Fall in child mortality rates, Unicef figures reveal

THE number of children dying under the age of five each year globally has plummeted to a record low, marking “an historic moment”, a charity said yesterday.

New figures from Unicef — drawn from a range of national data sources — show the number of deaths has fallen below 10 million for the first time, to 9.7 million.

In 1990, around 13 million children worldwide died before the age of five.

Unicef executive director Ann Veneman warned there was no room for complacency: “Now we must build on this public health success to push for the achievement of the millennium development goals.

“The loss of 9.7 million young lives each year is unacceptable.

“Most of these deaths are preventable.”

Among the millennium goals was a commitment to a two-thirds reduction in child mortality between 1990 and 2015.

Some countries have seen particularly dramatic drops in child mortality.

China’s under-five death rate has reduced from 45 deaths for every 1,000 live births in 1990 to 24 per 1,000 in 2006, a reduction of 47%. India’s rate has dropped from 115 to 76 per 1,000 in the same period, a reduction of 34%.

Nearly half the children under five who die each year — 4.8 million — come from sub-Saharan Africa, it emerged.

The highest child mortality rates are still in west and central African countries.

The charity said much of the progress was the result of widespread adoption of basic health interventions, such as early and exclusive breast feeding, measles immunisation, Vitamin A supplementation and the use of insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria.

Ms Veneman said treatment coverage for leading childhood illnesses could still be improved.

In the developing world, child mortality is considerably higher among children living in rural areas and in the poorest households, the data showed.

Jeff Mecaskey, head of health at Save the Children, Britain, said: “The progress on child survival shows change is possible but the fact that 9.7 million children will die this year is an outrage. “These aren’t just statistics but children’s lives.

“We know what needs to be done and the international community must put all their effort into supporting health systems in the poorest countries around the world.

“This means more clinics, doctors, nurses and medicines available to help save children’s lives.”