, but not your child die," said Verma. He cannot watch the children of the poor die, either, only to save research and development costs for some of the world's richest merchants in medicare.
Verma finds particularly "scary" the fact that such a big proportion of the babies were under one year old. It troubles many medical practitioners that the trials of at least two of the drugs involved should be conducted on even the age group of one to 16 years. The drugs - olmesartan and valsartan, meant for reducing blood pressure - have never been tried on patients below age 18, according to Chandra M. Gulhati, editor of the Monthly Index of Medical Specialties.
In a media interview, he asks: "Is hypertension in this age group a problem in India? If yes, what is the incidence and prevalence? If it is not a major problem, why conduct a trial in India and put children at risk without any benefit?"
The AIIMS tragedy has also raised questions afresh about the official moves afoot to make such clinical trials even easier and more common than ever - all as a part, of course, of an Indian economic miracle in the making. Powerful lobbies for local industry have long pleaded for steps to liberalize the trials, arguing that the country's earnings from them could increase tenfold if annoying obstacles were out of the way. The plea has not gone unheeded.***continues*** Stories of children's deaths do not shock India too much. Over 2.1 million kids die every year in the country before they reach t... more -
“If we had roads, cars and clinics in our village… my baby would not have died”
FAIZABAD, Sharifa, 23, was banded on a wooden ladder and taken to a hospital in Faizabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan Province, northeastern Afghanistan, where she gave birth to a stillborn child and was told that she would never have children again.
After Sierra Leone, Afghanistan has the worst maternal mortality rate in the world with 1,600 deaths for every 100,000 live births (at least 24,000 deaths annually), according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Badakhshan has the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the country.
Sharifa told IRIN about the pain she suffered on her way to Faizabad hospital:
"It was my fourth pregnancy but I felt more pain than before. I had delivered my other three children at home and I was expecting to do the same for the fourth.
"But the pain was terrible this time and then I found out that one of my baby's hands had come out of my body! I was in extreme pain after that.
"There is no doctor or clinic in our village [in Yamgan District, about 200km from Faizabad] so my family decided to take me to a clinic in Jurm [District].
"There is no road or car in our area so they wanted to take me by donkey. I couldn't sit on the donkey because my baby's hand was hanging out of me.
"Then I was banded tightly to a wooden ladder and men carried me on their shoulders to the clinic [in Jurm] where doctors said I should be taken to Faizabad hospital.
"In Jurm my husband rented a car to drive us to Faizabad. I don't remember how long we travelled until we reached Faizabad but I remember I was crying out in pain for hours all the way and my face was covered with mud because my tears mixed with road dust as we were driving.
"I fainted before I was brought into Faizabad hospital and when was I resuscitated I was told the baby had already died. It was a boy - a handsome boy - I was told.
"Doctors told me that I’ll never be pregnant again.
"If we had roads, cars and clinics in our village, I would not have suffered that pain and my baby would not have died." FAIZABAD, Sharifa, 23, was banded on a wooden ladder and taken to a hospital in Faizabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan Provinc... more -
CONGO: Government sets sights on infant mortality
The Republic of Congo’s government has launched a nationwide weeklong campaign of action aimed at tackling the country’s high rates of infant, juvenile and maternal mortality.
“I seize this opportunity to fight maternal and infant mortality, my primary concern,” Health and Social Affairs Minister Emilienne Raoul said at the launch of the campaign in the town of Ouesso, some 800 km north of the capital, Brazzzaville.
According to a 2005 demographic and health survey, 781 of every 100,000 births resulted in the death of the mother. The same survey showed the infant and juvenile mortality rates to be 75 and 117 per thousand respectively. The survey also showed that there had been no improvement in these indicators since 1990.
Across the country during the week of action, impregnated bed nets are to be distributed, while children are to be treated for parasites, given vitamin A supplements and pregnant mothers given birth kits.
The government used the occasion of the week of action to give birth certificates to 2,012 as yet unregistered children in indigenous communities.
“Our children have this right because they are citizens just like the Bantu,” said Paul Ngama, head of one such family.
Indigenous communities, sometimes referred to as Pygmies, account for about 10 percent of Congo’s three million inhabitants. The Republic of Congo’s government has launched a nationwide weeklong campaign of action aimed at tackling the country’s high rates of... more -
Kids Having Babies | American News Project
Teen pregnancy is on the rise in America for the first time since 1991. One in three teenage girls in the US becomes pregnant. Recent media hype and movies like Juno give teen pregnancy a certain kind of treatment. ANP went to one health center in the Northeast of Washington, DC to explore the real thing. Teen pregnancy is on the rise in America for the first time since 1991. One in three teenage girls in the US becomes pregnant. Recent ... more
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The worlds children
10 Facts about Children in the world
Fact 1
A child's risk of dying is highest in the first month of life, when safe childbirth and effective neonatal care are essential. Preterm birth, birth asphyxia and infections cause most newborn deaths. Once children have reached one month of age, and up until the age of five years, the main causes of loss of life are pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles and HIV. Malnutrition contributes to more than half of all child deaths.
Fact 2
Newborn life is fragile. Almost four million children die every year within a month of their birth. Health risks to newborns are minimized by:
* quality care during pregnancy,
* safe delivery by a skilled birth attendant, and
* strong neonatal care: immediate attention to breathing and warmth, hygienic cord and skin care, and exclusive breastfeeding.
Fact 3
Pneumonia is the largest single cause of death in children under five years of age. Out of 154 million cases each year, nearly three-quarters occur in just 15 countries. Addressing the major risk factors for the illness - malnutrition and indoor air pollution - is essential to prevention, along with vaccination. Antibiotics and oxygen are vital treatment tools.
Fact 4
Diarrhoeal diseases are a leading cause of sickness and death among children in developing countries. Exclusive breastfeeding helps prevent diarrhoea among young children. Treatment for sick children with Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) and zinc supplements is safe, cost-effective and saves lives. The lives of more than 50 million children have been saved in the last 25 years as a result of ORS.
Fact 5
Every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria in Africa. It is the leading cause of death in that region among under-fives. Insecticide-treated nets prevent transmission and increase child survival. Early treatment with anti-malarial medication saves lives.
Fact 6
Over 90% of children with HIV are infected through mother-to-child transmission, which is preventable with the use of antiretrovirals, as well as safer delivery and feeding practices. An estimated 2.3 million children under 15 years of age are living with HIV, and every day more than 1400 are newly infected. Without intervention, more than half of all HIV-infected children die before their second birthday. Antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected children greatly improves survival rates and quality of life.
Fact 7
About 20 million children under five worldwide are severely malnourished, which leaves them more vulnerable to illness and early death. Around three-quarters of these children can be treated with "ready-to-use therapeutic foods". These highly fortified and energy-rich foods provide ample nutrients for malnourished children aged over six months to be treated at home. They need no refrigeration, and can be used even where hygiene conditions are not ideal.
Fact 8
Child survival rates differ significantly around the world - three-quarters of child deaths occur in Africa and South-East Asia. Within countries, child mortality is higher in rural areas, and among poorer and less educated families.
Fact 9
Child health is improving, but serious challenges remain to achieve global goals to reduce deaths. Still, about two-thirds of child deaths are preventable through access to practical, low-cost interventions, and effective primary care up to five years of age. Stronger health systems are crucial for improving access to care and prevention.
Fact 10
Greater investment is key to achieving the target of Millennium Development Goal 4: to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds by 2015. Public and private partners must come together to fill the gap - estimated at around US$ 50 billion - in order to meet this ambitious, but achievable, goal. The launch of the International Health Partnership, the related Global Campaign for the Health MDGs, and several large bilateral donor pledges in recent months are important steps in the right direction. 10 Facts about Children in the world Fact 1 ... more -
Why Navajos oppose desert rock power plant and everyone should fight mercury pollu...
Hear, see and read why every one should do something to stop mercury pollution from coal-fired electric plants and oppose the new $2 billion dollar Desert Rock Power Plant proposed for the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners area of the United States.
Make sure to click the link to OneEarthBlog for a more in depth exploration of this crucial issue, the impact of mercury pollution on the environment and the human brain, the scientific explanation of the causal connection between neuro-toxins like mercury and autism and other neurological disease, as well as solutions and calls to paradigm changes to change values to survive by indigenous leaders.
We've included videos of Dine leaders, scientist experts on neuro-toxins and the brain, Winona LaDuke speaking in Shiprock against Desert Rock Power Plant and about how much renewable energy the $2 billion dollar cost of the plant could bring the Four Corners.
There are links to government reports on how the Four Corners area was just named the biggest air polluter in the country, worse than our major cities New York, Chicago and LA. And information about how mercury emissions have increased and how mercury affects the environment and human health.
Watch the video of Jenny McCarthy where she explains how she discovered that mercury in vaccines and the environment caused her son's autism, and how she helped him, and today, he no longer fits the definition of autism.
Make sure to get to the bottom of the blog, so you don't miss the video of the elders talking about the paradigm shift we need back to indigenous thinking so human beings are brought back into balance with the earth. Onondaga Faithkeeper and Chief Oren Lyons talks about how we need value change for survival. "You've got to make the decisions for the seventh generation. That's not just a casual term, that's a real instruction for survival."
Indian leaders and grandmothers know from our oral traditions that this is not the first time in America that the actions of human beings have threatened our environment. There are many stories in our traditions that explain how people faced crisis when their actions were out of harmony with natural law. eg the Navajo emergence story.
Our indigenous leaders have lots to teach all Americans and world citizens about how to live in balance on the earth without destroying our home.
Spread the word.
From TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog for Earth Day 2008. Hear, see and read why every one should do something to stop mercury pollution from coal-fired electric plants and oppose the new $2 b... more -
YouTube - Shocking Infant Mortality Rates in Woonsocket
Infant mortality rates doubled in my hometown Woonsocket, Rhode Island from 2001 to 2005. Woonsocket has the second highest rate of infant death and child abuse in Rhode Island.
Child abuse is double other cities in R.I.
Still, in the fall of 2005 when my book about child abuse and domestic violence growing up in Woonsocket was banned at the Woonsocket Harris Public Library, there was no press coverage by the Woonsocket Call or local or national media.
Child abuse and domestic violence increase when people who tell their stories are silenced.
IT STOPS WITH ME: MEMOIR OF A CANNUCK GIRL speaks for the children who have no one to hear them.
"How did it get to the point where men and women are at war, and their children are the swords they wield against each other? It is not just about my family and my ancestry. I don't know when it started, but I do know where it is ending. It is stopping right here with me. I choose a different legacy for my children to pass generation to generation. I was not the first girl to be abused in my family. But I will be the first to say, c'est fini. No more. It stops here with me." Last paragraph from "It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Cannuck Girl" (2004). Infant mortality rates doubled in my hometown Woonsocket, Rhode Island from 2001 to 2005. Woonsocket has the second highest rate of in... more -
Ekizibu - a short film about midwives in Uganda
Ekizibu means 'an issue' in Swahili Luganda.
I heard the midwives say, 'it's an issue,' a lot while I was shooting this film.
This short film exposes the issues midwives deal with everyday in Uganda, including communication and transportation, electricity, clean water and lack of supplies.
From mud huts to small health centers to busy district hospitals, these midwives work on the frontline in the fight of maternal health care. In Uganda the maternal mortality rate is 1 in 16, in America it is 1 in 4000. Ekizibu means 'an issue' in Swahili Luganda. ... more -
SICKO now available on DVD
Our current system is not working. Michael Moore hits another home run with his latest movie, SICKO. An absolute must see. Although I already downloaded this from the internet, I'm ordering my official copy today, to show my support for Michael Moore. Michael Moore is one of my heroes. I still can't believe Farenheight 911 didn't win an Academy Award. It was too real for people, so they had to focus on Michael's opinions presented in the movie and say, "see he's just biased!"
Focus on the facts?, oh no, let's focus on the movie makers opinion.
SICKO, like Fahrenheit 911, is ironclad, but attack away you "Richie Riches" and cronies. Our current system is not working. Michael Moore hits another home run with his latest movie, SICKO. An absolute must see. Although... more
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Infant Mortality
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Infant Mortality
