UNICEF report finds Aids progress

The latest global health study from UNICEF has found progress in the battle against Aids and HIV.

Examining maternal and newborn health, the State of the World's Children 2009 report has revealed a drop in Aids rates.

The number of pregnant women between the ages of 15 and 24 with HIV/Aids has fallen in 14 of 17 African countries.

Access to treatment has also improved for pregnant women in developing countries with antiretroviral drugs available to more HIV-positive mothers compared to in previous years.

However, UNICEF suggested that there is still a way to go to improve the overall health of women across the globe.

A woman in Niger has a one in seven chance of dying during childbirth, compared to one in 4,800 in the US.

Executive director Ann M Veneman, said greater effort is required to prevent "needless human tragedy".

"As the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals draws closer, the challenge for improving maternal and newborn health goes beyond meeting the goals," she explained. "Success will be measured in terms of lives saved and lives improved."

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