The Progress of Nations 2000

DATA BRIEFS: PROGRESS AND DISPARITY
Victory possible against iodine deficiec

Iust Itwo)slhit ilecadies ago, iodnfe
dlefi(ciency was a major global probciii, impairing the growth and melintal
(levelolpment of' large numbers of
(hildlteni and retaringu( social and
(econoicitiiipro'(gress in d(eveloping and
Now, lbecaiise of salt iodizationr,
some 70% of' the wol's populationi
is prote(cted(1fronm iodine (lefi('iericv.
M~ore Itfhan 90 (of tin' iopuilatioii in
29 i'iiiit ries iises5adlequiate'ly iodlized(
salt, andi i atot her '36 couties at least
half' of' t he iopiit at ion is pro'itectedl.
As a tesuilt, illiotis of' people ate
sat-e I iod inte ifdeficieitncy's m ote cvi -
denti effects such lias goitrie andifecetin istii, ami societies as a whole ate
sarthIle ser'iouis economic andl
soc'ial iconse(Jutenres, incliiding an
oveiall teduet ion ini the mental
calnacities of' their' populations.
Bitt while fprogress has been im
firessive, there are still 34 conntries
with a comhined total of abont 1 biblioni peolei where 500~i or' less of the
popnilatioti nses iodlizedl salt. These
incluide the major'ity of countries in
Cenitral atndl Lastern Europe, where
prongre'ss has slipped in recent years,
anid Pakistati, the Philippines and
Turkey, which have greater resonrces
but poorertr iack records than many
other'conitrties. In 14 of the 34 counitries, 1 0' o or less of' salt is iodized.
Salt iodlizatioti is simpille and( inexpensive. Makitig it happen calls
forni govertitmetnt commtiitmienits to put
legislat itn atnd mionitor'ing iiechianismis ini pl~aceiandto huildl partnterships withI local salt pitoinucei's.
Crieating luillic' awareness (of the
prohlem of' iondi ine ficienscy, t hereby
hbtililing a const it tiency foriodniized
salt, is anoither key to reachinlg the
targe'nt of iiniversal salt iodization.

Low levels, high risk
% of households
consuming iodized salt
Cuba 0
Ethiopia 0
Mauritius 0
Sudan 0
Turkmenistan 0
Mauritania 3
Ukraine 4
Korea, Dem. 5
Cambodia 7
Gambia 9
Mali 9
Senegal 9
Angola 10
Iraq 10
Dominican Rep. 1 3
Philippines 15
Uzbekistan 16

%~ of households
consuming iodized salt
Turkey 18
Pakistan 19
Equatorial Guinea 20
Tajikistan 20
Burkina Faso 23
Swaziland 26
Kyrgyzstan 27
Ghana 28
Russian Fed. 30
Fiji 31
Belarus 37
Guinea 37
Yemen 39
Syria 40
Sri Lanka 47
Guatemala 49
Thailand 50

D)I IS, M(C

Antenatal care could save nillions

Weighing in
for better
ehild health
A hahby'sweiiglit at Iitlis a gnod mdinatotr of' bohuth tle tothei's health
stat its and t he iitfant's chances of'sur'vival andl develoni~itt. Infamnts who
w(eigl less thain 2.5 Ikg at hirth face
high immtiedhiate an1 long-termii risks.
[litt this lkey' iinicatr is tnot well mooitoried as mrantynif' the 116 inilliotincltiil1(t born Iunit(acht year' iinldevelmpn~utg
colittt ties ate tnt weighed at birth. Over'
20) imillioti notet hiattoniiniievery five
('Itilldt'n ate Iuow-hithweight babies.
1,ow hi t liweiglit (less titan 2.5 kg,
ahott.5 lnntids) is a major' factor' in
thle n]eat lis each yeat' uf' 4 million iiiknit s lefoure t h' age nil one month and
iii illnessnes affecting millions mote.
Evin'e(n'is iountinti hat H ot birthxweiglit leans to a 50 0 greater' risk of
d iahet es, lieart disease atnd cancer later
iir life.
IData fuun 34 couiritties show that
inr 16 of' t lemii(See' 11sf), unite titani

The unweighed
% of infants not weighed at birth
Chad
Pakistan
Egypt
Haiti
Niger
Rwanda
Nigeria
Uganda
Mali
Madagascar
Comoros
Mozambique
Togo
Kenya
Zambia
Senegal

89
88
84
82
80
74
73
73
69
64
55
55
55
54
53
51

Ten years ago, leaders at tfeuding thre
Worhd Siummit it'r Jiildt'etipledfgedf
to ensuiric uni versal anccess Ibix women
to maternal health care fry the year
2000. Yet 44 mnillioni women in the
developing world still recive no antenatal care.
Inisuifficient mraterinal caie(dur'ing
pregrianicy aniif delive'ry is largelyre
sponirsifil(eeach year' lot' nearly 6(x)0,000IW
5 msillioin tfat dfeathfs either just
heforeni' duntg ifelixertyoin iithe
first week iof ife'.
Out of' the 88 cutit's for' which
(lata ate availahle, the sit niatimmn is particitlarly despnerate in1: conuntries
(see list).'Tie lonwest rateis nilftmaternal ('are('were fo)itundl in I anglad esh,
Chlad, Viali, Nepal and PI akistan.
The suruveys alsoi cmntainied the
goodl news thfat iin 27 nconuntries
rnciludinigKeniya, hRxaun a, lUganda
and~ Zambhia mrun Itaut 90Qin nf'
womnrtt receivinI skillehi1cate at least
onice (ifntiig thliri 'fitguiatins.
Contact wit ii a noctor, nurtse(or' nidlwife facilitates mtrntal iruinniization and allows healt hrmersonnel to
manag(' the preigtnan'y, d etedcimplicaitions atn'ndtromtie good le(ating,
hygieune aind adequtanti st.

MIatertial icate rateis nuil (tin Inn'low
auri mlat(e'nal mrtality tateis high iii
cot tnt ties Whfinrtn'wimn'iicis statts is
low, a consefine't'of nil' nn'haying fewer' iconnmiic atn1 enitaltiral
OppintI tunit ins andi lilt In' aicncss tin sinial
ser'vices. Alsin, fewier fneifli' favn'an'cess tno ritin' henaltIh serx ines, including skillenif trniityvnare', in
impove'rishedil, u'n'rin it n'gieographiical
are(as thiatini ihnai n arnas.
The(,inationral pern'tnntage's (nof t
reivieal then'entiti' pint ruin', asIthieynmask
huge' iuiral/ttthan i lsfatit ins.
Where antenatal care is lowest
% of women (aged 15-49) attended
by skilled health personnel at least
once during pregnancy
Chad 23
Nepal 24
Mali 25
Bangladesh 26
Pakistan 26
Cambodia 34
Yemen 34
Niger 39
Morocco 42
Mauritania 48
Eritrea 49
India 49
Tanzania 50
Sourcs: D1IAIS, W 10I 2and N1F11 (1 990 ] 999).

norrise a HS (19)9(I299) arndadditional analysis.
half' of' irifants air'nit weighend at
furlh Ii. ii (haif,I[gypt, I laiti, Niger'and
Pakistani, 800o orniimiuiin ofnniter(wbotlrns
ate nit we'ighendn.
Ne'ar'lfral'fnil'all hniut Its ini develop nin ntunttins ate'n'ot attendledf li
nfnctonrs, tnturse's nit'midwives. lradlitiontal biirth at tendlants, who assist
dleliveries in thin'albsncei' of' trained
health ieusonneiin ittheir' coinrrinnities, cart playtisilul ronlnes hy ceicouraging wneight gainidunritig regitatcy
anid weightinug tie lia ies they deliver.

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