4.13

4.16

IV. VITAL AND HEALTH STATISTICS

VITAL STATISTICS

A vital statistics system is defined as the system of (a) collecting information on the frequency of occurrence of certain vital events, as well as relevant characteristics of the events themselves and of the persons concerned, and (b) compiling, analysing, and disseminating vital data in statistical form.

By international definition, the vital events on which data should be collected in a vital statistics system are live-births, deaths, late foetal deaths, marriages, divorces, annulments, judicial separations, adoptions, legitimations and recognitions. However, in Myanmar the collection of vital statistics are confined only to live-births, late foetal deaths and deaths.

The present Vital Registration and Statistics System (VRS) was introduced in the urban areas of Myanmar in early 1962. As of December 2005, it covered 287 towns, with urban population of 13.74 million, representing 92.36% of the total urban population.

In 1979 the system was introduced in rural areas of Myanmar. At the end of 2005 it covered 257 townships with rural population of 41.64 million, representing 85.73% of the total rural population. Thus, the system covered 87.38% of the total population of the country.

Vital rates are based on registration of birth and death events. Survey results are shown whenever available. In year 1999, national mortality survey was undertaken the results of which are released as official estimates, as shown in Table 4.01 through 4.04.

Definitions used in vital statistics are as follows:

(1) Crude birth rate (CBR)- The annual crude birth rate per 1,000 population represents the ratio of the total number of live-births reported in the calendar year to the estimated mid-year population.

(2) Late foetal death ratio (Still-birth ratio) (LFDR)- It is the ratio of the number of late foetal deaths to the total number of live-births. The late foetal death ratio is usually expressed as a ratio per 1,000 live-births.

(3) Crude death rate (CDR)- The annual crude death rate per 1,000 population represents the ratio of the total number of deaths reported in the calendar year to the estimated mid-year population.

(4) Infant mortality rate (IMR)- The annual infant mortality rate is the ratio of the number of deaths under one year of age (exclusive of late foetal deaths) to the total number of live-births which took place in the same calendar year.

(5) Under Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) - It is defined as the number of deaths of children aged 0-4 years to the total number of live - births in the same calendar year. It is uaually expressed as rate per 1,000 live - births.

(6) Maternal mortality ratio (MMR)- It is the ratio of the number of the pregnancy related deaths of women occurring while pregnant or within 42 days of childbirth to the total number of live-births which took place in the same calendar year.

(7) Age specific mortality rate (ASMR) - It is the number of deaths at a specified age or age group per 1,000 population of that age or age group.

(8) Total Fertility Rate (TFR) - It is the average number of children that would be born alive per woman, if she were to live to the end of her child - bearing years and bear children at each age in accordance with prevailing age specific fertility rates.

(9) Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR) - It measures the rate at which a new born female would, on an average, add to the total female population, if she remained alive and experienced the age specific fertility rates till the end of the child - bearing period.

HEALTH STATISTICS

Table 4.11 shows a break-down of medical and health facilities, exclusive of private clinics, while Table 4.12 provides statistics on doctors, dental surgeons, health assistants, nurses, midwives, veterinarians and other medical personnel as well as indigenous medical practitioners, who are in their respective professional practice on 1st April of each fiscal year.

Table 4.13 presents hospitals and dispensaries by State and Division by fiscal year. In this table hospitals are classified into two types - specialist hospitals and general hospitals.

Nutrition

Nutrition status of a population is a salient indicator of human development in a society. Malnutrition generally strikes more on the women and children who are physiologically as well as socio-culturally vulnerable to many deprivations.

Table 4.14 shows series of survey results on individual food consumption among the varied sections of women and children in comparison with daily nutritional requirement for adequate nutrition known as Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).

The state of malnutrition among under-three children can be observed in Table 4.15 through 4.18, based on Food and Nutrition Situation Survey conducted in 1997. Malnutrition is taken as body weight lower than the value of minus two standard deviation (-2SD) of the reference body weight value for the specific age in NCHS (National Centre for Health Statistics, USA), reference data recommended by the FAO/WHO Expert Committee.

Another type of malnutrition is wasting or acute malnutrition defined as body weight value for the particular height less than - 2SD of NCHS.

The third type of malnutrition is stunting defined as height for the particular age, less than the value of - 2SD of NCHS.

Table 4.15 shows prevalence of malnutrition among children of less than three years of age by gender (NCHS below - 2SD); Table 4.16 shows prevalence of malnutrition among children less than three years of age by gender and age group ( NCHS below - 2SD); and Table 4.17 reveals prevalence of not severe and severe malnutrition among children of less than three years of age( NCHS between - 2SD and - 3SD ) and ( NCHS below - 3SD ) by gender.

Table 4.18 compares the data on prevalence of malnutrition among children of less than three years of age ( NCHS below - 2SD and - 3SD ), from 1994 National Nutrition Survey with those from Food and Nutrition Situation Survey conducted in 1997.

Table 4.19 shows percentage of under-five children who are severely or moderately undernourished, revealed by Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2003 conducted by the Department of Health Planning.

Table 4.20 shows the comparative survey data for year 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003 on prevalence of visible goitre ( Iodine Deficiency Disorder/IDD ) among school children aged 6 - 11.

Table 4.21 shows percentage of households consuming adequately iodized salt, reveled by Study on Goitre and Urinary Iodine Excretion Survey, 2005-2006 conducted by the National Nutrition Centre. Survey was selectively conducted in areas where salt consumption rate was low and urinary excretion of iodine was low and compared with the areas where salt consumption rate was high and also VGR(Visible Goitre Rate) was high. Universal Salt Iodization (USI) in Myanmar has defined 40-60 ppm (The Proportion Level of Iodine Content in the Salt) of iodine in the salt at factory outlet and 15 ppm of iodine in the kitchen, targeting 150 micro gram daily consumption from salt. Normal Intake and requirement is 150 micro gram of iodine per day for human consumption.