Category: Health

{{Most children in the eastern Africa region are likely to survive if they are born in Rwanda, a new report has revealed.}}

Nearly 70% of women in the country give birth with a skilled healthcare worker present, the report says.

Ethiopia is ranked with the lowest rate in East Africa with just 10% of mothers having access to such care.

Kenya is at 43.8%, Tanzania 48.9 % while Uganda and Burundi both at 60%.

The first day of a child’s life is the most dangerous and too many mothers give birth alone on the floor of their home or in the bush without any life-saving help,” said Janti Soeripto, Interim Regional

Director for Save the Children’s East Africa Regional Office.

According to the report titled Ending Newborn Deaths, high inequalities in access between rural and urban areas, as well as between the richest and poorest families is the main cause of infant mortality.

In Kenya, poor women are four times less likely to have a skilled worker present when giving birth than women from richer households, the survey adds.

The situation is worse in Ethiopia where poor women are twenty times less likely to have this vital support.

Some countries like Uganda have taken measures to make access to healthcare more equitable such as ensuring a minimum package of health services for everyone.

However, the survey notes that “over a quarter of families still do not have a health facility within 5km radius, and attendance rates remain low due to poor infrastructure, inadequate supplies, and health worker shortages.”

“We hear horror stories of mothers walking for hours during labour to find trained help, all too often ending in tragedy,” Mr Soeripto said.

The Children’s Agency says urgent action needs to be taken to reduce newborn mortality rates that account for deaths of more than half of all children under five years.

“The solutions are well-known but need greater political will to give babies a fighting chance of reaching their second day of life,” the director said.

{Africareview}

{{The Government of Rwanda is committed to ensuring that access to high quality healthcare remains a right and not a privilege for citizens, President Paul Kagame has said.}}

Kagame, presently on a visit to the US, was on Thursday addressing leading researchers in the faculty of health at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

“There is one resource you can only impoverish by choice and that is people. If we invest correctly in people, we are as well off as anyone else in the world. It all starts with commitment to avail services to our people,” a statement from the Office of the President quoted him as saying.

Observing that 17 per cent of Rwanda’s national budget is dedicated to health, the President explained that providing quality health services remains a key priority for his government.

During the discussion, Kagame shared Rwanda’s achievements in the health sector over the years, including the “child immunisation rate which is currently at 95 per cent, universal access to anti-retroviral drugs, the continuous decrease of maternal and child mortality and the universal health coverage for Rwandan citizens”.

He emphasised the importance of involving citizens in the progress of the health sector, and singled out the contribution of the country’s community health workers who have played a key role in the sector’s recent achievements.

These volunteers helped decrease malaria rate by 85 per cent between 2003 and 2013.

Also, with more than 80 per cent coverage rate, a nationwide mutual public health scheme, known as Mutuelle de Sante has greatly eased access to health services.

However, the President said the country continued to face the challenge of capacity in the sector, and invited the University of California San Francisco to partner with Rwanda in its bid to address the issue.

Several American Universities and philanthropists are currently partnering with Rwanda in the field of health, including in efforts to build a strong local skills base in the sector over the next couple of years.

The Executive Director of UCSF Global Health Sciences, Jaime Sepulveda, described as “unique” Rwanda’s progress in recent years. “Rwanda is one of the only countries on track to achieve MDG goals. There is no other country in the world that has achieved so much in such a short time.”

Speaking on behalf of the faculty, Founding Executive Director of Global Health Sciences and renowned Eritrean doctor, Dr. Haile Debas, said Rwanda was a model in development. “You have shown the world how a developing African country can become an emerging economy. As an African, I am proud and inspired by your enlightened leadership which convinces me that Africa has a bright future.”

UCSF Global Health Sciences says it is “dedicated to improving health and reducing the burden of disease in the world’s most vulnerable populations”. It works with partners around the world to achieve these objectives.

The roundtable discussion also served as an opportunity for the faculty present to share recent discoveries in the field of prevention of maternal mortality and vaccine preservation.

Dr. Shashi Dhar Buluswar, Executive Director of LBNL Institute of Globally Transformative Technologies, presented portable solar powered fridge aimed at ensuring vaccine preservation at the right temperature aimed at ensuring wider immunization, according to the statement.

Prof. Suellen Miller presented a portable anti-shock garment for hemorrhage that has helped decrease maternal mortality by reducing hemorrhages following child birth.

Later in the day, President Kagame met with leading investors in the field of information technology from Sillicon Valley.

{Newtimes}

{{Rwanda signed (Tuesday) a $204 million (around Rwf138bn) grant with the Global Fund for implementation of the five-year national strategic plan (2013-2018) to curb HIV/Aids through this innovative financing mechanism. }}

The innovative approach is expected to significantly contribute to improve the efficiency of the fight against HIV in Rwanda in terms of increasing impact.

This new approach is designed to allow management of the program that is aligned with existing national systems and strategy, and reduce administrative burden and cost, all this within a harmonized framework that ensures mutual accountability.

At the signing of the agreement, Minister of Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho said the Global Fund, which boosted the confidence and relations between the two parties, registered success under the previous funding mechanisms.

“This is a great approach, it will encourage accountability and result-based performance,” said Dr. Binagwaho, adding that “Rwanda will sustain the universal access to treatment and care, reduce new infections by two-thirds, and halve the number of HIV/Aids related deaths in the next five years.”

It is the first time that the Global Fund is using this approach in an implementing country, and Rwanda has been chosen to pioneer this model, because of its track record of success in the financial management of health programs.

Under the agreement, Rwanda will continue to monitor the achievement of universal access to HIV treatment and care for people living with HIV, and the reduction of new infections for key affected populations. The Global Fund will jointly verify the results with Rwanda.

“The main idea is to empower a high-performing country like Rwanda to further invest for higher impact,” said Dr. Nafsiah Mboi, Chair of the Board of the Global Fund.

“Rwanda is able to apply this approach because it has an outstanding HIV program, a robust HIV and AIDS national strategic plan, and strong financial and monitoring systems.”

The Global Fund will be looking into extending the approach to other countries, and also consider it for tuberculosis and malaria grants in Rwanda.

The grant-signing event coincided with the celebration of the 10-year partnership between the Rwandan Government and Global Fund, which has seen the latter cumulatively grant Rwanda close to $ 900 million.

Source: gov.rw

{{Drinking warm water and lemon every morning has many health benefits. Some of which are:}}

{{Helps digestion}}. Lemon juice flushes out unwanted materials and toxins from the body. It’s atomic composition is similar to saliva and the hydrochloric acid of digestive juices. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that is required for digestion.

{{Cleanses your system}}. Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials in part because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Therefore toxins are released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy. The citric acid in lemons helps maximize enzyme function, which stimulates the liver and aids in detoxification.

{{Boosts your immune system}}. Lemons are high in vitamin C, which is great for fighting colds. They’re high in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function. Potassium also helps control blood pressure.

{{Balances pH levels}}. Lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods for the body. Lemons contain both citric and ascorbic acid, weak acids easily metabolized from the body allowing the mineral content of lemons to help alkalize the blood.

{{Clears Skin}}. The vitamin C component as well as other antioxidants helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes and it helps to combat free radical damage.

{{Energizes you and enhances your mood}}. Lemon is one of the few foods that contain more negative charged ions, providing your body with more energy when it enters the digestive tract. The scent of lemon also has mood enhancing and energizing properties.

{{Promotes healing.}} Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), found in abundance in lemons, promotes wound healing, and is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of healthy bones, connective tissue, and cartilage.

{{Freshens breath.}} Besides fresher breath, lemons have been known to help relieve tooth pain and gingivitis.

{{Hydrates your lymph system}}. Warm water and lemon juice supports the immune system by hydrating and replacing fluids lost by your body.

{{Aids in weight loss}}. Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. Studies have shown people who maintain a more alkaline diet, do in fact lose weight faster.

{{The statement “everything causes cancer” has become a popular hyperbole, and one that some people use as rhetorical fodder to excuse their own dietary and lifestyle failures, particularly as they pertain to cancer risk.}}

But the truth of the matter is that many common food items have, indeed, been scientifically shown to increase cancer risk, and some of them substantially.

Here are 10 of the most unhealthy, cancer-causing foods that you should never eat again:

1) {{Genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). }} It goes without saying that GMOs have no legitimate place in any cancer-free diet, especially now that both GMOs and the chemicals used to grow them have been shown to cause rapid tumor growth.

But GMOs are everywhere, including in most food derivatives made from conventional corn, soybeans, and canola.

However, you can avoid them by sticking with certified organic, certified non-GMO verified, and locally-grown foods that are produced naturally without biotechnology.

2) {{Processed meats. }} Most processed meat products, including lunch meats, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs, contain chemical preservatives that make them appear fresh and appealing, but that can also cause cancer.

Both sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate have been linked to significantly increasing the risk of colon and other forms of cancer, so be sure to choose only uncured meat products made without nitrates, and preferably from grass-fed sources

3) {{Microwave popcorn}}. They might be convenient, but those bags of microwave popcorn are lined with chemicals that are linked to causing not only infertility but also liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes the perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in microwave popcorn bag linings as “likely” carcinogenic, and several independent studies have linked the chemical to causing tumors. Similarly, the diacetyl chemical used in the popcorn itself is linked to causing both lung damage and cancer

4) {{Soda pop.}} Like processed meats, soda pop has been shown to cause cancer as well. Loaded with sugar, food chemicals, and colorings, soda pop acidifies the body and literally feeds cancer cells.

Common soda pop chemicals like caramel color and its derivative 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) have also specifically been linked to causing cancer

5) {{‘Diet’ foods, beverages.}} Even worse than conventional sugar-sweetened soda pop, though, is “diet” soda pop and various other diet beverages and foods.

A recent scientific review issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of more than 20 separate research studies found that aspartame, one of the most common artificial sweeteners, causes a range of illnesses including birth defects and cancer. Sucralose (Splenda), saccharin and various other artificial sweeteners have also been linked to causing cancer

6) {{Refined ‘white’ flours.}} Refined flour is a common ingredient in processed foods, but its excess carbohydrate content is a serious cause for concern.

A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Mile Markers, and Prevention found that regular consumption of refined carbohydrates was linked to a 220 percent increase in breast cancer among women.

High-glycemic foods in general have also been shown to rapidly raise blood sugar levels in the body, which directly feeds cancer cell growth and spread

7) {{Refined sugars}}. The same goes for refined sugars, which tend to rapidly spike insulin levels and feed the growth of cancer cells.

Fructose-rich sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are particularly offensive, as cancer cells have been shown to quickly and easily metabolize them in order to proliferate.

And since cookies, cakes, pies, sodas, juices, sauces, cereals, and many other popular, mostly processed, food items are loaded with HFCS and other refined sugars, this helps explain why cancer rates are on the rise these days

8) {{Conventional apples, grapes, and other ‘dirty’ fruits}}. Many people think they are eating healthy when they buy apples, grapes, or strawberries from the store.

But unless these fruits are organic or verified to be pesticide-free, they could be a major cancer risk.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that up to 98 percent of all conventional produce, and particularly the type found on its “dirty” fruits list, is contaminated with cancer-causing pesticides

9) {{Farmed salmon.}} Farmed salmon is another high-risk cancer food, according to Dr. David Carpenter, Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany. According to his assessment, farmed salmon not only lacks vitamin D, but it is often contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), flame retardants, pesticides, and antibiotics

10) {{Hydrogenated oils.}} They are commonly used to preserve processed foods and keep them shelf-stable. But hydrogenated oils alter the structure and flexibility of cell membranes throughout the body, which can lead to a host of debilitating diseases such as cancer.

Some manufacturers are phasing out the use of hydrogenated oils and replacing them with palm oil and other safer alternatives, but trans fats are still widely used in processed foods.

{naturalnews}