PHA-Exch> Nearly all maternal deaths occur in developing countries, UNICEF report finds

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at gmail.com>
crossposted from: "[health-vn discussion group]" <health-vn at cairo.anu.edu.au
>


sent to health-vn MDG List by Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at gmail.com>

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28119&Cr=Maternal&Cr1=Mortality

Nearly all maternal deaths occur in developing countries, UNICEF report
finds

19 September 2008 – Over 500,000 women die unnecessarily every year due to
complications from pregnancy and childbirth, with 99 per cent of those
deaths occurring in developing countries, according to a new report released
today by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"Progress for Children: a report card on maternal mortality" shows that the
worst regions in which to give birth are sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia,
which together account for 84 per cent of maternal deaths.

In the developing world, the risk of death from complications relating to
pregnancy and childbirth over the course of a woman's lifetime is one in 76,
compared with one in 8,000 in the industrialized world. The riskiest place
to give birth is Niger, where that risk is estimated to be one in seven.

"The tragic fact is that every year more than half a million women lose
their lives as a result of complications due to pregnancy or childbirth,"
said Peter Salama, UNICEF's Chief of Health. "The causes of maternal
mortality are clear – as are the means to combat them. Yet women continue to
die unnecessarily." he tragic fact is that every year more than half a
million women lose their lives as a result of complications due to pregnancy
or childbirth

According to the report, haemorrhage is the most common cause of death,
particularly in Africa and Asia. A woman's overall health – including her
nutritional level and HIV status – also influences the chances of a positive
outcome to her pregnancy and childbirth.

Poverty, inequity and general attitudes towards women and their health also
play a part in maternal mortality rates, as did cultural or traditional
practices that often prevent women from seeking delivery or post-partum
care, the report stated.

UNICEF emphasized that most maternal deaths are avoidable, especially with
better health care during the critical pregnancy, delivery and post-partum
periods. It noted there have been improvements in maternal health
interventions in recent years. Coverage of antenatal care in the developing
world has risen by 15 percentage points in the past decade, with 75 per cent
of expectant mothers now receiving some antenatal care.

Many countries have also boosted coverage of skilled delivery attendance,
such as in Asia, where the proportion of women who have a skilled attendant
present during delivery jumped from 31 to 40 per cent between 1995 and 2005.
Increases have also been seen in many African countries.

"Ensuring that skilled personnel are present at all deliveries and that
these personnel have access to emergency care where necessary is the most
effective means of saving the lives of mothers," stressed UNICEF.

At the same time, the agency calls for speeding up progress in the
developing world to attain the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on maternal
health, which calls for a 75 per cent reduction in maternal mortality by
2015.

"Saving mothers' lives is not only a moral imperative, but a sound
investment that benefits their children, their families, their communities
and their countries," said Tessa Wardlaw, UNICEF's Chief of Statistics and
Monitoring.

"Indeed, there is a clear connection between maternal health and other
Millennium Development Goals, such as eradicating extreme poverty, reducing
child mortality, and combating HIV and AIDS and other diseases," she added.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20080920/feeec247/attachment-0001.html>