April - Maternal & Child Health
Child Health Care
9 million children under the age of five die each year due to malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation.
What we can do
* Provide immunizations and antibiotics. Measles, malaria, pneumonia, AIDS, and diarrheal diseases are the leading causes of death in children under five.
* Promote good nutrition, including encouraging breastfeeding. Children who are fed breast milk are stronger and less vulnerable to disease than those who are not.
* Prevent mother-to-infant HIV transmission by encouraging the use of antiretroviral drugs and formula feeding.
Antenatal Care and Childbirth
1 in 22 women will die during pregnancy and childbirth in Africa. 80% of maternal deaths could be prevented with access to reproductive health services and trained health care workers.
What we can do
* Provide birthing kits to health professionals.
* Support accredited training programs for health professionals.
Family Planning
40% of women in developing countries do not use contraception. 53 million unintended pregnancies could be prevented through family planning.
What we can do
* Provide access to family planning information and resources. Meeting this need could reduce the number of maternal deaths by nearly 30%.
