The state of maternal and child health care around the globe is in a transitional state. Just a decade ago, the circumstances were much direr. If things are to continue improving, though, the global community has to overcome some significant challenges posed by the recent economic downturn that has badly affected the world’s finances. Otherwise, health care organizations risk experiencing a reversal of the previously improving situation.
Preventable Ailments
At present, even in light of the significant progress that has occurred in the past decade, 10 million children continue to die on a yearly basis from maladies that could be prevented or remedied with medicines and techniques that are commonplace in the developed world. Steps have been taken to prevent malaria with bed nets and improved medicines. However, diarrhea and pneumonia are still taking lives in low-income countries.
Pediatric Aids
At the turn of the century, essentially none of the children diagnosed with AIDS in these low-income countries were receiving treatment for this illness. Since then, HIV AIDS health care organizations have stepped up their efforts and made treatment available for millions of children. There remains a great deal of work to do. For example, present efforts are focusing on the creation of more infant testing centers.
Mother-to-Child Transmission
Previous efforts in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV AIDS have focused simply on preserving the child’s life through the breastfeeding stage. Unfortunately, this left the infected mothers with little assistance once their children were weaned or turned to bottle-feeding. Now is the time when increased efforts can take into account these women who continue to need treatment and long-term care as their children grow.
