As every year, UNICEF has released the global report on the current situation of child survival and primary health care for mothers, newborns and children.
Although for the first time in recent decades the mortality rate has managed to fall below the threshold of 10 million annual deaths (it has reached 9.7 million), there is still a long way to go.
Every day 27,000 children under the age of 5 die in the world and each of those lives is invaluable. There are still many efforts that governments must make to alleviate this situation. The sad thing is that many of these deaths are preventable with very simple measures such as the promotion of breastfeeding, the installation of mosquito nets with insecticides or the administration of doses of vitamin A.
The report indicates that 40% of children under 5 die during the neonatal period, that is, during the first month of life. Among the causes, 50% are related to malnutrition and 26% are caused by serious infections. Among the most frequent are pneumonia (19%), diarrheal diseases (17%), premature births (10%), asphyxiation of childbirth (8%), diseases such as malaria, measles and AIDS.
Although the figures have declined Africa is still the most punished region in the world where aid must be reinforced.
A life is priceless, neither in Africa nor anywhere in the world. Therefore, we hope that the initiatives to improve the health of pregnant women and children will continue in the same direction to soon hear the news that the figures continue to fall.
