Southwest District Mission Program and Vitamin Angel working Hand in Hand
According to the 50th edition of the National Health Yearbook, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in Cuba went from 38.7 per thousand live births in 1970 to 7.9 in 1996. Since then, it has continued to decrease and between 2008 and 2018 it remained below 5. Rates of 4.0 deaths per thousand live births were obtained in 2017 and 2018.
For the Ministry of Public Health and the Cuban State, having the lowest IMR in Latin America and the Caribbean, and one of the lowest in the world has been a source of legitimate pride.
However, in 2021 and 2022 the downward trend has been reversed. Figures above 7 have been registered, which brought the country back to the results of the 1990s. The trend also occurs in the context of reduced birth rates.
The lack of a balance diet and the severity of the lack of food has contributed to this new trend. The Southwest District Mission Program under the leadership of Dan Christopherson is an Non For Profit Organization doing their best to promote prenatal care for expectant mothers. Working hand in hand with Vitamins Angels they have been giving free prenatal vitamins in: Havana, Sancti Spiritus, Mayari, and Antillia.