World health leaders to target mothers, babies and children

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Geneva (dpa) - UN health leaders stepped up action Tuesday to improve the health of mothers, babies and children globally.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, claim poor sexual and reproductive health services have resulted in maternal deaths and rising numbers of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly in developing countries.

WHO estimates that 340 million new cases of sexually transmitted bacterial infections, such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea occur annually in people aged 15-49.

In addition, millions of cases of viral infection, including HIV, occur every year. The sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is closely associated with cervical cancer, which causes 240,000 deaths every year.

Around 8 million women who become pregnant each year suffer life- threatening complications as a result of STIs and poor sexual health.

Annually, an estimated 529,000 women, almost all in developing countries, die during pregnancy and childbirth from largely preventable causes.

"The consequences of poor sexual and reproductive health go well beyond STIs," WHO Acting Director-General Anders Nordstrom said.

"They lead directly to completely preventable illness and death. It is unacceptable today for a woman to die in childbirth, or for a person to become HIV positive for lack of information and resources," he said.

The organizations said they would fail to meet the Millennium Development Goals to reduce mother and child deaths by 2015 without investing in sexual and reproductive health.

They adopted a number of new strategies such as increasing the numbers of skilled health attendants in target countries. They will also push countries to make sexual and reproductive health a goal in poverty reduction strategies.

Nordstrom said evidence showed investments in and access to sexual and reproductive health, including family planning, were essential to breaking the cycle of poverty.