Millions of Poor Children's Lives Can Be Saved with Simple, Affordable Measures

Interview with Mary Beth Powers, Save the Children reproductive health advisor, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

To commemorate Mother's Day, Save the Children released its State of the World's Mothers 2006 report, focusing on the 60 million women who give birth every year with no professional medical help. Two million infant deaths occur in the first 24 hours of life, and four million die in their first month. Seventy-five percent of these deaths are preventable by taking steps such as vaccinating pregnant women against tetanus, providing antibiotics for infection, and knit caps to keep newborns warm.

Save the Children ranked the status of mothers and children in 125 countries based on 10 indicators pertaining to health and education. Scandinavian countries placed in the top three best places to be a mother, while countries in sub-Saharan Africa comprised the worst nations for mothers and children. The United States ties for 10th place with the United Kingdom.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Mary Beth Powers, the reproductive health advisor to Save the Children. She travels the world, counseling the group's staff and their local partners on ways to improve birth outcomes. She describes both grassroots efforts and the need for increased government and private funding focusing on the critical first month of life.

Call the Save the Children at (203) 221-4000, or visit their website at www.savethechildren.org where you can read the full report and also find information on the Knit for Newborns project.

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"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
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