PHM-Exch> CHILD DEATHS DROP BY NEARLY 30 PER CENT (3)

[Claudio Schuftan]

   From:    peterbnyc at gmail.com
,
I am struck by the very weak data that are available for the analysis
of socio-economic progress of all sorts. I would be interested to know
how much of the information comes from tiny samples and a huge amount
of mathematics ... so that at the end the reliability of the number is
really near zero for serious decision making.

I am doing some work in the malaria health sub-sector ... I am trying
to understand the value of the DALY measure. What exactly is a
Disability Adjusted Life Year ... and how does a young child's life
saved by some malaria intervention have long term value when the child
dies two months later of some other disease?

My guess is that health outcomes would be enormously improved if every
family had access to someone who knew some of the core facts about
health ... a village health worker with some basic knowledge about
basic health matters including water and sanitation, malaria
treatment, diarrhea treatment, STDs, anti-natal care and childbirth,
etc.

There seems to be some evidence that deaths of young children are not
declining very fast ... yet it might be that death due to malaria has
declined a lot ... we just don't know.

As a one-time expert on management information systems ... I am
appalled at the lack of data quality in the modern world.
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