Why Are So Many Children Dying?

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Almost 10 million children will die this year before they celebrate their fifth birthday. They are dying from diseases that are easy to treat if the treatment was available.

“A child’s chance of celebrating a fifth birthday should not largely depend on the country or community where he or she is born,” said David Morley, president and CEO of Save the Children Canada upon issuing the report. “We need to do a better job of reaching the poorest children with basic health measures like vaccines, antibiotics and skilled care at childbirth. These simple measures, while taken for granted in Canada, are not reaching millions of children under age 5, and can determine whether a child lives or dies in poor countries and communities.”

Basic health care is the key to changing the death rate of the very young. In countries like Nigeria the simplest health care is no where to be found.

Simple measures could save lives. A knitted cap could keep a baby alive in colder climates like Tibet where half of all infants come down with hypothermia within the first week of their life.

“Parents do everything they can to protect their babies from cold. But the most important thing, putting a hat on the baby’s head, is neglected – that’s like
leaving a thermos bottle filled with hot water but without a lid.”
TashiTsering, Save the Children’s Health Project Manager in Tibet

Save The Children’s annual global report is showing a sad case in regards to how the youngest are treated medically.

In sub-Saharan Africa four out of every five mothers bury a child.

Developing countries lack the simplest basic health care services that would cut child death rates drastically. Simple interventions like prenatal care, skilled assistance during birth, immunizations and treatment for diarrhea and pneumonia are denied to 30 percent of all children in countries that are developing.

The line between poor and rich children’s health care is huge even in the countries with the best ranking.

Antibiotics that cost less than 30 cents could treat the number one killer of children, pneumonia. A solution of salt, sugar and potassium can help keep children suffering from the number two killer diarrhea alive.

Why are these measures not available for every child that is born into the world? War, extreme poverty, remoteness all are factors.

“When children die needlessly, we have a moral and humanitarian imperative to act. Our nation has always adopted the common cause of those in need. And at a time when we have the tools and the knowledge to save millions of young lives each year, we should do so with greater urgency and commitment. During the two hours it has taken us to have this hearing, some 2,000 children have died. The clock is ticking. The time to act is now.”

Feb.2008 - Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., (Current Chair of Save the Children US’ Survive to 5 campaign)

Eight of the 55 countries in the Basic Health Care Report Card reach 60 percent. Eight out of 55 countries are horrible odds when it comes to the life of a child. In Ethiopia the odds are stacked in favor of death with only 20 percent of the nation’s children getting basic lifesaving care.

Even in the countries that are in the top rankings like the Philippines fall short when it comes to the care of the Filipino children. These kids are 3.2 times more likely to go without health care than their richer neighbours.

To stack the odds in favor for the children of the world Save The Children recommends the following:

1. Design health care programs to target the poorest mothers and children. By filling the gap between the richest and the poorest child death rates will decease.

2. Invest in educating and obtaining community health workers to treat the poorest of the poor. Many children die of such simple conditions that with basic health care would not even require a hospital stay.

3. Deliver basic maternal, newborn and child health care that takes into account the realities of life for the poorest families. It’s one thing to prescribe a pill for a child, it’s another thing to make sure the family can obtain that medication.

For more information about the report feel free to contact Save the Children at
416-221-5501 ext 305.

You can download the report at the Save the Child website here.

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