1st LD Writethru: Maternal deaths fall almost by half since 1990: UN report

Global maternal mortality has fallen by 44 percent since 1990, according to a new report released on Friday by UN agencies.

The report, titled "Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2015", contributed by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division, is being published in the medical journal the Lancet.

Maternal deaths around the world dropped from about 532, 000 in 1990 to an estimated 303,000 this year, according to the report, the last in a series that has looked at progress under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This equates to an estimated global maternal mortality ratio of 216 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 385 in 1990.

Maternal mortality is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth or within 6 weeks after birth.

"The MDGs triggered unprecedented efforts to reduce maternal mortality," said Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General.

"Over the past 25 years, a woman's risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes has nearly halved. That's real progress, although it is not enough. We know that we can virtually end these deaths by 2030 and this is what we are committing to work towards," she added.

The report highlighted that ensuring access to high-quality health services during pregnancy and child birth is helping to save lives.

Essential health interventions include practicing good hygiene to reduce the risk of infection, injecting oxycontin immediately after childbirth to reduce the risk of severe bleeding, identifying and addressing potentially fatal conditions like pregnancy-induced hypertension. Endit