One-in-four children in Sierra Leone do not live past age of five

One in four children in Sierra Leone dies before the age of five, and one in 10 in Iraq.

Across the globe, poor care for new-borns, malaria, diarrhoea, malnutrition and even measles claim lives before a fifth birthday, according to a UN report released today.

The United Nations Children’s Fund reported “alarmingly slow progress on reducing child deaths”. One in 12 children worldwide doesn’t make it to age five, with half of all under-five deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.