Child mortality

Child mortality, also known as under-5 mortality or "child death", refers to the death of infants and children under the age of five. In 2013, 6.3 million children under five died, down from 6.9 million in 2010, 8.2 million in 2005, and 12.7 million in 1990.^[1] About half of child deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reduction of child mortality is the fourth of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. In contrast a century or two ago anywhere from 30 percent to 50 percent died worldwide on average. ^[2][3]

Child mortality rate is the highest in low-income countries, such as most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. A child's death is emotionally and physically damaging for the mourning parents. Many deaths in the third world go unnoticed since many poor families cannot afford to register their babies in the government registry.^[4]

The same causes and preventative measures that apply to infant mortality (i.e. for children younger than one year old) also apply to understanding child mortality.

Causes

Most child deaths (and 70% in developing countries) result from one or more of the following five causes:^[5][6]

• acute respiratory infections
• diarrhea
• measles
• malaria
• malnutrition

Prevention

Two-thirds of child deaths are preventable.^[7] Most of the children who die each year could be saved by low-tech, evidence-based, cost-effective measures such as vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplementation, insecticide-treated bed nets, improved family care and breastfeeding practices,^[8] and oral rehydration therapy.^[9] Empowering women, removing financial and social barriers to accessing basic services, developing innovations that make the supply of critical services more available to the poor and increasing local accountability of health systems are policy interventions that have allowed health systems to improve equity and reduce mortality.^[10]

In developing countries, child mortality rates related to respiratory and diarrheal diseases can be reduced by introducing simple behavioral changes, such as handwashing with soap. This simple action can reduce the rate of morality from these diseases by almost 50 per cent.^[11]

Epidemiology

The under-5 mortality rate is the number of children who die by the age of five, per thousand live births per year. In 2013, the world average was 46 (4.6%), down from 90 (9.0%) in 1990. The average was 6 in developed countries and 50 in developing countries, including 92 in Sub-Saharan Africa. The highest rate in the world was 167, in Angola.^[1] Likewise, there are disparities between wealthy and poor households in developing countries. According to a Save the Children paper, children from the poorest households in India are three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than those from the richest households.^[12] However, there are also limitations in calculating an accurate rate in developing countries, especially in rural areas. An ethnographic study in Pacatuba, Brazil, found that the under-5 mortality rate only accounted for 44.4% of the actual deaths that occurred in the community. High travel costs, lost labor, and a withdrawal of socio-economic benefits are factors as to why deaths may not be reported to government vital statistics agencies within a country.^[13]

See also

• List of countries by infant mortality rate
• Sanitation

References

External links

• Child mortality estimates for all countries - website by UNICEF