Arsenic exposure may damage children’s immunity for life

Long-term arsenic exposure from early childhood can cause permanent genetic-level damage to children’s ability to fend off diseases, new icddr,b study suggests. Immunity of arsenic-exposed children has shown similar characteristics like aged people.

Can Bangladesh tackle an alarming rise in antibiotic overuse?

Overusing antibiotics for children's illnesses that do not require such medication has been on the rise in Bangladesh, indicates recent icddr,b studies.

Arsenic-laced water may cause more young deaths

A recent icddr,b study has shown that young adults are 5 times more likely to die at an early age from several diseases other than cancer when exposed to such toxin.

Are antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soil a threat to WASH?

Around 40% of E. coli bacteria in household soil, with 10% having the potential to cause diarrhoeal diseases, have shown resistance to at least one antibiotic, found an icddr,b study in rural Bangladesh.

Vitamin D during pregnancy shows no benefit for infant growth

New findings with icddr,b published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine found that vitamin D supplement for mothers during pregnancy had no impact on child growth.

icddr,b treatment guideline effective for persistent diarrhoea

Patients admitted with persistent diarrhoea (PD) at icddr,b have had up to 95 percent recovery in recent years, indicates icddr,b hospital data.

Slum children may be exposed to fungi toxin from food

Recent icddr,b evidence published in Nature has indicated that slum children may be exposed to Aflatoxins from fungi (fungus) grown on food. 

Why it is important mothers breastfeed within an hour of birth

One of the little known ‘superfoods’ for newborn babies is colostrum. It is a nutrient-rich fluid produced by women, expressed during the first feeding.

New intervention package could be key to reducing C-sections

The very thought of normal deliveries seems to scare many women nowadays with c-sections becoming more common, often due to a myth that most normal deliveries cause complications.

Are expectant mothers being coerced into unnecessary operations?

Caesarean sections (C-sections) should only be done out of medical necessity, because the surgical procedure can put the health of women and their babies at risk.

Breastfeeding gives infants the best start

Breastfeeding plays a vital role in the reduction of preventable illnesses pertaining to malnutrition, including wasting, stunting, low-to-underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies, as well as respiratory tract infections, ear infection (otitis media), urinary tract infections.

Hepatitis B vaccines for children found effective in Bangladesh

The hepatitis B vaccine programme in Bangladesh was found highly effective in preventing chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among children, suggests a new icddr,b study.

How prepared are mothers for safe deliveries?

Three in every four mothers in Bangladesh’s hard-to-reach areas may not be well prepared for delivering their babies, indicates an icddr,b study.

How far is Bangladesh from eliminating obstetric fistula?

For many women, giving birth is an astounding experience. However, for those in developing countries giving birth can also bring death or cause lifelong ill-health or morbidity due to unsafe conditions without proper medical attention.

Human genetic differences, rotavirus susceptibility and vaccine efficacy

Globally, rotavirus claims lives of around 215,000 children every year, mainly in low-income countries. Susceptibility to this infection may be connected to hereditary differences in histo-blood group antigen phenotypes.

Can more children benefit from cleaner water?

Children are among those mostly suffering and dying from diseases caused by impure water. Recent icddr,b evidence suggests that these children could not only have survived but also have attained better development with improved water quality and better nutrition.

Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis: how icddr,b responded to emergencies

icddr,b played a key role to prevent disease outbreak among the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) seeking refuge in Bangladesh.

Monitoring of clinical conditions may curb soaring C-section deliveries in Bangladesh

An icddr,b study on over 2500 childbirths under its Matlab Health and Demographic Surveillance (HDSS) area found that around 35% of these deliveries were caesarean section (C-section).

Health equities imperative for UHC in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, 4+ ANC services with ensured quality can bring underprivileged and marginalised groups under coverage that might facilitate achieving UHC.

Health equities imperative for UHC in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, 4+ ANC services with ensured quality can bring underprivileged and marginalised groups under coverage that might facilitate achieving UHC.

Behaviour change intervention found effective in improving urban slum hygiene

Hygiene practice of shared toilets within urban slums have shown improvements due to behaviour change intervention coupled with sanitation support.

Clinical features useful for early detection of pneumonia

An icddr,b study found additional simple clinical features helpful to distinguish the cause of rapid breathing in children with diarrhoea in order to facilitate appropriate treatment in time.

icddr,b responds to Yemen cholera outbreak

From war-torn Yemen, physicians and nurses arrive at icddr,b for hands-on training on tackling cholera outbreaks as hundreds of thousands of Yemeni people continue to face countrywide epidemic.

icddr,b joins global efforts to improve respiratory health

icddr,b teams up with a new global health research initiative on respiratory health that focuses on reducing the impact of lung diseases worldwide.

Sudden deaths in Bangladeshi children to chemicals sprayed on fruit trees

A new icddr,b study finds evidence of using powerful insecticides, including one banned in 80 countries, in local fruit orchards in Bangladesh.

Children over six may be at greater risk of dengue infection

Children older than six years of age can be at greater risk of dengue fever, identifies a new study with icddr,b, predicting that this may be because they spend more time in crowded places such as schools and parks.

When diarrhoea from Shigella could prove fatal

The pathogen Shigella causes diarrhoea known as Shigellosis. It often leads to that condition when a patient’s brain is affected, showing symptoms of seizures, altered consciousness or even developing coma.

Nutrient supplements in the first 1000 days shown to boost child development

icddr,b findings show that lipid- or fat-based nutritional supplements consumed during the first 1,000 days can significantly boost children’s growth and development.

How can children with sepsis receive timely emergency care?

In some cases of acute infection, the body’s own immune response begins to attack its own tissues and organs, leading to a life-threatening condition known as sepsis.

The tragic persistence of maternal death in Bangladesh

Bangladesh made exceptional progress in this area. Although Bangladesh has a lower per capita income than India or Pakistan, it has fewer maternal deaths than its richer neighbours.

icddr,b joins the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Network

The Network is composed of more than 15 global organisations, including the US CDC, IANPHI, the Public Health Informatics Institute at the Task Force for Global Health, and Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Clinical management critical to reduce deaths from pneumonia in malnourished children

Pneumonia remains a common cause of death in children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Many of these deaths occur after the children received treatment for SAM and recovered.

Study with icddr,b validates new tool for diagnosing dehydration in children

A simple new method for assessing dehydration from diarrhoea has proven accurate and reliable, in a study conducted by researchers from Brown University with icddr,b.

Broader and more inclusive interventions required to improve child health

Parents’ education and mothers’ autonomy to decide about children’s health are among the factors associated with child mortality in Bangladesh, a new icddr,b study has found.

Hepatitis E – a preventable cause of one in five maternal deaths in Bangladesh?

icddr,b researchers have found that one in five maternal deaths in Bangladesh is associated with jaundice. Many of these cases are likely to be caused by hepatitis E virus.

Low-cost thermal blanket could save the lives of preterm babies

Scientists at icddr,b and their US colleagues have developed an innovative ‘thermal blanket’, prepared from local materials, which could potentially save the lives of premature babies in Bangladesh and beyond. 

New guidelines to improve neonatal care for premature babies in Bangladesh

icddr,b research and expertise have contributed to new national guidelines for kangaroo mother care for premature newborn babies in government healthcare facilities in Bangladesh.

icddr,b wins major award to help prevent Hepatitis E in pregnancy

icddr,b scientists have received a global health and vaccination award from GLOBVAC to conduct research on a vaccine for hepatitis E, a troubling viral disease that causes particularly dangerous problems in pregnant women.

icddr,b mHealth intervention improves immunisation coverage in hard-to-reach communities

Reminding mothers about immunisation of newborns through SMS messages has significantly improved vaccination coverage among hard-to-reach populations in Bangladesh.

Pasteurising mother’s milk: A simple solution to a complex problem

The World Health Organization estimates that if every woman optimally breastfed her baby the lives of 800,000 young children could be saved every year. So why can’t we achieve optimal breastfeeding?

Bangladesh among few countries to reach internationally agreed child mortality target

Bangladesh is among only 62 of 195 countries to have met the target to reduce under-5 mortality by two thirds over these 25 years.

Access to emergency maternal health care: What is the situation in Bangladesh?

Access to free-of-charge or subsidised emergency obstetric care is very low in Bangladesh but public-private partnerships and incentive schemes could increase coverage.

Social networks improve maternal and newborn healthcare in urban slums

Women in urban slums who viewed community health workers as part of their social support network are more likely to adopt healthy maternal and child healthcare practices, says new icddr,b research