Afghanistan: Infant Mortality Continues To Soar (PHOTOS)

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Despite billions in international aid, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest nations in the world. Its high infant mortality rate is evidence that life remains hard for the Afghan people from the moment of birth.

The infant mortality rate is considered an important indicator of a country's level of health or development.

In Afghanistan, now in its 10th year of war, care for pregnant women has improved. Yet many births still occur at home or in poorly equipped medical facilities, jeopardizing the health of both mother and child, especially if there are complications during and after childbirth.

Afghanistan has an infant mortality rate of an estimated 129 deaths per 1,000 births, according to statistics cited by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health.

Moreover, Afghan children die before reaching age 5 at a rate of 191 for every 1,000 births.

While still one of the highest in the world, Afghanistan's infant mortality rate is falling.

Hundreds of midwives have been trained, and access to basic health care has increased with the construction of more clinics built with foreign aid.

Comments

[Amped Up]

08:51 PM on 10/28/2011

Karzai no doubt stole the money.

[mu chowdhury]

06:46 AM on 10/29/2011

Karzai, Idris and other monarchies are nicely crafted devices; subservient ATMs.

[Amped Up]

10:02 AM on 10/29/2011

I must say our post is nicely crafted :)

[sandhillsrider]

07:01 PM on 10/28/2011

Many of the most backward third world countries have lots of natural resources. When they are ran by sadistic, greedy dictators that keep all the money and resources to themselves the people are kept in the stone age.

[mu chowdhury]

06:40 AM on 10/29/2011

True; only to be liberated by divine 'liberator agencies' which get nourishment on the siphoned revenues.

[sandhillsrider]

06:58 PM on 10/28/2011

You can give a cave man a fighter jet but that doesn't mean he knows what to do with it.

[jmc35741]

06:36 PM on 10/28/2011

They need Obamacare.

[new beginning]

05:15 PM on 10/31/2011

Like a hole in the head....

[bonytaker]

05:23 PM on 10/28/2011

My son is leaving to go there in December,GO ARMY !!!!! and come home safely

[ncrespi]

05:19 PM on 10/28/2011

What about funding from oil rich Saudi Arabia and others? Why is it always on OUR backs with our own populace last?

[mu chowdhury]

06:50 AM on 10/29/2011

KSA oil is lubricating your war machinery for the next encounter elsewhere in the planet yet not liberated !!

[Al Gonzales]

05:13 PM on 10/28/2011

Why are we still there and why give money to a country when we can't support our's?

[marklincoln8]

05:08 PM on 10/28/2011

I don't know if it would help over there or not but I think burkas dicourages births, at least they certainly don't help. I think if the women toss those garbs the birth rate will dramatically increase, you know what I mean?

[ciskokid]

04:26 PM on 10/28/2011

Come-on Karzi and share some of your drug profits to help the people.

[Linda Wheeler Weigel]

04:11 PM on 10/28/2011

Where are the billions of dollars of aid going exactly? To War lords and the Taliban?

[giftsthatpurr]

05:21 PM on 10/28/2011

Important question - although some were answered in the article which talked about training midwives etc.

[hannav270]

04:02 PM on 10/28/2011

if the moratality rates are increasing, then stop having the children. when you can't feed or clothe them or take care of them why keep them unless you want them to be a reason for getting money from the usa. otherwise, there is no logic for having them.

[spydrworks1067]

04:46 PM on 10/28/2011

But the article says the infant mortality rates are decreasing.

"Afghanistan has an infant mortality rate of an estimated 129 deaths per 1,000 births, according to statistics cited by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health.

Moreover, Afghan children die before reaching age 5 at a rate of 191 for every 1,000 births.

While still one of the highest in the world, Afghanistan's infant mortality rate is falling."

It took me a moment to think it through. The title of the article "Afghanistan: Infant Mortality Continues to Soar" is contradictory and thus misleading.

[ncrespi]

05:20 PM on 10/28/2011

wait....they still need suicide bombers. That's one thing we can't import ( yet ).

[KMoore4318]

03:32 PM on 10/28/2011

The USA has always stood for equal treatment and a standard living experience, Washington is doing all it can to bring us down to their level. The world can hate us, but there is no denying that we the people are becoming more like the rest of the world every day. Our companies want to make profit by employing people at 3rd world wages, and soon, they want even have to leave the country to do so. Everyone wins, Companies get to make bank, the people get Jobs like they want, and Washington gets a larger corporate tax base. Companies can compete around the world, and prices will remain Low, (not that anyone will be able to afford anything anyway)

[ncrespi]

05:15 PM on 10/28/2011

You're making aserious point but your dry wit is hilarious!
Fanned & faved!

[berrycuda]

02:53 PM on 10/28/2011

great.

Just what the world needs, more people...

[El Duderino 791]

03:31 PM on 10/28/2011

Surely you're not saying that increased infant mortality is a desirable method of population control.

[manroj1]

04:44 PM on 10/28/2011

Could say the same thing about the South. Just what the world needs is more Teabagger racists.

[ncrespi]

05:21 PM on 10/28/2011

Just what our forums need are more racist rants.

[taylor5]

02:37 PM on 10/28/2011

Looks like they need a cuban intervention.

[Raven1970]

02:17 PM on 10/28/2011

Am I missing something? The headline says "Infant Mortality Continues to Soar", now, by reading that I think that they are clearly saying it continues to increase (soar). Then the second to last paragraph says: While still one of the highest in the world, Afghanistan's infant mortality rate is falling.

Clearly HP headlines are written by a completely different writer than that of the article. Wouldn't the real news story by that the mortality rate is actually falling??? which is a good thing, shows that the efforts being made (not war efforts) are working?

I am becoming very disenchanted with HP, made as well watch FOX

[El Duderino 791]

03:32 PM on 10/28/2011

"Soar" is still an appropriate metaphor for a very high rate, even if it is falling.

[Raven1970]

04:06 PM on 10/28/2011

Technically correct, but I know what the intent is. To soar is to go high..and if you 'continue' to soar, you continue to go higher. Besides to me, the story is that it is falling, Afghanistan has had one of the highest infant mortality rates for a very long time (pre-war). The story to me would have been that it is finally falling, but bad news sells better than good news I suppose.

[new beginning]

05:20 PM on 10/31/2011

That is just silly.

Face it, it is just another attempt by HP to mislead with the headline.

[marklincoln8]

05:01 PM on 10/28/2011

I believe HP means fatality because they explained that 129 deaths at birth in 1,000 and 191 in 1,000 before age 5. I wouls say though that in a third world country it is about normal cosidering also it is a war zone. If you had a choice would you want to be born in that stinking place AND especially a female who or not even treated as good as dogs? There are things that need to be factored in to say what is normal.. What was the ratio before we arrived there?