Maternal and Child Health

Description

Maternal and Child Health programming (MCH) supports programs aimed at ending preventable child and maternal deaths. It strengthens health delivery systems, treats diarrheal disease and pneumonia, and provides immunizations and immunization support.

Use of Funds

MCH funding supports access to high-quality prenatal, labor and delivery, postpartum, and essential newborn care. Interventions include immunizations; improving nutrition; improving access to and use of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene practices; and providing medical products such as insecticide-treated mosquito nets. It also supports the U.S. commitment to the GAVI Alliance and polio funding.

Justification

• Current trends predict that close to 21 million 5-to-24-year-olds and 43 million children under five years of age will die between 2021 and 2030.
  • Most under-five deaths can be prevented by investing in adequate live-saving preventions and services, such as postnatal care for mother and baby, vaccinations, and treatment for common childhood diseases.
• The global maternal mortality rate increased from 157.1 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 to 158.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. This trend projects 140.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2030, almost double the Sustainable Development Goal.
• Gavi has helped vaccinate more than 888 million children and supported more than 1.19 billion vaccinations, preventing more than 15 million future deaths, strengthening 70 countries health systems, and generating $230 billion in economic benefits.
• Immunization yields up to a 44-fold return on investment in low- and middle-income countries and averts an estimated two to three million child deaths each year.