Brazil is leading the way in the battle against infant mortality, according to a report released this Wednesday by the non-governmental organization Save the Children.
The report asserts that the country should be seen as an example for others to follow, where the providing of regular immunizations and improvements in public health have led to an enormous decrease in the country’s infant mortality rate. Brazil has already managed to surpass the Millennium Goal set by the United Nations – to reduce infant mortality by two thirds by 2015. In Brazil, the figure has dropped from 62 deaths per 1000 births in 1990 to just 14 in 2012. This puts the country below the mark of 20 deaths per 1000 births – the target the UN has set for its eradication program. Save the Children has also highlighted that the number of infant deaths per year worldwide fell by almost half between 1990 and 2012, dropping from 12 million to 6.6 million. Although we are still some distance away from complete eradication, these are encouraging signs for the future.
According to the document, the experience of countries such as Brazil proves that reducing the number of avoidable deaths relative to the size of the population depends on the construction of high quality health infrastructure that is accessible to all segments of society, including hard-to-reach communities, vulnerable groups and less affluent populations. By addressing these issues, Brazil has more than succeeded in achieving its goals.
By Dan Brewington