There is a hidden crisis of infant mortality in many Caucasus and central Asian countries, Unicef said yesterday, with the real figures much higher than reported by their governments.
One of the widest discrepancies is in Azerbaijan, where the estimated rate was 74 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births compared with an official rate of 17 per 1,000, according to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund.
Carol Bellamy, Unicef's executive director, said in Florence: "Our report found official statistics in the Caucasus and central Asia hide the gravity of the crisis. Flawed statistics are a danger to children. They inspire complacency, keeping governments and health workers and even parents in the dark on the true nature of the threats to child survival."
Frances D'Emilio Independent UK July 23 2003
