A region in Tanzania that focused on improving obstetric care services potentially averted an estimated 2,100 maternal deaths between 2011–2018, according to data released today by the CDC Foundation. The data include the results of treatment provided by all emergency obstetric care facilities in the Kigoma Region, where maternal deaths were among the highest in Tanzania, a nation which has the sixth highest number of maternal deaths in the world. 

Each year, about 1 in every 33 babies born in the United States is affected by a birth defect, a leading cause of death in the first year of life according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To address this problem, the CDC Foundation today announced a new preconception health app that will help women of reproductive age explore how to protect their health and the health of babies they may give birth to in the future.

Strong, accurate data are critical for identifying opportunities for preventing deaths among mothers and designing effective interventions. A new collaboration between the CDC Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs will produce stronger data than ever before and foster collaboration that can lead to effective interventions. Funding for the collaboration was provided through an award agreement with Merck on behalf of its Merck for Mothers program.

To expand the reach of Hear Her resources for healthcare professionals and American Indian and Alaska Native communities in the United States and conduct exploratory formative work to determine the feasibility of a new segment of the campaign to reach a global audience.

To build capacity and support the development, implementation and evaluation of materials for the Hear Her® campaign.

To complete HEAR HER evaluation and community-based organization (CBO) implementation activities.

To build capacity for population-based surveillance among individuals with a recent stillbirth within the United States.

To supplement CDC’s efforts to improve respectful maternal care at a system-level by supporting Perinatal Quality Collaboratives to leverage Hear Her resources as part of quality improvement initiatives with hospitals throughout their state.