Assembly/AU/ 6 (X)I Page 5 • Infant mortality rate: Indicator 14 Countries with high under five mortality rates have also a high infant mortality rate (IMR). The Infant Mortality rate in the African Region was estimated at 99 per 1000 live birth in 2005. Six countries in the Region have an IMR equal or below 50 per 1000 live birth. This ranges from 12 per 1000 live births to 50 per 1000 live births. Twenty one countries have an IMR below 100 per live births while 19 have an IMR above 100 per live births. • Proportion of 1 year-old children immunized against measles: Indicator 15 One success story in child survival in recent years is the dramatic decline of measles deaths in Africa which fell by 91% between 2000 and 2006, from an estimated 396 000 to 36 000, reaching the United Nations 2010 goal to cut measles deaths by 90% four years early. The significant decline in measles deaths in Africa was made possible by the firm commitment of national governments and development partners to fully implement the measles reduction strategy, which includes vaccinating all children against measles before their first birthday via routine health services and providing a second opportunity for measles vaccination through mass vaccination campaigns. This success is a clear demonstration that with Government commitment, Partners coordination and resource mobilization, other causes of child death can be addressed successfully. B. GOAL 5: IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH Reduce By Three-Quarters, Between 1990 and 2015, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (Target 6) The MDG 5 calls for a reduction of 75% of the 1990 levels of maternal mortality and two indicators were agreed to monitor the progress towards attaining this goal: (1) maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and (2) proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel. To achieve MDG 5 there is need to more than double efforts to scale up priority interventions and to promote universal access to quality maternal and newborn care that includes presence of a skilled birth attendant at all births. In the African Region, despite many multifaceted efforts and activities geared towards the improvement of maternal and newborn health, the levels of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality are still unacceptably high mainly due to the lack of and poor availability and accessibility to skilled attendants and emergency obstetric care services. In 2005, the MMR was estimated at 900 deaths per 100.000 live births compared to the level of 1990 which was estimated at 920 deaths per 100.000 live births. With this trend the MDG 5 will not be attained by the vast majority of the countries in the African Region. There is absolute need for changing this situation by increasing the investment in maternal health and increase the resources allocated to it.