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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Health Indicators: Advances and Obstacles
>> Foreign Aid in the National Interest >> Chapter 3 >> Health Indicators: Advances and Obstacles Jump to Chapter 3 Sections:
>> Health, development and aid >> Broad progress, startling changes, persistent quandaries >> Health indicators: advances and obstacles >> Health systems and services >> To review the bidding >> Implications of trends for future directions >> Implications for the philosophy and pursuit of "foreign assistance" >> Notes >> Background paper >> References
With the sustained long-term effort of the global health community, people in developing countries have become much healthier. As a result remarkable changes are occurring in patterns of illness and death. Still, progress has not been even across developing countries and regions, and future improvements will require new approaches to health care and complementary efforts involving a range of other sectors.
Infant and child mortality
Over the past 20 years developing countries have also seen a near halving of child mortality, defined as deaths among children under 5. By 2020 under-5 mortality is expected to fall by another third in developing countries and by almost half in the least developed countries.
By 2020 the average infant mortality rate in developing countries will fall below 50 per 1,000 live births, surpassing the goal set at the United Nation’s Summit for Children (figure 3.6).42 In addition, more than a third of the least developed countries will have achieved this goal. Sustained improvements require national commitments to past investments and continued progress on other important socioeconomic indicators, including education, employment, and governance.
Impressive progress on infant mortality is expected to continue over the next two decades, except in countries with high HIV/AIDS prevalence. Over the past 50 years infant mortality rates have fallen by almost half even in the least developed countries, and by 2020 they are projected to drop by three-quarters.40 In 1975-80 these countries experienced an average of 140 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births; by 2015-20 that rate will drop to 65.
Progress has been steady in nearly all developing countries and in some, startling. During the 1990s alone infant mortality fell 38 percent in Indonesia, 36 percent in Jordan and Nicaragua, 30 percent in Peru, 28 percent in Morocco and the Philippines, and 26 percent in Egypt.
Many reasons explain the declines in infant and child mortality. Better public health especially more widespread immunization, supported by foreign assistance and the global health community has been important. But other factors are also important. Regression analyses find that good nutrition, sanitation, and education are the most important predictors of falling infant mortality.
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Last Updated on: October 07, 2009 |
