PHM-Exch> Remarkable declines in Maternal Deaths Globally - IHME study: Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008

[Claudio Schuftan]

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From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) <ruglucia at paho.org>
crossposted from : EQUIDAD at listserv.paho.org


 *Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008:
a systematic analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5

*

Hogan MC, Foreman KJ, Naghavi M, Ahn SY, Wang M, Makela SM, Lopez AD, Lozano
R, Murray CJL
*The Lancet 2010; published online April 12.
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60518-1.

*
*Website:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)60518-1/fulltext

* *Maternal deaths fall worldwide from a half-million annually to less than
350,000 *

*HIV accounts for a large percentage of deaths, with most deaths
concentrated in six countries

*

*“…..April 12, 2010*–The number of women dying from pregnancy-related causes
has dropped by more than 35% in the past 30 years – from more than a
half-million deaths annually in 1980 to about 343,000 in 2008, according to
a new study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the
University of Washington and collaborators at the University of Queensland.

IHME’s research shows that deaths have been declining at an annual rate of
about 1.4% since 1990. Contrary to previous reports that have shown very
little change in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), the global MMR – the
number of women dying for every 100,000 live births – declined from 422 in
1980 to 320 in 1990. It reached 251 in 2008 and is on pace for further
declines.

Developing countries, in particular, have made substantial progress toward
the Millennium Development Goal set in 2000 of reducing the MMR. Although
only 23 countries are on track to achieve the target of lowering the MMR by
75% between 1990 and 2015, countries such as Egypt, China, Ecuador, and
Bolivia have been achieving accelerated progress.

“These findings are very encouraging and quite surprising,” said Dr.
Christopher Murray, Institute Director and one of the report’s co-authors.
“There are still too many mothers dying worldwide, but now we have a greater
reason for optimism than has generally been perceived.”

The study, Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008: a systematic
analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal
5<http://www.thelancet.com/>,
appears online April 12th in *The Lancet*. Beginning in 2007, researchers
analyzed vital registration data, censuses, surveys, and verbal autopsy
studies and created new methodological tools to generate the most accurate
estimates to date of maternal mortality for nearly every country.

Researchers found that progress in reducing maternal mortality has been
slowed by the ongoing HIV epidemic. Nearly one out of every five maternal
deaths – a total of 61,400 in 2008 – can be linked to HIV, and many of the
countries with large populations affected by HIV have had the most
difficulty reducing their maternal mortality ratio.

Nearly 80% of all maternal deaths are concentrated in 21 countries, and six
countries account for more than half of all maternal deaths.

Eight low-income countries have seen annual increases in the MMR over the
period 1990 to 2008, including Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, as have several
high-income countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Norway. At
least part of the increase in high-income countries appears to be due to
changes in the way maternal deaths are reported. Mothers in the US now die
at a higher rate than in most other high-income countries, four times the
rate of Italy and three times the rate of Australia. ….”

*Figures*

·                      Figure 1. Global Maternal Mortality
Ratio<http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/print/news/2010/maternal_mortality_global_mmr_fig1_IHME_0410.pdf>(49k
pdf*)

·                      Figure 2. 21 Countries with the Most Maternal
Deaths<http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/print/news/2010/maternal_mortality_21_countries_fig2_IHME_0410.pdf>(58k
pdf*)

·                      Figure 3. Annualized Rate of Decline in MMR,
1990-2008<http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/print/news/2010/maternal_mortality_annualized_rate_decline_fig3_IHME_0410.pdf>(194k
pdf*)

*Related Content:*

·                               See the
figures<http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/resources/news/2010/maternal_deaths_fall_0410.html#one%23one>

·                               View the Web
appendix<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2960518-1/fulltext#sec1>

·                               Download countries ranked by their maternal
mortality ratio<http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/print/news/2010/maternal_mortality_countries_ranked_by_MMR_table1_IHME_0410.xls>(42k
xls)

·                               Download the
slides<http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/print/news/2010/maternal_mortality_IHME_0410.ppt>(3M
ppt)

·                               Use the datasets and interactive
tools<http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/resources/datasets/2010/mortality/results/maternal/maternal.html>
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