South Africa： Decrease in Child Deaths

Child and maternal deaths in South Africa have both dropped by more than six percent between 2000 and 2013， according to research by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation （IHME）.It found that child deaths in South Africa increased by an average rate of 1.4 percent per year from 1990 to 2000， and then fell by 6.1 percent between 2000 and 2013. This is according to two studies on child and maternal deaths in 188 countries. The research was conducted by the IHME at the University of Washington as part of its global burden of disease work and was published on May 2 in “The Lancet”. The study showed that child death rates dropped by 48 percent globally between 1990 and 2013. But 6.3 million children still died before their fifth birthday in 2013. Maternal mortality in South Africa fell at a rate of 6.9 percent per year during 2003 to 2013. While important progress was being made， 171.4 mothers per 100 000 live births died from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications in South Africa in 2013.

“South Africa’s progress in reducing maternal mortality is impressive， but too many mothers are still dying，” said Tom Achoki， the IHME’s director of African Initiatives.“We know what works to save mothers’ lives and must continue to do more.”