Approximately 530,000 women worldwide die annually from preventable pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes, according to a... World Health Organization report released on Thursday for World Health Day, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The report, titled "World Health Report 2005: Make Every Mother and Child Count," condemns the maternal deaths and criticizes the fact that seven million infants die annually worldwide within four weeks after birth, mainly from preventable causes. According to the report, a lack of medical care in developing countries contributes to the deaths of women of childbearing age and children. Fewer than two-thirds of women in developing countries -- and less than one-third of women in the world's poorest countries -- give birth with the aid of qualified assistance, the report says (AFP/Yahoo! News, 4/6). Worldwide, one woman every minute dies in pregnancy or childbirth, and 20 children under age five die each minute, for a total of 11 million deaths annually, according to the report. The primary causes of death for children under age five include pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles, HIV/AIDS and neonatal ailments, according to the report (BBC News, 4/7). As part of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, countries have pledged to reduce maternal mortality by 75% and child mortality by 67% by 2015, Xinhuanet reports. However, the WHO report shows that current trends mean some areas will not achieve the goals for 150 years, senior WHO official Denis Aitken said, adding, "We must not let that happen" (Xinhuanet, 4/7).
Report Details
The report also found the following:
Report Details
The report also found the following:
- * Of the 211 million annual pregnancies in the world, about 46 million end in abortion, with 40% of these occurring in unsafe conditions and resulting in about 68,000 deaths;
* Pregnancy and childbirth are the main causes of death, disease and disability among women of childbearing age in developing countries. About one in 16 pregnant women and new mothers die in Africa, compared with one in 2,800 in developed nations (Manning, USA Today, 4/6);
* About 43% of new mothers and infants receive medical care;
* Approximately 2.2 million HIV-positive women give birth each year;
* 19 of the 20 countries with the highest maternal mortality ratios are located in sub-Saharan Africa; and
* More than 50% of all child deaths occur in six countries: China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan (Nebehay, Reuters, 4/6).
