Why it is in news?
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An estimated 6.3 million children under 15 years of age died in 2017c or 1 every 5 seconds mostly of preventable causes according to the new mortality estimates released by UNICEF the World Health Organization (WHO)
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The report notes that for children everywhere, the most risky period of life is the first month.
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In 2017, 2.5 million newborns died in their first month while 5.4 million deaths ”” occur in the first five years of life, with newborns accounting for around half of the deaths.
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Also, a baby born in sub-Saharan Africa or in South Asia was nine times more likely to die in the first month than a baby born in a high-income country.
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And progress towards saving newborns has been slower than for children under five years of age since 1990.
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Most children under 5 die due to preventable or treatable causes such as complications during birth, pneumonia, diarrhea, neonatal sepsis and malaria.
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By comparison, among children between 5 and 14 years of age, injuries become a more prominent cause of death, especially from drowning and road traffic.
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Within this age group, regional differences exist, with the risk of dying for a child from sub-Saharan Africa 15 times higher than in Europe.
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The report adds that even within countries, disparities persist.
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Under-five mortality rates among children in rural areas are, on average, 50% higher than among children in urban areas.
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In addition, those 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.
Simple solutions
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Though the world has made remarkable progress to save children since 1990, but millions are still dying because of who they are and where they are born.
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With simple solutions like medicines, clean water, electricity and vaccines, we can change that reality for every child,” the report said.
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Globally, in 2017, half of all deaths under five years of age took place in sub-Saharan Africa, and another 30% in Southern Asia.
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Despite these challenges, fewer children are dying each year worldwide.
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The number of children dying under five has fallen dramatically from 12.6 million in 1990 to 5.4 million in 2017.
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The number of deaths in older children aged between 5 to 14 years dropped from 1.7 million to under a million in the same period.
Source
The Hindu