[by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM [00:00.16]The days immediately before and after child birth [00:04.60]appear the most dangerous for mothers and babies. [00:09.48]The World Health Organization, or WHO, [00:13.52]estimates that more than 300,000 women [00:16.99]die every year during pregnancy or childbirth. [00:22.13]Each year, about 2.6 million babies are stillborn [00:27.22]and another 2.7 million babies die [00:30.51]during the first 28 days of life, it said. [00:34.55]Most of the deaths are taking place in South Asia [00:38.20]and in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. [00:41.16]Many of the deaths could have been avoided [00:43.96]with quality health care, WHO officials said. [00:48.37]Another problem is that nearly all babies who are stillborn [00:52.88]and half of all newborn deaths are never documented. [00:57.30]Those deaths are not reported to [01:00.10]or investigated by government health agencies. [01:03.96]Officials said this means the actual number of stillborn and newborn deaths [01:10.70]is probably even higher than the WHO's own current estimates. [01:16.24]The United Nations agency says the lack of information [01:20.56]makes it harder to find solutions. [01:23.48]Ian Askew is director of Reproductive Health and Research at the WHO. [01:31.24]He said it is important for all births and deaths to be counted [01:36.21]so health officials can make better decisions [01:40.13]on how to prevent future deaths. [01:43.04]In this way, Askew said, [01:45.44]countries could improve the quality of health care [01:48.58]and stop "millions of families [01:51.12]from enduring the pain of losing their infants or mothers." [01:56.60]The WHO released three reports earlier this month [02:00.96]to help health agencies do a better job collecting information. [02:06.40]Askew told VOA that traditions and beliefs often interfere [02:12.56]with the collection of important records about infant deaths. [02:17.28]In many countries, he said, there is a belief, [02:21.56]that a stillbirth may not represent a lost life. [02:25.72]Some stillbirths, infant deaths or deaths of mothers [02:30.84]result from complications during childbirth, the WHO said. [02:36.36]Others may result from health problems with the mother, [02:39.80]including diabetes or hypertension. [02:42.88]A poor diet or using drugs can interfere with the growth [02:47.92]of a fetus inside the mother, the WHO added. [02:52.44]I'm Bruce Alpert.