Sierra Leone tops global child mortality tables

A NEWBORN in Sierra Leone has the lowest chance in the world of surviving until age five, and the prospects are almost as bad for children in Angola and Afghanistan, according to a UN report released last night.

In 2006, almost 9.7 million children died worldwide before their fifth birthdays, mostly from preventable causes such as diarrhoea, malaria or malnutrition, the UN Children’s Fund said in its annual report.

More than 26,000 children under the age of five die each day on average.

But progress has been made in a number of regions and strengthening local health services holds great promise for reducing the child mortality rate, said the document — The State of the World’s Children 2008.

In 2006, Sierra Leone had the highest child mortality rate, with 270 deaths per 1,000 births. Angola was second with 260 deaths, followed by Afghanistan with 257.

The rate worldwide in 2006, in contrast, was 72 deaths per 1,000 births. The average rate in industrialised countries was six deaths per 1,000 births.

“The loss of 9.7 million young lives each year is unacceptable, especially when many of these deaths are preventable,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman.

Sub-Saharan Africa, where the rate has dropped only 14% since 1990, is the region of greatest concern. It is home to 28 of the 30 countries with the highest child mortality rates.

Simple healthcare measures, such as vaccinations, insecticide-treated bed nets and vitamin supplements, would prevent many of the deaths.

“We know exactly what works,” said Angela Hawke of UNICEF, referring to strategies the agency has been promoting for some time.

“But we need to make sure these kinds of services are integrated at the most local level, in the villages where children live.” She said governments and health experts should design the best solutions for each community.

“We want to make sure there are local health services that really work, with properly staffed health centres ... and that there’s a proper national health plan,” Hawke told The Associated Press.