It’s boom time in Ghana right now. The country’s economy soared by 14% in 2011 thanks to new oil receipts—earning it a listing as the world’s fastest growing economy. This prosperity is a mixed blessing say the locals. Rents in the capital city Accra are approaching London levels—$2000 a month for an apartment in a […]
Tag: pneumonia
Neil French: A new source of hope for children in Malawi – the introduction of pneumococcal vaccines
Pneumococcal disease causes probably at least half of the pneumonia cases in Malawi. It also causes meningitis, blood poisoning, and otitis, which if it doesn’t kill can leave a child disabled, deaf, and disadvantaged for the rest of their life. Vaccination is one of the most straightforward health interventions we have. The pneumococcal vaccine introduced […]
Norman Lufesi: Malawi’s aggressive response to childhood pneumonia
World pneumonia day this year was occasion for a huge celebration in Malawi, as we had chosen the day to introduce pneumococcal vaccines, which will protect our children from the leading cause of pneumonia. In Malawi, pneumonia contributes to 14% of all hospital admissions and 18% of hospital deaths in children under five. The introduction […]
Jim Dobbin: The rise of vaccine coverage in Bangladesh
I am in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to mark world pneumonia day and also to learn more about how the UK’s financial contributions to Bangladesh and the GAVI Alliance are helping to change lives on the ground. Since 2010, I have chaired the all party parliamentary group for global action against childhood pneumonia and have particularly focused […]
Research highlights – 8 March 2011
“Research highlights” is a weekly round-up of research papers appearing in the print BMJ. We start off with this week’s research questions, before providing more detail on some individual research papers and accompanying articles. What is the efficacy and safety of bronchodilators and steroids in acute management of bronchiolitis? How effectively does co-trimoxazole prophylaxis protect […]