News releases
Read the latest news from IHME about published research.Maternal deaths projected to drop over next decade
Current trends in fertility and maternal mortality lead researchers to project that more than 150,000 women will die during pregnancy and childbirth in 2030. In the US, where spending on health care is among the highest in the world, the maternal mortality ratio increased by nearly 70% between 2000 and 2017, from 18 deaths per 100,000 live births to 30.
New study finds one in seven child deaths result from pneumonia, the flu, and other lower respiratory infections
Despite large declines since 1990 in child deaths from pneumonia and the flu, these and other lower respiratory infections (LRIs) remain a leading killer of children under age 5. A new scientific study finds LRIs responsible for one in seven child deaths globally.
Tackling inequality could save millions of children
An unprecedented study mapping child deaths over almost two decades finds that nearly half of the 5.4 million under-5 deaths in 2017 can be attributed to differences in child death rates within and across countries.
New computer modeling system may help predict heart-related disease in low- and middle-income countries
Health analyses of people at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in low- and middle-income countries may soon improve, thanks to new computer modeling. The new modeling is a joint project of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and the University of Cambridge.
Globally, more than 11 million years of healthy life lost due to childhood cancer in 2017
While the number of new cancer cases in children and adolescents (aged 0-19 years) is relatively low at around 416,500 globally in 2017, treatment-related ill-health and disability and fatal cancer are estimated to cause around 11.5 million years of healthy life lost globally every year, according to the first Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) to assess childhood and adolescent cancer burden in 195 countries in 2017, published in The Lancet Oncology journal.
Despite substantial progress, only three African nations expected to meet global breastfeeding goals
Only three African countries are expected to meet the global target for exclusive breastfeeding, “an unparalleled source of nutrition for newborns and infants, no matter where they are born,” according to a global health expert. A new study, published in Nature Medicine, finds areas of persistent low prevalence in countries that have made progress overall. Detailed maps accompanying the analysis reveal vulnerable populations, especially those living in rural areas and in extreme poverty.
G20 leaders: Achieving universal health coverage should top your agenda
In a new commentary, 20 health data, financing, and policy experts contend that funding for low- and middle-income nations must be increased to address the growing impacts of climate change, wars and conflicts, and a global political trend toward nationalism. They also argue that increased domestic funding is needed to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including universal health coverage.
Chronic conditions – not infectious diseases – are top 5 causes of early death in China
Chronic diseases, such as stroke, ischemic heart disease, and lung cancer, now represent the leading causes of premature death in China, according to a new scientific study.
New high-resolution maps show how to defeat malaria
New research published today in The Lancet examines high-resolution images in areas where the fight to defeat malaria is succeeding and where it has stalled. Two studies present the most comprehensive picture to date of the Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum parasites, which cause the majority of the global malaria burden.
The Lancet editor Richard Horton honored with Roux Prize
Dr. Richard Horton, the “activist editor” of the international medical journal The Lancet, was honored June 10 for his accomplishments as one of the world’s most “committed, articulate, and influential advocates for population health." He received the Roux Prize, given annually to individuals on the front lines of global health innovation in data science.
A new picture of dengue’s growing threat
Research published today in Nature Microbiology paints a startling new picture of where dengue, the world’s fastest-growing mosquito-borne virus, will spread to put more than 6 billion people at risk toward the end of the century. The study predicts risk to increase in the southeastern United States, coastal areas of China and Japan, and inland regions of Australia, based on researchers’ analysis of climate change data, urbanization, and resources and expertise available to control the virus. However, the biggest changes are predicted to occur in nations where dengue is already endemic.
'Striking' differences in rates of HIV/AIDS within African nations
A new scientific paper reveals striking variation in HIV prevalence at provincial and district levels. The paper, published in Nature, provides precise geographic estimates of HIV prevalence and numbers of people living with HIV to identify priority areas for health care support to reduce the burden of HIV.
US one of only eight countries where child and adolescent health improved but maternal mortality worsened since 1990
The United States is one of only eight countries in the world where decreases in child and adolescent mortality over a 27-year period haven’t also been matched by reductions in maternal mortality, according to a new scientific study. This divergent trend also was found in American Samoa, Canada, Greece, Guam, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Zimbabwe. Of these countries, the United States had the largest increase in maternal mortality rate at 67.5%.
Increased out-of-pocket spending threatens universal health coverage in ‘missing middle’ countries
One in six countries is expected to have substantially high out-of-pocket spending as a proportion of total health expenditures by 2050, according to a new scientific study. As low-income countries increase their GDP, they often face the “missing middle” problem: As they receive less development assistance, they are not able to fill the resulting gap due to slower growth in government health spending.
Global malaria spending $2 billion short of WHO target, stifling progress toward eliminating disease
A first-of-its-kind study reveals malaria spending in 2016 totaled $4.3 billion globally, far short of the annual funding target of $6.6 billion set by the World Health Organization. An increase of more than 50% in resources is needed annually to bridge the considerable $2.3 billion gap and meet the WHO target.