Researchers Win $2.7 Million NIH Grant to Reduce Child Mortality in Mozambique

A project by the University of Washington, in partnership with the Ministry of Health in Mozambique, has received a five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development  to jump-start stalled declines in child mortality by improving interventions delivered at or near the time of birth.

Improving Survival Rate of Malnourished Children Critical – Researchers Say

By Agnes Kyotalengerire / New Vision

The three-day meeting attracted investigators from the six collaborating countries of Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh and Pakistan who admit malnourished children, follow them through hospitalization and then six months after.

Zika Brain Damage May Go Undetected in Pregnancy

By Leila Gray / UW Medicine

“Current criteria using head size to diagnose Zika-related brain injury fail to capture more subtle brain damage that can lead to significant learning problems and mental health disorders later in life,” said Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf, Professor Global Health and Obstetrics and Gynecology in the University of Washington's Schools of Public Health and Medicine, who specializes in maternal and fetal infections. “We are diagnosing only the tip of the iceberg.”

How Fetal Infections Lead to Adult Heart Disease

By Leila Gray / UW Medicine

Recent studies indicate that infants born prematurely have a higher risk of developing heart disease later in life. Now, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle have shown that, in preterm animal models, inflammation due to infection can disrupt the activity of genes crucial for normal heart development.

The Guardian: Soaring Suicide and Murder Rates Compound Middle East Suffering

Research shows deaths due to violence such as homicide and sexual assault are rising much more steeply in the eastern Mediterranean region than elsewhere.

Violent acts including suicide, homicide and sexual assaults are increasing faster in the eastern Mediterranean region than in any other in the world, adding to the suffering of populations experiencing conflict and war.

BBC News: Global Diarrhoea Deaths Down by a Third

By Tulip Mazumdar

The number of children dying worldwide of diarrhoea fell by a third between 2005 and 2015, researchers have found.

The study says better access to clean water and sanitation is key, with fewer weak and malnourished children becoming infected.

New vaccines have also had a positive impact.

However, diarrhoea is still the fourth-biggest killer of children globally, with almost 500,000 a year dying before their fifth birthday.

Teaching Children with Cerebral Palsy to Walk: UW Exoskeleton Project Wins $30,000 to Develop New Technology

Imagine a therapeutic device that children with cerebral palsy could wear at home to strengthen their legs and increase their mobility, eventually allowing them to walk without assistance.  Now imagine the device was low-tech and affordable, making it accessible to children around the globe who have limited or no access to expensive therapies that require robotics, supervision by a trained clinician, or invasive surgeries.

HS Newsbeat: What Causes Child Stunting? Steps Toward Understanding

By Ashlie Chandler

About 162 million children worldwide under age 5 are considered too short for their age, a growth failure called stunting. Despite efforts to improve child growth, stunting has been difficult to prevent and treat, negatively impacting child health and development.

Researchers from the University of Washington School of Public Health studied what causes child stunting and developed a framework to help deliver effective interventions in low-resource settings.

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