Overview
After the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1991, the health system as well as the whole administrative structure, collapsed. Most important indicators related to the health status of the population deteriorated. Azerbaijan's infant and child mortality rates are among the highest in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States; they are significantly higher in rural areas than in urban areas, especially in internally displace person (IDP) areas where infant mortality rates are almost 50% higher. The main killers are acute respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases, with neonatal deaths accounting for half of mortality cases. Inadequate standards for collecting official data have resulted in underestimation of the problems facing the country. Meanwhile, the government has committed itself to reducing infant and child mortality by half by 2015. It is one of the so-called “Millennium Development Goals,” which were adopted at a summit of world heads of state at the United Nations in 2000. Malnutrition, a major problem, lowers the chances of child survival. According to a 2000 survey, one in five (almost 20%) of children under five years of age are stunted, which means that they are short for their age. According to an Azerbaijan Medical University study conducted in 2003, the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among children under five years of age was 81%. The lack of vitamin A can lead to xerophthalmia, which often begins with night blindness or “chicken blindness.” Vitamin A deficiency also retards growth and reduces resistance to infection. Anaemia is a problem among women and children in Azerbaijan. The rate of anaemia among 12-59 months children in 2001 was 32% and 40% among mothers of children under 5 years- old. Vaccination coverage in the country is high. In the past, vaccines have been provided entirely by UNICEF, but from 2003 the government has been covering 100 per cent of the costs incurred excluding Hepatitis B. In Azerbaijan, nearly three quarters of population use drinking water from improved drinking water sources. While the figure is above 94 per cent for the Baku area, it declines to 65 per cent in the South. Access of the rural population to safe drinking water appears to be a problem (58 per cent). UNICEF believes that more has to be done to improve the situation of children and their mothers, especially in the countryside. Nearly half of the population lives below the official poverty line of around US$27 per month. This percentage would be higher if the government applied the World Bank poverty line of US$2.14 per day for CIS countries.
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