Wed, July 30, 2008
LUSAKA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Africa is facing enormous challenges in the area of reproductive health more than any other continent, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, according to Zambia Daily Mail on Wednesday.
The maternal, newborn and child health indicators in the region are very poor, and maternal mortality is estimated at 870 to 1,000 per 100,000 live birth, WHO country representative in Lusaka Olusesegun Babayini said here Tuesday.
Babaniyi said in Africa there are 1.2 million neonatal deaths annually, accounting for about a quarter of all under five deaths.
He said reproductive health and family planning have been among the main safe motherhood programs in most African countries.
He said to respond to the challenges, WHO/AFRO has developed a road map for the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality which has been endorsed by the African Regional Committee.
Babaniyi urged African countries to strengthen maternal, newborn and child health as they respond to challenges of meeting millennium development goals by 2015.
