Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (18)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by AbouZahr, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by AbouZahr, C.
Related Collections
Right arrow Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Right arrow Public Health Medicine
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

British Medical Bulletin 67:1-11 (2003)
© 2003 Oxford University Press

Global burden of maternal death and disability

Carla AbouZahr

World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Correspondence to: Carla AbouZahr, Coordinator, Advocacy, Communications and Evaluation, Office of the Executive Director, Family and Community Health, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. E-mail: abouzahrc{at}who.int

Sound information is the prerequisite for health action: without data on the dimensions, impact and significance of a health problem it is neither possible to create an advocacy case nor to establish strong programmes for addressing it. The absence of good information on the extent of the burden of maternal ill-health resulted in its relative neglect by the international health community for many years. Maternal deaths are too often solitary and hidden events that go uncounted. The difficulty arises not because of lack of clarity regarding the definition of a maternal death, but because of the weakness of health information systems and consequent absence of the systematic identification and recording of maternal deaths. In recent years, innovative approaches to measuring maternal mortality have been developed, resulting in a stronger information base. WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA estimates for the year 2000 indicate that most of the total 529,000 maternal deaths globally occur in just 13 countries. By contrast, information on the global burden of non-fatal health outcomes associated with pregnancy and childbearing remains patchy and incomplete. Nonetheless, initial estimates based on systematic reviews of available information and confined to the five major direct pregnancy-related complications indicate a problem of considerable magnitude.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
L. Sentilhes, C. Trichot, B. Resch, F. Sergent, H. Roman, L. Marpeau, and E. Verspyck
Fertility and pregnancy outcomes following uterine devascularization for severe postpartum haemorrhage
Hum. Reprod., May 1, 2008; 23(5): 1087 - 1092.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BMJHome page
Z. A Bhutta
Bridging the equity gap in maternal and child health
BMJ, September 17, 2005; 331(7517): 585 - 586.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BMJHome page
Minerva
BMJ, May 15, 2004; 328(7449): E299 - E299.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.