The number of children who die before reaching their fifth birthday has fallen to an all-time low, yet children around the world continue to die at an alarming rate, with 5.6 million deaths recorded last year, said the latest UN report.
The report titled ‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2017’ called for making available most needed life-saving know-how and technologies particularly in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) comprising, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank and the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, released the report on Thursday.
The UN in its annual report on child mortality said many of the deaths “which averaged 15,000 a day in 2016” were from preventable diseases.
The report warned that neonatal mortality “the death of babies in the first 28 days of life” is not decreasing at the same pace as mortality rates for children aged between one month and five years.
Each day, a total of 7,000 babies die before they are 28-days-old, it added.
The lives of 50 million children under-five have been saved since 2000, a testament to the serious commitment by governments and development partners to tackle preventable child deaths, said UNICEF’s Chief of Health Stefan Swartling Peterson in a joint statement.
But without a greater effort to stop babies from dying the day they are born, or days after their birth, this progress will remain incomplete. “We have the knowledge and technologies that are required, we just need to take them where they are most needed”, he added.
The current trends suggest that between 2017 and 2030, 30 million newborns will die within the first 28 days of life. As such, the agencies stress that measures must be taken to achieve universal health coverage and ensure that more newborns survive and thrive, including by serving marginalised families.
To prevent illness, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Family, Women’s and Children’s Health Dr Flavia Bustreo said, families require financial power, their voices to be heard and access to quality care. Improving the quality of services and timely care during and after childbirth must be prioritised.
Tim Evans, Senior Director of Health Nutrition and Population at the WB Group added that it is unconscionable that in 2017, pregnancy and childbirth are still life-threatening conditions for women.
The best measure of success for universal health coverage is that every mother should not only be able to access healthcare easily but that it should be quality, affordable care that will ensure a healthy and productive life for her children and family. We are committed to scaling up our financing to support country demand in this area, including through innovative mechanisms like the Global Financing Facility, he added.
Despite progress, large disparities in child survival still exist across regions and countries, especially in Southern Asia sub-Saharan Africa.
This new report highlights the remarkable progress since 2000 in reducing mortality among children under age five, said UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Liu Zhenmin.
Yet many deaths at these ages are easily preventable through simple, cost-effective interventions administered before, during and immediately after birth. Reducing inequities and reaching the most vulnerable newborns, children and mothers are essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target on ending preventable childhood deaths and for ensuring that no one will be left behind.