{"id":1286,"date":"2016-01-13T11:23:50","date_gmt":"2016-01-13T19:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2021-08-15T17:20:51","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T00:20:51","slug":"child-mortality-causes-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/health-news-stories\/child-mortality-causes-solutions","title":{"rendered":"Child mortality: Top causes, best solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Child mortality is a big deal, and a lot of people are fighting to reduce it in the developing world. In fact, the number of children younger than 5 who die each year from preventable causes has decreased dramatically — from 12.7 million in 1990 to 5.9 million in 2015. But that’s not fast enough, per the World Health Organization and other development agencies.<\/p>\n

They insist governments can and should do more to further reduce the under-5 mortality rate — a key measure of a nation’s care for its most vulnerable citizens, young children, and infants.<\/p>\n

Top preventable child killers<\/h3>\n

The six most preventable causes of death<\/a> for children younger than 5 are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Premature birth (18% of deaths)<\/li>\n
  2. Pneumonia (16% of deaths)<\/li>\n
  3. Birth defects (13% of deaths)<\/li>\n
  4. Newborn infections, malaria, sepsis, measles (13% of deaths)<\/li>\n
  5. Birth complications (11% of deaths)<\/li>\n
  6. Diarrhea (9% of deaths)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Childhood malnutrition is an underlying cause of 45% of all deaths among children younger than 5, according to the WHO<\/a>. So proper nutrition is foundational to helping prevent many deaths.<\/p>\n

    Solutions that save lives, reduce child mortality<\/h3>\n

    According to the World Health Organization, six solutions to the most preventable causes of under-5 deaths include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Immediate and exclusive breastfeeding<\/li>\n
    2. Skilled attendants for antenatal, birth, and postnatal care<\/li>\n
    3. Access to nutrition and micronutrients<\/li>\n
    4. Family knowledge of danger signs in a child’s health<\/li>\n
    5. Improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene<\/li>\n
    6. Immunizations<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      These solutions are among the various interventions World Vision employs in its work to promote maternal and child health. World Vision works with communities to train and equip midwives<\/a> and local health workers; with governments and corporate partners to provide supplies and resources<\/a> to clinics and hospitals; and with parents to teach best practices<\/a> in the care and nurture of their young children.<\/p>\n

      World Vision aims to ensure children grow up healthy in their communities, with access to basic health services, adequate nutrition, and disease prevention.<\/p>\n

      How to help end child mortality<\/h2>\n