Preventable childhood diseases are a major national health concern throughout Pakistan, where just slightly more than half of all children are fully immunized. Nowhere is the occurrence of measles, pneumonia and hepatitis B—to name just a few of the common illnesses—more glaring than in remote villages.
Lunch would have to wait.
Midwife Pauline Mukabasinga was just about ready to enjoy her midday meal on Monday, February 6, when a nurse she worked with at Kabarore Health Center called for her assistance. It was urgent.
In a chilly postnatal ward at the Ambohidroa District Hospital, Mamy Rasoahariniaina wrapped her day-old son in a cotton cloth. She added a woolen hat, swaddled her newborn in a blanket and held him close in a warm embrace.
