New low-cost tools that measure newborn babies' feet to screen for prematurity or low birth weight are under trial in Ethiopia in an initiative to help tackle the leading cause of death among young children, particularly those born at home.

Over 2 million babies are estimated to have been born in 18 months of devastating conflict in Sudan, all at risk from a decimated healthcare system and crisis levels of hunger, according to a new analysis by Save the Children.

The conflict in Sudan has seen a major increase in intensity in recent weeks, with violence hitting a seven-month high in the country, with children on the frontline, said Save the Children. Violent incidents include airstrikes, artillery shelling, use of explosives and remote violence in multiple regions.
 

Cases of the potentially deadly mpox virus have skyrocketed about 75-fold in children and young people under the age of 19 in the most severely impacted province in the Democratic Republic of Congo so far this year, Save the Children said.

Nearly 500 unaccompanied and separated children have arrived in Blue Nile and Gedaref states in Sudan over six weeks as heavy fighting forces more people to flee for safety after 16 months of conflict, Save the Children said.

The number of children in Sudan seeking treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) has surged to unprecedented levels, with clinics overwhelmed and global experts on food security warning that parts of the country are in the worst possible phase of hunger