Maternal mortality rate 'down almost 50% in Peru'

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Friday, 14th May 2010

The maternal mortality rate in Peru has dropped by almost 50 per cent, it has been reported.

Peru's health minister, Oscar Urgate, told the news agency Andina that between 2000 and 2008 the rate fell from 185 deaths per 1,000 live births to 103, reports the Latin American Herald Tribune.

This means that the South American country is edging closer to the United Nations' (UN) target of no more than 65 maternal deaths per 1,000 live births.

Over the past few years, the country has been working to improve medical care in rural areas, including better pre-natal advice and increasing numbers of qualified professionals attending births.

The minister said that in 2008 the country met the goal for the target number of infant deaths outlined by the UN in its Millennium Development Goals.

Infant mortality dropped dramatically from 57 deaths per 1,000 live births to just 19, the newspaper reports.

Countries have until 2015 to meet the UN target levels in eight different categories as part of its Millennium Development Goals strategy.

Posted by David Smith ADNFCR-2094-ID-19778950-ADNFCR