News and Reports from Southern Sudan - August 2008

Author(s):

Notice of another GOAL survey

GOAL, South Sudan carried out a multi indicator nutrition, health, water/sanitation and mortality survey along the Sobat Corridor in May 2008.

This showed that the incidence of acute malnutrition was 29.1% and severe acute malnutrition was 4.3%. By WHO criteria both these indicate a critical nutritional condition in the area.

To understand the underlying causes of malnutrition in this area we plan a qualitative research survey soon (see the report of a similar GOAL survey in Twic County in this Bulletin).

In the meantime, in order to reduce malnutrition, morbidity and mortality along the Sobat corridor, GOAL provides comprehensive primary health care (with complimentary community disease awareness and prevention services) through support of primary health care centres at Baliet and Ulang, and primary health care units at Adong, Galachol, Doma, Nagdier and Biong thiang in the counties of Baliet, Panyikang and Ulang.

GOAL recommends that activities to prevent malnutrition should be integrated into the primary health care program. Public health, hygiene and nutrition promotion should be ensured to encourage positive practices. Vulnerable groups in the community should be targeted for general food rations and seed and tool distributions to help them become self reliant in the post cultivation period.

If you would like a copy of the GOAL report on the Sobat Corridor please contact us.

Terry Theuri

Nutrition Coordinator

Goal South Sudan

[email protected] 


For your resource centre

 A Community Guide to Environmental Health is a nicely illustrated new book from the Hesperian Foundation (the organisation that produced ‘Where there is no doctor’ – see next page).

Drawing the connections between peoples’ health and the environments in which we live, this book aims to empower health promoters, development workers, educators, activists, community leaders and ordinary people to take charge of their communities’ health. Hard copies of the book cost $28 and the CD version $18. Contact [email protected] for more details. The book can be downloaded for free as separate chapters at http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download_EHB.php.

 Family Nutrition Guide 2004 is a well-illustrated easy-to-use guide from FAO for health and other development staff working with families. To request a free copy, email [email protected] or download by googling ‘Family Nutrition Guide’.

 Footsteps is a free hard copy well illustrated Christian newsletter that covers a variety of health and other development topics, and gives practical tips from around the world. To join the mailing list contact [email protected]. Footsteps is also available in e-version at http://tilz.tearfund.org or can be sent direct to your email address (request by emailing [email protected]).

 

A free CD-ROM

This CD-ROM contains 62 short fact sheets and other practical items on PMTCT and infant feeding and HIV/AIDS, food security and nutrition. It is available free from Academy for Educational Development, Center for Nutrition, 1825 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20009-5721, USA. Email [email protected].

August 1st-7th 2008 was World Breastfeeding Week

WHO says:

Breastfeeding is the ideal way of providing young infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Virtually all mothers can breastfeed, provided they have accurate information, and the support of their family and the health care system. 

Colostrum, the yellowish, sticky breast milk produced at the end of pregnancy, is recommended by WHO as the perfect food for the newborn, and feeding should be initiated within the first hour after birth. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for most babies up to 6 months of age -see http://www.who.int/topics/breastfeeding/en 

Most Southern Sudanese babies are breastfeed but some start other foods too late (i.e.after 6 months of age) – we hope to discuss this in another issue of the Bulletin.

What infant feeding problems do you see – please share them with us.

 

Useful items on websites

If you have good access to the Internet you can download for free:

 

  • Child Health Care: a learning programme for professionals from the website www.childhealthcare.co.za. This is written for under-resourced areas of Africa and deals with most of the main causes of death and illness during childhood. You can download and print out the separate sections. The course was developed at the School of Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa and it may need some modifications for use in Southern Sudan – but it does provide a lot of useful material.

 

 

 

  • MAQ Briefs on family planning and reproductive health. Maximizing Access and Quality (MAQ) is an initiative of USAID and partners and aims to identify practical, cost-effective, and evidence-based interventions that improve the access to and quality of family planning and reproductive health services. MAQ produces 2-page Global Health Technical Briefs that include the background of the topic, lessons learned in programme application and where to get more information. You can find the Briefs at http://www.maqweb.org/techbriefs. An example is:

 

Brief 48 (2008) on Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage – see http://www.maqweb.org/techbriefs/tb48posthem.shtml. In summary it recommends:

  • Administration of a uterotonic drug, preferably oxytocin, within 1 minute of childbirth to cause the uterus to contract;
  • Controlled traction of the umbilical cord with counter pressure to the uterus, which supports and stabilizes the uterus; and
  • Massage of the uterus through the abdomen after delivery of the placenta to keep the uterus well contracted and prevent further blood loss.

 
In March the Ministry of Health, GOSS with support from UNICEF and WHO published the first issue of ‘EPI Southern Sudan Update’.

 This reported:

  • Details of the grant from Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) which will help boost immunization coverage;
  • The opening of the EPI and Nutrition office at MoH;
  • That vitamin A supplementation and deworming was added to the 3rd and 4th NIDs;
  • That a mass measles campaign had reached 3.67 million children.

 

To receive future issues of the Update contact [email protected] or [email protected]

 

Free newsletters sent by email

AED-SATELLIFE (www.healthnet.org), a non-profit organization, offers 4 health newsletters for health care providers in low and middle income countries, free of charge.

Sent via email, the newsletters cover primary health care topics such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, pneumonia, diarrhoea, cardiovascular health, maternal and child health, nutrition, and more.

Content includes selected abstracts and full text from peer-reviewed medical and health journals.

The newsletters are:

  • HealthNet News: up-to-date clinical research findings (sent weekly)
  • HealthNet News-AIDS: clinical and public health information (sent twice/month)
  • HealthNet News-Community Health: current, thematic public health content (sent monthly)
  • HealthNet News-Nursing: nursing practices, management, and care (sent monthly)

To subscribe, email [email protected]