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Facts for Life

Glossary

 

Foreword  •  Purpose  •  Structure  •  Essential Messages  •  Guide for Using Facts for Life   •  Glossary  •  For further information contact
 

ACTs
artemisinin-based combination therapies that treat Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the most serious type of malaria, which causes nearly all malaria deaths
AIDS
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
ART
antiretroviral therapy - a group of drugs used to treat HIV
anaemia
a blood deficiency that results in poor health, commonly caused by lack of iron in the diet
BCG
Bacille Calmette-Guérin – an anti-tuberculosis vaccine
DTP or DPT
diphtheria and tetanus toxoid with pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine
eclampsia
an illness that sometimes occurs during the later stages of pregnancy, which involves high blood pressure and can cause convulsions, sometimes followed by a coma
expressed milk
milk removed from the breast manually or by using a pump
FGM/C
female genital mutilation/cutting is any procedure that involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons
fistula (obstetric)
an abnormal opening between a woman's vagina and her bladder and/or rectum, through which urine and/or faeces continually leak; obstetric fistula is caused by complications during childbirth
goitre
an enlargement of the thyroid gland that causes a swelling of the neck and is a sign of iodine deficiency in the person's diet
HepB
Hepatitis B vaccine
Hib
Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine
HIV
human immunodeficiency virus
infibulation
the most extreme type of female genital mutilation, involving excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching or narrowing of the vaginal opening
micronutrients
nutrients needed in very small amounts for normal growth and development, e.g., a vitamin or mineral
obstructed labour
labour in which despite strong contractions of the uterus, the fetus cannot descend through the pelvis because a barrier prevents its descent
opportunistic infections
infections that take advantage of weakness in the immune system such as caused by HIV
ORS
oral rehydration salts
PCP pneumonia
pneumocystis pneumonia – a common 'opportunistic' infection in children and people living (infected) with HIV
pentavalent vaccine
a five-in-one vaccine that combines the DTP (also referred to as DPT), HepB, and Hib vaccines
Plasmodium falciparum malaria
the most serious type of malaria, which causes nearly all malaria deaths
PMTCT
prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
prolonged labour
labour with a duration of more than 24 hours
respiratory tract
the system in the body that takes in and distributes oxygen
STI
sexually transmitted infection
stillbirth
the birth of a fetus that has died in the womb

 

 

 

 

 

 


Foreword  •  Purpose  •  Structure  •  Essential Messages  •  Guide for Using Facts for Life   •  Glossary  •  Contact



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