PROBLEM
Stats:
Infant mortality rate: total: 60.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 63.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 56.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
15% of newborns are underweight.
CAUSES
The top leading causes for children dying under the age of 5.
- Birth asphyxia, failure to initiate and sustain breathing at birth, which accounts for about a quarter of all newborn deaths across the world. Effective resuscitation at birth can prevent a large proportion of these deaths.
- Pneumonia, the prime cause of death in children under five. The major risk factors include malnutrition and indoor air pollution. Measures to prevent it include vaccination and breastfeeding, and children who suffer from pneumonia need access to antibiotics and oxygen.
- Pre-term birth complications– pre-term birth is rising in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia. Low-birth-weight babies are more likely to survive if they are kept warm by skin-to-skin contact with the mother.
- Diarrhoeal diseases, which are a major cause of sickness and death among children in developing countries. Breastfeeding helps prevent diarrhoea among young children and treatment with oral rehydration salts combined with zinc supplements is safe, cost-effective, and saves lives.
- Malaria, which kills one child every minute. Insecticide-treated bed nets prevent transmission and increase child survival.
- Measles, which is a leading cause of childhood mortality. Measles can be completely prevented with two doses of a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine but in many developing countries, poverty, poor health systems and a lack of information can make it difficult for families to secure preventative vaccinations for each of their children.
- Malnutrition, which makes children more vulnerable to severe diseases, is an underlying factor in about one-third of all child deaths.
SOLUTION:
Health risks to newborn babies are minimized by:
- Quality care during pregnancy
- Safe delivery by a skilled birth attendant
- Good neonatal care: immediate attention to breathing and warmth, hygienic cord and skin care, and early initiation of exclusive breastfeeding.
- Insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent transmission of malaria
- Antiretrovirals for women with HIV, along with safer delivery and feeding practices.
I propose that a center be build in the center or the village where expecting mothers are required to attend. This center will provide the following:
- Parenting help.
- Breastfeeding help
- Classes on different things mothers can eat depending on the region they live in.
- Classes for both mother and father explaining baby's developmental progress.
- Child care, which would also help serve as an observation booth for new and inexperienced parents.
- Teach child development classes for the next five years of the child's life. (parents will be able to see what their child should be doing by a certain age. They will be able to learn healthy eating habits and help their child stay healthy and clean.)
This center I believe would be really beneficial to the community in bring the community together, and help provide support for families and mothers. Parents will learn how to help reduce the risk of their child getting a life threatening disease.
The government will help provide the funding for this center. While the peace-core will through their service, help teach the classes. Those attending this center, will be asked to help volunteer a couple days a week running the place, and helping those new members get acquainted by giving tours and answering any questions that they might have.
HIV-AIDS
Stats:
- On the top 10 causes of deaths in Benin, HIV-AIDS is the 4th leading cause.
- since 2007 1.2 % adults have been diagnosed with HIV-AIDS. People living with HIV-AIDS 64,000 and 3,300 deaths.
- From 2001-2011 HIV infection among adults age 15-49 has remained stable in Benin.
- The percentage of people dying of HIV in Benin has decreased 25%- 49% from 2005-2011.
- From 2001-2006 the following has decreased drastically in attaining HIV
-Sex before age 15 among 15-24 year old's for both males and females.
-Multiple partners in the past 12 years among 15-49 year old's for women but not drastically for males.
-Condom use at last high risk sex among 15-49 year old's for women has decreased while for males it has increased the risk drastically. - Benin has overall decreased their usage of condoms.
- From 2009-2011 Benin has decreased between 1%-19% of children attaining HIV age 0-14.
- The number of AIDS orphans, or children 15 years old or younger who have lost at least one parent to AIDS, reached 22,128 in 1997.4 One study projects that the incidence of AIDS orphans will increase to between 290,000 and 534,000 by 2025, depending on the scenario.5
As we can see, AIDS & HIV have a huge impact, it's like a wildfire that spreads. Because HIV-AIDS causes deaths, many tasks don't get fulfilled By this I mean, students are left without teachers, parents, doctors, community leaders leave a community unattended. Scientist and engineers die before completing projects that were going to be positive for the community, water wells and filters.
PROPORTION:
- I propose that sex education be taught early on in school, that parent's take responsibility and teach their children abstinence.
- I think it also should be a requirement for individuals engaging in sexual activity be checked twice every year for signs of HIV and AIDS.
- The use of condoms too should also be used and distributed in clinics.
- There should be a program once a month for community members to attend where they talk about STD's.
http://www.policyproject.com/pubs/SEImpact/benin.pdf http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/epidemiology/2012/gr2012/20121120_UNAIDS_Global_Report_2012_en.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Benin
http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/benin/pdf/benin.pdf
http://www.indexmundi.com/benin/infant_mortality_rate.html
http://childrensrightsportal.org/benin/
http://www.womenandchildrenfirst.org.uk/what-we-do/key-issues/infant-mortality-newborn-health/infant-mortality-causes
http://www.womenandchildrenfirst.org.uk/what-we-do/key-issues/infant-mortality-newborn-health/preventing-infant-mortality
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