~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
Friday Notes
Friday Notes is intended to share current information, resources and notices.
If you have information or announcements that you would like to have included in an upcoming issue, please forward them to MCMCH.
September 2, 2011
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
U.S. Needs to Do More About Newborn Death, Study Suggests
The number of newborns who died in the first four weeks of life declined worldwide from 4.6 million in 1990 to 3.3 million in 2009, researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) reported in PLoS Medicine this week.
However, researchers said the U.S. "isn't making progress like other countries," with a newborn death rate higher than 40 other countries at 4.3 for every 1,000 live births.
The study covering 20 years and all 193 WHO Member States was led by researchers from WHO, Save the Children and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The estimates are based on more data than ever and extensive consultations with countries. The study shows detailed trends over time and forecasts potential future progress. Read the full report here.
In 20 years, the U.S. reduced its newborn mortality rate 26 percent, slower than the global average. More than 19,000 newborns still die each year. The U.S. now trails 40 other countries when it comes to risk of newborn death. In 1990 the U.S.had the 28th lowest risk. It is now tied for 41st place with Qatar, Croatia and United Arab Emirates. All have a newborn death rate of 4.3 per 1,000 live births.
"Prenatal care is not all created equal. There are areas of the United States where access to prenatal and preventive care is a real problem. It puts the mother at a disadvantage and contributes to premature births and death rate," says the study's author Dr. Joy Lawn of the non-government organization Save the Children.
The study says the leading causes of newborn death worldwide are preterm delivery, asphyxia and severe infections. More than a half million babies in the United States-1 in every 8-are born premature each year.
____________________________________________________________________________________
|
New Recommendations to Prevent Blood Clots During Cesarean Deliveries Issued
In an effort to reduce maternal mortality due to blood clots, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College) now recommends that all women having a cesarean delivery receive preventive intervention at the time of delivery. The new recommendation was released last week along with updated guidance for the prevention, management, and treatment of blood clots during pregnancy. The guidelines will be published in a Practice Bulletin in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Having a Caesarean section nearly doubles the risk of thromboembolism, according to experts at The College. The recommendation calls for all women having a C-section to wear inflatable compression devices on their legs at the time of delivery to prevent clots from forming. In more risky cases, the group advised that women also receive anticoagulants.
"VTE [venous thromboembolism] is a major contributor to maternal mortality in this country. The risk of VTE is increased during pregnancy and the consequences can be severe," Dr. Andra H. James, who helped develop the guidelines, said in a college news release. "It's important for ob-gyns to adopt these recommendations to help reduce maternal deaths."
The ob-gyn group pointed out that emergency c-sections are the exception. In these cases, delivery should not be delayed for the placement of compression devices.
Only women at particularly high risk for VTE should be given anti-clotting medication, the experts noted in the news release. This includes those with a history of VTE during pregnancy, a history of excessive clotting, and women at high risk for inherited clotting disorders. All women who've had c-sections, however, should continue to be monitored for VTE following delivery, the group added.
"Because half of VTE-related maternal deaths occur during pregnancy and the rest during the postpartum period, ongoing patient assessment is imperative," James concluded. "While warning signs in some women may be evident early in pregnancy, others will develop symptoms that manifest later in pregnancy or after the baby is born."
____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
Enroll Michigan Targets Areas with Highest Number of Uninsured Children
The Enroll Michigan coalition is continuing its work with a targeted back-to-school campaign to enroll eligible children in the state's low-cost and free health insurance programs known as MIChild and Healthy Kids. Enroll Michigan is spearheaded by the Michigan Primary Care Association (MPCA), the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) and the Middle Cities Education Association (MCEA).
The back-to-school effort will include local enrollment teams in school buildings and hospitals in targeted geographic areas, a simplified enrollment process for children and their families, and TV, radio, transit and billboard ads. The fall back-to-school campaign was announced at concurrent news conferences last week at Sparrow Health System in Lansing, Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Oakwood Taylor Teen Health Center in Southgate and Burton Elementary and Middle School in Grand Rapids.
For more information, visit enrollmichigan.com.
____________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
Register Now for Obesity and Infant Mortality Summits
Registration is now open for two upcoming summits tackling the topics of obesity and infant mortality. Michigan Call to Action to Reduce and Prevent Obesity will be held from 8:30am to 4 p.m. on September 21 at the Lansing Center. Register online here. Registration deadline is September 16. The purpose of the summit is to share an assessment of prevalence, disparities, and factors that contribute to obesity and unhealthy weight; highlight best practices, including those underway at the state and local community level in Michigan; identify a limited number of priority strategies for addressing the issue with a focus on reducing disparity; and engage and mobilize partners across multiple sectors in efforts to reduce obesity. Michigan Call to Action to Reduce and Prevent Infant Mortality will be held from 8:30am to 3pm on October 17 at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eaglecrest. Register online here. Registration deadline is October 12 The purpose of the summit is to share an assessment of prevalence, disparities, and factors that contribute to infant mortality; highlight best practices, including those underway at the state and local community level in Michigan; identify a limited number of priority strategies for addressing the issue with a focus on reducing disparity; and engage and mobilize partners across multiple sectors in efforts to reduce obesity.
____________________________________________________________________________________
|
Contributors to this Issue
ACOG
AHIP HI-Wire
HealthDay
Save the Children
__________________________________________________________
|
Quick Links . . .
Strokes Rising Among Teens, Young Adults: CDC Strokes are on the rise among teens and young people, a new government report shows. The number of people aged 15 to 44 hospitalized for stroke jumped by more than third between 1995 and 2008, say researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The increase may be due partly to the increasing numbers of young people who have diseases such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes -- diseases usually associated with older adults, they added.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Babies Born With Heart Disease Often Harmed by Gut Bacteria
Elevated blood levels of harmful toxins from gut bacteria occur in about one in five infants and toddlers with congenital heart disease, and the risk is even higher after they have heart surgery, a new study has found.
___________________________________________________________________________________________ Kids Carrying MRSA Germ Prone to Serious Infection: Study
Hospitalized children who carry a dangerous type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria but show no signs of illness are still at high risk for developing full-blown infections, a new study finds. The germ -- methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) -- is linked to more than 18,600 deaths a year in the United States.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Troubled Teens Spotted in Routine School Screenings: Study
Routine high school mental-health screenings can successfully identify high-risk students and help them receive needed care, according to a new study.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Women Married Before Age 18 at Higher Risk of Mental Woes: Study Nearly one in 10 women in the United States were married before the age of 18, a new study finds, and they could face a slightly higher risk of mental illness than other married women. The research doesn't prove that so-called "child marriage" causes the increased risk of mental problems, the authors noted in the report published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Toddler's Dust Mite Sensitivity May Predict Later Asthma Toddlers with a sensitivity to house dust mites have an increased risk of developing asthma by the time they're 12, new research suggests.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health is made up of
member organizations who share a commitment to the health of
Michigan's women, children and families.
To learn more go to http://www.mcmch.org or email info@mcmch.org.
Amy Zaagman - Executive Director - azaagman@mcmch.org
Jennifer Gorchow - Communications Manager - jgorchow@mcmch.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
|
