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UNICEF releases 'State of the World's Children' report for 2009
According to the latest State of the World's Children report released by UNICEF, women in the world's least developed countries are 300 times more likely to die while in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications than women in the developed world.
As well, a child born in a developing country is almost 14 times more likely to die it the first month of life than a baby born in the developed world.
Both mothers and infants are vulnerable in the first days and weeks after birth, which is a critical time for life-saving interventions, including post-natal visits, proper hygiene and counselling about the dangers signs of newborn and maternal health.
Reducing child and maternal mortality
The health and survival of infants is linked to that of their mothers, and the interventions which can save mothers' lives also benefit the child. The State of the World's Children report highlights this link.
While there has been strong progress made in many developing countries in the area of child survival, there is still much progress to be made in reducing maternal mortality.
According to Anne M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director:
'Every year, more than half a million women die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth complications, including about 70,000 girls and young women aged 15 to 19. Since 1990, complications related to pregnancy and childbirth have killed an estimated 10 million women.'
In the developing world, a woman has a lifetime risk of maternal death of 1 in 76, while in the developed world the risk is only 1 in 8000. Approximately 99 per cent of global deaths arising from pregnancy and related complications occur in the developing world.
Opportunities for change
The report goes on to suggest that we have opportunities to close the gap between rich and poor countries, recommending that essential services be provided through health systems that integrate a continuum of home, community, outreach and facility-based care.
This continuum of care concept goes beyond the traditional emphasis on single, disease-specific interventions, calling instead for a model of primary health care that embraces each stage of maternal, newborn and child health.
Further information
Visit the UNICEF State of the World's Children report website.
Download the PDF of the State of the World's Children report .
Read information about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Read Early Childhood Australia's Code of Ethics.
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