WFP Forced To Scale Back Food Rations In DRC March 4, 2014 News Summary U.N. News Centre: DR Congo: funding gap forces U.N. agency to scale back food rations “The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced [Friday] that a major funding gap is forcing the agency to scale back geographical coverage of its work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and…
U.N. Expert Calls For Compensation For Haiti Cholera Victims March 4, 2014 News Summary BBC News: Senior U.N. expert calls for Haiti cholera compensation “A U.N.-appointed expert has publicly disagreed with the world body and called for ‘full compensation’ for the victims of a cholera epidemic in Haiti…” (3/2).
WHO Activates New Cholera Vaccine Stockpile In South Sudan March 4, 2014 News Summary Reuters: Q&A with WHO: Cholera vaccine stockpile — a new tool to avoid needless suffering “The World Health Organization (WHO) has activated for the first time a new cholera vaccine emergency stockpile to protect hundreds of thousands displaced by conflict in South Sudan and living in temporary camps. Although there…
Confusion Surrounds Myanmar Government’s Expulsion Of, Then Reversal On MSF Operations March 4, 2014 News Summary The government of Myanmar on Thursday called on Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, to cease its health care operations in the country, but then allowed the group to continue its activities except in Rakhine state, where a majority of a Muslim minority group live. Agence…
Aid Cuts To Uganda Will Not Affect Maternal, Child Health Program, Official Says March 4, 2014 News Summary News outlets continue to report on reaction to and implications of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Law. Associated Press/Washington Post: Aid cuts, delays hit Uganda’s poor health sector “The health project in Uganda for which the World Bank is delaying a loan does not face an immediate shortage of money, an official said…
Malaria Cases Decline But Many Still At Risk March 4, 2014 News Summary News outlets report on continued efforts to eliminate malaria in Asia and Africa. While the number of deaths due to malaria declines, many are still at risk of the disease. IRIN: Malaria fight sees decade of progress, with pitfalls ahead “A lot can change in a decade … the field…
Most Southern African Countries Will Miss MDG Targets For Water, Sanitation, Report Says March 4, 2014 News Summary News outlets highlight a new report (.pdf) from WaterAid examining Southern African countries’ progress on water and sanitation goals. The Guardian: Southern African leaders fail to prioritize water and sanitation “The majority of Southern Africans are living in an ‘unrelenting struggle against sanitation and water poverty,’ according to a new…
WHO Calls On Governments To Invest In Hearing Care March 4, 2014 News Summary U.N. News Centre: U.N. health agency calls on countries to invest in prevention and care for hearing loss “The United Nations health agency is calling on governments to invest in hearing care, as a new survey finds that many countries lack the capacity to prevent and care for hearing loss,…
UNFPA Official Promotes Development Focus On Adolescent Girls In Interview March 4, 2014 News Summary Inter Press Service: Q&A: The Face of the Future is an Adolescent Girl “‘The future is today aged 10 and it’s an adolescent girl,’ Kate Gilmore, deputy executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said in an interview with IPS in Johannesburg. Gilmore discussed the impact on African…
10M Children In Middle East To Receive Polio Vaccination, U.N. Says March 4, 2014 News Summary Agence France-Presse: 10 million children in Mideast to get polio vaccine: U.N. “Millions of children in the Middle East will be vaccinated against polio this month after the crippling disease resurfaced in conflict-hit Syria, the United Nations said Sunday…” (3/2).