International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is working to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to displaced people in Haiti.

Assessments are being carried out in Port-au-Prince to assess the toll of the recent earthquake, the organisation says.

UNFPA is prioritising assistance for pregnant women in the impacted areas, who are especially vulnerable during the crisis.

International ethical fashion brand Bel Espirit is lending its support to Heal Africa by launching a sustainable business project during Nolcha Fashion Week, which will be launched on February 11th.

Specifically, Bel Espirit will work with Heal Africa to create fair-trade cooperatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the banner of Donate Design.

Young people aged between 12 and 29 are more at risk from HIV infection in Botswana, it has been claimed.

According to the Botswana Gazette, a number of factors exert an influence on the HIV rate among young people in the country.

The recent earthquake in Haiti has put pregnant womens' lives at risk, it has been claimed.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) , thousands of women in the region are at risk from complications and death related to childbirth and pregnancy as a direct result of the earthquake.

Healthcare issues are making their way up the Asian news agenda, it has been claimed.

Speaking to the Jakarta Post, Kamal Siddiqi, editor of the Pakistan-based The News, said: "Newspapers have limited space so we have to fight to get a little space for health coverage, considered 'soft issues'."

Unnecessary surgery is having a major impact on women's health in China, it has been claimed.

According to new research by the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly half of all mothers in the country have the child delivered by caesarean section – the highest rate in the world.

The government of Sierra Leone has reported success in its battle to reduce maternal mortality rates across the country.

A fall in the number of deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth was announced at a National Maternal Death Review Committee dialogue meeting, reports the Awareness Times.

Pregnant women should be weighed on a regular basis to ensure that babies are not placed at risk of the effects of maternal obesity, it has been claimed.

Use of prenatal ultrasounds in women with singleton pregnancies has increased by 55 per cent, with a third of mothers-to-be having three or more tests during their second and third trimesters.

Data published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal also revealed that one in five women receive four or more ultrasounds during their second and third trimesters.

New data has highlighted the need for improvements to maternal and newborn healthcare in Morogoro.

Figures from the Tanzanian municipality show that 184 women died due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth in the past five years.