Every 5 seconds, a child under 15 dies around the world: UN

Every 5 seconds, a child under 15 dies around the world: UN

News:

1. UN released new mortality estimates to highlight deaths of children in the first 5 years of their life.

Important Facts:

2. The new mortality estimates are jointly released by UNICEF, WHO, UN  Population Division and the World Bank Group.

 Findings of the report:

3. An estimated 6.3 million children under 15 years of age died in 2017, or 1 every 5 seconds, mostly of preventable causes.
4. Majority of these deaths (5.4 million) occurred in the first five years of life, with newborns accounting for around half the deaths.
5.  The report notes that for children everywhere, the most risky period of life is the first month.
6. Under five child mortality has fallen dramatically from 12.6 million in 1990 to 5.4 million in 2017.
7. Mortality for children aged between 5 to 14 years, dropped from 1.7 million to less than 1 million in the same period.
8. Without urgent action, 56 million children under five will die until 2030 – half of them newborns.
9. Progress towards saving newborns has been slower than for other children under 5 years of age since 1990.
10. Disparities in child mortality:

• A baby born in sub-Saharan Africa or in South Asia is 9 times more likely to die in the first month than a baby born in a high-income country.
• Within countries, under-five mortality rates among children in rural areas are, on average, 50% higher than among children in urban areas.
• Children born to uneducated mothers are more than twice as likely to die before turning five than those born to mothers with a secondary or higher education.
• Globally, girl child survival rates are 11 per cent higher than boys.

11. India’s Case:

• India’s share of global under-five deaths for the first time equals its share of child births  (i.e. 18%)  from 22 per cent in 2012.
• Under five mortality rate, for the first time, is estimated at 39 deaths per 1,000 live births, the same as the global average.
• The under-five mortality of the girl child is 2.5 per cent higher than the under-five mortality of the boy child
• India’s initiatives like Mission Indradhanush, Mother and Child Tracking System and neonatal ICUs in every district helped in impressive decline in child deaths.
• Investment on ensuring holistic nutrition under POSHAN Abhiyan (National Nutrition Mission) and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will help accelerate progress further.

12. Reasons for child mortality:

• Complications during birth.
• Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Neonatal Sepsis and Malaria between 0-5 years.
• Injuries between 5-14 years, especially from drowning and road traffic.

13. Solutions to tackle child mortality:

• Medicines, Clean water, Electricity and Vaccines.
• Reducing inequality by assisting the most vulnerable newborns, children and mothers.