Health profile One of Lhe issues roised about hcaltb statistics in the country is Lheir :-iccuracy, completeness anti rclii;hility. Diffcrcm sou recs sometimes quote diffe Tent figurr-o;. ·n. c intention of including some statistics in 1his charter is to give a general pict11re of the epidemiologit:i:11 pau ems and I r·ends in the hea J1 h of Filipinos. Births and deaths '111c cn1dc birth rate (Cilfl) in 2cmn was 23. 1 per l O00 population while ll1c~ crude death i:nte (CDR) w. is 4. 8 per 1000 population. 13,iscd on these figures, the rntc of nnturnl increase in the country's populalion for 1hc same year was 18. 3 (23. 1 mi_nus 4. 8) for C\Cry 1000 population (NOH, 2005). Despite ll1e decline in the fertility of women, the Lota] fc. rtillty rate (TFR) in the Philippinrs remains high (3. 1 births per woman in 2004. according to lbc AOB) comp;ired tt> the neighboring Southeast Asian countries. Rural women have more children 1han urban women. Uneducated women also have m Qre children thaa t Jwsc who arc with cvllege education. Those in the 25-29 age group have tlle highest fertility rate (NOH :tr;o5). Belwccn 1998 and 2003, the infant mortality rate (IMR) wa.,; 29/rnoo Jive births, which it-,vithin the \-\'J-f O global gual for JMR of less llrnn 50/101Jo live births. This figure w<:nl down to :t6/ woo live births in 2004. The child mort. :ilit:y rate (CMR) hch-:een 1998 and 2003 was 12/1000 live bi J·ths (NOH 2005). The matem;i_l mortality r;:ite (MM R. J was 2/1000 Live births (ADB. 2006). Tbere are more deaths among males than females. ·n1is e~-plains Lhc "feminization~ of old age. causes of morbidity and mortality The following are tbc leading causes of mortality among Filipinos: (J) heart disease; (2) vascular syiacm clis:ease; (3) malignant neoplasms; (4) accidents (5) pneumon ia; (6) TB. all iorms: (7) ill·clefined :ind unknqwn cause of mnrta Ji L-y:(8) chr<Jnic respiratory disease; (9) diahcles rnellit11s; antl, (1n) certain conditions originating in the perinat:. tl period (Philippine Hc:allh Statistics 2004). Mo,;t of these discai. ;es are highly preventable. Dci;pilc the improvements ln the field of public health, many of the common causes of morbidity can be prevented easily by improving environmental sanitatio n and personal hyp,iem: aml 1hruup,h health education. In 2004, the leading c11usc. <; of morbidity were: (1) m:utc lower respiratory tract infection (RTI) and pneumon ia; (:!) bronchitis and hrum:liiulilis; (:!) a Cllle watery diarrhea; (4) influenza: (5) hypertensio n; (6) TB rc,.,-,ir111ory; (7) chick1mpox; (8) diseasei; of the heart: (9) malaria: and. (l O) dengue fcvr-r (PMS 2004). Infants and children ·11,c leading causes ofrofant mortality in 2004 were: ( 1) bacterial sepsis of newborn: (2) respiratory distress of ne,,,bom; (3) pueumouia ; (4) disorders related ro short ge..<;t;1tinn ;ind lnw hirth weight 111)! cb;ewhere classified; (s) congenita l pneumonias; (6) conienital malfonn;ilion of the heurt; [7) neonatal aspiration syndrome; (8) 01her cong('ni1nl nu,lform;Hion ; (9) intraulc. :rine liyµox. ia and birth asphyxia; (io) diarrhea and gastroenteritis of presumed infectious origin (Pl IS 2004). 11al r1ut Til. ion is,·err cum mon amcmgchilclren, particularly protein-energy malnutrition. J 112001, 31% children under 5yc;ir<; old were u,iderwejght (ADB, ~ooo) The Philippines h:is nne of the. : high<e'>l blindness rates in the \:oriel. ll is estimaled that 17 children become permanently blind everyd:1y,1nd lack of Vitamin,\ i~ thi? primary cat L--e of 27 