Improving Neonatal Survival: Achieving the Millennium Development Goal for Child Survival

Abstract

Each year, over fbur million neonatal deaths occur around the world. Many of these deaths occur in developing countries where poveffy prevails highly and where the health syitem is weak. The gap between low neonatal mortality countries (3-4 dearh/1000 live birth) and high mortality countries (countries wtth over 100 neonatald eaths)i s alsov ery high. In populations with high child mortality rates neonatai cleaths account for about 20o/o of all deaths while the proportlon may rlse to 50% in populations with child mortality rates of below 35 per 10000 Iive births. About 660/oo f tl"red eathso ccuri n iust ten countries.S ub-SaharaAnf rica hast he highestr ate of neonataml ortalityi n the world (1).