Salud materno-infantil en las Américas

Abstract

Background: One hundred and thirty six millions of births occurred annually at global level. Ten millions of those childrens will die before their first birthday. Approximately five hundred thousand of mothers also will die in the same period, for causes associated to pregnancy, delivery or puerperium. 99 % of all of this global tragedy occurs in the poorest countries of the world. More than 70% of maternal death occurred because five main causes: hemorrhage, infections, abortion, hypertension and obstructed labor. A change in the etiological profile was observed, increasing the proportion of "indirect" (no obstetrics) causes in the countries with indicators more favorable as Cuba, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Chile. The infant and under five mortality in the region have been decreased in around 50% between 1990 and 2005. Conclusion. Despite Latin America's overall declines in mortality and gains in life expectancy over the past few decades, inequity remains a leading health problem. Data from the region on maternal, newborn, infant, and child health show better outcomes among women with higher socioeconomic status in comparison with the poorest people within and also between the countries in the region. In the context of the global effort to attain Millennium Development Goals number 4 (reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate) and 5 (reduce by three-quarters, the maternal mortality ratio) and reduce health inequities, it is crucial to disseminate successful experiences in order that its achievements can be replicated elsewhere.