Progress made in reducing child deaths worldwide: UNICEF report
Baku, September 14 (AZERTAC). Over the span of two decades, countries across the globe have been making constant progress in reducing the number of deaths among the children under the age of 5, a United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)report released Friday reads.
The 2012 Progress Report on "Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed" estimates that the number of deaths among the children before their fifth birthday has declined significantly from 12 million in 1990 to 6.9 million in 2011.
"We are witnessing huge gains in reducing child mortality rates in many low-income countries, sub-Saharan Africa as well as middle- income countries and elsewhere around the world. It shows that no matter what the challenges are, progress can be made with good policies and commitments," UNICEF Chief of Health, Ian Pett said in an interview by UNICEF television. According to the report, the top killers of children include diarrhoea, pneumonia, polio, malaria and measles. Under-nutrition is the other significant death factor, which contributes to one third of total child deaths.
While the significant progress in child mortality rate can be attributed to governments, donors, international and national non- government organisations and the locals themselves, about 19,000 children under the age of 5 still die every day from preventable diseases.
In order to reduce the number of deaths, children in low-income countries should be served with efficient health services, proper vaccines and medicine which can easily avert such preventable diseases. Broader issues like education, water supply, sanitation and hygiene should also be addressed in order to completely end the deaths of children from preventable diseases.
"We continue to target the most vulnerable populations in most of the countries, ensuring their access to health services. We are going to achieve this goal by concentrating our resources on ending health hazards and ensuring access to high quality health services," Pitt added.
Committing to Child Survival, a global movement brought into action since 1990 to ensure maternal, newborn and child survival, was renewed in June this year, when more than 100 governments have renewed their commitment. The Promise Renewed is part of UN's Every Woman Every Child movement launched by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
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