U.S. launch of The Lancet's Maternal Survival Series
03 October 2006
News Advisory:
The U.S. launch of a landmark series of papers on maternal death and survival
in developing countries will take place Thursday morning, 5 October, from 9 a.m. to noon at the
Woodrow Wilson Center in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC. Members of the press
are invited to attend. A media briefing with two of the papers' authors—Dr. Carine Ronsmans
of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health and Dr. Marge Koblinsky of the International
Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research in Bangladesh—will follow from 12 to 1:30. The authors
will also be available for interviews.
The papers, published in the September 28 issue of the British medical journal
The Lancet, focus on maternal deaths and survival in the developing world, where more than
500,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth each year. This burden of maternal mortality
represents the large public health discrepancy between developing and developed countries.
In the United States, for example, one woman in 2,500 will die of maternal causes in her
lifetime. This compares with one in 43 in South Asia and a staggering one in 16 in
sub-Saharan Africa.
The Lancet papers address the deaths
of women who die from preventable
pregnancy-related causes. They detail these causes and present the 'best bet' strategy
for addressing them. The papers reveal that only a few key strategic choices need to be
made to improve maternal survival and save the lives of hundreds of thousands of mothers
and mothers-to-be each year.
If you plan on attending the launch, please RSVP to
Dave Burrows. The launch will also be
webcast live via the
Wilson Center's Web site.
What: The Lancet Maternal Survival Series
When: Thursday, October 5, 9 a.m. to noon
Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Ronald Reagan Building,
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
Press: Media briefing: Noon to 1:30 p.m.; phone interview on request
About ACCESS
The ACCESS Program is the U.S. Agency for International Development’s
global program to improve maternal and newborn health. The ACCESS Program works to expand
coverage, access and use of key maternal and newborn health services across a continuum
of care from the household to the hospital—with the aim of making quality health services
accessible for women and newborns.
Jhpiego implements the program in partnership with Save the
Children, Constella Futures, the Academy for Educational Development, the American
College of Nurse-Midwives and IMA World Health.
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