About 15,000 suspected cases have been identified in DRC so far this year, surpassing the total number from 2023. The virus is spreading to other countries in Africa. Authorities, health workers, and aid groups are racing against time to curb the spread of the deadly disease in a country already embroiled in a humanitarian crisis and with one of the most fragile healthcare systems in the world. Both cases and deaths are more prevalent in children than adults, Save the Children said.
This evaluation examines the progress made by the global community to advance the objectives and commitments made in the Newborn Roadmap from 2020 – 2024 and seeks to identify future MNH priorities within the unfinished agendas.
This review summarizes the knowledge on the forensic medical examination (FME) of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in peer-reviewed studies. Scientific literature focusing on this topic is scarce and limited attention is given to CRSV-specific sequelae compared to physical and psychological ones. High-quality research focusing on forensic medical examination of torture, including CRSV, could serve to document operational methodologies and as a guideline to professionals conducting FME.
This webpage contains the latest information you need to know on Mpox and HIV.
On a recent episode of the rePROs Fight Back podcast, Gayatri Patel, Chief of External Affairs at the Malala Fund and Senior Fellow with rePROs Fight Back, discussed why the international community needs to speak out about sexual and reproductive health care in emergency settings, the current gaps, and what needs to be done to fill those gaps.
Uganda's Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS) is the first-ever VACS conducted exclusively in refugee contexts. This landmark study covers all refugee settlements in Uganda and establishes the magnitude, nature, and consequences of violence against children in these settings. The survey findings provide a rigorous baseline against which progress to end violence against children can be measured, and will be used to support planning for evidence-informed programming and resource allocation and mobilization to address this issue in the country’s refugee settlements.
The alarming surge in human-to-human transmission of monkeypox virus (MPXV) infections, particularly in high-risk, sexually active, and reproductive-age populations, along with the known association between MPXV infection and adverse obstetrical outcomes, highlights the urgent need for data to enhance our understanding and mitigate the risks of MPXV infection during pregnancy.
A desk review examined documented achievements from the previous four years, including resources, tools, and advocacy work, and then mapped them across the nine objectives of the Newborn Roadmap. A short survey capturing stakeholder perspectives on global progress and the unfinished agenda was distributed through global MNH listservs across both humanitarian and development initiatives and received 85 responses. Finally, in-depth interviews were held with 19 key informants from 13 organizations inclusive of UN, donors, INGOs, and one local organization.
Mpox
EmergencyMpox is an infectious disease that can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle ache, back pain and low energy. A global outbreak of clade IIb began in 2022 and continues to this day, including in some African countries. There are also growing outbreaks of clades Ia and Ib affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries in Africa. As of August 2024, clade Ib has also been detected beyond Africa.
Events
EmergencyThis statement was developed by the International Medical Advisory Panel (IMAP) in September 2022 and updated in August 2024. Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease typically occurring in tropical areas in central and west Africa. Transmission between humans can occur by close contact through sexual contact, respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or objects recently touched/ contaminated. The statement includes key messages on Mpox and sexual and reproductive health as it relates to prevention, treatment, and stigma.
Early Warning Systems (EWS) are vital components of disaster risk management and the resilience of health systems, providing local stakeholders—governments, service providers, and communities—with the necessary information and time to prepare for and respond quickly to disasters and other hazardous events. This brief describes current EWS capabilities in DRC, Mali, Niger, and South Sudan and provides recommendations for strengthening these systems to improve maternal and newborn and child health/family planning/reproductive health outcomes.