<i>Under-5 child mortality rate has dropped</i>
Says BDHS preliminary report
The under-5 child mortality rate in the country has dropped to 53 per 1,000 in 2011 from 65 in 2007, says the preliminary report of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011 released yesterday.
This is a factor that will help the country achieve the Millennium Development Goal-4 targeting to cut this rate to 48 per cent by 2015.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan W Mozena said at the launch of the report in the city, “Among other things, Bangladesh is solidly on track to meet the MDG to reduce under-5 child mortality rate by two thirds and reducing maternal mortality by three-fourths between 1990 and 2015.”
The BDHS report also shows one third of mothers giving birth in the country are now attended by trained medical personnel. The figure has gone up to 32 per cent in 2011 from 21 per cent in 2007.
However, 17 percent of all deliveries are done through caesarean operations giving rise to concern among some experts whether the caesareans performed are necessary or not.
Dr Ishtiaq Mannan who made a presentation at the BDHS report dissemination ceremony pointed this out saying, “This is a matter of concern and qualified professionals should look into the necessity of such operations”.
About 73 per cent of these caesareans are carried out in private hospitals and clinics, he said.
The sixth BDHS, which documents rates of child survival, fertility, use of contraceptives, neonatal and postnatal care, states 17 per cent of all births take place at health facilities, up from 12 per cent in 2004.
The BDHS report which is widely used by policymakers, development partners, researchers and programme managers, shows a sharp decline in reproductive rate among women. The fertility rate has been declining rapidly in the country; from 6.3 in 1975 it now stands at 2.3 in 2011.
The rate of contraceptive usage has marked a rise; from 45 per cent in 1993-4 it now is 61 per cent in 2011.
The percentage of breast feeding of babies less than six months of age also marked a sharp rise -- up from 43 per cent in 2007 to 64 per cent in 2011.
However, the report marked a sharp decline trend in Vitamin A supplementation coverage which dropped to 60 per cent in 2011 from 84 per cent in 2007.
Severe Vitamin A deficiency can result in childhood blindness and also increase severity of infections specially of measles and diarrhoeal diseases. It can also slow down recovery from illnesses, the report added.
The survey has been carried out every three to four years in the country since 1993-94 by USAID. Bangladesh is one of the 85 countries where such a survey is conducted.
Rafiqul Islam Sarker, director of National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), Humayun Kabir, senior secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Prof Dr Syed Modasser Ali, Family Welfare and Social Welfare adviser, Richard Greene, mission director of USAID Bangladesh and Dr Peter Kim Streatfield, director of CPUCC, ICDDR,B attended the programme held at city's Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.
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