Tessa Wardlaw

Countdown to 2015 decade report (2000–10): taking stock of maternal, newborn, and child survival

The Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Survival monitors coverage of priority interventions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for child mortality and maternal health. We reviewed progress between 1990 and 2010 in coverage of 26 key interventions in 68 Countdown priority countries accounting for more than 90% of maternal and child deaths worldwide. 19 countries studied were on track to meet MDG 4, in 47 we noted acceleration in the yearly rate of reduction in mortality of children younger than 5 years, and in 12 countries progress had decelerated since 2000. Progress towards reduction of neonatal deaths has been slow, and maternal mortality remains high in most Countdown countries, with little evidence of progress. Wide and persistent disparities exist in the coverage of interventions between and within countries, but some regions have successfully reduced longstanding inequities. Coverage of interventions delivered directly in the community on scheduled occasions was higher than for interventions relying on functional health systems. Although overseas development assistance for maternal, newborn, and child health has increased, funding for this sector accounted for only 31% of all development assistance for health in 2007. We provide evidence from several countries showing that rapid progress is possible and that focused and targeted interventions can reduce inequities related to socioeconomic status and sex. However, much more can and should be done to address maternal and newborn health and improve coverage of interventions related to family planning, care around childbirth, and case management of childhood illnesses.

Diarrhoea: why children are still dying and what can be done

This report sets out a 7-point strategy for comprehensive diarrhoea control that includes a treatment package to reduce child deaths and a prevention package to reduce the number of diarrhoea cases for years to come. The report looks at treatment options such as low-osmolarity ORS and zinc tablets as well as prevention measures such as the promotion of breastfeeding vitamin A supplementation immunization against rotavirus -- a leading cause of diarrhoea -- and proven methods of improving water sanitation and hygiene practices. Diarrhoeas status as the second leading killer of children under five is an alarming reminder of the exceptional vulnerability of children in developing countries. Saving the lives of millions of children at risk of death from diarrhoea is possible with a comprehensive strategy that ensures all children in need receive critical prevention and treatment measures. (Excerpt)

Levels and trends in child mortality, 1990–2009

This article looks at the levels and trends in child mortality from 1990-2009. It tracks the progress that has been made in this area and states that removing financial and social barriers to accessing welfare services innovations to make supply of critical services more available to the poor and increasing local accountability of the health systems are examples of policy interventions that have allowed health systems to improve equity.

Countdown to 2015 for maternal, newborn, and child survival: the 2008 report on tracking coverage of interventions.

BACKGROUND The Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Survival initiative monitors coverage of priority interventions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for reduction of maternal and child mortality. We aimed to report on 68 countries which have 97% of maternal and child deaths worldwide, and on 22 interventions that have been proven to improve maternal, newborn, and child survival. METHODS We selected countries with high rates of maternal and child deaths, and interventions with the most potential to avert such deaths. We analysed country-specific data for maternal and child mortality and coverage of selected interventions. We also tracked cause-of-death profiles; indicators of nutritional status; the presence of supportive policies; financial flows to maternal, newborn, and child health; and equity in coverage of interventions. FINDINGS Of the 68 priority countries, 16 were on track to meet MDG 4. Of these, seven had been on track in 2005 when the Countdown initiative was launched, three (including China) moved into the on-track category in 2008, and six were included in the Countdown process for the first time in 2008. Trends in maternal mortality that would indicate progress towards MDG 5 were not available, but in most (56 of 68) countries, maternal mortality was high or very high. Coverage of different interventions varied widely both between and within countries. Interventions that can be routinely scheduled, such as immunisation and antenatal care, had much higher coverage than those that rely on functional health systems and 24-hour availability of clinical services, such as skilled or emergency care at birth and care of ill newborn babies and children. Data for postnatal care were either unavailable or showed poor coverage in almost all 68 countries. The most rapid increases in coverage were seen for immunisation, which also received significant investment during this period. INTERPRETATION Rapid progress is possible, but much more can and must be done. Focused efforts will be needed to improve coverage, especially for priorities such as contraceptive services, care in childbirth, postnatal care, and clinical case management of illnesses in newborn babies and children.Background The Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Survival initiative monitors coverage of priority interventions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for reduction of maternal and child mortality. We aimed to report on 68 countries which have 97% of maternal and child deaths worldwide, and on 22 interventions that have been proven to improve maternal, newborn, and child survival.

Maternal mortality at the end of a decade: signs of progress?

Maternal mortality is an important measure of womens health and indicative of the performance of health care systems. Several international conferences, most recently the Millennium Summit in 2000, have included the goal of reducing maternal mortality. However, monitoring progress towards the goal has proved to be problematic because maternal mortality is difficult to measure, especially in developing countries with weak health information and vital registration systems. This has led to interest in using alternative indicators for monitoring progress. This article examines recent trends in two indicators associated with maternal mortality: the percentage of births assisted by a skilled health care worker and rates of caesarean delivery. Globally, modest improvements in coverage of skilled care at delivery have occurred, with an average annual increase of 1.7% over the period 1989-99. Progress has been greatest in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, with annual increases of over 2%. In sub-Saharan Africa, on the other hand, coverage has stagnated. In general, caesarean delivery rates were stable over the 1990s. Countries where rates of caesarean deliveries were the lowest--and where the needs were greatest--showed the least change. This analysis leads us to conclude that whereas there may be grounds for optimism regarding trends in maternal mortality in parts of North Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East, the situation in sub-Saharan Africa remains disquieting.

Levels and trends in under-5 mortality, 1990–2008

As global momentum and investment for accelerating maternal and child survival grows, monitoring of progress at the global and country level has become even more needed. Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) calls for a two-thirds reduction in the mortality rate among children under the age of 5 years between 1990 and 2015. Generating accurate estimates of under-5 mortality poses a considerable challenge because of the limited data available for many developing countries. In response, experts at UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank, the UN Population Division (UNPD), and members of the academic community formed the Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME).1 The IGME aims to source and share data on child mortality, to improve and harmonise estimation methods across partners, and to produce consistent estimates on the levels and trends in child mortality worldwide.

Estimates of maternal mortality for 1995

OBJECTIVE To present estimates of maternal mortality in 188 countries, areas, and territories for 1995 using methodologies that attempt to improve comparability. METHODS For countries having data directly relevant to the measurement of maternal mortality, a variety of adjustment procedures can be applied depending on the nature of the data used. Estimates for countries lacking relevant data may be made using a statistical model fitted to the information from countries that have data judged to be of good quality. Rather than estimate the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMRatio) directly, this model estimates the proportion of deaths of women of reproductive age that are due to maternal causes. Estimates of the number of maternal deaths are then obtained by applying this proportion to the best available figure of the total number of deaths among women of reproductive age. FINDINGS On the basis of this exercise, we have obtained a global estimate of 515,000 maternal deaths in 1995, with a worldwide MMRatio of 397 per 100,000 live births. The differences, by region, were very great, with over half (273,000 maternal deaths) occurring in Africa (MMRatio: > 1000 per 100,000), compared with a total of only 2000 maternal deaths in Europe (MMRatio: 28 per 100,000). Lower and upper uncertainty bounds were also estimated, on the basis of which the global MMRatio was unlikely to be less than 234 or more than 635 per 100,000 live births. These uncertainty bounds and those of national estimates are so wide that comparisons between countries must be made with caution, and no valid conclusions can be drawn about trends over a period of time. CONCLUSION The MMRatio is thus an imperfect indicator of reproductive health because it is hard to measure precisely. It is preferable to use process indicators for comparing reproductive health between countries or across time periods, and for monitoring and evaluation purposes.

Global trends in exclusive breastfeeding

BackgroundInfant and young child feeding is critical for child health and survival. Proportion of infants 0–5 months who are fed exclusively with breast milk is a common indicator used for monitoring and evaluating infant and young child feeding in a given country and region. Despite progress made since 1990, a previous review in 2006 of global and regional trends found improvement to be modest. The current study provides an update in global and regional trends in exclusive breastfeeding from 1995 to 2010, taking advantage of the wealth of data from recent household surveys.MethodsUsing the global database of infant and young child feeding maintained by the United Nations Children’s Fund, the authors examined estimates from 440 household surveys in 140 countries over the period between 1995 and 2010 and calculated global and regional averages of the rate of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0–5 months for the two time points to assess the trends.ResultsTrend data suggest the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants younger than six months in developing countries increased from 33% in 1995 to 39% in 2010. The prevalence increased in almost all regions in the developing world, with the biggest improvement seen in West and Central Africa.ConclusionsIn spite of the well-recognized importance of exclusive breastfeeding, the practice is not widespread in the developing world and increase on the global level is still very modest with much room for improvement. Child nutrition programmes worldwide continue to require investments and commitments to improve infant feeding practices in order to have maximum impact on children’s lives.

Progress for children: a report card on adolescents.

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Measuring Coverage in MNCH: New Findings, New Strategies, and Recommendations for Action

Measuring Coverage in Maternal and Child Health: New Findings, New Strategies and Recommendations for Action In this overview of the PLOS Medicine Collection on “Measuring Coverage in Maternal and Child Health, Jennifer Bryce and colleagues discuss how and why some of the indicators now being used to track intervention coverage may not provide fully reliable measurements, draw together strategies proposed across the Collection for improving these measurements and make recommendations for action.