UNIFEED MATERNAL DEATHS
(27 Sep 2010) STORY: UN / MATERNAL DEATHS TRT: 1.17 SOURCE: UNICEF RESTRICTIONS: NONE LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS DATELINE: 15 SEPTEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE STORYLINE: FILE - UNICEF - 28 MAY 2010, ORISSA STATE, INDIA 1. Wide shot, pregnant woman walking into a primary health centre 2. Various shots, pregnant woman checked by medical staff 15 SEPTEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Renee Van de Weerdt, UNICEF Chief of Maternal Newborn and Child Health: "Today we had very encouraging numbers in terms of maternal deaths. We've seen that the total number has gone down significantly, which is good news. However the progress has not been enough. We need more than 5 percent annual reduction in the maternal mortality ratio, and so far we've have only seen 2.3. So yes, this is good news but the progress is not sufficient and really we need accelerated efforts to improve maternal health." FILE - UNICEF - 28 MAY 2010, ORISSA STATE, INDIA 4. Various shots, mother giving birth to a healthy baby boy 5. Med shot, a nurse carrying the new born into a cradle 6. Med shot, happy mother with her baby FILE -UNICEF - OCTOBER 2009, SEPTEMBER 2009 SANCTI SP�RITUS, CUBA 7. Various shots, maternity ward General Camilo Cienfeugos provincial hospital STORYLINE: The number of women dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased by 34 per cent from an estimated 546 000 in 1990 to 358 000 in 2008, according to a new report, "Trends in maternal mortality", released by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank. The progress is notable, but the annual rate of decline is less than half of what is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by 75 per cent between 1990 and 2015. This will require an annual decline of 5.5 per cent. The 34 per cent decline since 1990 translates into an average annual decline of just 2.3 per cent. SOUNDBITE (English) Renee Van de Weerdt, UNICEF Chief of Maternal Newborn and Child Health: "Today we had very encouraging numbers in terms of maternal deaths. We've seen that the total number has gone down significantly, which is good news. However the progress has not been enough. We need more than 5 percent annual reduction in the maternal mortality ratio, and so far we've have only seen 2.3. So yes, this is good news but the progress is not sufficient and really we need accelerated efforts to improve maternal health." Pregnant women still die from four major causes: severe bleeding after childbirth, infections, hypertensive disorders, and unsafe abortion. Every day, about 1000 women died due to these complications in 2008. Out of the 1000, 570 lived in sub-Saharan Africa, 300 in South Asia and five in high-income countries. The risk of a woman in a developing country dying from a pregnancy-related cause during her lifetime is about 36 times higher compared to a woman living in a developed country. The new estimates show that it is possible to prevent many more women from dying. Countries need to invest in their health systems and in the quality of care. The report covers the period from 1990 to 2008. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
