ONUB/PIO/PR/59/2005
Bujumbura, Burundi - "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we are happy to inform you that April 7 is World Health Day. To celebrate this event, there are activities which are organized almost everywhere around the world, and especially in Burundi where this day is very significant considering the theme chosen for this year : 'Give every mother and every child a chance'". It was with these words that Dr. Kossi A. Ayigan, Health Officer for Crisis Situations at the World Health Organization (WHO), began his presentation before the many national and international journalists who attended the weekly press briefing of the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) on Thursday.
Ordinarily, today's celebration gives WHO the opportunity to release its World Health Report. Dr. Ayigan seized this opportunity to make a brief presentation of this year's report in order to inform journalists about the state of the world's health.
According to Dr. Ayigan, the objective of this report is, on the one hand, to denounce injustice which, for decades, has contributed in shutting many mothers and children out of healthcare. On the other hand, the consequences of this injustice are often fatal for women and children as "progress in this domain is very slow and unbalanced". Yet these lives could be saved.
The figures in this report are indicative of the injustice done to women and to children. Globally, about 11 million children below the age of five are going to die in 2005 from a handful of diseases whose causes are known. Four million of these children are going to die one month after birth. Over three million childbirths will be recorded during which half a million women are going to lose their lives either during pregnancy or during or after childbirth.
In 2004, Burundi recorded a maternal mortality (death after childbirth) rate of 855 out of 100,000 live births; neonatal mortality stillbirths of 31.9 out of 1,000 childbirths; child mortality (below 1 year) rate of 129 out of 1,000; and infant-juvenile mortality (below 5 years) rate of 200 out of 1,000.
According to Dr. Ayigan, maternal and child health had always been the concern of parents and the family unit, but since the 20th century, it has become a public health issue with the significant involvement of governments and multilateral partners to help reduce maternal and child mortality. By moving from the family level to the public domain, the issue of health thus became a moral and political obligation for the entire international community. It is also within this context that the celebration of a World Health Day can be fully understood.
In Burundi, the day was celebrated in Muyinga Province situated in the north of the country, near the border with Rwanda. According to a joint communiqué published on the eve of this event by WHO, UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), this day's celebration "is an opportunity for each and every one of us, actors, stakeholders and decision-makers, to assume our responsibilities in preserving the life and health of every mother and child.
It is also an opportunity to salute the initiatives of institutions and organizations operating in Burundi, as well as the unfailing commitment of donors. This day marks a decisive turning point in the management of pregnant women's health."
In the interior of the country, where the distances to be covered before reaching a health centre constitute a real test of endurance, a referral health system will be set up to reduce maternity related risks. Following its success in Karuzi (in the north of the country), this system will be introduced in Muyinga (north) and Makamba (south). Once operational, it will enable "calls to be made by radio to the hospital's maternity in cases of obstetric complications that require transfer for emergency intervention".
Similarly within the framework of the Extended Programme on Immunization, the Pentavalent, a combination of five vaccines in one (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping-cough, hepatitis B and haemophilius influenzae type B), will be used throughout Burundi. According to projections by health partners, about 300,000 children could then benefit every year from protection against these five diseases.
Mr. Karsten Herrel, ONUB Chief of Administration, also gave a brief presentation highlighting administrative procedures of the Mission. In this regard, Mr. Herrel indicated, that to date, ONUB has a strength of 5,450 peacekeepers, 200 military observers and 120 civilian police officers. With regard to civilian personnel, the Mission approximately one thousand regular posts, including 400 authorized international staff and 423 national staff. Furthermore, ONUB currently employs 172 UN Volunteers known as UNVs.
Mr. Herrel also said that a new site outside the city is under construction to host the ONUB headquarters. Once work is completed, this operation will help decongest traffic on the streets by reducing the movement of ONUB vehicles and other equipment around the city during working hours. As part of its efforts to improve traffic conditions, ONUB is also involved in road repair, not only in the capital, Bujumbura, but also in the provinces around the country.
CONTACTS:
Isabelle ABRIC, Chef, Information Publique/
Chief, Public Information
Penangnini TOURE, Porte-parole/ Spokesperson
Mobile: +257 853 444, ONUB: +257 24 80 09 to 14, via New York: +1-212-
963 2839/42; Fax: +257 21 28 68
tourep@un.org, publicinformation@un.org