While over 90% of Egyptian women age 15-49 have been circumcised, the 2008 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) indicates that female circumcision rates are declining and that support for the practice is waning.

One in five deaths among Ghanaian women age 15 to 29 is due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth according to a newly released national study, Ghana Maternal Health Survey 2007. Nationwide, Ghana’s maternal mortality ratio is estimated at 451 deaths per 100,000 live births in the seven years preceding the survey, about 40 times the maternal mortality ratio in the United States. Induced abortion is the second most common cause of maternal deaths in Ghana.

Women are having fewer children, and these children are more likely to survive their early years, according to the newly released 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS). Improvements in education, family planning and health are reported in the new survey although progress is delayed in maternal health and child nutrition.  The BDHS visited 10,400 households and interviewed almost 11,000 women and 4,000 men

One in seven Zambians age 15-49 is HIV-positive, according to the 2007 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS). Despite this high prevalence, many Zambians are not fully informed about HIV prevention, and the majority have not gone for HIV testing.

A new MACRO International/MEASURE DHS Comparative Report based on survey data from 22 developing countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, finds substantial differences in the extent of HIV infection according to individual social and economic characteristics. Overall, HIV prevalence is higher among people who have more education and with more household wealth. For all but two countries, HIV prevalence is higher in urban than rural areas.