News outlets report on two new studies by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and published in The Lancet that report a decline in overall maternal and child mortality globally, but show that the U.S. and U.K. have surprisingly negative trends.

Consumer Affairs: More women dying in childbirth in the U.S. than almost anywhere else
“…A new study released by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and published in the latest issue of The Lancet finds that there are only eight countries in the world where maternal mortality rates have risen since 2003, including Afghanistan, countries in Africa and Central America — and the United States…” (Abel, 5/2).

The Guardian: U.K. child death rate: a scandal with a clear link to poverty
“…In their paper, published in The Lancet, they show that children under five in the U.K. are more likely to die than in any other western European country except Malta. Nearly five babies of every 1,000 born in the U.K. will not live to their fifth birthday…” (Boseley, 5/2).

Humanosphere: Most nations, except U.S., making progress against maternal & child deaths
“Two studies published [Friday] in The Lancet, both of them led by researchers at the University of Washington, report a sharp decline in maternal mortality and child deaths worldwide since 1990. The United States … joins Afghanistan and El Salvador as one of eight nations where these positive trends don’t apply…” (Paulson, 5/2).

USA Today: U.S. one of few countries with rise in maternal deaths
“…While U.S. maternal mortality rates remain lower than those in many poor countries, they are much higher than those in developed countries ranging from the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, says the report…” (Painter, 5/2).