Fast Facts about Maternal Health and Newborn Survival
Each and Every Day...
1,600 women die needlessly during
pregnancy and childbirth:
- Many are undernourished before and during their pregnancy
- These women often lack information and appropriate
voluntary services for family planning and post-abortion
care
- Many women lack information and services during their
pregnancy and receive inadequate health care before,
during, and after delivery
- Women continue to die at the rate of one every minute
of every day due to preventable causes related to
pregnancy and childbirth
- A woman's death during childbirth
often means death for her newborn
Each and Every Day...
11,000 newborns under 4
weeks of age die and there are 11,000 stillbirths:
- Siblings born too close together
place mothers and infants at increased risk of
complications
- More than half of babies who die have low birth weight
and many babies are born to undernourished and unhealthy
mothers
- Many newborns are not breastfed
immediately after birth nor exclusively, or are
fed inappropriate foods, leading to malnutrition
and illness
- Many mothers and their newborns
receive inadequate health care to address complications
arising from
delivery or in the first days and weeks of life
- Most causes of newborn death including birth asphyxia and injuries,
infection, complications of prematurity, and congenital
abnormalities are preventable
Frequently asked questions about USAID's Maternal Health Program
Frequently asked questions about USAID's Child Survival Program |
