In Roman times the average life span was just 22 (mainly because of the appalling rate of infant mortality), by 1800 it was 40 years, 1900 around the late 40s and today it hovers around the mid-to-late 70s.

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And in one of the most deprived areas of Maharashtra in India the infant mortality rate fell by 60% over a three year period during which mothers were trained as baby monitors.

BBC: Baby deaths 'could be halved'

Despite the trappings of Westernization in major cities, a literacy rate of just 61 percent and high infant mortality rates betray the reality of India's status as an emerging nation.

CNN: India reaps benefits of economic boom

It reported that they were more likely to be poor and that their infant mortality rate was half as high again as that of the rest of the population.

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