Epidemiology of Maternal Mortality in Malawi.

Abstract

In Malawi the number of maternal deaths has been estimated using hospital-based surveys and populationbased surveys. The results of these studies sorted by setting and year of the study are presented in table 1. In addition large community-based surveillance systems are currently being implemented by the Karonga Prevention Study of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the South of Karonga District and by the Centre for Reproductive Health of the College of Medicine in the Lungwena area in Mangochi District. Estimates from hospital-based studies concerning the period 1977 to 1990 range from 32 to 945 maternal deaths per 100000 live births. More recent estimates have not been found. The MMR estimated from community surveys in the eighties to early nineties varied from 398 to 620. For the late nineties only the MDHS estimate of the MMR is available which is 1120 maternal deaths per 100000 live births. (excerpt)