Five million children die before their fifth birthday

Some five million children died before their fifth birthday in 2021 and more than two million children and young people between the ages of 5 and 24 lost their lives, mainly due to lack of adequate health care, according to the report by the UN Inter-Agency Group. for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), published this Tuesday.

In other words, every 4.4 seconds a person under the age of 25 died in the world in 2021, the last year studied by the institution.

Although considerable progress has been made in reducing child mortality in recent decades, these numbers also reflect that access to and availability of quality healthcare remains “a matter of life and death” for children around the world. the document states.

Above all,

In addition, 1.9 million babies were stillborn during the same period, according to another report by the group also released on Tuesday, which estimates that, if measures are not taken quickly and public investments are increased, some 59 million children and young people will die. before 2030 and almost 16 million babies will be stillborn by that year.

“Every day too many parents face the trauma of losing their children, even before they are born.

Such a widespread and preventable tragedy should never be accepted as inevitable.

Progress is possible with stronger political will and focused investment in equitable access to primary health care for all women and children,” said Vidhya Ganesh, Director of the Data Analysis, Planning and Monitoring Division. of Unicef, in the presentation of these documents.

“Behind these numbers are millions of children and families who are denied their basic rights to health,” said Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director of Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank, in the presentation.

“We need political will and leadership for sustained financing of primary health care, which is one of the best investments countries and development partners can make.”

Children under the age of five born in sub-Saharan Africa are at the highest risk of infant death in the world, 15 times that of children in Europe and North America.

In the realm of good news, the UN reports do show that since 2000 the global under-five mortality rate has been reduced by 50% and that of older children and young people and that of fetal mortality has decreased by 36% and 35%, respectively.

The reason?

“In the last 30 years, health services to prevent and treat the causes of infant death, such as premature babies, complications during childbirth, low birth weight, neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, have played an important role in save millions of lives”, explained Danzhen You, head of Demography at UNICEF and coordinator of UN IGME, in response to a question from this newspaper.

However, since 2010 the improvements have slowed significantly and, if nothing changes, 54 countries will not reach the goal set in the Sustainable Development Goals for mortality in children under five years of age (25 deaths per 1,000 live births) and more than 60 will not meet the fetal mortality rate (12 deaths or less for every 1,000 births), according to the UN IGME document.

This group is made up of members of UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Division (UNDP) and the World Bank.

The luck of being born here or there

In 2021, more than 80% of the deaths of children under the age of five and 70% of the deaths of young people up to the age of 24 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, according to the report.

If worldwide the under-five mortality rate was 38 per 1,000 inhabitants, in sub-Saharan Africa it was 74 per 1,000 children.

In these two regions, in 2021, in addition, 77% of fetal deaths occurred.

Specifically, children under the age of five born in sub-Saharan Africa are at the highest risk of infant death in the world, 15 times that of children in Europe and North America.

And the risk of a woman living in sub-Saharan Africa giving birth to a stillborn baby is seven times higher than in Europe and North America.

A man with his young son waits as his wife stands with Dr. Tiwari, a senior medical officer who works with women in need of prenatal and postnatal care, in a village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in August 2022. ZISHAAN AKBAR LATIF (© UNICEF/UN0682525/Latif)

“It is extremely unfair that a child's chances of survival depend solely on their place of birth and that there are such great inequalities in their access to life-saving health services,” said Anshu Banerjee, director of Maternal Health, the Newborn, the Child and the Adolescent of the WHO, in the presentation.

“Children around the world need strong primary health care systems that meet their needs and those of their families, so that no matter where they are born, they have the best start and hope for the future,” he added.

But sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South Asia “suffer from low and uneven coverage at crucial times such as ANC4 [four or more antenatal care visits] coverage, skilled attendance at delivery, postnatal care and newborn care.” born small and sick”, explained You.

“Addressing these gaps in coverage and quality of care will be critical to accelerating progress,” he added.

Political will and investments

In 2021, some 2.3 million children died before they were one month old.

That is, 6,400 babies died every day in the world.

These deaths represent 47% of the deaths of children under five years of age.

For newborns, premature labor and complications during delivery are the leading causes of death.

On the other hand, 40% of fetal deaths are caused by lack of oxygen during childbirth, placenta problems and other complications that in many cases can be avoided if women have had access to quality care during pregnancy.

Behind these numbers are millions of children and families who are denied their basic rights to health.

Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director of Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank

For children who survive beyond the first 28 days, infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria pose the greatest threat of death.

In the age group between 5 and 24 years, the main causes of death also include injuries, such as traffic accidents and drowning, interpersonal violence and self-harm.

On the other hand, although covid-19 has not directly increased child mortality, since children have been less affected by the pandemic than adults, the coronavirus may have increased future risks, according to this report.

Specifically, the UN IGME warns about interruptions in vaccination campaigns, nutrition-related services and access to primary care, which could endanger their health and well-being for many years.

In fact, last July, UNICEF warned that the pandemic had caused the biggest continuous rollback in vaccines in three decades, increasing the risk of dying from preventable diseases such as tetanus or the most vulnerable children. the measles.

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