Date Published: 18 September 2008

Report highlights risk of maternal mortality in developing world

A new report on maternal mortality, released by UNICEF today, highlights the risks faced during pregnancy and childbirth by women in developing countries.

Progress for Children: A Report Card on Maternal Mortality states that, according to the latest data, more than 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries, with some 84% concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Complications

“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.”

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. Other influences include societal factors, such as poverty, inequity and general attitudes towards women and their health. Maternal mortality rates are often impacted by cultural or traditional practices that often prevent women from seeking delivery or post-partum care.

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 industrialised world. The riskiest place to give birth is Niger, where that risk is estimated to be one in seven.

Avoidable deaths

Most maternal deaths are avoidable. A key to avoiding them is better health care – particularly during pregnancy, delivery and in the post-partum period. Interventions that improve maternal health include: antenatal care, provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling, skilled attendance at birth, emergency obstetric care, post-partum care and family planning in keeping with national policies. When offered across a continuum of care that integrates home, community, outreach and facility-based services, these interventions can have multiple benefits for mothers, children and the communities in which they live.

There have been some promising areas of improvement in maternal health interventions in recent years. Coverage of antenatal care throughout the developing world has increased by 15 percentage points in the past decade, with 75% of expectant mothers now receiving some antenatal care. At the same time, many countries have boosted coverage of skilled delivery attendance. In parts of Asia, for example, the proportion of women who have a skilled attendant present during delivery jumped from 31% to 40% 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.

Progress towards the MDG

However the pace of progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goal on maternal health, which calls for a 75% reduction in the maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2015, has been too slow throughout the developing world and must now be accelerated if the goal is to be reached.

To achieve the MDG target, maternal health must be addressed as part of a continuum of care that connects essential maternal, newborn and child health services. Indeed, levels of maternal mortality often reflect the overall performance of a country’s national health system – particularly during delivery and in the postnatal period, when mothers and newborns are most vulnerable. To fill this critical gap, services that benefit both mother and child need to be scaled up, as the health of the mother is closely linked to that of her newborn.

“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.”

About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by the UNICEF on 18 September 2008 and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please visit their website.