May 24 2013 (IPS) - With its youthful population, fast growing economies and an expanding middle class, Africa has much to celebrate on 25th May, Africa Day.

This year Africa Day also marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.

When IPS Africa spoke to a few health experts we found out that advances in health, especially treatment of HIV and Aids are some of the areas we can celebrate this Africa Day.

We also heard what needs to happen over the coming years to make greater progress in the area of healthcare.

On Thursday, May 23, the world will be marking the first-ever International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, as recently designated by the United Nations General Assembly. USAID commemorates this day by celebrating a milestone in global maternal health: Over 30,000 fistula repair surgeries have been performed with U.S. support since 2005. Fistula, a devastating childbirth injury believed to affect millions of women in developing countries, can be surgically repaired up to 90% of the time.

Kabul, May 23, 2013- Obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth injury which leads to both physical and social harm for the women suffering of the injury. Sadly, obstetric fistula is a uniquely eradicable maternal morbidity that has until recently not received sufficient attention in Afghanistan. Obstetric fistula arises most often as a complication of prolonged and/or obstructed labor and results in an opening (fistula) between the bladder and the vagina (vesico-vaginal fistula) or between the rectum and the vagina (recto-vaginal fistula).

IHA/1319

May 21, 2013, SEATTLE – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced more than US $8.1 million in new grants through its Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) initiative. GCE is a phased grant program that funds innovative ideas to tackle key global health and development problems, and provides additional resources for projects that demonstrate promise.

By Lucy Westcott

UNITED NATIONS, May 22 2013 (IPS) - PATH, a Seattle-based global health development organisation, is aiming to save two million lives by 2015 by jointly tackling diarrhea and pneumonia, the leading killers of children globally.

Steve Davis, president and CEO of PATH, delivered the message at the ninth annual PATH Breakfast for Global Health held in Seattle on Tuesday.

“Today we placed a bold stake in the ground, with partners around the world, to save two million lives by the end of 2015,” Davis told IPS.

22-04-2013 Publication Ref. 4105 Christos Giannou, Marco Baldan, Asa Molde

This publication describes the ICRC approach to providing appropriate surgical care given the constraints of security, limited supplies, limited technology and limited human resources that are inherent to war. In modern conflicts, it is often the isolated general surgeon in a rural district hospital who is the first to receive war casualties, frequently with no possibility for further evacuation. In such situations, appropriate clinical techniques and protocols are more essential than ever.

The Global Overview collates information from a range of sources and displays it in a manner that allows for quick comparison of different humanitarian crises.

20 mai 2013 – Lors de l'ouverture de la soixante-sixième Assemblée mondiale de la santé lundi à Genève, le Directeur général de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), Margaret Chan a rappelé que la santé publique devait être une priorité à une époque qui connaît de nombreux défis tels que les changements climatiques et l'insécurité alimentaire.