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Global Reproductive Health: Maternal and Infant Morbidity and
Mortality |
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Ifakara Postpartum Interview Study
Rates of illness and death among mothers and infants are still
regrettably high in much of Africa. To develop more effective
programs and services to improve health and reduce death rates, CDC's Division of Reproductive Health
(CDC/DRH)is collecting information
on the current care provided and practices followed during the prenatal,
delivery, and postpartum periods for both mothers and neonates. Data are
collected through postpartum interviews with the mothers; these interviews
complement the current practices of a demographic surveillance program run
by the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania to track a variety of health
indicators in Ifakara. CDC/DRH will analyze these data to see how and where care and
services can be improved and will provide this information to the district- and national-level government health services. The lessons learned in this
study may be more broadly applicable in other areas of Africa.
Obstetric Fistula Working Group
Prolonged labor without adequate medical care can result not only in the
death of the infant but also in permanent injury to the mother (if she
survives) when the long pressure from the fetal head creates necrosis and
breakage in the wall of the vagina, urethra, bladder, or rectum. This
condition, which particularly affects young mothers whose pelvises are not
fully grown, is known as obstetric fistula. Fistula formation results in
uncontrollable leaking of urine and, less frequently, feces, through the
vagina, which often leads to rejection and ostracism of the young women by
family and society. An important step in tackling this problem is collecting
and disseminating accurate information on the extent of fistula formation
and its risk factors, prevention and treatment approaches; and the
assistance needed for women living with fistula. This information can be
used to convince decision makers of the gravity of the situation and of the
need for urgent and effective action. CDC/DRH leads the Data, Indicators, & Research Committee, one
of the three components of the International Obstetric Fistula Working
Group, a global alliance to end fistula. The group is currently improving
the monitoring and evaluation of existing programs that aim to eliminate
fistula occurrence and its consequences and help design ways to research
the burden that the condition places on individuals and communities.
Maternal Mortality Surveillance in Latin America
Although conditions have improved in recent years, many
women in Latin America still die in childbirth or of pregnancy-related causes.
Yet in countries that lack strong vital registration systems, these deaths
may go unrecorded—and thus officials don’t really know the extent of the
maternal mortality problem. To bring about improvements to maternity care
and to save lives, policymakers need solid evidence of the dimensions and
locations of the problem. CDC/DRH is working with three countries in Latin America—El
Salvador, Paraguay, and Honduras—to improve their maternal mortality
surveillance systems. CDC/DRH is providing the full spectrum of assistance, depending on the
country’s need, from planning a new surveillance system to analyzing data
from an already functioning system.
Internet Reporting of Maternal Mortality
An effective maternal mortality surveillance system will tell decision
makers and officials how many women are dying of pregnancy-related causes,
what specifically those causes are, and where these deaths are occurring.
This information from the surveillance system can not only provide the
foundation for planning effective maternal health services but also
help track the improvements in mortality that these services bring about
over time. In Colombia, CDC/DRH is working with the Ministry of Social Protection and
with the Pan American Health Association to both speed up and increase the
accuracy of the reporting and analysis of maternal mortality data through
the use of the innovative Web-based Maternal Mortality Epidemiological
Surveillance System. This Web-based system is being piloted in Colombia, and
if effective may be used in other countries.
Publications on International
Surveys, Reports, and Studies
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Page last reviewed: 5/13/09
Page last modified: 5/13/09
Content source:
Division of Reproductive Health,
National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion |
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