The interim DHS survey results suggest that the infant and under-five mortality rates have improved tremendously between 2005 – from the first DHS, and beginning 2008.
The infant mortality rate decreased from 86 per 1,000 live births to 62 for the surveyed period. The under-five mortality rate decreased from 152 to 103 per 1,000 live births for the same period, the survey yet to be made public shows.
Pointing to different health indicators that have improved, the survey highlights that more mothers are delivering from hospitals, malaria infections shrinking and the increased contraceptive use – meaning more mothers are giving birth to healthy kids.
The vast majority of expectant mothers receive some antenatal care (96 percent against 94% in 2005). Some 52% of expectant mothers were assisted by trained personnel during childbirth, compared to “only 39 percent” from the previous survey.
“To avoid the risk of maternal death, women need to be assisted during delivery by personnel who have received training in normal childbirth and who are able, if needed, to diagnose, treat, and refer complications”, says the survey.
Though recent information shows malaria remains the single biggest cause for child deaths, prevalence is now at 1.5% among children aged 6 to 59 months. Malaria was not analyzed in DHS 2005. The prevalence of malaria is 1.1% among women aged 15 to 49 years.
The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is 5.5 children per woman for the country as a whole, and ranges from 4.7 in urban areas to 5.7 in rural areas. In the 2005 survey, the rate was 6.1.
This rate is the number of children the average woman would bear in her lifetime.
Contraceptive prevalence among currently-married women also improved to 36 percent with 27 percent using modern methods. The proportion of married women using contraception has increased in the two years, rising from 17 percent in 2005 to 36 percent in 2008 for all birth control methods.
As for modern techniques such as pills, injections and condoms, some 27 percent are using them – up from just 10 percent in 2005.