U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network for Southern Africa

Tel: +27 11 880 4633
Fax: +27 11 880 1421
e-mail: irin-sa@irin.org.za


SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 346
13 - 19 October 2007


CONTENTS:

SWAZILAND: Coping strategies wear thin in ongoing food crisis
ZIMBABWE: Kwashiorkor comes to the capital
NAMIBIA: HIV/AIDS dulls shine of good development scores
ZIMBABWE: Home-based care succumbing to economic burnout
AFRICA: Breakthrough in malaria vaccine trials
MALAWI: Role of traditional birth attendants to change


SWAZILAND: Coping strategies wear thin in ongoing food crisis

While aid agencies and the Swazi government scramble to keep a major 
catastrophe at bay, the mounting food crisis means more and more Swazis 
can only cope by drastically scaling down food intake and scouring the 
fields for edible weeds.

About 40 percent of Swaziland's one million people are facing acute food 
and water shortages. For most, coping with the food scarcity means 
cutting back on depleted consumption, already endangering the health of 
thousands according to Comparisons of Coping Mechanisms 2006/2007, a 
recently released joint annual study by the Food and Agriculture 
Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP).

See report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74804


ZIMBABWE: Kwashiorkor comes to the capital

Harare local authorities recently reported that cases of kwashiorkor had 
risen by 43.7 percent in 2006, compared to the previous year, and the 
Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey said conditions such as stunting 
and underweight, associated with poor food quality and quantity, were 
increasing in the country's 10 provinces.

Thousands of households are surviving on one meal a day. Food insecurity 
in urban areas continues to worsen as Zimbabwe's official inflation rate 
of more than 6,000 percent makes basic commodities both scarce and 
unaffordable.

See report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74782


NAMIBIA: HIV/AIDS dulls shine of good development scores

A sharp drop in life expectancy, with HIV/AIDS the primary driver, has 
sent Namibia's human development indicators plummeting; gains in other 
areas will continue to be undermined by the epidemic unless treatment 
and prevention programmes are stepped up, a new report warns.

'Trends in Human Development and Human Poverty in Namibia', a report 
released by the United Nations Development programme on Wednesday, said 
the HIV/AIDS epidemic remained the single greatest threat to 
development.

See report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74834


ZIMBABWE: Home-based care succumbing to economic burnout

Zimbabwe's sinking economy and reduced donor support are threatening 
home-based care programmes for people living with HIV and AIDS, 
according to a new report.

The survey, jointly produced by the Southern Africa HIV and AIDS 
Information Dissemination Service and the Health Development Network, 
noted the impact of runaway inflation - officially pegged at more than 
6,000 percent - on HBC schemes once considered models of their kind.

See report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74850


AFRICA: Breakthrough in malaria vaccine trials

An anti-malaria vaccine offering improved protection to children could 
be registered for use in four years, potentially saving millions of 
young lives, new research conducted in Mozambique has shown.

Scientists announced this week that a clinical trial involving 214 
infants had confirmed the safety of the RTS,S/AS02D malaria vaccine. 
Research indicated that the vaccine could reduce the risk of new 
infections by 65 percent.

See report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74863


MALAWI: Role of traditional birth attendants to change

Malawi is planning to change the role of Traditional Birth Attendants 
(TBAs) in an attempt to reduce one of the world's highest rates of 
maternal and infant deaths.

A 2004 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey said the maternal and infant 
mortality rate was 984 out of every 100,000 live births, translating to 
6,000 maternal deaths each year.

See report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74871


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