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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Contraceptive Use Boosts Survival Of Moms, Babies

Associated Press

The increasing use of contraceptives in Uzbekistan has lead to a significant decline in the deaths of infants and their mothers, a U.N. official said Monday.

Between 1992 and 1994, maternal mortality dropped 43 percent - to 17 deaths per 100,000 births from 30 deaths per 100,000 - United Nations development officer Bokhodur Eshonov told The Associated Press.

He cited a new U.N. report showing that between 1993 and 1994, infant mortality declined 12 percent to 28 deaths per 1,000 live births from 32.

Many closely spaced births, combined with poor nutrition, had resulted in poor health for women and children in this former Soviet republic.

In 1990, only 12 percent of the population used any form of contraceptives. That increased to 38 percent last year, Eshonov said, crediting that rise with the improvement in maternal and infant mortality.

Uzbekistan, the most populated country in Central Asia, has 23.6 million people.