ANALYSIS AND DISSEMINATION OF HDSS DATA

Global estimates show that 2.9 million babies die in the first month of their lives, 2.6 million babies are stillborn (die in the last 3 months of pregnancy or during childbirth), and an estimated 289,000 women die each year due to pregnancy and childbirth related complications such as maternal deaths. Although considerable progress has been made globally in reducing maternal, newborn and child deaths over the past two decades, there was a significant unfinished agenda for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), with many countries failing to achieve MDGs four and five.

The MDGs were replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with goal three focusing on health. Among the targets to be achieved is a reduction in the global maternal mortality ratio, to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030; and ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births by 2030. Read more