Mortality

Over the past three or four decades, most countries in the Asia-Pacific region have achieved steady decreases in mortality, but many problem areas remain (see vol. 1, No. 2 of this Journal, pp. 57-59). Mortality rates in rural or certain geographical areas are much higher than the national averages. Death rates for infants, children and women of child-bearing age frequently remain unacceptably high. In some countries, the pace of mortality decline has slowed long before low rates of mortality have been achieved.