Child Mortality
Children in Africa are about 16.5 times more likely to die before the age of five than children in developed countries.
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“Children in Africa are about 16.5 times more likely to die before the age of five than children in developed countries.” (@AHO)
“Today, sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for almost 50 per cent of child mortality, although it constitutes only 11 per cent of the world population. If Millennium Development Goal 4 — reduce child mortality by two thirds — is to be achieved, Africa has the challenge of accelerating the narrowing of this gap.” (@UN)
Common causes of death among children are:
?pneumonia
?preterm birth complications
?diarrhoea
?birth asphyxia
?malaria
?malnutrition
Interventions for child survival have the greatest impact when they target the community and household levels. ?
However, their coverage in many African countries is limited, and the health systems often allocate most human, material a
nd financial resources to facility-based, curative care. ?
How can child and infant mortality be reduced❓
✅improving coverage, quality and use of skilled care: “emergency obstetric care, essential newborn care and management of preterm, low birth weight and infection in the immediate post-partum period”
✅community newborn-care packages: “support for breastfeeding mothers, extra care for underweight babies, community-based management of pneumonia in neonates and treatment with oral antibiotic therapy” (@UN)
![](https://aho.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CHILD-MORTALITY-480x480.png)
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Child Mortality
Today, sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for almost 50 per cent of child mortality, although it constitutes only 11 per cent of the world population. If Millennium Development Goal 4 -- reduce child mortality by two thirds -- is to be achieved, Africa has the challenge of accelerating the narrowing of this gap.
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