'Report Card' from UNICEF brings some hope.

• Tenlastelegging: Worldwide news - Brief article

A new report from UNICEF, released in September, highlights the risks of pregnancy and childbirth for women in developing countries. Progress for Children: A Report Card on Maternal Mortality confirms that over 99% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries, with 84% concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

However, there have been some promising areas of improvement in maternal health interventions in recent years. Coverage of antenatal care throughout the developing world has increased by 15 percentage points in the past decade, with 75% of expectant mothers now...