Southern Africa: Infant and child mortality rates rising

Gains in reducing infant and child mortality in Southern Africa are being eroded by the impact of HIV/AIDS, the 40th Regional Health Ministers' Conference for East, Central and Southern Africa was told. A paper by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) regional health advisor, Dr Rumishael Shoo, warned that children continued to die from preventable diseases "for which we have known interventions", and that "without accelerated intervention efforts, many member states will not meet the [relevant] Millennium Development Goals" (MDG).