■2005年04月06日：世界保健デーのテーマは母親と子供の健康

■2005年04月06日放送： 「World Health Day Recognizes the Health of Mothers and Children」 「世界保健デーのテーマは母親と子供の健康」 ──────────────────────────────────── ■音声ファイル(MP3形式、約４分) 　ダウンロード ──────────────────────────────────── ■要約 ４月７日は世界保健デーです。今年は、発展途上国の母親と子供の健康について 調査しました。 ほとんどの母親の死亡は発展途上国の貧しい層で生じます。世界でもっとも妊婦 死亡率が高いのは南部アフリカの国々です。ついで、中央アジアです。 ──────────────────────────────────── ■解説 発展途上国では、出産は母親にとっても、子供にとっても命がけです。 日本ではその意識が薄れてきています。 「無事に生まれて当たり前」という風潮です。 ですので、産婦人科は非常に訴訟の多い科になっています。 医師に落ち度があるかどうかの判断は裁判所がするとして、訴えるのは自由です から。 だんだんと日本もアメリカのようになっていくんでしょうねぇ。 すると防衛的な医療、すなわち過剰な検査、消極的な治療となっていってしまう ことでしょう。既にそうなりつつありますが...。 ──────────────────────────────────── ■英語原稿 I’m Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Health Report. Thursday, April seventh, is World Health Day【(名)世界保健デー】. The World Health Organization【(名)WHO、世界保健機構】 recognizes World Health Day each year to increase interest about a health issue it considers of special concern. This year, World Health Day examines the health of mothers and children in developing countries. The health of mothers and children is this year's World Health Day issue. The WHO says more than half a million women die every year from problems related to pregnancy【(名)妊娠】 and childbirth【(名)分娩】. Millions more women survive, but suffer disabilities【(名)身体障害】. About eleven million children also die each year, many within the first month of life. A million or more children are left without mothers each year as a result of women dying from pregnancy-related problems. Experts say these children are three to ten times more likely to die within two years than children who live with both parents. Most deaths of mothers happen among poor people in developing countries. The highest maternal【(形)妊婦の】 death rates around the world are in southern African countries, followed by central Asia. Women are most at risk during childbirth in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. Experts say one out of six women in those countries will die from problems related to pregnancy and childbirth. WHO officials say most of the deaths result from lack of skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth and lack of clean conditions. Many babies would survive with safe birthing【(形)出産の】 methods【(名)方法】, good nutrition【(名)栄養】, vaccines against disease and good care at home. The disease AIDS is also an increasing threat to both mothers and their children. Experts say almost half of all adults living with AIDS and the virus that causes it are women. And there is increased risk that an infected mother will pass the virus to her baby. Experts say many deaths could be prevented by using medicines during childbirth that prevent mothers from passing the AIDS virus to their babies. The WHO says governments and the international community need to make the health of women and children a more important issue. Last year, nations approved Millennium Development Goals for the year two thousand fifteen. They agreed to work to reduce the number of women dying in childbirth by three-quarters. They also promised to reduce the number of child deaths by two-thirds. This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Gwen Outen.