42 research outputs found
Iron fortification and iron supplementation are cost-effective interventions to reduce iron deficiency in four subregions of the world
Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in
the world, affecting millions of people in both nonindustrialized and
industrialized countries. We estimated the costs, effects, and
cost-effectiveness of iron supplementation and iron fortification
interventions in 4 regions of the world. The effects on population health
were arrived at by using a population model designed to estimate the
lifelong impact of iron supplementation or iron fortification on
individuals benefiting from such interventions. The population model took
into consideration effectiveness, patient adherence, and geographic
coverage. Costs were based on primary data collection and on a review of
the literature. At 95% geographic coverage, iron supplementation has a
larger impact on population health than iron fortification. Iron
supplementation would avert <12,500 disability adjusted life years (DALY)
annually in the European subregion, with very low rates of adult and child
mortality, to almost 2.5 million DALYs in the African and Southeast Asian
subregions, with high rates of adult and child mortality. On the other
hand, fortification is less costly than supplementation and appears to be
more cost effective than iron supplementation, regardless of the
geographic coverage of fortification. We conclude that iron fortification
is economically more attractive than iron supplementation. However,
spending the extra resources to implement iron supplementation is still a
cost-effective option. The results should be interpreted with caution,
because evidence of intervention effectiveness predominantly relates to
small-scale efficacy trials, which may not reflect the actual effect under
expected conditions
The challenge of artemisinin resistance can only be met by eliminating Plasmodium falciparum malaria across the Greater Mekong subregion
Human rights, health and the state in Bangladesh
BACKGROUND: This paper broadly discusses the role of the State of Bangladesh in the context of the health system and human rights. The interrelation between human rights, health and development are well documented. The recognition of health as a fundamental right by WHO and subsequent approval of health as an instrument of welfare by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (ICSECR) further enhances the idea. Moreover, human rights are also recognized as an expedient of human development. The state is entrusted to realize the rights enunciated in the ICSECR. DISCUSSION: In exploring the relationship of the human rights and health situation in Bangladesh, it is argued, in this paper, that the constitution and major policy documents of the Bangladesh government have recognized the health rights and development. Bangladesh has ratified most of the international treaties and covenants including ICCPR, ICESCR; and a signatory of international declarations including Alma-Ata, ICPD, Beijing declarations, and Millennium Development Goals. However the implementation of government policies and plans in the development of health institutions, human resources, accessibility and availability, resource distribution, rural-urban disparity, the male-female gap has put the health system in a dismal state. Neither the right to health nor the right to development has been established in the development of health system or in providing health care. SUMMARY: The development and service pattern of the health system have negative correlation with human rights and contributed to the underdevelopment of Bangladesh. The government should take comprehensive approach in prioritizing the health rights of the citizens and progressive realization of these rights
Sexual slavery without borders: trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in India
Trafficking in women and children is a gross violation of human rights. However, this does not prevent an estimated 800 000 women and children to be trafficked each year across international borders. Eighty per cent of trafficked persons end in forced sex work. India has been identified as one of the Asian countries where trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation has reached alarming levels. While there is a considerable amount of internal trafficking from one state to another or within states, India has also emerged as a international supplier of trafficked women and children to the Gulf States and South East Asia, as well as a destination country for women and girls trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation from Nepal and Bangladesh. Trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation is a highly profitable and low risk business that preys on particularly vulnerable populations. This paper presents an overview of the trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation (CSE) in India; identifies the health impacts of CSE; and suggest strategies to respond to trafficking and related issues
Addressing vulnerability, building resilience:community-based adaptation to vector-borne diseases in the context of global change
Abstract Background The threat of a rapidly changing planet – of coupled social, environmental and climatic change – pose new conceptual and practical challenges in responding to vector-borne diseases. These include non-linear and uncertain spatial-temporal change dynamics associated with climate, animals, land, water, food, settlement, conflict, ecology and human socio-cultural, economic and political-institutional systems. To date, research efforts have been dominated by disease modeling, which has provided limited practical advice to policymakers and practitioners in developing policies and programmes on the ground. Main body In this paper, we provide an alternative biosocial perspective grounded in social science insights, drawing upon concepts of vulnerability, resilience, participation and community-based adaptation. Our analysis was informed by a realist review (provided in the Additional file 2) focused on seven major climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases: malaria, schistosomiasis, dengue, leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, chagas disease, and rift valley fever. Here, we situate our analysis of existing community-based interventions within the context of global change processes and the wider social science literature. We identify and discuss best practices and conceptual principles that should guide future community-based efforts to mitigate human vulnerability to vector-borne diseases. We argue that more focused attention and investments are needed in meaningful public participation, appropriate technologies, the strengthening of health systems, sustainable development, wider institutional changes and attention to the social determinants of health, including the drivers of co-infection. Conclusion In order to respond effectively to uncertain future scenarios for vector-borne disease in a changing world, more attention needs to be given to building resilient and equitable systems in the present