April 2017

Pregnancy and childbirth are times of unparalleled change and hope for the future. But for many women, the arrival of a new baby is also a challenging time — one that can be overshadowed by depression.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 1 in 10 women suffer from postnatal depression, a devastating statistic that too often receives no attention. In African countries and contexts where women are exposed to poverty, persistent poor health, migration, conflict, gender-based violence, extreme stress, and unwanted pregnancy, the estimates are even higher, with up to 25 percent of women experiencing clinical depression after childbirth.  

The effects of depression on social and economic wellbeing and on families are enormous, as the risks and consequences go well beyond an individual woman. Depression in pregnancy is linked to preterm birth and low birth weight, which increases the risk of complications such as undernutrition and heart disease. Women who suffer from postpartum depression are often stigmatized and less likely to benefit from postnatal and preventive health care for themselves and their children. Partners and families may have difficulty understanding why a new mother who should be happy at the birth of a healthy baby is depressed.

We have made great strides in ridding the world of malaria, but there’s still work to be done—and the time is right to finish the job. New technology is helping communities around the world prevent, diagnose, and treat malaria in new and innovative ways. In Mozambique, the Malaria Consortium has developed a phone app that helps community health workers diagnose and treat malaria. In Zanzibar, Tanzania, local health facilities can use text messages to report malaria cases. And Mali uses a system called OSPSANTE, developed by the MSH-led, USAID-funded Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) project, to track the availability and use of pharmaceuticals in the fight against malaria.

Malaria is a complex disease – how it’s transmitted and where, who becomes sick, the numerous efforts to control and combat it and, yet, after centuries we still haven’t managed to eradicate it.

During the past five years, the global partnership to fight malaria has witnessed some success including a 29% reduction in malaria mortality and a 75% increase in use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Despite these successes, the global burden of disease still sits heavily at 212 million new cases and 429,000 deaths in 2015 – the majority of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly half the world’s population is at risk of contracting malaria with 70% of malaria deaths occurring in children less than five years of age, who are particularly susceptible to the disease (WHO, 2016).