World Health Day - April 7, 2005

Source: Pan American Health Organization

Make Every Mother and Child Count

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is committed to improving the health of mothers and children around the world. That's why the Agency is proud to celebrate this year's World Health Day and its theme to make every mother and child count. This is also the subject of the World Health Report 2005, launched on World Health Day.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will host a commemoration of World Health Day in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, April 7, 2005 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at 525 23rd Street, NW, in Room A. The Honorable Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, USAID; will join The Honorable Mike Leavitt, Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS); and Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, Director, PAHO, at this special event. If you would like to attend please RSVP to Dr. Rafael Antonio Obregon at obregonr@paho.org.

The statistics on maternal and child health are staggering, especially in developing countries:

• Every year over 500,000 women lose their lives to preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth, 99 percent of them in developing countries
• Every year about 4 million newborns die and 4 million more are stillborn, with 98 percent of these deaths occurring in developing countries
• More than ten million children will die this year from easily preventable causes such as diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria

To improve the health of mothers and children around the world, USAID focuses on three areas:

1. Improving Maternal and Neonatal Health
   USAID's approach includes community involvement, the promotion of evidence-based interventions and compassionate high-quality services. Key interventions include iron supplementation for mothers, malaria treatment, safe and clean delivery, and treatment of obstetric and newborn complications (comprising the prevention and repair of obstetric fistula and the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage). USAID programs also support global leadership to strengthen maternal and nutrition policies, and work to empower families and communities to prepare for childbirth by promoting the use of skilled birth attendants for safe delivery, improving self-care and nutrition during pregnancy and after delivery, recognizing complications, and finding means to overcome barriers to care.
   
   

2. Source: Pan American Health Organization

   Increasing Child Survival
   Increasing global child survival has long been a top priority of U.S. foreign assistance. USAID-supported research in the 1970s and 80s helped develop approaches and technologies that today save millions of lives each year, and the Agency continues to support health research to develop new lifesaving tools. Since 1990, USAID has provided over $2.5 billion in assistance to programs that save children's lives by working to increase immunization, eradicate polio, improve nutrition, reduce and prevent childhood illnesses, and treat infectious diseases.
   
   
3. Improving Neonatal Health and Survival
   The objective of USAID's neonatal program is to reduce neonatal mortality by building on and strengthening neonatal interventions within existing maternal and child health programs, and by preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS in high prevalence countries. Key program strategies include treating the mother and baby as a dyad by integrating maternal and newborn programs to support the full continuum of care during pregnancy, labor and birth, and after the birth of the baby with evidence-based perinatal and newborn interventions.

USAID programs work around the world to help save the lives of mothers, babies and children:

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) – Health
USAID LAC collaborates with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and other organizations on an initiative in health sector reform. One of the outcomes of this collaboration is the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Health Sector Reform Initiative website. The website, in English and Spanish, includes health sector analyses, tools and frameworks, and a cyber library on health sector reform.

Africa – Health
To improve health status in Africa, USAID responds by focusing on increasing the availability, effectiveness, and access to quality health care, and on strengthening programs by developing, disseminating and advocating the adoption of state-of-the-art, Africa-appropriate approaches to health improvement. USAID also works to strengthen the capacity of African institutions to plan, manage, implement and evaluate these approaches.

Asia and the Near East – Health
USAID's commitment to health and population in the Asia and Near East region goes beyond humanitarian concerns. A population's health is vital to educational attainment, productivity and economic development. High population growth can slow or erode economic gains and create instability. USAID's work in Asia and the Near East focuses on key population and health issues, such as fertility, maternal and infant mortality, and nutrition, as well as on infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS that are damaging the health and productivity of the region.

USAID News and Information

• Low-Cost Injections Decrease Death Rate During Childbirth
  Every year, more than 500,000 women die as a result of childbirth - mainly from excessive bleeding known as postpartum hemorrhage.
• Obstetric Fistula: A Catastrophic Maternal Disability [PDF, 272KB]
  Complications of pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death and disability among women of reproductive age in developing countries.
• USAID's Child Health Program
• USAID's Maternal and Neonatal Health Programs
• USAID Global Health Overview

Related Links

• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
  • World Health Day Events in Washington, D.C. and Latin America
  • Press Releases on World Health Day
• World Health Organization (WHO)
  • Information on World Health Day Events Around the World
  • Press Releases and Media Coverage on World Health Day
  • World Health Report 2005