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Every 5 seconds, a child under 15 dies around the world: UN
News:
- UN released new mortality estimates to highlight deaths of children in the first 5 years of their life.
Important Facts:
- The new mortality estimates are jointly released by UNICEF, WHO, UN Population Division and the World Bank Group.
Findings of the report:
- An estimated 6.3 million children under 15 years of age died in 2017, or 1 every 5 seconds, mostly of preventable causes.
- Majority of these deaths (5.4 million) occurred in the first five years of life, with newborns accounting for around half the deaths.
- The report notes that for children everywhere, the most risky period of life is the first month.
- Under five child mortality has fallen dramatically from 12.6 million in 1990 to 5.4 million in 2017.
- Mortality for children aged between 5 to 14 years, dropped from 1.7 million to less than 1 million in the same period.
- Without urgent action, 56 million children under five will die until 2030 – half of them newborns.
- Progress towards saving newborns has been slower than for other children under 5 years of age since 1990.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Solutions to tackle child mortality:
- Medicines, Clean water, Electricity and Vaccines.
- Reducing inequality by assisting the most vulnerable newborns, children and mothers.
