A Honduran boy carries a sack of salvaged belongings. Two years after Hurricane Mitch struck Central America, killing thousands and causing widespread destruction, the region continues to struggle through a long and difficult process of rehabilitation. Although much progress has been made, a great deal still needs to be done. The country s health infrastructure is still being repaired and as a result, major childhood diseases including malaria, dysentery, and upper respiratory infections, continue to be under-treated. The country s infant mortality rate once again ranks among the highest in the Americas, and maternal mortality is disturbingly high, at about 147 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Malnutrition remains a major problem.
According to government figures, almost 40 percent of children between the ages of 12 months and 71 months are too small for their age and 25 percent are underweight. On a more positive note, immunization coverage has been sustained at over 95 percent and no new cases of polio have been reported since 1994. The immunization of women of childbearing age with tetanus toxoid to prevent maternal and neonatal tetanus has increased from 41 to 88 percent. In the capital, Tegucigalpa, the water system is being reconstructed, with 21 miles of pipeline completed. Particular focus will be given to the reduction of repetition and drop-out rates, especially for hurricane victims and ethnic minorities.