Poorly-regulated, privately-run training schools in Senegal are churning out midwives who do not have a solid grasp of birthing or ante- and post-natal care, causing women and babies to die needlessly, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

Child nutrition has made little progress Kenya with 35 per cent of children been stunted, Public Health minister Beth Mugo has said. She said seven percent of the children are underweight. She said 76 per cent of those under five years are vitamin A deficient whilst 74 percent are anemic.

It is three decades since the first HIV case was reported and in that time, an estimated 30 million people have died, another 34 million are living with the virus and an estimated 7,000 new infections occur every day. But it is not all bad news - according to a new report by UNAIDS, a record 1.4 million people started antiretroviral drugs in 2010, and the global rate of new HIV infections declined by nearly 25 percent between 2001 and 2009.

Except the challenge of sub-optimal nutrition among infants and other unmet health problems confronting Nigerian children are adequately tackled, the country may not advance further towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on health.

As Nigerian children celebrated the 2011 Children's Day, yesterday, Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) has called on the government to establish a National Nutrition Agency to cater for the nutrition needs of children.

The richest countries in Africa spend less on looking after their children than the poorest ones, a new study shows.

Visiting health workers in Ethiopia today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spotlighted the progress made in improving the health of women and children, while also stressing the need to do more to avoid needless deaths.

Sixteen countries have announced concrete commitments aimed at drastically reducing current levels of maternal, newborn and child mortality, the United Nations reported today.

Maternal health will be the focus over the next week when Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon begins a four-nation trip that will take the United Nations chief to Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ethiopia and France, his spokesperson said today.

Women and youth have the capacity to spur economic growth and reduce poverty in the world’s least development country if given access to education, employment and health, including family planning services, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says in a report unveiled today.