NEW YORK -- Latin America and the Caribbean enter the new century showing measurable gains in several health indicators such as life expectancy, infant survivability and the fight against several infectious diseases. Most countries in these regions, however, still face daunting challenges due to sprawling urbanization and environmental problems that affect all ages, but especially children. At the same time, cases of HIV/AIDS, malaria, dengue, tobacco and substance abuse, chronic diseases and physical and mental disabilities increase unrelentingly.

The Caribbean, with an HIV infection rate of more than 2 percent, is the second most heavily infected area in the world after sub-Saharan Africa.

With little change in maternal mortality rates during the last decade, the gap in this indicator between the Latin American and Caribbean countries, on one hand, and the United States and Canada, on the other, has increased. The risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth and postlabor is 50 times greater in the developing countries than in the industrialized countries in the region. This situation is more evident in young women from indigenous and marginal sectors of the population. It reflects a glaring inequity, particularly when one considers that these deaths could be prevented by simple and cost-effective measures.