Jaipur: Twelve out of 100 maternal deaths reported in the state are in the age group of 15-19 years.

Death of infants in Malkangiri district due to preventable diseases has come under judicial scanner.

JAIPUR: The neonatal mortality rate (NMR) in Rajasthan has decreased but it is still among the top four states with highest NMR in the country.

A year-long study by a city hospital has found high iron deficiency in newborns, indicating considerable lack of the essential mineral during the crucial developmental stages of a foetus. Doctors say in-utero deficiency of iron can lead to irreversible damages, including poor brain development.

In the study conducted at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, between July 2011 and March 2012, doctors extracted the cord blood of the neonates — blood from the umbilical cord of the newborn — immediately after birth. Three batches, of 30 newborns each, were formed — those with normal growth, those that had restricted growth, and infants of diabetic mothers.

Directorate Of Health Services Admits More Deaths In Reply To Paediatrician’s RTI

The directorate of health services (DHS), which has been defending the administration of the pentavalent vaccine, has admitted that four infants had died within a week of administering the vaccine in the state till June 2012. The admission came in a reply to a right to information (RTI) application filed by paediatric physician Dr Jacob Puliyel, dated July 27, 2012.

The state government has commenced three new health programmes from Tuesday on a pilot basis at Bhadrachalam and Khammam. The projects include Sishu Sanjeevani (special care for newborn babies) to cut down on infant mortality rate; Akshya project (nutrition rehabilitation centres for thousands of children with malnutrition); and Ammakulana (support for mothers) a screening programme for pregnant mothers.

Elaborating on project funded by National Rural Health Mission, which was inaugurated by the Chief Minister on Tuesday, Praveen Prakash, commissioner of health and family welfare said, “Under the Sishu Sanjeevani project, 44 special care units for newborns will be flagged off in Teaching, Area and District Hospitals.

Feeding a newborn with breast milk within 6-8 hours of birth is essential as it helps reduce the infant mortality rate by over 10% annually.

JAIPUR: Underweight newborns are not only common in rural areas but also in big cities of the state. The annual health survey released by the Centre recently said it is common problem of both urban and rural areas.

In Jaipur 31.7% infants have weights less than 2.5kg at birth. Infants born with weight less than 2.5kg were 30% in Jaipur urban area while the figure is 33.9% in Jaipur rural areas.

Codex Commission agrees on better standards on many food items exported by India, such as nuts, spices and seafood

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly run by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, for food safety, has recently agreed on a new set of regulations — including the maximum level of melamine in the liquid milk formula for babies — to protect the health of consumers across the world. Other measures adopted include new food safety standards on seafood, melons, dried figs, nuts and spices and food labelling.

Earlier, many nursing mothers inIndia breastfed their babies for a longer period of time. But with changing times, women have begun weaning babies off breast milk much earlier.