Although the introduction of bed nets treated with insecticide produced a measurable drop in malaria cases in Africa and reduced deaths from the disease by up to one million, the nets may provide little defense against a new species of mosquitos that carry malaria. The newly-discovered species targets people earlier in the evening, before they retire at night under the protection of bed nets. New or Rare Species? Researchers in Kenya and Benin collected hundreds of mosquitos in outdoor and

Although Sierra Leone is currently experiencing a downward trend in the prevalence of cholera, international aid agencies caution against complacency and stress the need for continued vigilance. According to the UNHCO, 273 deaths from the disease have been confirmed in Sierra Leone, and 18,919 cases have been reported within the country. Today, Sierra Leone suffers from the most widespread outbreak of cholera since the disease’s pandemic first struck the country in 1970. Since its peak of 2,100 new cases of

According to new data released by UNHCO, the UN Population Division, the World Bank and UNICEF, the rate of reducing child fatalities has grown significantly since 2000. Lower Mortality Rates Around the World In 1990, approximately 12 million children died before the age of five. By 2011, that number was reduced to an estimated seven million. In the last twenty years, child mortality rates have been reduced in every region of the world. In certain parts of the globe, including

Every year, approximately one in ten babies are born prematurely. Many of these babies suffer from lifelong neurological, physical or educational disabilities, and more than one million die shortly after birth. Approximately 75 percent of premature babies who die could live if certain inexpensive but effective treatment and prevention options were available around the world.