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India’s under-5 girls face high mortality
Why is it in the news?
- According to the 'Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’ report by the United Nations (UN) inter-agency group for child mortality, India is among the few countries in the world where, in 2018, the mortality for girls under 5 years of age exceeded that of boys.
More in the news
- Findings of the Report:
(1) In 2018, fewer countries showed gender disparities in child mortality.
(2) Across the world, boys are expected to have a higher probability of dying before reaching age 5 than girls. But this trend was not reflected in India.
(3) The risk of dying before age 5 for girls is significantly higher in countries that are located in Southern Asia and Western Asia.
(4) Half of all under-5 deaths in 2018 occurred in five countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.
(5) India and Nigeria alone account for about a third.
(6) Despite advancements made over the past two decades, a child or a young adolescent died every five seconds in 2018.
- Major Causes of Neonatal Mortality:
(1) Pre-term birth
(2) Intrapartum related events
(3) Neonatal infection.
- What is needed?
(1) Providing high quality antenatal care
(2) Skilled care at birth
(3) Postnatal care for mothers and their babies
(4) Care of small and sick newborns.
- Other Basic Services: The following becomes matters of life and death when children and young adolescents do not have access to them.
(1) Timely and proper medical treatment
(2) Adequate nutrition
Source
The Hindu.