BioMed Central | Open Access and the developing world

Newsletter

May 2013


	Research Highlights

Impact of malaria during pregnancy on pregnancy outcomes in a Ugandan prospective cohort with intensive malaria screening and prompt treatment
Pierre De Beaudrap, Eleanor Turyakira, Lisa J White, Carolyn Nabasumba, Benon Tumwebaze, Atis Muehlenbachs, Philippe J Guerin, Yap Boum, Rose McGready, Patrice Piola


	Mosquito survey identifies reservoir of disease

Mosquito borne viruses are a major cause of mortality and morbidity, especially in the developing world. As warmer weather increases the habitat for these disease vectors the problem is spreading to the developed world. A five-year study published today in Virology Journal shows for the first time the extent of mosquito-borne viruses (known as arboviruses) in diverse regions of Kenya.


	More than just a text: mobile phones & developing worlds

In our culture, we use mobile phones everyday with little thought to the benefits they may provide outside of socialising. Yet in developing countries, mobile phones may be the key to improved healthcare and education. With the recent increase of mobile phone usage in developing countries, these areas may help influence the handheld market. Recent studies identified a good 64 per cent of users worldwide are from developing countries, and in Africa, mobile phone sales have increased by 550 per cent due to growing popularity.


	Young people in the developing world

Young people all over the world face challenges, but in the developing world there are additional pressures. According to UNESCO 20% of young people in developing countries fail to finish primary school and consequently lack the necessary skills for finding employment and improving their lives. Despite this, many young people are forced to work to survive and end up working for very little money. Many are essentially self-employed.


	Links between Diabetes and Tuberculosis - a big problem for Ethiopia

World Tuberculosis Day was on the 24th March and this year's focus of the Stop TB Partnership, a collective force of 1000 partners in more than 100 countries including the WHO, is to prevent the deaths of the 4000 people who lose their lives to Tuberculosis (TB) every day.


	The importance of Ugandan wetlands for food security

A new study published in Agriculture & Food Security has found that wetlands contribute significantly to strategies mitigating for food insecurity in Uganda. Wetlands provide vital nutrients for crop farming and ensure water availability during dry seasons which is important for irrigation. Because of this Ugandan wetlands have seen an influx of people using these resources over the last few years while climate has become increasingly unstable. Furthermore, wetlands are also used for income generation, for example by providing clay for pottery, reed and palm mats, baskets, beehives and cultivation of cash crops.


	World Water Day 2013: International Year of Water Cooperation

In March we celebrated World Water Day 2013: International Year of Water Cooperation. This day is dedicated to highlighting the importance of the availability of freshwater and to advocate sustainable management of freshwater resources. With more than 3.4 million people dying each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes and with nearly all of these deaths occurring in the developing world, it is crucial to raise awareness of how, with even the smallest amount of cooperation, we can all contribute to the number of water-related deaths can be prevented.


	Global Health: BMC Medicine at the CUGH 2013 conference

In March, BMC Medicine attended the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH 2013) conference on global health, which took place in Washington D.C. Around 1400 delegates participated, with a broad range of expertise, such as those involved in general medicine, surgery, policy making, and governance, reflecting the broad scope of this field. The conference was particularly exciting because of the recently published Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010) - a series of articles on how the international disease burden has changed since 1990.


	Medicine for Global Health: a new article collection from BMC Medicine

Care of vulnerable populations constitutes a sizeable proportion of those in need of medical resources, and there exists considerable disparity between those who can, and can't afford access to medical services. Although, these issues have always existed, concerns over global health and health inequities have been emphasized over recent years. In light of this hugely important area of medicine and research, BMC Medicine has launched the Medicine for Global Health article collection, with guest editors Gretchen Birbeck and Raymond Hutubessy.


	The right to family planning

Every year the lack of access to contraceptives leads to 60 million unwanted pregnancies, 22 million unsafe abortions and 3 million infant deaths; the majority of which occur in developing countries. Women all around the globe are unable to choose when they fall pregnant, nor control the size of their family, because contraception is simply not accessible. Reducing fertility would not only prevent maternal deaths each year but could significantly contribute to eradicating extreme poverty, promoting the empowerment of women and ensure environmental and economic sustainability.


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