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Article: Appropriate technology and education for improved intrapartum care in under-resourced countries.(INNOVATIONS)
- Article from:
- South African Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Article date:
- October 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 South African Medical Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Each year, over a million infants die worldwide during labour, while an even greater number die on the first day of life. (1) As deaths in the first 24 hours after delivery make up approximately a third of neonatal deaths and a fifth of deaths in under-5s, intrapartum events resulting in these losses need to be urgently addressed if the fourth Millennium Development Goal of reducing under-5 deaths by two-thirds is to be met by 2015. (2)
Both maternal and neonatal mortality rates are particularly high in sub-Saharan Africa. (3) In South Africa the estimated neonatal mortality rate is 21/1 000 live births and the stillbirth rate 18/1 000 deliveries, (4) figures far ...