Kenyan Scientist ’s Trend-Setting Research into Health Benefits of Snails
Dr Paul Kinoti at the JKUAT snail farm, where he is researching the potential of snail slime cough syrup. Credit: Wilson Odhiambo/IPSBy Wilson OdhiamboNAIROBI, May 29 2023 (IPS) Snails and slime are usually followed by the thought ‘EEW!’ from most people … some might even scream at seeing a snail near them.
For Dr Paul Kinoti, however, these slimy creatures could earn him international recognition because his research on snails landed his institution, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), a Ksh. 127 million (USD 1 million) grant.
The grant, awarded by the Cherasco Institute of Snail Breedin...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 29, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Wilson Odhiambo Tags: Active Citizens Africa Development & Aid Featured Food and Agriculture Headlines Health Innovation Sustainable Development Goals TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau IPS UN Bureau Report Kenya Source Type: news
Menstrual Health and Hygiene Is Unaffordable for Poor Girls and Women in Latin America
This article is part of IPS coverage of Menstrual Hygiene Day celebrated on May 28. (Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health)
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 26, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Humberto Marquez Tags: Active Citizens Civil Society Development & Aid Editors' Choice Featured Gender Global Governance Headlines Health Human Rights IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Latin America & the Caribbean Population Poverty & SDGs Regional Cate Source Type: news
The Lead-Free Water Pledge: Steps Towards a Future of Lead-Free Drinking Water
Young children and infants are particularly sensitive to the harmful effects of lead. Current statistics suggest that approximately one in three children worldwide have elevated blood lead levels. Credit: Eva Bartlett/IPS By Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi and Aaron SalzburgCHAPEL HILL, NC, US, May 23 2023 (IPS) At the UN Water Conference in March 2023, the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina (UNC) along with several key partners, including UNICEF, Water Aid, the World Health Organization, and the governments of Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa, among others, organized a session centered around the elimination of l...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 23, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi and Aaron Salzburg Tags: Environment Global Headlines Health Water & Sanitation Source Type: news
G7 Has Failed the Global South in Hiroshima
Adel Mansour takes his WFP food basket home on a cart in Abyan, Yemen. Credit: WFP/Ahmed AltafBy Max LawsonLONDON, May 22 2023 (IPS) “G7 countries have failed the Global South here in Hiroshima. They failed to cancel debts, and they failed to find what is really required to end the huge increase in hunger worldwide. They can find untold billions to fight the war but can’t even provide half of what is needed by the UN for the most critical humanitarian crises.”
Hunger and debt
“If the G7 really want closer ties to the developing countries and greater backing for the war in Ukraine, then asking Global So...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 22, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Max Lawson Tags: Climate Change Development & Aid Economy & Trade Environment Featured Global Headlines Health Inequity Poverty & SDGs Sustainability Sustainable Development Goals TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news
Nothing Beats Bushmeat, Not Even the Risk of Disease
Freshly slaughtered bush meat is being consumed even though it may have health risks. By Busani BafanaBULAWAYO, May 18 2023 (IPS) Meat from wild animals is relished across Africa and widely traded, but scientists are warning that eating bush meat is a potential health risk, especially in the wake of pandemics like COVID-19.
A study at the border settlements of Kenya and Tanzania has found that while people have been aware of the risks associated with eating bushmeat, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak, they don’t worry about hunting and eating wild animals that could transmit diseases.
On the contrary, the demand for...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 18, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Busani Bafana Tags: Biodiversity Editors' Choice Environment Featured Food and Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition Food Sustainability Headlines Health Natural Resources IPS UN Bureau IPS UN Bureau Report Source Type: news
Education Must Be Put Front and Centre on the G7 Agenda
By Yasmine SherifNEW YORK, May 17 2023 (IPS-Partners) At this year’s G7 Hiroshima Summit in Japan, world leaders will have a chance to “uphold the international order based on the rule of law and extend outreach to the Global South.” Education, as a binding force that unites us all in our global efforts to protect human rights and ensure sustainable development, should be front and centre on the G7 Agenda.
Through the ground-breaking leadership of Japan, the G7 Summit promises to address a number of interconnected global crises – including nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, economic resilience and security...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 17, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Yasmine Sherif Tags: Education Education Cannot Wait. Future of Education is here Energy Environment Health Human Rights Education Cannot Wait (ECW) IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news
Why Quality Seeds Are among the Most Valuable Currency in Climate Finance for Africa
Joy of Marketing - Ethiopia. Credit: International Seed FederationBy Michael KellerVAUD, Switzerland, May 16 2023 (IPS) At long last, momentum is growing for an overdue rethink of climate finance and development assistance to support countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
But while investment, aid and compensation are all much needed, another form of currency is equally valuable for climate-vulnerable countries that are also highly dependent on small-scale agriculture: quality seeds.
The latest generation of seeds offers varieties adapted to specific climatic circumstances to provide more reliable food product...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 16, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Michael Keller Tags: Climate Action Climate Change Development & Aid Economy & Trade Education Environment Food and Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition Headlines Health TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news
Finding Ways to Feed South Africa ’s Vast Hungry Population
Nosintu Mcimeli and Bonelwa Nogemane of the Abanebhongo People with Disability (APD) started with an agroecological project to improve food security in South Africa’s Eastern Cape (left). A soup kitchen feeds the village children (right). Credit: ADPBy Fawzia MoodleyJOHANNESBURG, May 11 2023 (IPS) In the deep rural village of Jekezi in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, most young and able-bodied people have fled the area, leaving behind people with disabilities, the elderly, and children.
It’s in villages like this one that the stark statistics of one in five South Africans being so food insecure they beg to feed ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 11, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Fawzia Moodley Tags: Africa Development & Aid Featured Food and Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition Gender Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Inequality Inequity Poverty & SDGs Sustainable Development Goals TerraViva United Source Type: news
Population Growth is Not Good for People or the Planet
According to the United Nations, the world’s population is more than three times larger than it was in the mid-twentieth century. The global human population reached 8.0 billion in mid-November 2022 from an estimated 2.5 billion people in 1950, adding 1 billion people since 2010 and 2 billion since 1998. The world’s population is expected to increase by nearly 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, from the current 8 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050 and could peak at nearly 10.4 billion in the mid-2080s.By Nandita BajajST PAUL, Minnesota USA, May 10 2023 (IPS) India’s population has just reached 1.4 billion people, su...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 10, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Nandita Bajaj Tags: Global Headlines Health Labour Population TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news
EXPLAINER — Maternal Mortality: Why Has Progress In Saving Women’s Lives Stalled?
Nearly every maternal death is preventable, and the clinical expertise and technology necessary to avert these losses have existed for decades. Credit: Patrick Burnett/IPSBy Marty LoganKATHMANDU, May 10 2023 (IPS) A new report reveals that from 2000 to 2015, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) fell by 33%, and by more than 50% in 58 countries that had the highest rates of women dying during pregnancy or up to 42 days after delivery. But from 2016 to 2020, maternal mortality barely changed. In 2020, roughly 287,000 women globally died from a maternal cause, which is almost 800 maternal deaths daily, and about one ever...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 10, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Marty Logan Tags: Development & Aid Gender Global Headlines Health TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news
The Privilege of Making a Choice
By Yasmine SherifNEW YORK, May 8 2023 (IPS) A civilian student named Saber was caught in the crossfire in Khartoum. He had two choices: either flee and lose everything; or die. But within a moment his option to choose was violently denied: he died.
As a result of the brutal internal armed conflict in Sudan right now, UNHCR projects that 860,000 people will flee across the borders as refugees and returnees into the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea and South Sudan. About 50% will be children and adolescents below 18.
Will they arrive alive? They can’t choose. They can only hope.
Making it worse, no...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 8, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Yasmine Sherif Tags: Armed Conflicts Civil Society Crime & Justice Education Education Cannot Wait. Future of Education is here Headlines Health Human Rights Middle East & North Africa Migration & Refugees TerraViva United Nations Education Cannot Wait ( Source Type: news
Statement on the G7 Hiroshima Summit, the Ukraine Crisis and “No First Use” of Nuclear Weapons
Dr. Daisaku Ikeda. Credit: Seikyo ShimbunBy Daisaku IkedaTOKYO, Japan, May 8 2023 (IPS) The Ukraine crisis, which in addition to bringing devastation to the people of that country has had severe impacts on a global scale—even giving rise to the specter of nuclear weapons use—has entered its second year. Against this backdrop and amid urgent calls for its resolution, the G7 Summit of leading industrial nations will be held in Hiroshima, Japan, from May 19 to 21.
In February of this year, an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly was held, where a resolution calling for the early realization of peace in Uk...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 8, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Daisaku Ikeda Tags: Armed Conflicts Civil Society Crime & Justice Global Headlines Health Human Rights Nuclear Energy - Nuclear Weapons TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news
New Mosquito Species Could Derail Fight Against Malaria
Stagnant water in one of Nairobi’s residential areas. Credit: Wilson Odhiambo/IPSBy Wilson OdhiamboNAIROBI, May 8 2023 (IPS) ‘Urban’ Kenya has been alerted because new mosquito species, Anopheles stephensi, threatens to derail decades of effort made in the fight against malaria.
According to a report by experts from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the species was first noted during routine mosquito surveillance in Saku and Laisamis villages in Marsabit County. The report states that, unlike the traditional mosquito vector, the Anopheles stephensi can adapt to man-made habitats that include plastic cont...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 8, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Wilson Odhiambo Tags: Africa Climate Change Development & Aid Environment Featured Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau IPS UN Bureau Report Kenya Source Type: news
Can a Pledge to End TB Stick This Time Around?
In India, a doctor checks a patient’s x-ray for lung damage, which may indicate tuberculosis. Credit: ILO/Vijay Kuty
On May 8, there will be an interactive multistakeholder hearing at the UN as part of the preparatory process toward High-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis. The event will be broadcast live on UN Web TV.
Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has unveiled plans to speed up the licensing and use of effective novel vaccines against tuberculosis (TB), the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19 and the 13th leading cause o...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 8, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Morounfolu Olugbosi Tags: Development & Aid Editors' Choice Featured Global Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news
How the Rise of Timor-Leste ’s Aquaculture Sector Is a Blueprint for Other Small Island Nations
Fish farmers harvest genetically improved farmed tilapia. Credit: Shandy SantosBy Jharendu PantPENANG, Malaysia, May 3 2023 (IPS) For Timor-Leste, as with most other islands in the Pacific, fortunes are to be found in fish – an equity food available to all regardless of status.
Nevertheless, the island is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, hampering domestic food production and contributing to Timor-Leste’s ranking of 110th out of 121 countries for malnutrition. Meanwhile, the country is highly dependent on imported foods – including aquatic foods.
But a national strategy to prioritise the sustainable ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 3, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Jharendu Pant Tags: Asia-Pacific Climate Change Development & Aid Economy & Trade Environment Gender Headlines Health Labour Sustainability TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news
