Wednesday, May 15, 2013

WHO data shows narrowing health gap

Child being vaccinated  
A child being vaccinated in a hospital in Congo

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The World Health Organization's annual statistics show progress is being made around the world in cutting child mortality - but it will miss its target of a two-thirds reduction by 2015.
The number of under-fives dying fell from 12 million in 1990 to less than seven million in 2011, the data shows.
But that will not be enough to reach the 2015 Millennium Development Goal.
The WHO says the health gap between countries is narrowing, but there are continuing inequalities in health care.
Many people in low- and middle-income countries have insufficient access to medicines in the public sector, meaning they rely on the private sector, where prices can be up to 16 times higher, says the WHO.
In these countries, an average of only 57% - and in some cases as little as 3% - of selected generic non-branded medicines are available in the public sector, according to data compiled by the global health body.

Syrian rebels and army clash around Aleppo prison


Rebel fighters walk towards the front line in the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on May 13  
Aleppo has seen some of the conflict's fiercest fighting
Syrian government troops and rebels have clashed around a prison in the flashpoint northern city of Aleppo.
Reports suggest the rebel fighters may have tried to blow up the walls of the prison, which holds some 4,000 inmates.
Activists said government forces had counter-attacked using tank shells and air raids.
Meanwhile, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) vowed to punish criminals after a video appeared apparently showing a rebel biting a dead soldier's organs.
In Aleppo, rebels appear to have detonated car bombs outside the walls of the prison on Wednesday morning, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based activist group.
Government sources claimed to have fought back, injuring and killing opposition fighters.
Clashes were still continuing early on Wednesday afternoon, according to a BBC reporter in Damascus.
Web blackout The FSA put out a statement saying its field commanders had been instructed to "to begin a prompt investigation" into the video in which a well-known insurgent from the city of Homs, Abu Sakkar, is shown apparently cutting out the soldier's heart.
"Any act contrary to the values that the Syrian people have paid their blood and lost their homes to will not be tolerated, the abuser will be punished severely even if they are associated with the Free Syrian Army," the FSA said, according to AFP news agency.
"The perpetrator will be brought to justice," it said.
In the video, which cannot be independently authenticated, Abu Sakkar is shown standing over the soldier's corpse, saying: "I swear to God we will eat your hearts and your livers, you soldiers of Bashar the dog."
US-based Human Rights Watch said his actions were a war crime.
Also on Wednesday, a US-based web monitoring company said that Syria appeared to be experiencing a nationwide internet blackout for the third time in six months.
Renesys Corporation said that Syrian internet services had gone offline at 10:00 local time (07:00 GMT).
The UN says nearly 80,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011, and millions have fled their homes.

DR. SLAA AMKIMBIA NAPE NNAUYE KATIKA OFISI ZA ITV

Katika tukio lisilo la kawaida ambapo kituo cha Matangazo cha ITV kiliandaa mjadala wa kujadili hali ya kisiasa nchini na masuala mbalimbali ya kitaifa ambapo kwa busara za watendaji wa ITV waliwaalika wasemaji wakuu wa mjadala huo kuwa Viongozi waandamizi wa Vyama vya Siasa wakianza na Katibu Mkuu wa Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Ndugu Abdulrahaman Kinana na Katibu Mkuu wa CDM Ndugu Slaa.

Kutokana na hudhuri wa Katibu Mkuu wa CCM, Ndugu Kinana ambapo amesafiri kuelekea Dodoma kwenda kuhudhuria kikao cha kamati kuu jana na kubanwa na majukumu mengine muhimu ya kichama na kitaifa, alimuagiza Katibu wa Itikadi na Uenezi CCM, ndugu Nape Nnauye kumuwakilisha katika mjadala huo wa viongozi wa vyama vya siasa katika kujadili hali ya kisiasa na mustakabali wan chi yetu.

Baada ya kufika katika Ofisi za ITV zilizopo mikocheni asubuhi ya Leo, Nape pamoja na Slaa walikutana na Nape kueleza kuwa atamuwakilisha Katibu Mkuu wake katika mazungumzo hayo ambapo baada ya kusikia kauli hiyo, Dr Slaa alianza kuhamaki na kudai kuwa hawezi kuongea na Nape kwa sababu anamtaja vibaya kwenye mikutano yake.
Hata busara zilipotumika za kumsihi apungumze munkari na kumtaka kuangalia umuhimu wa mazungumzo hayo na kipindi hicho kwa watanzania, bado Slaa aligoma na kuondoka katika ofisi za ITV.

Baada ya tahamaki hiyo, mijadala ya pembeni ya mashuhuda wa tukio hilo walieleza kuwa kimsingi Slaa anamuogopa Nape katika mijadala ya kisiasa, nahii ni kutokana na uwezo wa Nape katika kujenga hoja na kuzilinda na kuzitetea hoja hizo...

Tukio hilo linadhihirisha kukosa uvumilivu wa kisiasa (lack of political tolerance) ambako viongozi wa CDM hasa Slaa wanao..... Hii ni kwa sababu Nape alimtaka aeleze ni kusemwa vibaya kupi ambako yeye Slaa anakumaanisha na akashindwa kubainisha.....
Hali hiyo pia imeonesha taswira ya political immaturity kuwa viongozi wa aina hii hawajakomaa ...

Pia, tukio hilo linaweka wazi kuwa CDM hawako tayari kuyazungumzia ana kwa ana matatizo yaliyotokana na Siasa mbovu za matusi....
Tabia hii ya kukwepa kuyashughulikia makosa ya kisiasa kutalileta Taifa letu madhara makubwa sana. ...kukataa kulikubali tatizo tulilonao la siasa mbofu zenye kuhamasisha chuki, utengano, udini, ukabila na hata kuendesha matukio ya kudhuru watu na mauaji ni makosa.