UNICEF
Child mortality has declined significantly worldwide
The installation in New York organized by UNICEF illustrates the extent of child mortality in conflict areas in 2018. Photo
© Craig Ruttle/FR61802 AP/dpa
Despite all the advances in medical care, millions of children worldwide still die before their fifth birthday. According to Unicef, many lives could be saved.
According to the UN Children’s Fund, survivors worldwide are surviving Unicef more children than ever before in the first years of life. Since 2000, the mortality rate for children under five has fallen by 51 percent, said the organization in Cologne and New York.
In 2022, the number of children who died before their fifth birthday from preventable causes reached an all-time low of an estimated 4.9 million children. In 1990 there were still 12.5 million children.
Preventable causes and treatable diseases
According to the data, most of these deaths in 2022 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. They are mainly due to preventable causes or treatable diseases such as premature births, complications during birth, pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria.
“Many lives could have been saved if the children had had better access to basic medical care,” Unicef said in a statement. This included measures such as vaccinations, qualified health personnel and the diagnosis and treatment of childhood diseases.
Schulze: The world is far from finished
“It is crucial to improve access to quality health care for every woman and child, including in crisis situations and in remote areas,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was quoted as saying in the statement. “Where a child is born should not determine whether it will live or die.”
Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) described it as “one of the best investments in the world to do more for the health of mothers and children.” Health is therefore an important focus of our global commitment, from mother-child health services to infant vaccinations against measles and yellow fever. “All of this contributes to reducing child mortality,” said Schulze, commenting on the Unicef figures. The world is still far from reaching its goal. “Far too many children are still dying, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.”