The World Health Organisation, WHO, has announced a significant
reduction of over 53 percent in child mortality even as it regretted
that the global Millennium Development Goal, MDG, target for child
survival was missed by a wide margin.
A new report by the global health body showed a massive drop of
under-five deaths from 12.7 million per year in 1990 to 5.9 million in
2015.
According to WHO, the landmark reduction is the first year the figure has gone below the 6 million.
The report, released by United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF,
highlighted concerns by stakeholders including the WHO, World Bank
Group, and the Population Division of United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, UNDESA, that 16, 000 children aged below 5
still die everyday.
The report tagged, “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2015”
also indicated that the 53 percent drop in under-five mortality is not
enough to meet the MDG target of a two-thirds reduction between 1990 and
2015.
Causes of death: “A massive 45 percent of under-five deaths occur in
the neonatal period – the first 28 days of life. Prematurity, pneumonia,
complications during labour and delivery, diarrhoea, sepsis, and
malaria are leading causes of death for children under 5 years old.
Nearly half of all under-five deaths are associated with
undernutrition.”
The rate of reduction of child mortality can speed up considerably by
concentrating on regions with the highest levels – sub-Saharan Africa
and Southern Asia – and ensuring a targeted focus on newborns.
On his part, Assistant Director General at WHO, Dr. Flavia Bustreo
who argued that individuals know how to prevent unnecessary newborn
mortality explained that quality care around the time of childbirth
including simple affordable steps like ensuring early skin-to-skin
contact, exclusive breastfeeding and extra care for small and sick
babies can save thousands of lives every year.
Bustreo said the launch of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, at the UN General Assembly this
month, would be a major catalyst for giving all newborns the best chance
at a healthy start in life.
Child survival: The report further highlights that a child’s chance
of survival is still vastly different based on where he or she is born.
For instance Nigeria and many other countries are not fully on track to
attaining the MDGs on child survival.
“Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest under-five mortality rate in the
world with 1 child in 12 dying before his or her fifth birthday.
In 2000-2015, the region has overall accelerated its annual rate of
reduction of under-five mortality to about two and a half times what it
was in 1990-2000.
Immense challenge
“Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, however, continues to confront the
immense challenge of a burgeoning under-five population – projected to
increase by almost 30 percent in the next 15 years coupled with
persistent poverty in many countries.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Wu
Hongbo, says the new report confirms a key finding of the 2015 Revision
of the World Population Prospects on the remarkable decline in child
mortality globally during the 15-year MDG era.”
Progress: “Rapid improvements since 2000 have saved the lives of
millions of children. However, this progress will need to continue and
even accelerate further, especially in high-mortality countries of
sub-Saharan Africa, if we are to reach the proposed child survival
target of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
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