News

Jul 2013   I have worn many hats in my life but the one I take most seriously is my 'mommy beret'. The decisions I make on my children's behalf can impact their whole lives, and the responsibility of it all sometimes overwhelms me.

Jun 2013   It is known that many infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS are epidemic in Africa, where over 22 million people live with this disease. However, non-communicable and genetic diseases also have a high prevalence in Africa, and need to gain higher priority in the health agenda. Over 12 million people in Sub Saharan Africa have diabetes, and the prevalence is rapidly increasing. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 75% of the cases of sickle cell disease occur in Africa. In some countries like Nigeria, 150,000 children are born with the condition each year. Furthermore, the sickle cell carrier status is as high as 45% in countries like Uganda, and ranges between 20% to 30% in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Congo, Gabon and Cameroon. (1)

Jun 2013   Hi, my name is Marriam Carol Mulumba. You can call me Carol. I was born on May 31, 2001. I am 12 years old. I was born with a disease called Sickle Cell Anemia. Unfortunately for me, I had the severe type. The doctors said I wouldn't live past five. My mom and dad were depressed all the time. Everything was hard for me. Running, walking, and even holding something was so painful! My life was miserable.

Jun 2013   Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a major genetic disease in most Sub Sahara countries although not much attention has been given to the systematic caring of the affected children. In Zambia more investment has been put in other communicable diseases compared to this non-communicable disease. This becomes a great concern especially that SCD has been claiming many lives of children just like other diseases. This is partly why the Zambian Childhood Cancer Foundation ZACCAF came to be. ZACCAF is a parent organisation that aims at providing holistic care to children with cancer and life threatening blood disorders and also their families through practical and psychosocial support programmes.

May 2013   According to the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) 2012 annual report, as of 1 Jan. 2012 the world inventory of cord blood in public banks was 591 thousand. By comparison, the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation finds that as of 31 Dec. 2012, the world inventory of cord blood in family banks was over 2.47 million.

May 2013   Every 18.5 seconds, someone in America suffers a brain injury. A brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone - a brain injury does not discriminate. In the blink of an eye, a brain injury changes the way we think, talk, move and feel.

May 2013   Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered to be a major cause of disability and death worldwide, especially in children (as a result of falls and playground injuries), soldiers (from blasts and accidents), and the elderly (falls and stroke). The incidence of TBI is 235 per 100,000, with a worldwide mortality of about 1.5 million per year, and in the USA more than 5 million people are coping with disabilities from TBI at a cost of $60 billion a year.

Apr 2013   It took 2.5 years to reach the first 1000 members, 9 months for the 2nd thousand to join, 6 months to bring in the 3rd thousand, another 6 months to reach the 4th thousand mark, and I expect we'll see the 5th round of one thousand members joining in just 5 months. Approximately a third of the members have 'senior' or 'CxO' titles, 24% are in research, and 27% are at the manager or director level.

Apr 2013   Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease that follows ventilator and oxygen treatment for acute failure to breath in babies born very prematurely (24-28 weeks of gestation instead of 40). BPD is a major complication of prematurity with a short and long term burden that reach into adulthood. Each year, 10,000 new babies suffer from BPD in the US. The economic burden is estimated at $6 billion/year, representing up to one fourth of all direct pediatric health care costs. Damage to the still developing lung stops the normal growth of the alveoli (the air sacs in the lung that allow the uptake of oxygen and release of waste carbon dioxide). Currently there is no treatment for this disease.

Apr 2013   This month the Canadian Blood Services is scheduled to launch a program to collect cord blood donations for a national public bank. Coinciding with this momentous occasion, the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation has expanded its searchable map of donation hospitals, from just the US, to cover all of North America donation sites.