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Mozambique eliminates maternal and neonatal tetanus
UN -- Mozambique has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus, according to a United Nations-backed health survey. The nationwide survey, which was conducted last month with support from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), found no deaths from maternal and neonatal tetanus in the country, confirming that the disease no longer exists as a public health problem. "Commitment, hard work and partnerships are paying off," said UNICEF Representative Jesper Morch. "This milestone demonstrates that delivering life-saving vaccines to the poorest and most isolated communities brings results, and we will make every effort to sustain this progress"...

Chad says no to plastic bags
IRIN -- N'djamena is a rarity in the region - the trees lining the Chad capital are not scarred by plastic bags. In supermarkets cashiers simply leave goods on the counter for the customer to take away, which many do in reusable bags on offer everywhere in the markets. When Marie Thérèse Mbailemdana became mayor of N'djamena in January 2010, she was determined to apply a 1992 law prohibiting the importation of plastic bags (known by the Arabic word ‘léda'); until then the law had not been strictly enforced. "This plastic polluted the city - you saw plastic hanging on walls, on trees. And it destroys our environment. Plastic remains in the ground for centuries. No trees or plants will grow where plastic is in the ground," she told IRIN...

Landmarks around the world turn (RED) for World Aids Day
ONE Blog -- This Wednesday is World AIDS Day, and while ONE members across the country are already championing the issue, we want to send out some exciting news from our sister organization, (RED). Tomorrow, (RED) is illuminating the world’s most iconic landmarks to raise awareness for World AIDS Day. Last year, nearly half a million babies were born with HIV — but with access to medication, a pregnant mother can stop the transmission of HIV to her child. With continued funding to organizations like the Global Fund, the number of babies born with HIV could be zero by 2015, creating the first AIDS-free generation in 30 years...

Sudan targets food self-sufficiency in 5 years
Reuters -- Sudan will prioritise agriculture to target self sufficiency within five years after the devastation of decades of civil wars, its agriculture minister said on Monday. Africa's largest country must diversify its economy away from oil -- from which it derives more than 90 percent of its foreign exchange revenues -- as the oil-producing south is expected to secede following a January 9 independence referendum. "We are targeting to achieve food self sufficiency within five years -- agriculture is the way forward for Sudan," Agriculture Minister Abdel Haleem al-Mutafi told Reuters in an interview...