The paper, Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008: a systematic analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5,was published today, April 12th, 2010, in the Lancet Online First–and will soon be published in the Lancet print edition.
The authors of the paper, estimate that there were 342,900 (uncertainty interval 302,100-394,300) maternal deaths worldwide in 2008, a reduction from 526,300 (446,400-629,600) in 1980. They estimate that more than 50% of all maternal deaths in 2008 occurred in six countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The authors also conclude that, “In the absence of HIV, there would have been 281,500 (243,900-327,900) maternal deaths worldwide in 2008.”
The MHTF encourages you to read the paper–and let us know your thoughts in the comments section of this post.
You might also be interested in Richard Horton’s commentary on these new findings. Please also share your thoughts on Horton’s piece in the comments section of this blog post.