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Avile?o municipality (Cuba) achieved the lowest infant mortality rate in its history
By Delicia Leyva Morales | Wednesday, December 8, 2010 9:35
The municipality of Mor?n, north of the central province of Ciego de Avila, achieved the lowest infant mortality rate in its history, to keep up to date, a rate of 4.4 per 1 000 live births, well below previous year (7.8).
Comparable to developed countries, support this result dissimilar strategies developed by the Public Health sector in the territory, aimed at better care of pregnant women and infants, particularly those of communities away from the center of the city and residents in People's Councils.
"To avoid risks, diseases or other conditions, children under one year and pregnant women over 26 weeks are evaluated by a municipal committee work, consisting of obstetricians, pediatricians, general practitioners and social workers," said Celia Maria Lopez Reyes, head of Maternal and Child Program (PAMI) in that territory.
He added that in the case of females, receive specialized care in the consultations on the recruitment assessment, and systematic monitoring at 26, 32 and 40 weeks of pregnancy specialists Basic Working Group and staff
family doctors.
PAMI other indicators such as maternal mortality and school-age children who died are kept at zero, not the rate of low birth weight, which is 4.3 below the national purposes and provincial (five).
"We have intensified the work in all programs, with priority on PAMI, that a project of the World Health Organization, developed throughout the country to improve the quality of care to pregnant women, infants and toddlers to two years, has allowed better results in child care (care for healthy children) and the increase in breastfeeding, "said Yuddiel Martin Vazquez, director of health in the municipality.
"With this program began this year with 43 percent of exclusive breastfeeding for six months and now the figure rose to 70 percent, including supplemented breastfeeding up to two years, which promotes health and quality child nutrition, "he said.
The town has two maternity homes with a capacity of 10 beds each, where patients from outlying areas, with early pregnancy and other risks associated with childbirth, are detained in the institution closest to the General Teaching Hospital Roberto Rodriguez to prevent more births inadequate and lack of human resources and materials.
According to a report of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), overall, the infant mortality rate among children under five was reduced to 9.7 million per year, compared with 13 million deaths annually were recorded in 1990.
Support this overall reduction, the adoption of basic health measures such as early infancy, vaccines against measles, vitamin A, treatment of mosquito nets with insecticide to prevent malaria, including the reduction of cases of pneumonia, diarrhea , severe malnutrition, and
better access to sanitation and drinking water.
Although the pandemic caused by influenza virus A (H1N1), the end of 2009, Cuba reported a mortality rate of 4.8 per 1 000 live births, considered the second lowest rate in the country's history, and lowest in the world that year.
As an international indicator, infant mortality measures summarizes the quality with which a society cares for and protects the health and welfare of their children, and to date, the Mayor of the Antilles has one of the best health systems in Latin America and the world.