Infant and maternal mortality rates have been decreasing but remain high: 32.9 per 1000 live births (1998) and 64.5 per 100,000 live births (1998) respectively. One of the determinants of maternal mortality is the poor health status of women. In 1996 52.3% of pregnant women were anaemic, which is often related to frequent childbirth, small birth space and inadequate nutrition. The main causes of infant mortality are respiratory diseases (19.9 per 1000 born), infectious diseases (11.4 per 1000 born) and perinatal conditions (6.1 per 1000 born).