~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (5)

Delivering a baby was already risky, but an unprecedented surge in gang violence has forced clinics and hospitals to closeThe worst fears of midwives at Heartline Haiti were realised last week. As they prepared the maternity clinic for patients that evening, armed men laid siege to their neighbourhood in eastern Port-au-Prince, spraying bullets at police and rival gangs, setting cars on fire and ransacking...

Researchers find that in low and middle-income countries owning spectacles can help people over 35 can increase their incomeOwning a pair of reading glasses might help people increase their earnings by a third, according to new research.The study, conducted in Bangladesh, is the first to examine the impact of having a decent pair of spectacles, and researchers found monthly median earnings among one group...

The lack of medicine, food and water means thousands of people with asthma, kidney disease or diabetes are unable to treat or control their conditionsFour months of conflict in Gaza is jeopardising the health of thousands of people with chronic illnesses such as kidney disease, diabetes and asthma, doctors have warned.The chronically ill are the hidden casualties of the war, as access to water,...

With no recorded cases since 2017, the archipelago has had a long journey to become free of the disease, which killed 608,000 people globally in 2022Cape Verde has become the fourth country in Africa and the 44th in the world to eliminate malaria.Africa has the highest number of cases of the mosquito-borne disease in the world. In 2022, 94% of the 249 million cases...

Trials are under way for a treatment for newborns and infants, who are often wrongly assumed to have immunity through their mothersWhen Rose Akinyi’s baby, Jayla Joy, would not eat or stop crying one night, she thought her newborn had a stomach upset. She gave her some mild pain medication, but her condition grew worse.“She was burning hot, so I removed her clothes and...