Demography
Preventing Child Deaths
By Clifton Coles
Can we stop the rising number of child deaths? Yes, say
experts.
More than 10 million
children worldwide under five years of age die every year from preventable causes. Known,
low-cost measures can reduce this number by two-thirds, report public-health leaders of
the Bellagio Study Group on Child Survival.
Pneumonia and diarrhea predominate as the major causes of child death
globally, with measles, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and malnutrition also high on the list.
Asphyxia, premature delivery, sepsis, and tetanus are among the leading causes of deaths
among young babies and newborns. Six countries--India, Nigeria, China, Pakistan, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia--account for 50% of global deaths for
people under age five.
Public-health leaders say that breastfeeding, use of insecticide-treated
bed nets, measles vaccination, and rehydration therapy could reduce childhood deaths by
two-thirds in the 42 countries with 90% of child deaths.
"There can be no further excuses for letting children die,"
writes the World Health Organization's Jennifer Bryce, who coordinated the report.
"We have effective interventions, we know that children and mothers living in poverty
are systematically neglected, and we know that the resources needed are available but are
not being used to tackle child survival."
Bryce and other report leaders stress the necessity of improved
leadership and public health systems, adequate and targeted resources, and increased
public awareness to reduce child deaths worldwide. They estimate an annual cost of about
$1 billion for vaccinations, $4 billion for the treatment of childhood illness, and an
additional $2.5 billion for malaria prevention and treatment for all age groups combined.
They also recommend profiting from the lessons of the child survival revolution of the
1980s and early 1990s, when a global movement reached beyond the public health community
and mobilized parents, teachers, rock stars, sports figures, and presidents through highly
publicized concerts and other venues.
Source: "Knowledge into Action for Child Survival" and four
other papers by members of the Bellagio Study Group on Child Survival, published in The
Lancet, www.thelancet.com.
