At the Clinton Global Initiative's (CGI) annual meeting today, Jhpiego, an international non-profit health care organization affiliated with John Hopkins University, announced a multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment to reducing maternal deaths by focusing on the second leading killer of mothers in developing countries, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.

Over five years, Jhpiego will dedicate $5 million to combat eclampsia-a high blood pressure disorder-in 20 countries with the highest maternal mortality rates. Jhpiego will host a Global Task Force to address all aspects of reducing mortality, focusing on high impact and low cost options for addressing this leading cause of death. The organization's efforts will concentrate on prevention, detection and treatment of the disorder and will address the challenge of bringing feasible, low-cost and high impact solutions to developing countries. The purpose of Jhpiego's commitment is to ensure developing countries adopt the evidence based interventions that prevent and treat eclampsia to accelerate progress toward reducing maternal deaths.

"Everyday, women in developing countries die needlessly from preventable causes. Each year, more than 50,000 women in developing countries die from eclampsia. We have the knowledge and tools to greatly reduce that number," said Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO of Jhpiego. "By launching this global initiative, Jhpiego is dedicating itself to bringing interventions and innovations to developing countries so that women no longer die from preventable disorders."

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 16% of maternal deaths in developing countries result from pregnancy induced hypertension disorders, of which eclampsia is the primary contributor. The high blood pressure disorder causes damage to mother's vital organs and may harm unborn babies who can suffer from a lack of blood supply. Many times, if proper equipment and antenatal care are available, eclampsia can be detected and treated before any harm is done. However, many women in developing countries do not have access to the necessary care and by the time eclampsia is detected, it is often too late.

Jhpiego was invited to participate in the CGI because of the organization's commitment to Millennium Development Goal 5, improving maternal health. At the CGI's annual meeting, former U.S. President Bill Clinton recognized Jhpiego for its CGI "Commitment to Action."

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Established in 2005 by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global political and business leaders with NGO's to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. The Fifth Annual Meeting was held September 22-25, 2009 in New York City. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

About Jhpiego
Jhpiego (pronounced "ja-pie-go"), is an international non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. For 35 years, Jhpiego has empowered front-line health workers by designing and implementing effective, low-cost, hands-on solutions to strengthen the delivery of health care services for women and their families. Jhpiego works to break down barriers to high-quality health care for the world's most vulnerable populations. For more information go to www.jhpiego.org.

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