| "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand | | | | Leone (2,000), Afghanistan (1,900), Malawi |
| that rules the world". | | | | (1,800), Angola(1,700), Niger (1,600), |
| | | | Tanzania (1,500), Rwanda (1,400), Mali |
| This is a famous poem from William Ross | | | | (1,200), Somalia, Zimbabwe, Chad, Central |
| Wallace which praises motherhood as the | | | | African Republic, Guinea Bissau (1,100 each), |
| preeminent force to change the world. But | | | | Kenya, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Burundi, and |
| will this ever happen when death strikes | | | | Mauritania (1,000 each). |
| right at birth? How can a mother ever rock | | | | |
| her child when she dies even before she could | | | | Known Causes |
| even hear her baby cry? This may sound | | | | |
| rhetoric, on the contrary, maternal mortality | | | | Medical practitioners have specified the |
| is indeed a serious problem the medical world | | | | major causes of maternal death and the top |
| especially in developing countries are beset. | | | | culprit is severe bleeding/hemorrhage which |
| | | | is 25%. This is followed by infections (13%), |
| The World Health Organization (WHO) defines | | | | eclampsia (12%), and obstructed labor (8%). |
| maternal death as the death of a woman while | | | | The report likewise indicated that 20% of |
| pregnant or within 42 days of termination of | | | | maternal deaths are due to other indirect |
| pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and | | | | causes such as malaria, anemia, HIV/AIDS and |
| site of the pregnancy, from any cause related | | | | cardiovascular disease, complicate pregnancy |
| to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its | | | | or are aggravated by it. |
| management but not from accidental or | | | | |
| incidental causes. | | | | Clear outlook |
| | | | |
| Generally, maternal death is distinguished | | | | Despite the gravity of the problem, medical |
| between direct and indirect. Direct maternal | | | | practitioners assured that at least half of |
| death is the result of a complication of the | | | | all maternal deaths can be averted through a |
| pregnancy, delivery, or their management | | | | combined strategy of family planning, primary |
| while indirect maternal death is a | | | | health care and legal abortion. Researchers |
| pregnancy-related death in a patient with a | | | | also concluded that a fertility rate |
| preexisting or newly developed health | | | | reduction of 25-35% resulting from more |
| problem. However, there are also maternal | | | | widely available family planning would also |
| deaths caused by accident or by domestic | | | | lower maternal mortality by 1/4. Making |
| violence. But these two are more considered | | | | abortions legal and safe could reduce the |
| as "other causes" or incidental. | | | | toll an additional 20-25%. On the part of the |
| | | | governments, a number of steps have been |
| Beyond Numbers | | | | charted. Among these is to make all |
| | | | pregnancies safer thru increased investments |
| In the past, the issue on maternal death has | | | | in prenatal health care and reducing the |
| not received much attention, but because of | | | | number of high-risk pregnancies which is |
| the alarming incidents reported especially in | | | | foreseen to prevent another 20-25% of deaths. |
| third world countries during the early part | | | | And to make everyone, not only medical |
| of this century, not only were the medical | | | | practitioners but all concerned individuals |
| practitioners alarmed but the governments as | | | | aware of the rising maternal mortality, In |
| well. The United Nations estimated global | | | | 1998, WHO designated Safe Motherhood as the |
| maternal mortality at 529,000, of which less | | | | focus for World Health Day (April 7), |
| than 1% occurred in the developed world in | | | | indicating the importance of this issue |
| the year 2000. Another report revealed that | | | | globally. |
| there are approximately 27 maternal deaths | | | | |
| per 100,000 live births each year in | | | | And just as Wallace further said in his poem |
| developed countries but in developing | | | | "Woman, how divine your mission Here upon our |
| countries, the average is 18 times higher, at | | | | natal sod!" we must value our women and make |
| 480 deaths per 100,000 live births. | | | | them aware of their importance in this world. |
| | | | |
| In 2003, the WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA produced a | | | | There are so many sites devoting the |
| report with statistics gathered from 2000. | | | | attention to the promotion of this drug too. |
| The world average was 400, the average for | | | | is one of the trusted sources of this |
| developed regions were 20, and for developing | | | | product. Visit for more details. |
| regions 440. The worst countries were: Sierra | | | | |