GENEVA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday urged the international community to do more to reduce maternal and child mortality, which is especially high in Africa and Southeast Asia.

    Each year, more than half a million women in the world die in pregnancy or childbirth, and more than 10 million children die before the age of five, 40 percent of whom die in the first month after birth, WHO official Francisco F. Songane told reporters.

    "The problem is huge, but it is mostly neglected," said Songane,who is a former Mozambican minister of health and now director of the WHO's newly-formed Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and ChildHealth (PMNCH).

    He said two-thirds of the above-mentioned deaths could actuallybe prevented with proven, cost-effective interventions.

    He added that the problem was most serious in 75 countries, most of which are located in Africa and Southeast Asia.

    Some 9 billion U.S. dollars is needed per year to provide essential health services for children under the age of five and their mothers in the 75 countries, he said.

    The WHO official stressed that no single country, no single agency could solve the problem alone and the task of the PMNCH wasto bring different organizations and resources together to coordinate their efforts in this respect.

    Launched in September 2005, the PMNCH has brought together 83 different organizations to contribute to the program of reducing maternal and child mortality, including the World Bank, the WHO and other UN agencies, the Gates Foundation, USAID and other donors, as well as many non-governmental organizations and health professional agencies. Enditem