For the first time in recorded history (since 1960), the child morality rate has dropped below 10 million, now at 9.7 million. If birth rates remained the same as in 1960, when child morality was at 20 million, the actual rate for child morality would be somewhere around 25 million. This dramatic decrease in child deaths is a victory for children's health worldwide, and one to be celebrated. However, this is not only a victory, but an illustration on how we can save the lives of many more millions of children around the world, if we work together as an international community.
Much of the decrease in early childhood deaths, is do to the promotion and use of treated mosquito nets, vitamin drops, nutritional supplements, increased breast feeding, prenatal care, and vaccinations for such diseases as measles and polio.
The estimated drop, to 9.7 million deaths of children under 5, "is a historic moment," said Ann M. Veneman, Unicef's Executive Director, noting that it shows progress toward the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of cutting the rate of infant mortality in 1990 by two-thirds by 2015. "But there is no room for complacency. Most of these deaths are preventable, and the solutions are tried and tested." (Child Mortality at Record Low; Further Drop Seen)
Unfortunately success has not come to every country, and many seem to be taking a step backwards, not forwards, in the fight for children's health. “Over the past 10 to 15 years in most sub-Saharan African countries, there has been basically no discernible improvement in child mortality,” said Ruth Levine, Vice President of the Center for Global Development, a nonprofit research organization in Washington (Under-5 Mortality Drops to Record Low). Such countries include Congo and Sierra Leone, which have both seen child morality rates increase rather than decrease, much of which is due to the high instance of HIV/AIDS.
While many are celebrating the decrease in child deaths, let us not forget that the majority of these deaths are almost entirely preventable, and thus we must look to increase our reach to promote health care and immunizations. Imagine how dramatic the childhood morality rate would be if we ensured that all of the worlds children received their immunizations! Nonetheless immunizations are only half of the story, as more than half of childhood deaths are due to, or related to, malnutrition. Thus we must not look just to the improvement of health care systems and delivery, but also to sustainable development and more beneficial agricultural practices.
Ann Veneman, Unicef's Executive Director, said, “We know that lives can be saved when children have access to integrated, community-based health services, backed by a strong referral system” (Child mortality ‘at record low’).
Most of the changes that need to be made to ensure that children receive a better chance at a long and healthy future, are already in existence. Therefore we must place a greater focus on achieving the UN's Millennium Development Goals, and look to see how we can quickly implement the programs and resources already in existence. That said international investments in global health and development, must increase if we are to make a truly dramatic change in the child morality rates, over the next decade. We must make child health and morality a priority, and we must make it one now!
Please see my earlier post this week on Millions of Children Worldwide Die From Malnutrition, but a Few Dollars a Year Can Save Them!. Additionally please see my other posts on HIV/AIDS, Health and Disease, which include post such as, The End of Polio Nearer as Millions of Children Get Polio Vaccinations and The Health of Zimbabwe's Children Continuing to Decline, Report Reveals.
