Cairo – Today the Egyptian Ministry of Health released the results of the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The U.S. government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the United Nations Population Fund, completed this survey to help improve the health and nutritional status of the Egyptian people.
“This survey provides critical data to detect health trends and identify issues to address,” said Sherry F. Carlin, USAID/Egypt Mission Director. “Through support from the American people, Egypt now has nearly thirty years of data documenting its progress in improving the health of women and children, including child mortality, vaccination coverage, nutritional status, and maternal health care.”
Survey results show almost universal coverage of childhood immunizations and antenatal care, as well as a high rate of births attended by skilled healthcare providers.
Globally, USAID has supported more than 300 demographic and health surveys in 90 countries. Since 1988, USAID has provided support for ten rounds of the DHS in Egypt. Results announced today are from the first phase of the survey that covered more than 28,000 households throughout Egypt and involved interviews with 22,000 women between the ages of 15 and 49. This research provides reliable information on population, health, and nutritional status at the national and governorate levels. The second phase of the survey is currently underway and is examining specific health issues of importance to Egypt, including viral hepatitis and key non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Over the past forty years, the U.S. government through USAID has worked with the Egyptian people to achieve significant, positive results that have improved the lives of millions. In addition to helping to eliminate polio, the American people have contributed to health projects that have led to an 80 percent reduction in infant mortality; job creation projects that have led to new or better full-time employment for over 40,000 people over the past two years; and infrastructure projects that have provided water, electricity, and telephone services to nearly all of Egypt. These projects are part of the nearly $30 billion that the American people, through USAID, have invested in Egypt since 1975.
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